If I were to pose the question to you today, “What is Truly Essential?” how would you compose an answer? A month prior to the introduction of the coronavirus, I imagine our answers would differ greatly from what they do today. In various Seasons of Life, our thoughts will focus on issues and relationships that really matter during a particular phase of life; however, some essentials might remain consistent throughout any season such as fulfilling basic needs, loving those around us, and honoring the calling on our life. In the effort to determine what qualities might lead to a flourishing life, the concept of essentialism has emerged repeatedly whether in the context of decreasing distractions to deep work or accomplishing Christ’s mission to love our neighbors.
As an outcome of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, we are using new phrases in our vocabulary such as “flatten the curve” and “social isolation” which results in government and organizational leaders being forced to determine what are essential services and essential personnel. Of course, we would all prefer to believe that we are Truly Essential to the world, but the reality is that in times of crisis, not all of us are engaged in What is Truly Essential. Seeing a recent social media post makes this reality truly hit home, when a comment was made, “Children, see what the essential jobs are? Choose that as a profession.” While there is true wisdom in this suggestion from a financial perspective, I choose to remain firm in my belief that it is essential to discover what God has designed us to do first and foremost.
Approaching the topic of What is Truly Essential originally from a personal and professional methodology to uncover how we are often distracted by non-essential matters which interfere with our life’s purpose, I admit to being intrigued by the relevance to what the world is experiencing today with the coronavirus pandemic. McKeowan shares in his book entitled Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less that the way of the Essentialist “requires us to grapple with real trade offs and make tough decisions.” As a country, we are currently being asked to do just this-to trade off our desire to leave the house and continue socializing and even gathering together to worship and instead make the tough decision to stay at home in order to prevent the spread of a terrible virus.
Just as our leaders are finding it necessary to ask who are the Truly Essential, we must pose this question to ourselves in order to eliminate the nonessential of our lives in a time of crisis. “To eliminate nonessentials means saying no to someone. Often. It means pushing against social expectations. To do it well takes courage and compassion. So eliminating the nonessentials isn’t just about mental discipline. It’s about the emotional discipline necessary to say no to social pressure.” Rather than allowing our own selfish desires to take root, we empathize with the gravity of the situation and accept that our current needs might not be Truly Essential.
“Everything changes when we give ourselves permission to be more selective in what we choose to do.” During a time of crisis, we give ourselves permission to not crowd the stores purchasing nonessentials, to observe the respected time slots allotted in stores to the at-risk population, to be patient when the drive-thru lines are longer than normal, and to honor the requests that free the Truly Essential healthcare providers to care for those with life-threatening issues. Embracing an essentialist mindset means we are not forfeiting our right to choose, rather we are making the best choice to protect the most people.
If one of the ways we develop the Habits of a Flourishing Life is through the Habit of Awareness, then utilizing an essentialist tactic means we examine What is Truly Essential in life and focus our time and energy on those essentials. McKeowan offers, “According to the power law theory, certain efforts actually produce exponentially more results than others. It may be an exaggeration, but it still makes the point that certain efforts produce exponentially better results than others.” Today, we are being asked to “flatten the curve” in order to prove the power law theory true, to consider the importance of others first, ourselves second, and to allow the Truly Essential to perform their duties unobstructed.
We are currently in unprecedented times. Many of us are being asked to alter our modus operandi and change does not come without discomfort. How has this national crisis allowed you to consider What is Truly Essential and to make choices accordingly? Please feel free to share in the comments below.
References:
McKeown, G. (2014). Essentialism: The disciplined pursuit of less. Crown Publishers.
Flourishing @ Life 
I agree that in this new normal we are forced to decided what’s essential. We are being forced to change our lives in order to accommodate something that we did not ask for. But, I have learned how to find new rituals and new schedules that help bring solace to me in this crazy time. Also, I am constantly having to lean on Christ since He is our rock and foundation that never moves.
