This attempt to connect the two meanings of Essence leads me to the distinction I wish to draw between Essential and Essence. A lens used to find the Essence of some system focuses on the single, unifying feature to be found in this system. By contrast, a lens used to discover what is Essential in a system focuses on the many components of this system. I suggest that Essential concerns a process for sorting out and prioritizing the many components of a complex system. When we determine what is Essential, we are prioritizing and sorting out what is valuable.
As I noted in one of my previous essays on Essentials, the clarification and prioritization of components can lead not just to ordering of these components but also to their sequencing. Processes associated with finding what is the Essence of a system concern processes of discernment. As I note in the present essay and in the next essay, the Lens of Essence focuses on deep, underlying patterns. That which forms and governs these patterns is discovered or uncovered. Learning takes place on a holistic level. There is no separation of the system into parts; it is not about establishing priorities. Rather, it is about learning about what dwells below and about what is to be most fully appreciated.
A Judging Viewpoint
I would point to a specific personality type and perspective offered by Katherine Briggs and Isabel Briggs-Myers (Briggs-Meyer and Myers, 1995) (based on personality types identified by Carl Jung). The type and preference engaged with the Lens of Essentials is called Judging. It combines the Jungian preference for sensing and thinking. I offer a summary description of this type and preference offered on the 16 Personality Type website (Sixteen Personalities, 2024)
“People with the Judging . . . personality trait feel most comfortable when the course ahead is well-marked. They would rather come up with five backup plans than deal with events as they come. Preferring to consider their options ahead of time, personality types with this trait prefer clarity and closure, sticking with the plan rather than going with the flow. It’s as if Judging types always keep a mental checklist. When they cross something off their list – or even start an item on their list – they consider it complete and not open to reconsideration.”
I would suggest that to cross something off of one’s list, one must first order the items on this list—and this requires identification of that which is Essential.
“Whether a life goal or a response to an emergency, people with the Judging personality trait can develop a clear and actionable plan. Judging individuals tend to have a strong work ethic, putting their duties and responsibilities above everything else. To them, rules, laws, and standards are the key to success. They can be too dependent on these measures, whether applied to themselves or others. But the intent is almost always one of fairness and results.”
It is where and when one is fully aware of that which is Essential (including Essential values), that one can be clear, consistent and ethical in one’s actions. It is also where and when one finds and remains aligned with a rigid set of Essential priorities and values that one can be rigid and poorly adapted to a VUCA-Plus world.
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