Something Ordinary

In the 1940s, psychologist Abraham Maslow introduced the idea of the Hierarchy of Needs, often represented as a pyramid. Many of us first encounter it in high school or university classrooms. The theory suggests that human needs build upon one another. At the bottom are basic needs such as food, water, and shelter. Above them are safety, belonging, esteem, and finally self-actualization, the desire to reach one's full potential.

But what happens when we stop looking at the pyramid as a theory and start looking at it through the lives of real people?

A child who goes to bed hungry does not think about self-actualization. A family worried about where their next meal will come from is unlikely to spend much time discussing personal growth. When basic needs remain unmet, survival becomes the priority.

On the other hand, people whose basic needs have always been met often have the privilege of focusing on different questions. What career should I choose? What is my passion? How can I make a difference in the world? These are important questions, but they are questions that become possible only when the foundation of the pyramid is already secure.

Perhaps privilege is not only about having more. Perhaps it is also about having the freedom to think beyond survival.