Anton,

I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of western philosophy.

“Others, intentionally or not, impose “essence” on us all the time.”

No, they impose ideals. The problem with western philosophy is that it is idealist monism. It cannot even understand that an ideal is not an absolute.

For instance, the fallacy of monotheism is that a spiritual absolute would be that essence of sentience, from which we rise, not an ideal of wisdom and judgement, from which we fell.

Idealism is a presumption of perfection, but that is a judgement call. While the literal understanding of monotheism has culturally receded, we still seek that ideal state in other ways, from wealth and fame, to happiness.

I suspect it has to do with being mobile, intentional organisms, which then experience reality as flashes of perception and narrate our journeys to one another, so the narrative arc is elemental to our sense of self, with some goal, or lesson as its conclusion.

So we are always looking for that object of enlightenment, that we presume to be essential, but is idealization and abstraction. (The abstract is no more the essence, than the skeleton is the seed.)

If I may explain reality, it is the dichotomy of energy and the forms it expresses. Galaxies are energy radiating out, as mass/form coalesces in.

Our bodies are the digestive, respiratory and circulatory systems, processing the energy driving us on, along with a central nervous system to sort through the information precipitating out, as well as referee the emotions and impluses bubbling up.

Societies are the dichotomy of energies, emotions and desires bubbling up, forming factions and sects, while civil and cultural forms coalesce in, sorting through and refereeing all those factions. Basic liberalism and conservatism, or youth and age, if you prefer.

Yet because our paradigm is this monist idealism, each side sees itself on the road to nirvana, while those going the other way are misbegotten fools.

One of the main fallacies of this linear, narrative perception is that we view the present as moving past to future, yet it is change which turns future to past. Potential, actual, residual.

There is no dimension of time, because the past is consumed by the present, in order to inform it. Aka, causality. Time is an effect, like temperature, pressure, color, etc.

So as processes churn along, from past to future, these patterns rise and fall, future to past.

Consciousness goes past to future, while thoughts go future to past.

So when we focus on the thoughts, it is only the product and residuals of the process our subconscious churns out. Yet these forms feed back into and help steer the process. Some is seed, the rest is fertilizer.

Without the ups and downs, it’s a flatline.

Not trying to intrude on your thoughts, just offering a counterpoint to the muddle of modern philosophy.