For decades, the grinning face of Alfred E. Neuman peered out from the cover of Mad Magazine with his trademark line: “What? Me Worry?” It was meant as satire, a wink at the absurdities of modern life. Yet when viewed through the lens of A Course in Miracles (ACIM), that simple question becomes a spiritual mantra. If we are as God created us, untouched by time, circumstance, and appearances, then truly—what is there to worry about?
Worry: The Ego’s Favorite Pastime
Worry is the ego’s way of chaining the mind to a false sense of control. By rehearsing possible futures, it pretends to prepare us for danger, but in truth it keeps us locked in fear. The Course is clear: worry is never about the present moment. It is always about the past we drag forward or the future we imagine. “The presence of fear is a sure sign that you are trusting in your own strength” (W-pI.48.3).
When Alfred E. Neuman smirks, “Me worry?” he is actually exposing the ego’s silliness. To worry is to take the illusion of separation seriously. To worry is to believe that the tiny, frail body is all we are. But the Self that God created has no needs, no threats, and no reason for concern.
Spirit’s Care Is Total
The Course reassures us: “If you are trusting in your own strength, you have every reason to be apprehensive, anxious and fearful. What can you predict or control? But if you are placing your trust in the strength of God within you, there is no worry” (W-pI.47.1). Worry fades in direct proportion to trust. The more we lean into Spirit’s care, the less the ego’s anxious whispers find a foothold.
In fact, the very idea of worry becomes almost comical. Why would a child of God—eternal, unlimited, perfect—spend time imagining disaster in a dream? It is like watching a scary movie and forgetting you are in the safety of your living room.
The Fool’s Wisdom
Perhaps this is why Alfred E. Neuman makes such a fitting spiritual mascot. He appears foolish, naïve, even clueless. Yet ACIM suggests that the so-called wisdom of the world is actually the real foolishness. “What the world calls folly is healing. What it calls healing is but folly” (T-25.VII.11). To the ego, not worrying seems careless. To Spirit, not worrying is sanity.
When we echo Alfred’s shrugging question—“What? Me worry?”—we are quietly asserting our innocence. We are remembering that nothing real can be threatened and nothing unreal exists. Worry cannot exist in the Presence of Love.
A Practice of Trust
Of course, the Course is not suggesting we deny our feelings or pretend problems don’t exist. Rather, it invites us to hand each anxious thought over to the Holy Spirit. Each time a worry arises, we can pause and remember: “I do not know what anything, including this, means” (T-14.XI.6). From that humble admission, peace returns.
The practice is simple: notice the worry, smile at the ego’s attempt to scare you, and ask for another way of seeing. With practice, worry becomes less frequent, less compelling, and eventually almost laughable.
Living the Tagline
Maybe Alfred E. Neuman was on to something all along. With his gap-toothed grin and carefree gaze, he reminds us of what the Course is really teaching: that nothing has gone wrong, and nothing can go wrong in truth. The world may rage, bodies may falter, economies may crumble—but the Self we truly are remains untouched.
So the next time the ego tempts you with a list of worries, you might borrow Alfred’s line and smile back: “What? Me worry?” It may be satire on the magazine cover, but in the classroom of the Holy Spirit, it is the most practical wisdom there is.
robert@dinojamesbooks.com