| I am very pleased to include the Editor's note from the July-August 2006 issue of Telicom. Editor’s Note: This is part II of the special series that Robert Roy is writing for us. I am very pleased that Robert has offered to present his research to us through the Telicom—especially as his ideas and writings have recently come to the attention of serious scholars who are encouraging him to expand his writings and publish them professionally. Robert will be working out the rest of his thesis with us here in the Telicom so that members can comment and peer review his work as he prepares it for further publication. |
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SELF-AWARENESS The Individualistic Journey of Consciousness By Robert Roy When I spend any time at all thinking about the difference between consciousness and the person / container it is easy for me to understand the scientists and see that the person / container is an animal with basic needs, instincts, characteristics and such, in various levels of development and intelligence, that is easily influenced by culture and surroundings. Science has long studied animals of all kinds at great length, including humans, for centuries, and much is known about them. There is no argument that humans are not the only animals with varying degrees of intelligence. Many animals are quite smart, and some folks would even argue that other animals besides humans have some form of consciousness, or argue about levels of consciousness among all creatures. For this discussion, humans, the evidence of the varying levels of attachment as well as the varying degrees as relative to the relationship of the two, as well as the depth or level of awareness of one or both, between individual consciousnesses and their containers / person has long been studied, documented, and is overwhelming. My thought is to acknowledge the separation, and to me it is easily established and becomes a TRUTH. Once the separation is established I turn my attention to, well, what is consciousness? If that first thought after accepting the separation between one’s person and one’s consciousness doesn’t create a universe or two of thoughts, blow you away so to speak, I don’t know what to tell you? It certainly did the first time with me and still does to this day anytime I consider the abyss which I have come to know as consciousness, whether mine, yours, or all. Regardless, we are not here to discuss consciousness and all that it is, we have established the separation of consciousness from the person / container. From there, with just a basic understanding of the human as an animal, which for some reason few of us actually have, which I would hope every person would do a little research regarding, any and all humans could easily improve the clarity of their decision making capabilities and lead healthier, happier and more harmoniously as they travel throughout the trials and tribulations of life, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. I’m pretty sure most of the other animals would certainly look themselves up in the encyclopedia if they could, and I recommend it, and will share it with you here next month. It’s nice to know what you’re dealing with, and there is lots of information available. So hopefully you folks can see right there, that just by learning a little about the human as an animal, one should be able to make clearer decisions in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs triangle. But let’s not stop there now that we’ve established the separation between consciousness and its animal as I like to call it. I am supposed to be sharing here. Now I’m in trouble though. We have separated the consciousness from the container and we have researched human as an animal and are starting to make clearer decisions throughout the trials and tribulations as relative to this animal within the triangle of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. We aren’t bouncing as much as we were, but we are still bouncing around way too much, constantly changing our positions and decisions, and aren’t getting where we want to be in life, nor are we being who we think we are or to the best of our ability. We are still quite easily distracted or mistaken, and suffer unwanted consequences of our own blurry and distorted decisions. Why? Because you forgot your consciousness is the simple answer, but I’m sure I’m not going to get away with that here. My point is that we are lost without our consciousness, and no different from the other animals, living by instinct, chance survival, and the influences of our surroundings and cultures. To me, this is what I saw available at best from government, education and religion, their flawed teachings of ways to be a better animal, how to train the animal, how to teach and or control the animal. As I said, some, like hypnosis, meditation or listening to tapes while you sleep, seemed to sneak a peak so to speak at the man behind the curtain as they said in Oz, the consciousness running the show, but only tinkered at best. To me, consciousness is our guide, our map, our light, our higher self. It is the way, the path, the TRUTH. It knows who we are, what we are, and what we are supposed to be doing. It has all of our answers and will gladly share all of its TRUTH with any able person / container who properly seek it. Without falling into the abyss here, I am trying to give you my most simple of thoughts regarding consciousness, what I hope are the easiest for you to understand and accept as possible for me to think, so that you will then be able to see how they apply as we add consciousness, to me our higher self and connection with all, into the equation with the person or container, and head back into Maslow’s hierarchy of needs triangle next month, after a little consultation between the two, so to speak of course. Getting back to where we left off last month, after hopefully establishing the separation, and then giving you my basic thoughts on researching humans as an animal for starters, and a simple view of my thoughts on consciousness, I would like to finish this part by briefly sharing my thoughts regarding Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, followed by a definition from Wikipedia. I will then follow up next month with a new diagram where I have added the consciousness to the