4th April 2022
In case you didn’t realise the title is a parody of Will Smith at the Oscars 2022. Spring has finally sprung! After some months away, I have had some topics come to mind. Especially Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. For example why do I want to creatively express myself; edit & create blogs but never go back to them for months. Could it be that I dip below fulfilling the need of ‘Self Actualisation’ due to life circumstances, could my life pile up with too much clutter & things to do that this causes lack of motivation? I feel this could be a common question for everyone – yet a very helpful one.
Another seemingly unrelated question, which is always at the back of my mind – gossip. I am curious to explore the more dysfunctional side of human nature & the causes behind it. Not only can it serve as a barrier to improvement for the person with the dysfunction but also the people surrounding it. It seems very annoying, superficial but yet ever present. Why does a certain gender seem to do it more than another? Of course I am talking about the negative type, whether the speaker is conscious or unconsciously hooked on splurging their vibrant words into the ear canal of another.
Could it be when the ‘Esteem’ & ‘Safety’ levels are not met in the hierarchy? In this way this would make individuals who are not secure of their place, especially those who are not able to make up for their insecurities by physical means, to inflate their sense of self or degrade others (therefore uplifting their self). In a similar sense, a group of individuals can then rely on each other in a symbiotic relationship, which can provide a powerful source of obtaining information and shifting to those members who may be in more favour. This of course especially useful in a tribal setting where those with less power rely on this is vital information to survive. It can be noted that this may also provide a phycological sense of security & enjoyment however which are in nature transient and hence illusory. However coalitions & cliques are still powerful enough to ruin reputation and manipulate perceptions even if they themselves are transient. These can have noticeable effects on the targeted individual(s) mental, emotional and maybe eventually even physical wellbeing.
There are many brighter sides to Maslow’s Hierarchy (and I don’t just mean 3 because its a triangle) we could explore that could give hope & inspiration too. I feel it is important to recognise both the virtues we are aiming for but also the dysfunctions we can recognise in ourselves and others along the way so we can widen our lens in case of pot holes! Remembering that mysterious Greek philosopher mentioning not trying to be on the side of the majority but trying to avoid finding oneself amongst the ranks of the insane. But as one wise man with a monkey once said; if you want to make a world a better place, you better look at yourself and make a change. hehe shamone!
On the nature of ‘Self Actualisation’ there is also a term called transcendence. I am always interested in the nature of consciousness and adopting an approach to be super curious and it was very inspiring to see the diver’s story in the Netflix series My Octopus Teacher. I feel that the level of passion, creativity and pure interest he put into his work translated to the audience and deepened the understanding of the natural world. Watching that made me feel that wherever you study the world so deeply you get to a level of complexity and connectedness that is deeply moving & profound.
In addition to this I was astounded by the level of consciousness an Octopus expresses & I went on to look into Bonobos. To see a familiar and uncanny level of ‘humanness’ being expressed, it was very amazing to experience a species not too distant from us in our evolutionary pathway. It makes me perceive our reality as humans in a different way…
-Jhoty
Jhoty 