There is an interesting report on Albert Einstein that he was said to have proclaimed

that the most important question that any of us can ever ask ourselves is, is this universe

a friendly place? That was the questiony pose. You said, just to reflect on that, it's

the most powerful inquiry. So I'd like to invite you to contemplate that for a few moments

now and then through the evening, is there a fundamental goodness or benevolence in this

universe? And another way you might consider it is, is there a fundamental goodness within

humans? And then bringing it even a little more personal, do you feel a sense of your own

basic goodness? So that's the inquiry, whether you trust that in some way you're intrinsically

good and you might even just take a moment right now just to close your eyes and just pose

that to yourself. And since do I trust that there is a fundamental goodness and intrinsic

goodness in my own being? And just for starters, to notice what the U is that you're

attending to if you ask the question, what's the sense of I or self or being this that you're

attending to? You'll have more chance to explore this, but I bring this and share this with the

community because my experience is how we respond to this question about basic goodness has direct

implications on our sense of inner freedom and happiness. So we begin by saying, well, what do we

mean by goodness? Because that's a kind of vague word. And what would it mean to have a goodness

that makes this universe fundamentally benevolent? And the origins of the word good derives from an

Indo-European root that has to do with togetherness or gathering together. It signifies a very in a

very simple way a sense of belonging. And it's out of that belonging that we have an experience of

harmony and aliveness and love that is really part of what's central in the spiritual path. So

belonging brings up that feeling good that has to do with basic goodness. So we ask ourselves, do I

sense an intrinsic goodness within me? And if what we do is look towards inside me and sense an ego

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