equation with the person / container, before, during, and hopefully after Maslow’s hierarchy of needs triangle, and show how by introducing yourself to, listening to, working with, and following the guidance of your higher self, your consciousness, together you will drastically see the difference in your life immediately. You will be able to slowly take back control of your life, and find your true path with a good solid base and a firm grip on finding out who you really are and being that person to the best of your ability. As you do, the newfound continuing improvement of clarity in your decision making capabilities will be obvious to you. You will see the results in yourself and everything around you. You and that around you will be better, happier, healthier and more in harmony with yourself and everything around you; learning, growing and loving more and more. It’s like being a kid everyday. Remember how it used to be so much fun to be right, to know the right thing to say or do? How exciting, to be able to dress yourself, go to the next grade, make the play at third or to score the winning goal? Whether proud to know right from wrong, just the answer to a math question, or the first time you knew your own address, think back to the excitement, the feeling, the rush. That, to me, is finding out who you are and being you to the best of your ability. It is very rewarding and powerful, and I would expect you to feel it guiding you, rewarding you, reassuring you that you are on the right path and drawing you more towards finding out who you are and being that person to the best of your ability. I feel it, those I have consulted feel it, and I expect you folks to feel it or I know nothing of what I speak of here. My thought is that perhaps it is a natural, intended addiction that most have stubbornly ignored in ourselves and our children, or replaced in some form, fashion or manner, and might be related to what Maslow refers to as peak experiences and deserve more study? But that is another discussion. My thoughts about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and as I have said, nearly all that is available through government, education and religion in the area of consciousness, self-awareness and self help seems to have this fundamental and same flaw, is that it seems to be after the fact so to speak. To me, it is the second part of the trials and tribulations of life, once the separation of consciousness and the person is acknowledged. Heck, we don’t have to understand or even discuss consciousness as long as we understand the separation exists as a TRUTH and that humans are animals. I like the triangle of Maslow’s diagram theory because it attempts to gather up what I call the trials and tribulations of life from birth to death of the animal that is human. Regardless of whether one agrees with the order or position of any of the needs as he lists and explains them, it does give one a good idea of what the person part of the consciousness and person separation I have spoken of, usually think about, and are important and influential as relative to themselves and the world around them as they traverse the trials and tribulations of life. When I look at it though and read the information, I see nothing but confusion and delay. I see lots of guessing made by folks whose decision making capabilities are blurry and distorted because they are expecting to get to a better place internally, be a better person and live a happier, healthier, more harmonious and productive life, to be the person they wish to be, for all their dreams to come true, but instead of a simple map of their life with various options or paths so to speak as they live, to get from point A, birth, to point B, death, with the best results possible in between, they use trial and error, with a blindfold on it seems to me, and then must deal with the consequences of their blurry and distorted decisions. It appears they only learn who they are by the major mistakes they make instead of only having to learn which way to be the best them they can be by the paths or various options they choose. Basically, most folks act like animals, smart animals, to be polite. Makes sense though to me. Everything I saw related to self help, consciousness or self-awareness through government, education or religion all dealt with it like that, just the animal, the person / container. Below is the information from Wikipedia for Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. As I have said, I think definitions are always a good place to start when looking at things. I hope some of what I have written here makes sense. Next month I hope to show that by working as a team so to speak, the person and the consciousness, once separation is acknowledged, can first have a conversation amongst themselves so to speak, deciding and answering objectively and truthfully as to just who is the awesome and wonderful person they are taking into Maslow’s hierarchy of needs triangle. Then I will try to show and explain how by doing that you will be able to stay more in balance, more on your path, and start to see yourself finding out who you are and being that person to the best of your ability more and more. I will also give you examples of simple ways that I and others have enjoyed the rush of TRUTH so to speak. At that point either you folks will understand my thoughts and be better off at finding out who you are and being that person to the best of your ability, making progress taking back more and more control of your lives, with better and better decision making capabilities and clarity, with positive results you can see in yourselves and around you, or I am pretty horrible at explaining and sharing, because it certainly has worked for me and any I have shared the slightest bit of it with, and I certainly think it can work for all of you or I wouldn’t be trying to share it with you here. I certainly would entertain any questions public or private and am available to the best of my abilities to help anyone who wishes, with them finding out who they are and being that person to the best of their ability. As you read and look over the information above and from Wikipedia below until next month, I would ask you to think about how much easier, calmer, and surer of yourself you would be with the whole trials and tribulations, decision after decision, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs triangle, if you knew better who you were and were better at being that person to the best of your ability, with less blurry and distorted decision making capabilities, and more of the rushes of TRUTH as I like to call them, to help guide you. Do you think one would be happier, healthier and more harmonious? A little less stress maybe? You could also think about what you know about humans as animals, and describing yourself to yourself, and only yourself, objectively, honestly, truthfully, non-judgmentally and acceptingly, with unconditional love, to the best of your ability. You have to think it before you can be it! See you next month. |
