Our Ultimate Challenge and Singular Opportunity: 

Waking Up to Our
Common Inner Core

You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end each of us must work for his own improvement, and at the same time share a general responsibility for all humanity….
– Marie Curie

This sentiment, expressed by two-time Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie in 1923, conveys the ethic and purpose of On Just Being. Specifically, this work contends that the most direct path to “improving” ourselves (to use Curie’s word)  is to re-discover and strive to ground ourselves in our inner core, the very center of our being where our innate awareness, love and strength ceaselessly abide. And we “build a better world” by recognizing and connecting to the same core of goodness in other people and the whole of life.

When we broaden our identity as separate individuals we see the greater and richer reality of also being members of a deeply interconnected human family. This expanded consciousness has been proclaimed by sages, saints and mystics for millennia, and pursued perennially by humble seekers in all cultures. While such an awareness has not been achieved on a wide scale in recorded history, the great majority of humanity longs for the more peaceful, just, sustainable world that this awakening would engender.

In today’s troubled world this noble aspiration may appear more distant than ever. Yet I contend the opposite is true, that conditions are ripe for this awakening. In fact, it is happening now in a rapidly growing number of individuals and groups. Perhaps in the not-too-distant future enough of us will recognize our inner depth and honor our intrinsic interconnectedness to one another and all of nature to reach a tipping point toward creating the world we yearn for.

The Mission of On Just Being

Marie Curie concluded the paragraph above with these words:

…, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think we can be most useful.

I have long and deeply felt that my “particular duty” has been to develop, hone and articulate a model and methodology for achieving what I have always believed to be an attainable state of harmony within and among human beings, and to share that vision with those who are receptive to hearing it. Moreover, I hope is to entice those who are not naturally open to this possibility to entertain the idea.

Whether we are aspiring to create a better world or preparing to make the best of a decaying civilization – or simply engaging an inherently unknowable future – the most valuable work we can do is exactly the same: strive to connect to the awareness, love and strength at the innermost center of our personal being and to recognize and reach out to the same luminous core in our fellow human beings.

In On Just Being I will share perspectives and insights on this inner and interpersonal quest, and offer practical strategies, tools, tips, and techniques that can expedite the journey.

Thank you for tuning in. Your comments are welcomed and encouraged.

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The next essay, Our “Inner Core” is Real, is the first of four that introduce the theme of Knowing Our Inner Core.
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