MASLOW'S HIERARCHY

Wow, what a contrast. My friend Scavenger is creating great things and I am wandering down a path toward what he referred to as 'self actualization' from Maslow's Hierarchy. I found this description on the web.

"When all of the foregoing needs are satisfied, then and only then are the needs for self-actualization activated. Maslow describes self-actualization as a person's need to be and do that which the person was "born to do." "A musician must make music, an artist must paint, and a poet must write." These needs make themselves felt in signs of restlessness. The person feels on edge, tense, lacking something, in short, restless. If a person is hungry, unsafe, not loved or accepted, or lacking self-esteem, it is very easy to know what the person is restless about. It is not always clear what a person wants when there is a need for self-actualization. "

Well, I think that pretty well sums things up. I'm restless and have been for a long time. In my past life when I felt this way I would load some gear in my truck and go camping or hiking. Was I restless to see and do or did I just go to tire myself because I have unanswered questions and when I was tired I was not thinking? To some degree I think I was traveling to enjoy solitude and recharge. I also think it might be related to the eastern saying, "First journey, then struggle, then calm." Like Scavenger, I also want to create. I also want to see and do and feel. Sometimes I'd like to scream. Usually I content myself with a roar, a growl or a coyote howl. Life was meant to be lived, not just endured.

So here are my thoughts. You can do what you love for a living or you can use your job to fund your hobbies. I think few of us can do what we truly love. If we did a lot of things in this world would not get done. Would that be so bad? I think in the end with a wife and family that I must make a living such that I have the time and money to do the things I truly love in my free time.

The big question is what am I meant to do? Honestly, I don't think anyone can answer that question for another person.

-Feral Man