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| From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a theory in psychology that Abraham Maslow proposed in his 1943 paper A Theory of Human Motivation, which he subsequently extended. His theory contends that as humans meet 'basic needs', they seek to satisfy successively 'higher needs' that occupy a set hierarchy. Maslow studied exemplary people such as Albert Einstein, Jane Addams, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Frederick Douglass rather than mentally ill or neurotic people, writing that "the study of crippled, stunted, immature, and unhealthy specimens can yield only a cripple psychology and a cripple philosophy." (Motivation and Personality, 1987) • Maslow's hierarchy of needs is often depicted as a pyramid consisting of five levels: the four lower levels are grouped together as deficiency needs associated with physiological needs, while the top level is termed growth needs associated with psychological needs. While our deficiency needs must be met, our being needs are continually shaping our behaviour. The basic concept is that the higher needs in this hierarchy only come into focus once all the needs that are lower down in the pyramid are mainly or entirely satisfied. Growth forces create upward movement in the hierarchy, whereas regressive forces push prepotent needs further down the hierarchy. Deficiency needs The deficiency needs (also termed 'D-needs' by Maslow) are: Physiological needs The physiological needs of the organism, those enabling homeostasis, take first precedence. These consist mainly of: • the need to breathe • the need for water • the need to eat • the need to dispose of bodily wastes • the need for sleep • the need to regulate body temperature • the need for protection from microbial aggressions (hygiene) When some of the needs are unmet, a human's physiological needs take the highest priority. As a result of the prepotency of physiological needs, an individual will deprioritize all other desires and capacities. Physiological needs can control thoughts and behaviors, and can cause people to feel sickness, pain and discomfort. Maslow also places sexual activity in this category, as well as bodily comfort, activity, exercise, etc. maslow stresses the point that after a hard dy at work,a professional needs a place where he finds comfort. Safety needs When the physiological needs are met, the need for safety will emerge. Safety and security ranks above all other desires. These include: • Security of employment • Security of revenues and resources • Physical Security - violence, delinquency, aggressions • Moral and physiological security • Familial security • Security of health A properly-functioning society tends to provide a degree of security to its members. Sometimes the desire for safety outweighs the requirement to satisfy physiological needs completely. Love/Belonging needs After physiological and safety needs are fulfilled, the third layer of human needs are social. This involves emotionally-based relationships in general, such as friendship, sexual intimacy, and/or having a family. Humans want to be accepted and to belong, whether it be to clubs, work groups, religious groups, family, gangs, etc. They need to feel loved (sexually and non-sexually) by others, and to be accepted by them. People also have a constant desire to feel needed. In the absence of these elements, people become increasingly susceptible to loneliness, social anxiety and depression. Esteem needs Humans have a need to be respected, to self-respect and to respect others. People need to engage themselves in order to gain recognition and have an activity or activities that give the person a sense of contribution and self-value, be it in a profession or hobby. Imbalances at this level can result in a low self-esteem and inferiority complexes, and, on the other hand, can give an inflated sense of self- importance and snobbishness. Being needs Though the deficiency needs may be seen as "basic", and can be met and neutralized (i.e. they stop being motivators in one's life), self- actualization and transcendence are "being" or "growth needs" (also termed "B-needs"), i.e. they are enduring motivations or drivers of behaviour. Self-actualization Self-actualization (a term originated by Kurt Goldstein) is the instinctual need of a human to make the most of their unique abilities. Maslow described it as follows: Self Actualization is the intrinsic growth of what is already in the organism, or more accurately, of what the organism is. (Psychological Review, 1949) A musician must make music, the artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be. This need we may call self-actualization. (Motivation and Personality, 1954.) Maslow writes the following of self-actualizing people: • They embrace the facts and realities of the world (including themselves) rather than denying or avoiding them. • They are spontaneous in their ideas and actions. • They are creative. • They are interested in solving problems; this often includes the problems of others. Solving these problems is often a key focus in their lives. • They feel a closeness to other people, and generally appreciate life. • They have a system of morality that is fully internalized and independent of external authority. • They judge others without prejudice, in a way that can be termed objective. The Jonah Complex: Some people fear Self-Actualization and unconsciously perform acts to inhibit their progress. Self-transcendence At the top of the triangle, self-trancendence is also sometimes referred to as spiritual needs. Viktor Frankl expresses