20230915 : Screwed up hierarchy of needs...

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We have heard about Maslow's hierarchy of needs. It's very simple - Basic and important needs have to be met first to aim for the next rung of higher level of needs. 

It might have started the same, but now It will be different for different sections of the society today as the order of needs are very heavily dependent on economic realities and affordability - as everything is organised nowadays and nobody usually stays in the jungle looking for things.

I don't know about all segments of the economic strata in the society but I can take a shot at myself (I will say middle of middle class. I think even in middle class , there is upper and lower). I have a feeling it will not be very far from others in the similar economic strata and above...

The very very basic thing is air to breathe - that is the same for everyone.

After that, it becomes complex. It should be water. Water is indeed needed, but most dwellings today have a backup - a borewell. On top of it, usually there might be a sump for storage, if it is getting over, they will call a tanker to top up. Worst case, buy the big bottles from a shop. We still need water, but there are many layers of backup built-in.

Next comes food . Again there are too many possible options I don't even have to get there.

Most things like this have some backup available to most folks in middle class. A lot more backups if you can afford more.

I was thinking probably "Air" is the only thing. Then I thought again because of a electricity issue that happened just then. I realised even that has possible things , like a backup DG. That can work for sometime but not for a longer time. So "Electricity" in my opinion comes close.

But that electricity fluctuation did a bigger mischief. It shutdown our WiFi router. All hell broke out. No internet, No TV in the house, no laptop, no music, no so many things!

Even the above things I spoke about - money , food, clothes, shops, etc., its all on our finger tips because of the internet. Take it away and we will really struggle beyond a day.

I think after "Air", the "internet" beats almost everything else.

We have really screwed up the hierarchy of needs haven't we?

What do you think? 

Comments

  1. Anonymous30/11/23 08:20

    For a teenager their phone may even best Air as the first necessity. Amrit

    ReplyDelete

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