  This essay elucidates recent achievements of the "nongravitating vacuum
energy" (NGVE) theory" which has the feature that a shift of the Lagrangian
density by a constant does not affect dynamics. In the first order formalism, a
constraint appears that enforces the vanishing of the cosmological constant
\Lambda. Standard dynamics of gauge unified theories (including fermions) and
their SSB appear if a four index field strength condensate is present. At a
vacuum state there is exact balance to zero of the gauge fields condensate and
the original scalar fields potential. As a result it is possible to combine the
solution of the \Lambda problem with inflation and transition to a \Lambda =0
phase without fine tuning after a reheating period. The model opens new
possibilities for a solution of the hierarchy problem.
