why can’t we all just get along?
recent events have me applying much of my mental focus to pondering Maslow’s theory on the heirarchy of needs. I like the (albeit naive) notion that if all of our basic needs were met the world over, maybe — just maybe — we could all get along without trying to kill each other.
So, tell me, Whaddya’ think?
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July 20th, 2006 in
A Day in the Life...., From The Girlfriend
Unfortunately, people can’t get over their intolerance of people who are of different race, religion or political affiliation. Whether or not basic needs are met is immaterial, especially since different peoples have different opinions of what “basic needs” are.
I recommend reading Jeffrey D. Sachs’s book The End Of Poverty and Thomas Barnett’s The Pengaton’s New Map, perhaps not in immediate succession - they’re both high-concentration books - but at least in temporal proximity. They come from different directions but I think they’re related.
oh…don’t get me started! it might not solve every problem, but it would certainly make problems easier to solve.
I agree with Geren’s point here. If everyone were merely satisfied with having their “basic needs” satisfied, then the idea has merit. However, the natural state of living beings is competition for resources and social dominance. To somehow enforce or impress complete and altruistic egalitarianism on nearly seven billion unique individuals so that no one ever has the urge to take more than their fair share? Unlikely.
How do you ensure that everyone gets their needs met? Then, how do you ensure that no one ever deprives anyone of that which they need? And, would not an entity that wields that much power not be ripe for its own corruption?