I’m offering the possibility of approaching existence from a different perspective.

The external world claims to be real, but it, too, is an image created in consciousness and projected outward. Once you realize that you alone are the projector of reality, you will no longer be dominated by external events.

You are standing center stage in your own personal drama. Surrounding you is a much larger stage, and if you find yourself in dangerous times on that larger stage, danger will be present. However, this situation is very different from seeing yourself living inside a swirling chaos of impending doom. The point is to take your place inside the drama of the larger stage with confidence. Everything is as it should be.

Adapted from Why is God Laughing? The Path to Joy and Spiritual Optimism, by Deepak Chopra (Harmony Books, 2008).