Spirituality for the common man- an analysis from the human needs hierarchy perspective

Friends, if you've read my previous views on spirituality Spirituality-not for saints, but for the common man! you might have understood by now that I feel spirituality should be accessible to the common man, not only to those who lead an austere life. My aim is that each and every human being on this planet should be spiritually enlightened. Being a person who leads the life of a common man, having a family to look after and having to lead a worldly life out of necessity, I somehow feel that the prescribed path for spirituality, which is abstaining from all worldly desires, though of great value, remains mainly theoretical. But I want spirituality in a form in which I can connect to and implement. Hence I thought of proceeding further in my quest on the entire subject.

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When I tried to delve on the subject of spirituality from the perspective of a common man, a very natural question occurred to me. Spiritual gurus have always said that the common man has forgotten God in his maddening materialistic pursuits. He has become greedy for worldly comforts and has forgotten the almighty. So here I want to analyze if in indeed the common man is being greedy or is he in situations in which he cannot help being greedy. For that I proceeded with the logic about basic needs given by the humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow, because I feel unless the basic needs are satisfied, one after the other, one cannot proceed to attain the higher sublime needs, like spirituality. Please consider the diagram after the jump.

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I believe the needs of the common fall within one or more of these categories, shown in the diagram. Do you think a person who is at the lowermost level of the social strata, that is one who is craving for food, water and shelter can concentrate on God? Asking him to abstain from materialism is cruel because he cannot survive without being materialistic. Next, even though many of us have food and shelter, our safety is threatened. There is theft, violence, crime and terrorism going on everywhere. What are we supposed to do in such a situation- think about saving our lives or forget this world and run behind God? At the next higher level, considering the needs for affiliation, love and affection ; friends you know how difficult it is for one to find genuine love today, even between the closest of relatives. When a brother cannot love a brother, how can he love God? At the next level is the need for esteem. Everybody respects himself, but am I wrong in saying that there is a dearth of genuine respect for another person these days, however accomplished a person he might be? If one cannot respect his friend, how can he respect God? The last need of course is that of self-actualization where one gets the opportunity to fully realize his capabilities, which is achieved only by a handful. Even this need concentrates on own self and not on God. All these are practical obstructions in the path of spirituality and need to be addressed first.

Its only after the basic needs are satisfied that a person proceeds to satisfy his spiritual needs, after the satisfaction of other higher order needs. The basic needs are all worldly, but their fulfillment is very much essential for the sane development of a human being and unless a lower level need is satisfied one will not proceed for the higher. Such is the human psychological makeup. Of course, there are always exceptions. But I am talking about the masses. The needs of the masses are stuck somewhere within the basic needs. Unless these needs are satisfied one cannot desire spirituality in the purest form and that is through abstinence. As most of the human beings find it difficult to disentangle themselves from worldliness, spirituality should be first offered in a form in which it can be practiced along with the wordily life.

Yes, friends, I feel one can become truly spiritual only if he feels a mad thirst or need for it. A need is strengthened only when a person craves for it, not by denying yourself other needs. By denying yourself worldly needs you do not start craving for spirituality. Worldly desire cannot be killed or nullified in ordinary human beings by abstaining. By doing that a person who has desires will get highly depressed. Spirituality should have no bindings. Attainment of God should come without conditions. Then only people will run towards HIM.

Before searching for an external God, one should first start his/her spiritual quest by first becoming aware of oneself, realizing one self, appreciate the good in others and oneself, understand one's morality, and actualize oneself. These are the eligibility criteria for one to start with the quest for an external God. Simply reiterating that abstaining from worldly desires one will attain god is an ineffective proposition and is not going to work.

You can only attian God by loving HIM and true love comes without conditions. Friends, we all love our parents very much and we can access them whenever we want to without any conditions. That's why they are so special to us. If God were our father, can't we attain him without any conditions? I think we can.

Images Credit: Akri, iloveulove