Inherently Good, Most of the Time

I was asked the other day “How would you define a heart-centric person?” It’s a challenging question, but here’s a shot. A heart-centric person is someone who understands and experiences themselves and others as inherently good. (Most of the time).  

Let’s define inherently good. Being inherently good doesn’t mean that a person can do no harm, and moves through the world saintlike, performing miracles. That’s a fairytale.  It means a person takes ownership of their actions, aspiring to learn from them, yet recognizing that no action brands a soul as wrong for eternity.  

Part of Inherent goodness is recognizing that individual actions aren’t our identity. Another part is recognizing that another persons actions aren’t their identities either.  A heart centric person is focused on living in out of integrity, curious it, and a desire for understanding.  Most of the time.

I say most of the time, because I’m suspicious that every human ebbs and flows on tides of self-worth. Sometimes I’m fully able to live in my self-worth and recognize other people’s worthiness as well.  Other times I’m knocked off my spot. My aim is to return to my spot after I realize i’ve been knocked around some. To be curious about what happened, and see what I can learn about it. And also to remember that being knocked off my self-worth doesn’t make me unworthy.  It just means I want to return to it.