IAGO AND YOUR PURE HEART

For hundreds of years, science has operated on some basic assumptions about the physical universe. A causes B. An object cannot be in two places at the same time. Time moves forward, never backward. Indisputable, right? But in the last few decades, quantum physics has thrown everything we thought we knew into the melting pot and invited us to look with fresh eyes. In the same way, to understand the translucent revolution, we first need to review some of the most basic assumptions we bring to being human. In this chapter we will get back to basics: Human Life 101. What do we all have in common? Why do we, unlike penguins or dogs, have a dimension of life we call "spiritual"? What causes us to seek for something more?

Melissa met John when she was nineteen. Right away, she knew. Sure, they had both been in relationships before; they had both tasted the thrill of new beginnings as well as the pain of unhappy endings. She came from a broken home, as did many of her friends. Her father was an alcoholic and left her mother with the three kids when they were still quite small. Melissa knew the smell of trouble between people. But still, she knew. "We are meant to be together, there is a destiny," she said before the wedding. "We can make it, I know we can. I mean, human beings can do anything when they love each other. As long as John and I are always honest with each other, we're going to make it through the valleys as well as the peaks."

Melissa and John could live on your street. What happens when I tell you the story of their beginning? Perhaps you feel cynical. You have heard that kind of optimism before; you know where it leads. But I wonder if you also recognize the certainty Melissa was feeling? Such confidence offers us a peephole through which we can peer into a deeper dimension: the way we really are, the way everyone really is, the way life could really be, if we weren't all so ...

Neal had only been out of business school for a few years when the offer of a lifetime came his way: a start-up Internet company helping other small businesses make the best use of cyberspace. "This is great," he said. "I've got a winning team here, an opportunity to help the small guy, to get some really cool products out there, stuff that usually gets overlooked. The best part is, I just can't fail to make money. We are promoting organic foods, environmentally friendly cleaning agents, solar power. These are the trends of the future, every one a winner. I've got a five-year plan. By the time I'm thirty I'm going to be retired."

I have talked to many people who have started up new businesses. Most assumed they would be fair and ethical and treat their employees well, that the business would not just be a way to make money but a way to make a unique contribution to the world. And that it would succeed. Everybody has vision. We all have an intuitive sense of our real potential. We often feel it when we initiate anything new, before cynicism sets in. A relationship, a business, having a child, moving into a new house — each opens a vista of possibility, of turning over a new leaf. We all have an intuitive feeling about who we are, what our life could become, and what this planet could be.

OUR NATURAL VISION

Vision is vital. It is the fuel that motivates action. It gives meaning to our lives, the aspiration to reach beyond our limits. Vision tells us where to put our energy, allows us to push through unforeseen obstacles, and, when a group of people work together, it is the cohesive force that keeps them motivated and connected.

There is an inescapable sense of our original being in us, however much it gets battered by experience and repetitive conditioning. The original sense is that I'm good, I'm me, and within that me there is the source of my health and well- being and vitality.

— James O'Dea

Vision also seems to be innate. My nine-year-old son used to have two rabbits. They had never spent any time among other rabbits; they were still babies when they left their mother. We built them a fenced enclosure in our yard so that they could hop around all day on their own. Their very first day in the enclosure, they started to make burrows. No one showed them how; burrowing was hardwired into their DNA. Our cat knows how to chase birds without an instructional video. Pigs roll in dirt; dogs sniff everything. And human beings ... they have an innate capacity to sense their own, and life's, potential, without any outside help. We are born with a sense of wonder and awe that is untouched by the limitations of the constructed world. The capacity to rest in this innocence is what makes childhood a time of wonder, for many the only time of wonder that they ever know. Although unaware of the stresses and disappointments of the adult world, this vision of our true heart is full of wisdom. It knows something about what is ultimately real.

This wisdom of the heart is worth investigating. If we examine the assumptions we make when embarking on anything new — a romantic relationship, a business venture, even a spiritual practice — they can be very telling. These assumptions reveal something simple that the heart never forgets, even if the mind no longer dares to believe. This vision feels clearer, more authentic, even if it is constantly sabotaged by forces we never anticipate. If we pay close attention to how we feel and act when we are initiating something new, we can discover a great deal about our natural state, and, indeed, about the natural state of life.

TRY IT YOURSELF

Remembering Our Natural Vision

Let's try an experiment before we go any further. Cast your mind back to a specific time when you began something new. It could be entering a new relationship, buying a new house, or starting a career. Try to recall the vision you had of how things would unfold. How did you imagine you would meet each situation? How did you anticipate being received? Close your eyes for just a few minutes and remember.

Good. If you have a pen and paper handy, write down some notes about these assumptions. You will...