the relationship between self-actualization and self-transcendence clearly in Man's Search for Meaning. He writes: The true meaning of life is to be found in the world rather than within man or his own psyche, as though it were a closed system....Human experience is essentially self-transcendence rather than self-actualization. Self-actualization is not a possible aim at all, for the simple reason that the more a man would strive for it, the more he would miss it.... In other words, self-actualization cannot be attained if it is made an end in itself, but only as a side effect of self-transcendence. (p.175) Maslow believes that we should study and cultivate peak experiences as a way of providing a route to achieve personal growth, integration, and fulfillment. Peak experiences are unifying, and ego-transcending, bringing a sense of purpose to the individual and a sense of integration. Individuals most likely to have peak experiences are self-actualized, mature, healthy, and self-fulfilled. All individuals are capable of peak experiences. Those who do not have them somehow depress or deny them. Maslow originally found the occurrence of peak experiences in individuals who were self-actualized, but later found that peak experiences happened to non-actualizers as well but not as often. In his The Farther Reaches of Human Nature (New York, 1971) he writes: I have recently found it more and more useful to differentiate between two kinds of self-actualizing people, those who were clearly healthy, but with little or no experiences of transcendence, and those in whom transcendent experiencing was important and even central … It is unfortunate that I can no longer be theoretically neat at this level. I find not only self-actualizing persons who transcend, but also nonhealthy people, non-self-actualizers who have important transcendent experiences. It seems to me that I have found some degree of transcendence in many people other than self-actualizing ones as I have defined this term … Ken Wilber, a theorist and integral psychologist who was highly influenced by Maslow, later clarified a peak experience as being a state that could occur at any stage of development and that "the way in which those states or realms are experienced and interpreted depends to some degree on the stage of development of the person having the peak experience." Wilber was in agreement with Maslow about the positive values of peak experiences saying, "In order for higher development to occur, those temporary states must become permanent traits." Wilber was, in his early career, a leader in Transpersonal psychology, a distinct school of psychology that is interested in studying human experiences which transcend the traditional boundaries of the ego. In 1969, Abraham Maslow, Stanislav Grof and Anthony Sutich were the initiators behind the publication of the first issue of the Journal of Transpersonal Psychology Counterpositions While Maslow's theory was regarded as an improvement over previous theories of personality and motivation, it has its detractors. For example, in their extensive review of research that is dependent on Maslow's theory, Wabha and Bridwell (1976) found little evidence for the ranking of needs that Maslow described, or even for the existence of a definite hierarchy at all. The concept of self-actualization is considered vague and psychobabble by some behaviourist psychologists. The concept is based on an aristotelian notion of human nature that assumes we have an optimum role or purpose.[citation needed] Self actualization is a difficult construct for researchers to operationalize, and this in turn makes it difficult to test Maslow's theory. Even if self-actualization is a useful concept, there is no proof that every individual has this capacity or even the goal to achieve it. Other counterpositions suggest that not everyone ultimately seeks the self-actualization that a strict (and possibly naive) reading of Maslow's hierarchy of needs appears to imply: • Viktor Frankl's book Man's Search for Meaning describes his psychotherapeutic method (logotherapy) of finding purpose in life. • Albert Einstein was actually drawn toward the sense of mystery in life. See Abraham Pais' Subtle is the Lord. • Others seek to perform good works. • Others are drawn toward the dark side of the human condition. One could counter this argument by citing these as examples of ways people self-actualize. Hence, the ambiguity of the term. Transcendence has been discounted by secular psychologists because they feel it belongs to the domain of religious belief. But Maslow himself believed that science and religion were both too narrowly conceived, too dichotomized, and too separated from each other. Non- peakers, as he would call them, characteristically think in logical, rational terms and look down on extreme spirituality as "insanity" (p. 22) because it entails a loss of control and deviation from what is socially acceptable. They may even try to avoid such experiences because they are not materially productive-they "earn no money, bake no bread, and chop no wood" (p. 23). Other non-peakers have the problem of immaturity in spiritual matters, and hence tend to view holy rituals and events in their most crude, external form, not appreciating them for any underlying spiritual implications. Maslow despised such people because they form a sort of idolatry that hinders religions (p. 24). This creates a divide in every religion and social institution. (Maslow. "The 'Core-Religious' or 'Transcendent,' Experience.") See also • Human Potential Movement • Humanistic psychology • Meaning of life • Organizational behavior • Positive psychology • Self (psychology) • Spiral Dynamics • Self-realization • Transpersonal psychology References • Maslow, A. H. (1943). A Theory of Human Motivation. Psychological Review, 50, 370-396. • Maslow, A. H. (1965). Eupsychian Management. Note that the Andy Kay featured in this book is the Andy Kay of Kaypro. Hardcover ISBN 0870940562, Paperback ISBN 025600353X. • Maslow, A. H. (1970). Motivation and Personality, 2nd. ed., New York, Harper & Row. ISNB 0060419873. • Wahba, M. A., Bridwell, L. G. (1976). Maslow reconsidered: A review of research on the need hierarchy theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 15, 212-240. |
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