Just about anyone who has had a psychology or a sociology class, has probably heard of 'Maslows's Hierarchy of Needs.' The premise is; before a human being reaches any kind of full spiritual potential or be able to start on the quest for Self-Actualization, his basic and primal needs must be met first.
As a professional in the field of psychology and counseling, I can most certainly understand why a practitioner would find it helpful to know the current state of their client. If someone comes to you and they are hungry, it would be difficult to propose to them writing out their goals for the next five years. However, when I have my hat on as a Spiritual Life Coach I beg to differ with Maslow's theory of a person reaching their potential after they have successfully made it up the pyramid. In fact I would go far as to say the Hierarchy could be upside down.
People need to constantly seek for treasures such as truth, justice, spiritual awareness. Sometimes it is at those very low moments of being hungry or alone or without, that a person reaches for something greater than themselves. It is in those moments a person can find out who they are.
Monks give up many of their physiological wants and seek a greater union with self. Christians find comfort in scriptures such as " But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness........ ( Matthew 6:33 NIV) or find out how foolish it was to focus on the material; " " But God said to him, You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?" ( Luke 12:20 NLT)
True Independence and Self- Actualization can come before one has all the stability they hoped for, or the dream job of their choice. As a person transcends through the obstacles of life and persevere through the challenges, many new births occur along the way. Consequently, Self-Actualization can come in many forms and in various stages of life.
B.L. Aki
