22 nov 2012

thankfulness, à la maslow.

physiological? it would be difficult to be blathering in a blog were my physical needs not met, and of course - OF COURSE - i am grateful, but having never been deprived of food, shelter, clothing, or the like, i am sure my gratefulness falls pitifully short of adequate. to a great extent, i take these things for granted. so, for lack of a true gauge for proper thankfulness, i will be thankful for the fact of taking them for granted, for so thoroughly having been supplied with food, shelter, and clothing that i can take them for granted. i am grateful for this sense of entitlement because it's a symptom of my having been so well cared for by the universal caregiver.

safety? again, i have an abundance of this. acts of violence that touch my life are random. i don't fear every time i enter publix to purchase craft beers, sea-salt pita chips, and flavoured chap sticks that a suicide bomber will drive a truck through the produce section. i don't live in a war zone. my financial security is sound. i have health insurance and life insurance. i am grateful that i live in safety, that my well-being is secure, to the extent that i don't have to consider it at all most days.

love and belonging? maslow pairs these, but they're not precisely the same in my book. i feel a strong sense of belonging on my soccer team, but that's not love. i'd say it's a sliding scale, from larger groups to smaller groups to one-on-one relationships. maybe that's what he meant? anyway, i am grateful for a place to belong and for people that understand me, although i don't experience this need very strongly. a little intimacy goes a long way.

esteem? maslow divides esteem into lower and higher - the higher esteem is the one for which we have a higher need. "lower esteem" is respect from others - recognition, fame, prestige. "higher esteem" is self-respect - strength, competence, mastery, independence. the irony of esteem is that when we try to build it in another, we actually tear it down. esteem is something we have to build for ourselves. i am thankful for the people in my life who've allowed me, instructed me, inspired me, encouraged me to build esteem in myself.

self-actualisation? although i'm far from perfect, i am grateful to be in a lifespace where i can focus on being my best self, giving my best efforts. i'm grateful for the opportunity to fulfill my potential. i don't believe we're given talents and gifts and advantages and blessings only to squander them. i believe there is a purpose that is larger than us, larger than our understanding, and that we are each created with a unique role, and that the only way for the whole thing to work is for each of us to play our part. so - i'm grateful to be able to pull my weight, turn my cog, do my part by simply being fully me.