The Essentials Issue will explore the different meanings of life's fundamentals and suggest ways we can incorporate them into our daily lives. We want to uncover the heart, the kernel, the foundation, the bedrock--whatever brings us back to our cores. Deciding what is essential in our lives isn't about paring back our belongings and forgoing our beloved but unnecessary frivolities: Instead of determining how little we can live with, it's about working out what we cannot live without.