08. Who Is Responsible for Making Things Better?
Restoration is a shared responsibility, but not everyone has the same assignment.
In Essentialism, we recognize that people possess different abilities, knowledge, resources, and opportunities.
Some people can recognize problems that others cannot.
Some have the skills to address those problems.
Others may need assistance simply to understand what is happening around them.
Those differences do not make one person more valuable than another.
They create opportunities for cooperation and service.
Within Christian Essentialism, we understand this relationship through the work of God.
I believe God does not simply tell humanity to live through the Lens and leave everyone to figure out how.
He provides help.
Sometimes that help comes through circumstances, opportunities, and the people around us.
Other times, I believe God sends people specifically to teach, guide, and protect those who need assistance.
People like myself.
This is where Essentialism becomes a little spooky boo-ky.
In the Shaman States of America, Hunters possess the Sight.
They can perceive supernatural threats that Non-Powered Citizens, or NPCs, cannot see and cannot protect themselves against.
That ability comes with responsibility.
Hunters are tasked with protecting people from dangers they may not even know exist.
Their work allows others to focus on living their lives, pursuing their interests, and cultivating Joy without constantly defending themselves against threats they cannot perceive.
But having the Sight does not make a Hunter more deserving of happiness, dignity, or safety than an NPC.
It means the Hunter has a particular ability that can be used in service to others.
Those who can perceive a danger have a responsibility to help protect those who cannot.
And that principle extends beyond supernatural threats.
A person who understands a problem may be able to explain it.
Someone with resources may be able to provide assistance.
Someone with experience may be able to guide another person through a difficult situation.
And someone with the ability to intervene may be able to prevent harm.
The responsibility follows the ability.
But dignity does not depend upon ability.
That is an important distinction because Greed can distort the relationship between those who provide help and those who receive it.
Greed is the desire to take more than needed for status or domination while refusing responsibility for the pain that causes.
A person may begin treating their abilities as proof that they deserve power over others.
They may demand obedience, admiration, or payment as the price of assistance.
They may use another person’s vulnerability to establish control.
And they may convince themselves that because they are helping, their behavior cannot be harmful.
But service does not give someone ownership over the person being served.
Protection is a responsibility, not a license to control.
In the Shaman States, Hunters strive to live through the Lens—Empathy, Truth, Joy, Kindness, and Anti-Greed—knowing that the Lord will provide help so they can continue doing so.
And those who are called to teach, guide, and protect have responsibilities of their own.
I believe God sends people to help humanity learn how to live through the Lens.
I also believe that He expects those who receive that help to exercise their free will and take responsibility for their choices.
This is not a system where God does everything for us.
Nor is it a system where humanity is expected to accomplish everything alone.
God provides the help. Those called to serve offer it. Those receiving it remain responsible for their choices.
That includes the freedom to refuse assistance.
Someone may refuse help because they are afraid.
They may not believe what they are being told.
They may not understand what is being offered.
Or they may simply be unwilling to make the changes that accepting help would require.
Because consent is a cornerstone of Essentialism, that refusal must be respected.
We cannot force someone to accept assistance simply because we believe it would benefit them.
But refusing help does not mean that help must disappear forever.
Throughout the Bible, we see God repeatedly offering humanity opportunities to return, reconsider, and choose another way.
Sometimes people accept those opportunities.
Sometimes they refuse them.
And sometimes they return after experiencing the consequences of their choices.
In Revelation 3:20, Christ describes standing at the door and knocking.
The invitation is there.
But the person inside must decide whether to open the door.
Help can remain available without being forced upon someone.
When someone refuses assistance, those offering it may have to recognize that they have done everything they reasonably can.
In Matthew 10:14, Jesus instructs His disciples to leave when people refuse to receive them or hear their message.
Even those sent to teach were not required to remain indefinitely where their assistance was rejected.
Sometimes, all we can do is make the help available and allow someone to decide whether they will accept it.
And I believe the Lord understands that.
But something important happens when a person encounters an opportunity for help, even if they refuse it.
They now know that another possibility exists.
They may be afraid.
They may disagree.
They may not believe.
But they cannot entirely erase the knowledge that help was offered and that another way may be available.
That knowledge can remain with them.
Perhaps they will reconsider later.
Perhaps they will return when they are ready.
Perhaps they will make different choices because they remember what was offered.
And perhaps they will continue refusing.
Free will protects the right to choose. It does not eliminate the consequences of choosing.
This is why responsibility must be shared.
Within Christian Essentialism, God provides guidance and opportunities for assistance.
Those called to serve must fulfill their responsibilities through the Lens.
And those receiving help must decide what they will do with it.
No one can make those decisions for another person without violating the very principles Essentialism teaches.
This also means that those who provide help must maintain boundaries.
Being called to serve does not mean being required to endure unlimited mistreatment.
Protecting someone does not give us permission to control them.
And respecting someone’s refusal does not necessarily mean abandoning them.
Sometimes it means leaving a path open so they know where to return if they need assistance.
This is part of why I continue writing Essentialism: A Hunter’s Theology.
I understand creating this catechism as one of the responsibilities I have been given.
I am working to explain what I believe, how the Lens operates, and how people can begin cultivating the conditions for Joy in their own lives.
I am doing this while working through my own anger and grief, including the difficulties I have experienced with people who oppose me.
There are days when the work is difficult.
There are times when I would rather focus on my own recovery than continue explaining these principles.
But I believe people are relying on this work, and I believe it is important that they have access to it.
So I continue.
Not because I can make anyone believe what I believe.
Not because I can force anyone to live through the Lens.
And certainly not because I am responsible for making everyone happy.
I continue because I believe the Lord wants this help to be available.
And because I believe that making it available is part of my responsibility.
That brings us back to restoration.
Restoration is not making everyone happy. It is making happiness possible for everyone.
God provides opportunities for guidance, protection, and growth.
Those equipped to help others contribute their abilities.
Communities create conditions that support well-being.
Individuals exercise their free will and take responsibility for their choices.
Together, these responsibilities make restoration possible.
We do not all have to perform the same work.
We do not all have to possess the same abilities.
And we do not all have to agree.
But we can each contribute to a world where people have the opportunity to live through Empathy, Truth, Joy, Kindness, and Anti-Greed.
Where those who need protection can receive it.
Where those who need guidance can find it.
Where those who refuse help know that another way remains possible.
And where those called to serve can fulfill their responsibilities without surrendering their own well-being.
God provides the help. We decide what to do with it.
And through those choices, we help determine what kind of world we create together.
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