Late Awakening

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a theory formulated by American psychologist Abraham Maslow in 1943 and later expanded in his 1954 book Motivation and Personality, posits that human needs are arranged in a hierarchical order, and as each need is satisfied, the individual moves to a higher level. The pyramid begins with physiological needs; a person cannot entertain any aspirations while suffering from hunger, thirst, or lack of shelter. Next come safety needs, ranging from physical security to family stability, followed by social needs, which involve belonging, the recognition of one’s worth by others, and spending time with them to create life’s memories. Once these needs are met, individuals begin to seek esteem, from simple words like “thank you,” “well done,” and “excellent,” to various forms of honor, feeling that they have contributed something special that has been accepted and appreciated, and that others have acknowledged them. Finally, at the apex of the pyramid lies the need for self-actualization, when a person relentlessly strives to fully utilize their creative potential, pushing their capabilities to the utmost limit.

Maslow’s pyramid appears valid and realized across different segments of humanity, wherever they may be. However, what differs completely is that some people are born, for reasons beyond their control, into geographical, social, or economic environments that force their lives to revolve around securing basic sustenance, or make their highest dream simply having a home to live in with a spouse and children. In such cases, these individuals are humanly predisposed, whether consciously or unconsciously, to relinquish everything higher up in the hierarchy. There are people who live under the roof of today’s bread, and I do not say “under the roof of poverty,” for that expression has lost its meaning in the face of the dire conditions endured by human groups in various corners of the world. Indeed, modern technologies—satellites, images, and video clips on social media networks—now constantly reveal the plight of people who ask for no more than food for themselves and their children, and a roof that protects them from the cold rain of winter and the scorching sun of summer. These are people who do not dream of stars, but of a wall that does not leak, and of a single night in which their children can sleep without one of them saying, “Mom, I’m hungry!”

I believe that Maslow enumerated human needs from a natural human perspective, but this perspective emerged from a calm and stable economic society, and did not look far enough to see the wars and hunger that scarcely cease anywhere in the world. In those places, people do not climb the steps of the pyramid; rather, they spend their entire lives at its first threshold. Moreover, aspirations, even among those who have escaped such hunger, do not remain static; they change according to economic, social, and psychological circumstances, and fundamentally according to age. In adolescence and youth, a person dreams of forming a bond with a life partner and securing their future. Upon marriage, they enter another stage, desiring children and building a family. Once this is achieved, their children’s future and happiness become the dream that accompanies them. When the children marry and each goes their own way, the individual may realize at that moment that they have ground away the days of their life striving and working to secure the lives of others, and that the time has come to pay attention to themselves. However, some turn to themselves late, after neglecting them for decades, so that their greatest dream and sole obsession becomes living in health and well-being, far from illness and pain.

Here lies the paradox worth pondering: a person spends their life dreaming of what is not in their hands, only to discover at the end that their greatest dream was what they possessed for free: a body that walks, eyes that see, and a breath they barely feel. The pyramid we climbed step by step was nothing but a circle, returning us at the end of the journey to the same point where we began: the body, safety, and peace of mind. How great and noble is that desire!

Taleb Al-Rifai