Facet Four: Third Order Essence
When viewing our world through the fourth facet, we come to recognize that the Essence of what we desire requires that the system in which we are now operating must itself be reformed. We must “re-program our environment” if we wish to be successful in achieving that which is the Essence of a good life. We must build our own Jerusalem if we wish to dwell in heaven. Third order change is required. Facet four concerns systemic transformation. It concerns revolution (rather than evolution). Existing paradigms are challenged. Paradigm shifts occur. As I shall soon note, this form of essence is often found not in large, enduring systems but instead (at least initially) in temporary systems where new perspectives and practices can be introduced and tested in an immediate and dynamic manner (Miller, Galanter and Pribram, 1960).
From Turbulence to Engagement
Of the six conditions of VUCA-Plus, turbulence is perhaps the most visceral. It is immediately experienced in the swirl of events to which we must adjust every day of our life. We listen to the news in the morning and recognize that our world will tilt a bit in some new direction. We might even try to avoid stress elicited by the morning news. We turn off the Cable news and eat our breakfast in silence. However, we encounter other folks during the day who “fill us in on what has occurred.” Many of us are living in urban or suburban areas. We commute to work. Turbulence is found in the “crazy” or “stupid” or “insensitive” driving behavior of those we “meet” on the highway. Even if we work from home, there are always changes to be made in our schedule, people we meet whom we don’t know well or perhaps don’t even trust.
There is no daily routine of walking out to the barn so that we might milk the cow. There is no country store where we go in the late morning to pick up some food or supplies and where we spend time with those neighbors we have known for many years. After work, it is the evening commute, perhaps soccer practice—and the evening news. Dinner is a bit late, and we spend time not just eating the micro-waved dinner but also hearing about what happened in the unpredictable life of other family members. Perhaps an evening movie on Netflix (so many movies to pick from) and a return to the sanctuary of sleep.
This is our immediate world of turbulence. The Lens of Essence is held up to this white-water world so that we can find a way to engage this world in a thoughtful, minimally stressful manner. Specifically, successful engagement with a white-water world requires both centering and balancing. This engagement is best performed in a kayak with a double-bladed paddle. The Lens of Essence provides this type of vehicle and paddle for navigating our daily life. I spend a bit of time exploring both the task of centering and the task of balancing
Centering
As a concept and strategy to be found in a wide range of practices—from pottery to yoga—centering concerns the search for a ground. It is a search for Essence–for a point of orientation, for a desired outcome. The world is typically being viewed through the zero-order facet. With regard to Essence, this is the state of Singularity which I described in my previous essay on Essence. There is one center. It doesn’t change. Everything else might be shifting, but the center remains secure and stable. It is critical for one to find this center when creating a properly shaped vase or seeking to find inner peace. While venturing down a turbulent stream in a kayak, it is critical that ones’ weight remains in the center of the kayak. While the paddler will lean to the right or left when dipping their paddle into the water, they must resist shifting their weight to either side of the kayak.
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