Essentialism

The word essentialism has different meanings as a term used in different disciplines. These days the word essential or essentialism has crossed my mind quite often. Not only because it has become part of the pandemic crisis vocabulary in these past weeks: essential workers, essential activities, essential food and supplies, etc. Moreover to me, because of the way we are living our lives for a period of over a month now dictated by this crisis.

In my eyes and personal experience during this last unusual month, life activities have distilled and reduced to a handful of basic, essential acts. I'm finding this a really, really curious place to be as a new vantage point from where I'm now placed observing but also experiencing my existence and that of other people and society near me. 

The simple point I want make about the essentialism of these unique days is that this phase can also be a unique time to listen to life when there is less noise, less modern life hectic, reduced running after things, schedules, fewer distractions. Is there any gift offered to us from living with less of the above? 

The days of uncertainty, isolation, losses of lives and uncharted territory we are living now, in the mids if several challenges we are facing, I believe offer their gifts at the same time. I believe essentialism is one of them. Even though everything around us seems to be on a grand halt now, a societal paralysis, we know life itself is never static, life is alive and constantly moving and turning. My wish and hope in this intermezzo of life turning the pages to a new chapter are that we as human species are listening to the slow but solid voice that can be heard during these unusual, essential days.