Fumbling Towards the Top of Maslow's Hierarchy: Faith as a Context for Meaning

Maslow's Hiearchy is a brilliant snap-shot of the human condition. At the bottom of the pyramid, we address our basic human needs such as food on the table and a roof over our heads.








Then, as we progress higher up the pyramid, we start to address the more difficult conundrums of human existence; the "why am I here, what's it all about?" questions. The higher needs are all about "self-actualization," and include aspects such as:

• Embracing the facts and realities of the world rather than denying or avoiding them.
• Feeling a closeness to other people, and generally appreciating life.
• Being spontaneous in ideas and actions.
• Being creative.
• Having discernment and viewing all things in an objective manner.
• Being interested in solving problems; this often includes the problems of others.

For many Americans, and indeed for much of the "1st world," the "bottom row" of our needs are met. Even if tenuous and at risk, we usually have enough to eat, we have a place to live, and access to clean water is not an issue. It occurred to me last night, as I was walking the dog, that so many of us are struggling with the upper rows of the pyramid; the "how to find meaning in a broken world?" questions.

Then I had an epiphany: what if all of us, as we work our way up the pyramid, focus on the various means of helping all those folks just struggling with the bottom row of the pyramid? Inherently, we simultaneously find meaning. This, I believe, is one of the foundational aspects of religion; because most religions instills in us a framework that challenge us to:

• put others' needs ahead of our own
• diminish our egos
• focus on the "common good" rather than our own selfish gain
• do less narcissistic navel-gazing and do more to contemplate our existence with awe and reverence for a higher power

All of these challenges are designed to temper our natural human tendencies of aggression, selfishness, and hostility.

Rabbi David Wolpe, author of a recently-published book called "Why Faith Matters," eloquently renders arguments for faith as a context for meaning. Essentially, he argues that the human condition yearns for something bigger than itself as a path to meaning. Religion has, he posits, provided humanity with a framework for meaning. It provides a framework for exploiting our virtues (loving kindness) and mitigating our vices (selfishness and aggression). Though he doesn't deny that great harm has been done in the name of religion, he deftly refutes the argument that religion is responsible for all violence in the world. Rather, he articulates how it's usually much more complicated than mere "religion" that exhorts violence; that political, national and other social constructs are also at work. He then points out, which I think has great merit, that atheistic societies induced much greater violence and oppression than those with the freedom to practice faith. He cites the 20th century, which was the most violent in recorded history; this violence was rendered by atheistic regimes, by Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot, to name a few.

Rabbi Wolpe's book affirms one of my core beliefs: that faith matters as a framework for seeking meaning in human existence. My faith journey is fundamental as I try to scale Maslow's Hierarchy.