Several important points can be made based on the distinctions offered in this chart. First, there is a strong pull inward (home) as well as a process of assimilation and convergence that operates in the world of security and safety (S²). The Lens is focused on what matters here and now. Furthermore, Trust is a desired outcome in the search for security and safety. We want to find a setting in which we can Trust the availability of resources to protect us from a hostile environment as well as the people with whom we interact.
By contrast, the world of opportunity and openness (O²) is outward looking (quest). It is geared toward the future rather than past or present. Th lens is pointed outward—beyond the current horizon. When seeking opportunity and openness we engage in accommodation and divergence. All of this risk taking and adjustment to a changing and challenging environment requires that we have already established trust in our own ability to engage a quest and in the resources and interpersonal support system we will need throughout this journey.
Differences within S² (Home) and O² (Quest)
Tension also exists within the worlds of S² (Home) and O² (Quest). The vibrance of Essence is created by many tensions—including tensions that exist within polarities. Specifically, security and safety, the two major values associated with S² (Home), differ from one another in that security tends to be a foundational condition with regard to viable human life. It resides at the base of Abraham Maslow’s (2014) hierarchy of needs. We must find security in the presence of adequate shelter, food and water. Safety, on the other hand, is a somewhat more “advanced” and nuanced need for human beings. At one level, safety involves not just shelter but also protection from beasts and foes that would do us harm. At another level, safety involves the condition of trust that we wish to find in our relationship with other people. While safety at the first level is rather easy to identify (are we sufficiently fortified?), safety at the second level is more psychological in nature. We have to “feel” safe when interacting with specific people.
Turning to O² (Quest), we similarly find that opportunity is more tangible than is openness—though both conditions are much more psychological that is security. On the one hand, opportunity concerns our predictions about and planning for the future, while openness (like safety) is based on our sense of trust regarding specific relationships with other people. In both cases, O² (Quest) is often a self-fulfilling, tightly interactional process. We are likely to find opportunity when we anticipate that it is available and when we take actions to ensure its presence. Similarly, we are likely to find openness in our relationships with other people when we anticipate that this openness is reciprocated and when we take actions that ensures (or at least increases the possibility of) this reciprocity.
S² (Home), O² (Quest) and the Three Facets of Trust
These distinctions between the fundamental S² (Home) and O² (Quest) values are important—not only because they create the vibrance of Essence but also because they play an important role in establishing importance and viability regarding the three facets of trust that I have identified. When we are trying to find security, the matter of competence is particularly important. We want to find a skillful carpenter to build our home and a stable supply of food and water at our supermarket. We are less concerned about the intentions of our carpenter or producers of our food. They might be interested only in earning a buck. And they certainly can come from different cultures and might not be “fluent” in our culture.
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