Enlightenment!

Will You and I Get There? Umm… Probably Not.

Nor will anybody we know. But the fact that realizing full enlightenment is highly unlikely does not mean we should ignore the phenomenon or pretend it does not exist. Genuine enlightenment is exceedingly rare but nonetheless a real state of being. If we reject enlightenment as starry-eyed or ignore it because it is virtually impossible to attain in full measure, we do ourselves and others a disservice. Because the quest itself is extremely valuable.

I am not talking about seeking nirvana or samadhi, mystical transcendence, metaphysical oneness or the like. While I do not dismiss such pursuits, I am focusing here on something more down-to-earth and practical. The enlightenment I am interested in pursuing is a state of being calm, curious and attentive. Loving and kind. Courageous, creative and responsible. At peace with myself and the world (which does not mean mindlessly accepting the status quo).

In an enlightened society, consensus values and aspirations would include pluralism and social equity; planetary stewardship; genuine dialogue and nonviolent conflict resolution; and human kindness and honest communication at every level.

That’s what I am after. As with more formal enlightenment, the operative rule is to accept that we are not likely to get all the way there. The point is not to arrive at an ultimate destination but to aim in that direction and work toward it. Each and every step toward the goal is worthwhile and tangibly productive.

To dismiss this quest as naive idealism is, in my opinion, a failure of moral imagination. And a costly one. I see the commitment to work on enlightening myself as a debt I owe to myself and others in gratitude for the gift of life. And even if not an obligation, it is still the best thing I can do for both myself and other people.

Life Favors Our Enlightenment

Sadly, we live in a time and culture where support for such personal development is woefully lacking. This has long been the case, and in the present era of accelerating social and political breakdown, the opposite ethic seems to be on the rise. We also face deeply entrenched socioeconomic forces that work against our natural desire to become more healthy and complete human beings.

Fortunately life itself is on our side. The cornerstone of this philosophy is that human beings are fundamentally good at heart – innately curious, brave and loving – and all of life is inextricably interconnected and predominantly benevolent.

This premise can be viewed with justifiable skepticism. But I contend that life could not sustain itself were goodness not woven into its essential nature. Yet problems and hardships are the stuff of life, and tragedy, cruelty and malevolence have always been pervasive in our world. So it is painfully obvious that this core of goodness is far too often well beyond our reach. But we can close that gap. That’s the goal and work of enlightening ourselves.

The purpose of this effort is to help us rediscover and reconnect to our core of goodness. I say re-discover and re-connect because we once knew this place intimately. We were born curious, brave and loving [this is an external page; on another website] and mostly lived in and from that state as small children. That pristine original space still exists at the center of our being.

On Just Being presents a comprehensive, focused strategy designed to help us reacquaint ourselves with this deep wellspring of awareness, strength and goodness, both in ourselves and others.