The higher needs come later?

Maslow says that our grumbles tell us where we are on the hierarchy of needs—people who are at lower grumbles still have lower needs to be met. He almost categorizes them only in two levels: low and high grumbles. This certainly is in line with what I have noticed—he says that people with lower needs cannot even see the higher needs—and this is precisely the eyes-glaze-over I have been getting when talking with 30-something people about community work—they are so focused on the needs of their children and making a living (so was I at that stage) they cannot see the “higher grumbles.” Nor could I at that age—I remember not being able to understand the chapters in books which went into environmental issues. Usually these chapters were at the end, so I had gotten my meat out of the book. Now I wonder if this was a recognition—whether conscious or otherwise—by the authors that the higher needs come later?

:- Doug.

Published in: Conversations | on December 21st, 2008 | No Comments »

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