Something learnt from a Home Economics class.

                                                          

A yearning for more

A diagram I was taught back in high school has stayed with me ever since. It is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. According to this hierarchy a person must satisfy their most basic needs which are at the bottom of the hierarchy before they can attain their most highest needs which are at the very top of the hierarchy. Moving through the motions of life. I get frustrated at times when I realise that I am still stuck in trying to fulfil my most basic needs. Which are food, shelter and clothing as well as safety. By this stage I should be far from that. So how do I focus on attaining higher needs when bottom basic needs are still dragging me down? I would like the liberty to be solely focused and faced with the challenge of satisfying my most highest need which is self- actualisation.

                            Maslow's hierachy of needs

                                                           

                                                                                                        

This brings me to the purpose of life and existence. I belief we are all born with a purpose to fulfil something with our lives. We are not born simply to add numbers or to add to the strain of depleting earth’s resources. Each and every breath we take should be meaningful. If most of us assess what we do on a daily basis and whether that which we do holds any meaning to us we may find the answer to be negative.

So why do we exist then?  Everyday I try to find meaning, to lead a meaningful life full of purpose and depth. My fear and I only have one is that my life ceases when I have not achieved all those things which I have envisioned for myself. Michael Jordan the legendary basketball player speaking at Kobe’s memorial at the Staple center home of the Los Angeles Lakers said this about him. ‘That he left nothing in the tank. That all he had within him he took it all out. He left it all on the floor whether as a business man, husband, father or athlete ‘. That was and is still is a striking statement that resonates deep within me.

The description that Michael gave of Kobe begs me to ask the question; when you love why should you love in halves, when you cry why should you hold your tears back, when giving why should you give minimally, and when you worship why should you worship with any reservation? I ask why in the knowledge that deep down you know you still have the capacity to give more, love more etc. So why don’t we just let it all out, put it all on the floor? If ever we saving anything within us what are we saving it for and for when if not now at this very moment?


                                                                                                                                                                                  

The best thing you can ever do in this life is to give it your all, to never hold anything back. That way when your light goes out you are at peace. The fact that we only have one life has made us to be too cautious. Too cautious to try to be a little adventurous, too cautious to try a new love life or venture out on our own to start a new trade. It goes back to wanting to be safe at all times and ensuring that our most basic needs are met.

We need to let go of these false delusions of safety and mere survival. One of the things that is frustrating is always being concerned with survival. Before proceeding further it must be noted that there’s also the biological aspect of survival which is a given for everybody. This type of survival is based on instincts. So your body will act instinctively in accordance with your survival needs. The kind of behaviour brought about by survival instincts also needs to be looked at closely. I recall a line from one of those Spike Lee like movies that goes; survival will make you do what you know deep down in your heart is wrong. I have seen this, I have witnessed it and been part of it. So this idea and mentality as well as biological fact of survival has serious negative unwinding  about it. This is something that needs to be wrestled with. We need to transcend and overcome this instinct.

Moving on survival is about just barely making it. My goal is to thrive. Because when you thrive you focus on achieving higher goals for self. When your mind is fixated on maintaining your survival there’s no way you can get to achieve higher goals. Perhaps a mind-set shift is needed. That even though one might be in a survival phase in the actual sense you change your mind to think that it is in thriving mode. In this way this would go a long way in aiding us to focus on living our destined and envisioned lives.

Who knows maybe this shift in mind set may help us to get away from habits and behaviour that goes according to our survival mentalities. Most nights I ask my self what’s stopping me from living the kind of life I dream of. To be honest I have no definite answer. So if nothing is stopping me why don’t I just go for it? Throw caution to the wind. My boss once told me life is too short to not do what you love.

From time to time we need to sit down and assess what we do in the day to day scheme of things, in our comings and goings, and associations and ask if all of it gives depth and meaning to our lives. Perhaps this daily existence is just a hollow.

 

Sources consulted

https://youtu.be/y1zlbsG_wk8

https://drsaraheaton.wordpress.com/2012/08/04/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs/


Location: Kenya St, Ibaxa, Tembisa, 1632, South Africa

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