The core

Ultimately, the only thing that truly counts is the core, the very essence of ourselves; where the heart of the matter coincides with the desires of our soul.

And while I believe this to be true, it would not be a good idea to then think too lightly about the temple we house this core of ourselves in. Nor would it be a good idea to stop respecting and valuing the things that make up our lives, only because they are physical and therefore a more outward display of who we are, and where we are coming from.
After all, if not for our physical surroundings ~ of both our core, as well as in the sense of shelter and the things we choose to keep close at hand ~ the essence of ourselves would not be able to exist in this world.

So where the two perspectives seem mutually exclusive at first, it is all about finding the balance. Not even a balance between them, where we are balancing these perspectives such that they can both be part of our lives ~ sort of. But rather finding a balance within ourselves where both perspectives fully coexist at the same time in the same space…

It is like valuing a thing of beauty, and keeping it in our immediate environment, without feeling the need to collect beautiful things for the sake of collecting, or as a status symbol.

If we place an importance on our core, on that point where the heart of the matter coincides with the desires of our soul ~ then the guidance as to pretty much anything and everything we live for should come from within, from the essence of ourselves.

This would mean that we can ask ourselves every step of the way whether whatever we are doing is because it has (inner) meaning to us, or rather because we feel we have to. Either because we feel it is expected of us, because ‘we were raised that way’, because we want to ‘belong’; or whatever the (outer) reason we come up with.
It doesn’t mean we retract ourselves from society, however it does mean that we start honoring the authentic core of ourselves.

In other words, we would still have a job, have relationships, have a car, a house; all the good things in life with ~ if we so desire ~ a cherry on top! But we would stop doing things that take us away from the very essence of ourselves.

We might even take time every day to cultivate the connection with the core of ourselves, and in doing so getting an ever greater understanding of that point where the heart of the matter coincides with the desires of our soul…

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