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I am not going to lie, this whole pandemic has taken me for a loop. I have never been someone to think of myself as needing a lot, or liking expensive things, but since all of the COVID-19 stuff has came out, I have realized that I have wanted more than I need. A lot of things that I thought were essential really are not. For example, I usually get a lot of my skincare from Ulta, which as you can imagine is expensive. Since everything has shut down, I have now had to learn of other products I can use. To my amazement, it is clear that expensive skincare is not an essential, and you can get things that work the same from Walmart or Target if you need it. This has all been a big learning experience for me, but has really opened my eyes to how little I need.
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I completely agree that during this pandemic we are forced to have anew norm and we come to realize what truly is essential to us in our lives. Our lives have changed so drastically in such a short amount of time. We are forced to change our daily routines, which has been such a shock to mostly everyone. However, it is essential for us as people to listen to those of authority and try our best to stay isolated to help protect those around us. This pandemic did not come as a shock to our Lord and Savior, he knew this was going to happen all along. This is our chance to cling to our Father, and let him guide us through to the other side.
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This whole pandemic has really thrown me for a loop. I have never been someone to think of myself as wanting a lot, but since the pandemic I have realized I had too high of standards for things I think I need. For example, skincare is something I take very seriously. Usually I buy the bulk of my skincare from Ulta, which as you can guess is not cheap at all! Well, Ulta is now shut down for an unknown amount of time and I am out of many of my products. Due to this I have been using products from Walmart and Target, since these are the only places open. I have gained a new perspective and now know that I do not need the most expensive items for them to work well.
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It is very true that if I was asked the question, “what is truly essential in my life?” a month or two ago, my answer would slightly different than what it would be today if I was asked. My reply a couple months ago would have probably been something like “to spend quality time with friends.” Whereas today that is not what is essential. Today it is essential that I do my part to keep my family safe by social distancing. But what I would like say that would be the same answer of “What is truly essential?” is my relationship with Jesus. COVID-19 or not, having a Savior to depend on and trust in during times of uncertainty and when everything is “fine” is what I believe is truly, truly essential.
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What we are facing now is truly unprecedented. Many of us had probably never considered what was essential to us and what wasn’t. We are all having to do our part and social distance from everyone else, including our closest friends. We are learning what jobs are essential and how employers treat their workers. In times like these, we have to think about what is best for the most amount of people, not just us. It would be selfish of us to continue to live our life without distancing from one another. Times like these remind us to keep our faith in Him and trust His plan.
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I really liked the three consistent essentials you mentioned: basic needs, loving others, and pursuing our own calling. These are qualities that even in the current craziness of the world right now still apply. You mentioned in your post that you have seen many people telling children to choose professions that are considered essential right now. I have also seen people posting these same comments, and I was disappointed by them. I have nothing but praise for the essential workers risking their own safety everyday to do their jobs. However, not everyone is called to do the work they are doing. The world would be missing out on so much if we did not have people called to do other things.
As far as my own personal struggle with what is consider essential, I have had a difficult time being away from my friends. I am an extroverted people-person, and I get a lot of my energy and happiness from spending time with other people. I am an only child and both of my parents are still working so it has been hard spending so much time by myself.
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I really enjoyed reading this article, and it is true that in unprecedented times like the present we must choose to make choices to limit ourselves only to the essentials. I really like the part in the article where it talks about how an essentialist mindset is people choosing to make decisions to “protect the most people.” Often people are primarily concerned with their own well being first, but it is important to think of others, especially in times like these, when there are so many vulnerable people. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown me how many of the things that had been a part of my life were not truly “essential.” A lot of little things that I had been taking for granted, that people can no longer do like going to dinner or the movies. Personally, the hardest thing for me to adjust to since the virus is not being able to see my friends and family as much. If I am not at work, I am by myself, which can be very strange and lonely.
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The coronavirus has changed almost everything in my life once isolation started. I have now time to realize what is really important to me, and it was not the same things that I would have said before this whole thing. Being alone and in isolation, it has made me realize that it does not take much to make the day go by. I do not to be all in my phone or watching television to make the time pass, I can clean and be productive for once. and after the demanding schedule of a student-athlete it is amazing.
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