“Nearer being” can be understood as a philosophical move toward immediate, lived experience rather than abstract theorizing, echoing Sartre’s claim that “existence precedes essence” (Sartre, 1946). In this sense, being is approached more closely when attention is given to how life is actually lived, aligning with Merleau-Ponty’s insight that “the body is our general medium for having a world” (Merleau-Ponty, 1945).
Such nearness emphasizes situatedness and context, captured by Ortega y Gasset’s statement, “I am I and my circumstance” (Ortega y Gasset, 1914). Taken together, these views suggest that “nearer being” means understanding existence as concrete, embodied, and inseparable from the conditions in which it unfolds (Sartre, 1946; Merleau-Ponty, 1945).
Today, in more simpler terms, nearer being or nearerbeing is referenced to distance, potential, fulfillment, reaching goals, and more.
“Nearerbeing in the relationship of transformation is a state of existence that is closer to the full realization of what something or someone is capable of becoming, reached through a self-empowering process to change or transform.”
In the transformational contexts, nearerbeing means: moving from potential toward actuality.
It is the condition of having moved closer to one’s potential or fullest mode of existence through transformative change, without yet fully arriving there.
NEARERBEING® Transformational Art is about critical thinking helping individuals or groups move from one state of mind to another, applying new self-awareness to real world becoming nearer in time.
NEARERBEING’s mission is to draw people in through artistic transitions, inspiring new perspectives applicable to everyday life, encouraging meaningful, quarterly self-discovery, reflection, and social dialogue through art reviews—that serve as powerful tools for personal growth and human connection.
Transformational Offering Benefits include
• Transformational Series Quarterly Intervals of Becoming Nearer in Time(TM)
• Engagement with NEARERBEING® Transformational Art Prints at the Store
• Helpful Artwork Descriptions and Artist Statements at Resources
• Transformational Discussions at The NEARERBEING Blog Platform(TM)
• Educational Exhibits at the Online NEARERBEING Art Gallery(TM)
References
Merleau-Ponty, M. (1945). Phenomenology of Perception. Paris: Gallimard.
Ortega y Gasset, J. (1914). Meditations on Quixote. Madrid: Revista de Occidente.
Sartre, J.-P. (1946). Existentialism Is a Humanism. Paris: Nagel.