It is not difficult to be well informed. These days relatively poor people in many parts of the world have transistor radios; while in industrialized nations, citizens are confronted with a wide array of magazines, books, documentary films, varied television programs. Current political developments, discoveries in natural science, can be learned of and assessed. Some of this news, though, may make us feel discouraged or depressed about directions humanity is taking. But is one truly informed humanity simply because he is well acquainted with current events? "Any supposed information," Mrs. Eddy says arrestingly, "coming from the body or from inert matter as if either were intelligent, is an illusion of mortal mind,—one of its dreams." Science and Health, pp. 385—386;
Christian Science, teaching the actualities of God and man, gives us the foundation from which to make an ultimate analysis of information—is it really true and accurate, or is it essentially unreal?—as a preliminary to applying the healing law of Truth, God, to what seems wrong. Does this help? Yes. Such application is authorized and presented by Truth itself, and claims of discord—regardless of their forms and location—must yield, finally disappearing. In the allness of Truth there is no condition to actually challenge the law of Truth.
How then does bad news seem to arise? It comes from the material, specious sense of life. Material sense would project its dream thoughts onto a screen of its own making, then look at its images, analyze them, fear them. But what is essentially good news echoes infinite Mind. The Proverbs say, "As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from far country." Prov. 25:25; What is not essentially good is actually a lie, and our affirming this helps undermine the human conviction that evil is insoluble fact. Divine Mind and its ideas are the only reality right where material incidents seem to be taking place. When, and only when, we have realized this truth, we are really well informed and prepared to heal. To have a more spiritual sense of information, to be enlightened by the Christ—God's immaculate idea—of the character of scientific being, enables one to play a compassionate role in connection with worldly happenings.
