Day: February 9, 2026

All across the world today people are waking up and hoping for the same things. Maslow nailed it with his Hierarchy of Needs. First and foremost we all require water, food, shelter, food. Our ancient ancestors focused each day on hunting and gathering and moving with the seasons. For the most part in the modern world the vast majority of humans have been able to achieve their physiological needs but some remain in danger due to wars, famine and other disastrous situations over which they have little control

Historically most humans have been able to focus on their needs for safety. It is in our natures to crave security, health, the support of a family, work that allows us to survive, resources that keep us secure and property that allows us to feel free. Those basic needs have all too often been threatened by tyrants and invaders and even oligarchs whose selfish desires override attempts to insure that every person is able to achieve a certain level of comfort. Obviously as a society we still have much to do in regards to reaching everyone who needs help. Sharing the limited assets of the world is a complex duty all too often fraught with grift and greed. 

Every person needs to feel love and sense of belonging. Because we are so diverse in who we are, building relationships can sometimes be difficult and complex if our society is demanding that we behave according to arbitrary beliefs. There is nothing more wonderful than being fully accepted and appreciated for being exactly who we are. Each of us craves a sense of connection but all too often societies ostracize certain groups creating a history fraught with injustice. For some reason humankind keeps creating the image of people in need as pariahs based solely on personal prejudices. 

In a healthy, abundant and loving environment societies do what is necessary for people to feel good about themselves. There are no rules that are capable of building positive self esteem. Such feelings are borne from respect and acceptance. A person who has achieved a feeling of confidence and respect is not judgmental nor does he/she feel the need to boast or gather riches. Sadly we all too often equate bullying with power. We believe that only those who bluster and insult have enough moxie to lead us. We see their Achilles heels as strength when more often than not it is the quiet and loving individual who would be the best person to follow.

Our ultimate goal as humans is to be moral, not in the sense of enacting rules that hurt people but in the ways in which we value, enrich and encourage all people. The self actualized individual embraces the people of the world with an understanding that we are first and foremost more alike that we are different. Our variations are something to celebrate. They mark the incredible creativity of the human spirit. 

We lose our way when we criticize rather than help those who are suffering from the most basic physical needs. We never know when we will need assistance because we have grown old or acquired a terrible disease or been victimized by natural disasters or wars. Those people in the world today who are starving and dying through little fault of their own should be our priority rather than the victims of our criticism. We should not avert our gaze in disgust when any human is so broken by circumstances that it is no longer possible for him/her to take care of the most basic needs. 

We cannot reach every soul that is crying for help but we can insist that our collective society has programs in place that help them. Sometimes the difference between turning our backs on the needs of others and creating programs that help them only has a cost of a few dollars each day that we might surely spend on hope rather than on an accumulation of riches and things. 

I have spent many days decluttering my home. I have made numerous trips to Salvation Army and Goodwill. Much of what I am giving away came from generations of purchases. Such objects have sat in my attic and closets when someone else might have used them. They represent expenses that I might have forgone to provide for someone in need. I know that I must begin to be more circumspect and generous with those who have so much less than I do. Climbing the ladder of the hierarchy of needs takes a village just as Hillary Clinton once claimed. Each of us is where we are because many people helped us along the way. It is our duty to do the same for as many as we are able. It is our duty to select leaders who are willing to provide for the needs of those who struggle to survive. We should look to people who are kind and caring just as we should also be. 

For some the idea of doing as much as we can for all of humankind sounds political. It makes us socialists or communists in their minds. The truth is that the societies that worked for all of the people were more successful that those that consolidated power and wealth in a small group. Caring for everyone on the most basic level should be a common idea, not a fanciful dream. With shared wealth nobody gets tossed aside and nobody has more than a king. This should be a goal that we all hope to achieve.