"I am a Son of God. And can I be another thing as well? Did God create the mortal and corruptible? What use has God's beloved Son for what must die? And yet a neutral thing does not see death, for thoughts of fear are not invested there, nor is a mockery of love bestowed on it. Its neutrality protects it while it has a use. And afterwards, without a purpose, it is laid aside. It is not sick or old nor hurt. It is but functionless, unneeded and east off. Let me rot see it more than this today; of service for a while and fit to serve, to keep its usefulness while it can serve, and then to be replaced for greater good. My body Father, cannot be your Son. And what is not created cannot be sinful nor sinless; neither good nor bad. Let me, then, use this dream to help Your plan that we awaken from all dreams we made. "Lesson 294 Workbook page 435.

This important workbook workbook lesson illustrates the need to release our obsessional investment in the body's health. 'The Course is constantly reminding us that the body is only an instrument, a learning tool and a communication device, without any power of its own and in need of no defence of any kind. We need to be neither "careful nor careless "
It seems as though every day there is some 'new threat' to our health Maybe its the polluted air or water supply . or viruses in the air. In this 'high tech' age we have to contend with microwaves or working in front of V.D.U's. Do we cook with, carcinogenic materials? How many other dangers are there yet to be discovered? It is so easy to forget that "Nothing real can be threatened, nothing unreal real exists" and that "my body is a wholly neutral thing"
And our obsession is nothing new; Plato put it this way: "Attention to health is the greatest hindrance to life"
The realisation that we are under no laws but God's was L brought home to be about four years ago when sailing home from Pittwater after a holiday. I had left my wife Pam to come by car while I would take the 26 mile ocean trip on my own. On leaving harbour I noticed the seas starting to build up and decided to turn around and run back into the harbour. Suddenly the boat was hit with a fierce squall causing the boat to lay over on its side and the boom to swing in an uncontrolled jibe from one side of the boat to the other, smashing against my head in the process, knowing me down to the floor of the cockpit.
I don't remember ever feeling so very alone and fearing 1 may have concussion, I became very frightened. Being desperate I had ad no time to analyse why I had done this to myself; all that came into my mind was a line from the workbook "If God is real, there is no pain. If Pain is real, there is no God." from the workbook lesson "1 choose the joy of God instead of pain"
The instant I had that thought I no longer felt any pain; I felt completely well and was able to .sail I my boat back to a safe mooring. Not only did I feel no more pain but I had no lump on my head or felt any after affects.
I have often wondered why I have not always been able to repeat that experience and have come to tile conclusion that at other times I have had too much investment in being sick. With the boat incident I seemed to have no choice but to become aware of Truth.
To deny the body's existence in the dream is not helpful but the certain knowledge of our reality can help us "be in this world but not of it."
The goal of A Course in MIracles® is not health but Peace . Health is the inevitable result of a healed mind. In the Manual for Teachers, page 31 it states "The central lesson is always this; that what you use the body for, for it will to you. Use it for sin or attack, which is the same as sin, and you will see it as sinful. Because it is sinful it is weak, and being weak it suffers and it dies. Use it to bring the Word of God to those who have it not, and the body becomes holy. Because it is Holy, it cannot be sick, nor can it die. When its usefulness is done it is laid by, and that is all."
It is easy for our egos to jump to the conclusion that we can use this knowledge to judge others by the state of their appearances, but of course, the trap is, when we perceive others as sick and separate, or healthy and beautiful, our minds are the ones that need healing and we have lost sight of the absolute neutrality of the body as an instrument of the mind, and our involvement in everything we see and every feeling we experience.