Curiousity

Curiosity killed the cat, they say, and satisfaction brought it back.

I don’t believe that and neither should you.

Curiosity keeps us alive and aware, can prevent us from making bad decisions.

And can help us to make discoveries that give meaning to our lives and growth in our days.

If we just blindly accept what is presented to us uncritically, we risk being lead astray. Especially with the speed of the internet, the abundance of information available, and the tendency of people to accept biased information.  We must be aware and check multiple sources to validate what we consume intellectually and before we act on that information.

This was demonstrated in the lead-up to the Iraq War, when the rush to decision and deadly action was void of any sense of curiosity and careful review. Biases ruled, consequences ignored, and we look back now in sad review at what lead us in to a disastrous series of overseas actions that still reverberate today. And it was driven from the top, when an incredibly uncurious President was led astray by warmongering aides with an appeal to ‘be tough” no matter what. And many people followed along without a skeptical thought.  Remember the “mushroom cloud” warning ? And how it proved to be totally without merit?

But it can affect us in our everyday lives. Remember “chain letters”? That has been superceeded by the internet versions – FB, twitter, and other social media can feed rumor trails and viral internet can be as dangerous and medical viruses.

But curiosity and an open mind aren’t just for warding off harmful influences.

It is also vital to growth. We learn through being curious and having a thirst for discovering new things. I enjoy seeing and hearing new sights and sounds of nature. Today was one example. I often hear woodpeckers high in the trees, but rarely see them. But today I had both and I got the video to share. I would neither have seen nor heard this bird if my ears and eyes were not open.

Be sure to take some time to pay attention to the beauty all around you. You never know what you might encounter.

One world

Once we work through Maslow's hierarchy of needs (see last week's post) and meet those essential needs for ourselves, there is another set of essentials. That is realizing that there are others who have those same needs, and we have the responsibility to help them to meet their needs, no matter who they are or where they are from. For you see, as the English poet John Donne so elegantly put it "no man is an island entire of himself, we are all part of the whole...each man's death diminishes me....send forth not for who the bell tolls, it tolls for thee"

We need to realize that we are all part of a neighborhood, a city, a state, a country, and the world. We all share this planet, with its plants and animals, its environment, its people. We are part of  global community. And as we learned in kindergarten we are supposed to share it. The effects of war, climate changes, disease, and economic uncertainty ultimately know no boundaries. As we have seen with the corona virus it started in one country, but has spread around the world. The Great Depression of our parents and grandparents was global. The great volcanic eruptions, like Krakatoa in the 1800's and Mt Saint Helens in 1980 sent ash around the world.

 The conflagration of war in the 20th century were called World Wars because they were global, affected the whole planet, and reshaped the world as we know it, changing boundaries,, economies, and alliances. Even the smaller wars of later years have caused massive refugee movements, economic disaster, and social upheaval.

So how does this affect you? What can you do? First if you see someone who is in need, reach out to help however you can. Organize with others to provide help. Listen to the cries for help and at least acknowledge that we have work to do. Sometimes it is just a listening ear that people need. Don't isolate - we may need to be physically distant, but let's not wall off our hearts.

Remember, for us to grow and prosper it is essential that we acknowledge that we are one world.
the world doesn't revolve around us, and we can't wall it off from us, it includes us.

Maslow's Heirarchy

 Abraham Maslow was an American psychologist of the 20th century who focused on humanistic psychology - what distinguishes humans from animals, and what how meeting needs contributes to human motivation. He developed a hierarchy of needs - the identification of human needs and that the most basic needs must be met for people to attain high goals and needs. He identified 5 levels -physiological, safety,, love, esteem, and self-actualization.

Physiological needs are things like food, water, shelter,, health. These are basic survival needs. Unless and until those are met your mind will focus on them and not be able to seek to fulfill other needs. Just like a drowning person will often unconsciously drag a potential rescuer under is their need to push their head above water, so a person who is starving won't listen to appeals of reason no matter how persuasive.

Once those basic needs are met safety and security needs are in focus. This involves not only physically safety - shelter, job security, and a safe environment - but also emotional and mental safety. Freedom from abuse and financial security. Safety at home, and freedom from fear out in public. And personal health , free from fear of disease and accidents

The third level of needs is social belonging. This includes friendships, intimacy, and family. Everybody needs to have connections and feeling like they are part of something bigger than just themselves. And acceptance from others.

The fouth level of needs is self- esteem and self- respect. It involves both internal valuing of ourselves and the need for recognition and respect from others. Someone who does not value themselves will have a harder time valuing others. Being confident in ourselves makes it easier to have confidence to participate with others. And it is easier to be confidence in ourselves if we are getting recognition and encouragement from others.

The final level is called self-actualization. The realization of one's full potential. To go beyond the basic needs and aim to develop all your strengths and desires. To make a mark and society, and to be free to pursue excellence.

It is not always a straight line and sometimes  needs in one level may outweigh the needs in another.
But the basic idea is that often people may feel or be frustrated in seeking to develop skills or reach goals because they are not having basic needs met. People may wonder why their friends or coworkers are not listening to reason or thinking ahead about consequences of actions, without realizing that they are not ready to hear due to more basic needs unmet.

It is important for us to think about this for ourselves and others. If we feel that we are not progressing and meeting goals, examine ourselves to see if we have unmet needs. And we need to help others meet their basic needs before we try to persuade them to accept our point of view, no matter how important it seems to  us.

In out society today, with all the varying and oftentimes intense and stressful situations, think about fear. Fear is often a sure sign of unmet needs. We can't always meet needs, but at least we can understand the often unseen motivation. It is essential