When I met with Abraham Maslow

 

 

 

Of course you know I never met with him (lol). For very awkward reasons, I feel very nostalgic in a funny way talking about Abraham Maslow and his sensational pyramid. I have had the opportunity to study this gem over and over. The earliest of my study was during my A levels programme almost a decade ago. My pastor recently referred to this theory when he was demystifying the concept of money and value to us. The rebel and critic in me salutes and reverence the genius of a man whose insight on the nature of human needs has helped us to better understand the nature of man and what motivates him. The wikipedia account of him recorded that he stressed the importance of focusing on the positive qualities in people, as opposed to treating them as a "bag of symptoms. The man sure had a beautiful soul. Abraham Maslow was born on the 1^st of April, 1908. He passed on to the eternal realm on the 8^th of June, 1970.

I am obsessed intellectually and in every way possible with the subject of life and its ramifications so much so that I fantasize that I am a philosopher. Please forgive my naivety. I am just a student of life. Seriously though, nothing stops anyone from relishing this luxury. It is God nature to tarry in the place of invisible. Fools believe in only what they see.

 

I have chosen to present my interpretation of the Abraham Maslow's pyramid using very few words. My objective is to re-think this theory and share my observations and convictions. This is a tall order for a widely accepted theory. But, you know me as a risk taker and unrepentant rebel; I refuse to let things be. Let it be known that I do not wish to ruffle any feathers but again, challenging the status quo is not an option for me. My motto is to emancipate myself from brand-name slavery, living my life like I'm supposed to. I will complete my triumph over status quo.

 

I like to see myself as on a quest. The object of this quest for which I am apprehended is to search, find and live the Good Life. I desire to help others live the Good Life by sharing my understanding. The concept of the Good Life remains nebulous as life itself. Save the mystery, Good Life is essentially about fulfilling a higher purpose. I agree that this is equally generic and leaves more questions for the searching soul. So far, I have come to understand that the acquisition of things and accomplishments will never satisfy the insatiable longings of a soul. Not even religion (the ceremonious worship of a higher being) quite delivers the Good Life. By reason of inspiration however, there is an answer to the relentless search for happiness and fulfillment. I now know by experience that the passport to Good Life is through a higher order of living. I am talking about the Kingdom order of living. I will explain how Abraham Maslow theory of needs come to play. This is of course my bone of contention.

 

 

The Kingdom order of living is not a grandiose agenda. It is not an intellectual idea. It is a spiritual reality and the essential explanation for why all we see came to be. While many may reduce the God idea to a mere fantasy, only a fool will say in his heart that there is no God. As much as I would love to accommodate all and sundry, including my dear atheists, I dare to say that God is the author of life beyond whom there is absolutely nothing and no one. I am confident that God is the arbiter of life. There is legend though that explains the origin of the earth as an outpost to God’s throne. It was God’s big idea to expand his territory beyond heavens by creating a natural realm where His dominion could be felt. This He did by appointing man as the administrator. The rest is history about how man lost his right to dominion by a stupid act of rebellion. I urge you to read Dr. Myles Munroe’s book (God’s Big Idea) on this subject for a wholesome experience.

 

 

The Abraham Maslow theory of needs explains that the human nature is driven by needs. Maslow described human needs as ordered in a prepotent hierarchy—a pressing need would need to be mostly satisfied before someone would give their attention to the next highest need. None of his published works, however, included a visual representation of the hierarchy. The pyramidal diagram illustrating the Maslow needs hierarchy may have been created by a psychology textbook publisher as an illustrative device. Maslow described human needs as being relatively fluid—with many needs being present in a person simultaneously. The hierarchy of human needs model suggests that human needs will only be fulfilled one level at a time. According to Maslow's theory, when a human being ascends the levels of the hierarchy having fulfilled the needs in the hierarchy, one may eventually achieve self-actualization. However, late in his life, Maslow came to conclude that self-actualization was not an automatic outcome of satisfying the other human needs.

 

 

It would be rhetoric to begin to extract the flaws in the Abraham Maslow’s theory. Such an attempt will be pointless. This brilliant theory like the man who created it is expectedly very imperfect.  The truth is that we humans are just not quite perfect no matter how much we try. God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness. If we were all self-sufficient, the need for God would be nil. Let me assert unequivocally that the need for God remains the single greatest need of man.

I will conclude this piece by bringing to bear the strategic focus of the kingdom mandate as demonstrated by the patriarch of the faith. Jesus in a sermon as recorded by St. Matthew account made a profound statement (paraphrased) “Do not worry about what you will eat, drink or wear…. but seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all your other needs will be met”. What The Jesus’s message did was to in an absolutely radical sense upturn the entire theory as sponsored by Abraham Maslow.

Whenever a superior insight meets with a pre-existing theory, the latter must bow. It goes without saying therefore that the Abraham Maslow hierarchy of needs theory must subject itself to the superior logic of the Kingdom. This is not a yuppie fad. This is the ticket out of the rat race.

Image Credit: Google Image