Guilt may be stopping you from pursuing your dreams. After all, what gives
you the right to be asking yourself the million-dollar question when there are
people starving around the world, or living in cardboard boxes? I'm not going
to pretend to understand the situation that these people are going through, nor
to minimize it in any way. However, if the starving population of the world
were given the riches that we've been given in this country, I don't believe
they would choose to go back to the poverty and starvation they know too well,
except possibly out of compulsive habit.
People come to the United States
seeking opportunity. We already live here; there is no struggle to make it this
far. By not taking advantage of that opportunity, we are balking at the needs
of those who aren't so fortunate. It is like the rich man who claims that money
isn't very important to him. Ask his impoverished brother, and you'll find that
money is very important. Money buys food and shelter. This country is a blessing.
This leads me to the fundamental structure of our fight to survive. Famous
psychologist, Abraham Maslow, developed a chart showing the natural hierarchy
of needs he noticed while working with monkeys early in his career. He
discovered that certain needs take precedence over others. For example, if an
animal or person is both parched as well as ravenous, he will tend to take care
of his thirst foremost. This is because an organism can only survive for a few
days without water, but without food alone, he can endure much longer. Maslow's
hierarchy of needs was formatted in a pyramid shape with physiological needs at
the base of the pyramid. These needs were listed as such:
6. Self-actualization
5. Aesthetic Needs
4. Esteem Needs
3. Love and Belonging
2. Safety and Security
1. Physiological Needs
Based on this hierarchy, where the greatest and most urgent need is at the
base of the pyramid, the need for physiological satiation is of primary
importance. Therefore, people who have a shortage of food, water, or shelter
will require those needs to be met long before they ever reach the level of
self-actualization as seen at the top of the pyramid. The next level is safety
and security, which many people get stuck in - fear of losing one's security
can hinder his growth. Above that is love and belonging - fitting into our
societies, finding our niche with others. Self-esteem, the next rung on the
ladder, plays into belonging to some degree.
Aesthetic needs may be frivolous to some, but to others, they are a necessary
evil; many of us have a natural instinct to require aestheticism in one form or
another. And, finally, there is self-actualization, which encompasses
creativity and authenticity, playfulness and self-sufficiency.
So, basically, we all have needs, that if gone un-met, will deter our
growth. Growth is inevitable. The opposite of growth is entropy. It’s important
not to get stuck on any rung of the ladder too long.