The “heart” is the deepest and most authentic core of who we are—the unifying centre of the person. It is what gives meaning to everything we experience, the seat of our desires and vital choices that shape our lives. It’s the place of sincerity, where deception has no hold and dissimulation falls away. It usually reflects our true intentions—what we really think, believe, and want.
This concept invites us to reflect: What truly matters most to me? Where do I place my hope, my energy, my life, my heart? The answer can take many forms: love, generosity, connection with others—but also material status, fame, success, power, or personal security.
Genuine freedom begins in the heart. Material goods, just as they’re amassed, can vanish with life’s twists and turns. Letting go of them can help us approach work and daily commitments with greater transparency, freeing us from anxiety, restlessness, and fear about the future.
“Today,” Pope Francis observes, “everything is bought and sold, and it seems human dignity itself depends on what money can acquire. We’re pushed to accumulate, consume, and distract ourselves, trapped in a degrading system that prevents us from seeing beyond our immediate needs .” (Pope Francis “Dilexit Nos” no. 218)
Our lived experience shows us we must continually reinvest ourselves in what’s real, in what truly matters—the best kind of “investment” we can make. By shifting our attention away from ourselves and toward others, we discover genuine freedom.
Philosopher and humanist Erich Fromm reminds us: “Giving is the highest expression of potency. In the very act of giving, I experience my strength, my wealth, my power. This experience of increased vitality and potency fills me with joy"[1]
Let’s ask ourselves before any action: What’s truly driving me here? And if we sense our intentions need redirecting, let’s make that change with resolve. We’ll find our hearts free themselves from attachments and constraints.
[1] Erich Fromm The Art of Loving (1956).