Throughout this book the basic premise presides: all persons are caring. Caring is an essential feature and expression of being human. The belief that all persons, by virtue of their humanness, are caring establishes the ontological and ethical ground on which this theory is built. Persons as caring is a value which underlies each of the major concepts of Nursing as Caring and is an essential idea for understanding this theory and its implications. Being a person means living caring, and it is through caring that our "being" and all possibilities are known to the fullest. Elaboration on the meaning of this perspective will provide a necessary backdrop for understanding ideas in subsequent chapters. Caring is a process. Each person, throughout his or her life, grows in the capacity to express caring. Said another way, each person grows in his or her competency to express self as caring person. Because of our belief that each person is caring and grows in caring throughout life, we will not focus on behaviors considered noncaring in this book. Our assumption that all persons are caring does not require that every act of a person necessarily be caring. There are many experiences of life that teach us that not every act of a person is caring. These acts are obviously not expressions of self as caring person and may well be labeled noncaring. Developing the fullest potential for expressing caring is an ideal. Notwithstanding the abstract context of this ideal, it is knowing the person as living caring and growing in caring that is central to our effort in this book. Therefore, even though an act or acts may be interpreted as noncaring, the person remains caring. While this assumption does not require that every act be understood as an expression of caring, the assumption that all persons are caring does require an acceptance that fundamentally, potentially, and actually each person is caring. Although persons are innately caring, actualization of the potential to express caring varies in the moment and develops over time. Thus, caring is lived moment to moment and is constantly unfolding. The development of competency in caring occurs over a lifetime. Throughout life we come to understand what it means to be a caring person, to Live caring, and to nurture each other as caring.