If you’ve been following my recent blogs and are sensing a pattern – you are correct. I saved this commentary for last. Need is a word that can also be used as a noun or verb, though the meanings it possesses are as varied as, well, the weeds in your garden or the seeds they produce.
Needs are inextricably tied to our existence. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs1 breaks them down into five stages or levels on a pyramid. Physiological needs are at the bottom, for without things like food, shelter, water, clothing, air, sleep (and a few others things), all other needs could not be realized. Once the basic or essential needs are met, we move up the pyramid to satisfy our needs for safety and security, love and belonging, and then self-esteem. At the top level of the pyramid is self-actualization. It’s the level of creativity and intellect we reach when all lower layers have been satisfied or achieved. Self-actualization is when a person is ready and able to fulfill or realize their full potential. It’s what compels their capabilities, feeds their passions, and provides clarity to see things as they really are. In other words, self-actualization is the motivating force that uses the abilities that were discovered on the road to self-awareness. To paraphrase the US Army’s slogan, it’s where each person can be all that they can be. That’s how it works for you, me, or any individual on the face of this Earth. It’s a drive – a need – we all possess.
OK; that’s fine. But let’s for a moment get outside of ourselves and think about our needs; you know, the needs of the many. In Maslow’s pyramid, the need to be social – to belong – is right in the middle of that upward journey. This is where we start to satisfy our psychological needs, which take longer to fulfill than, let’s say, making a sandwich. This is where we see interpersonal and environmental challenges becoming more frequent, and they’re the ones that have a tendency to rain on our proverbial parade.
But when we address this need from the standpoint of a group, those interpersonal and environmental challenges tend to appear right at the bottom of that pyramid. If you don’t think that that is the case, take a trip to a box store or supermarket on the eve of the next calamity, and let me know if you observe any challenges when trying to buy water, toilet paper, or a family-sized box of ramen in an ocean of slightly motivated people whose basic needs for food, water, and safety feel threatened.
This level of need – the need for companionship, friendship, belonging to something greater than ourselves – is a pivotal stage in our lives. This is especially true when it comes to a group of people. And the definition of group – whether they be a community, an organization, or even a family unit – is immaterial. The dynamics of behavior will be affected when either their physiological or safety needs or concerns are threatened or taken away. Interpersonal relationships will become fractured, divisive, or unable to share ideas without fear of repercussion or anger. The individuals within these groups will find themselves incapable of trusting their own self-awareness, because their confidence will have been shaken, and the respect that they wish to have will come with a price that does not allow for self-actualization; it moves downward on that pyramid as they focus only on seeking safety for what they have, they believe, or what they need to survive.
My apologies if this seems a bit doom & gloom; it’s not my intention at all. I’m just sharing my thoughts and observations as the world parades in front of me whether I’m on the street, in a store, or watching the news unfold in some part of the world.
In this writer’s humble opinion, it’s of vital importance that we all strive towards reaching a healthy level of self-actualization. For it is at this stage that we find insights and knowledge. Here is where we find our courage and the ability to resolve problems, form collaborative and lasting relationships that operate on truth, and we can better recognize the potential that each individual within the group brings to the table to exact positive change without prejudice, fear, or reprisal. Personally, I need to believe that this is achievable. For if it is, then I don’t believe anyone would have a need for anything else to live a life of peace.
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