What Is Important For Us To Do Within The Time We Have?
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What a strange life I lead. Just a few minutes ago I, and a group of eleven others, battled in frenetic fury an evil slug-like creature and its minions.
After several demoralizing defeats we emerged victorious mostly due to tenacity rather than teamwork.
Now I sit quietly sipping a cup of tea with honey in front the same technological portal that allows me to fight in a never-ending virtual war.
Beneath and beside me, my dog Henry, quietly lays asleep on the mat under our computer table very gently yipping.
I image he dreams of chasing a pinecone I’ve tossed him on one of our walks together.
As I sit here, I wonder; is the time I spent in a digital dream world any more meaningful than Henry’s chasing pinecones in his dreams?
Frivolous questions like that, I hardly ever seriously attempt to answer.
Perhaps a better question would be; does anything we’ve done or will do ever really matter? This is an important question I’ve often asked myself and perhaps you have too.
Suprisingly the answer depends less on what you have done or will do than the time frame you choose to judge what matters.
For if you take the long view nothing we do really matters. Because in the long view we humans are long gone and there is no one left to make a judgement.
But in the short view; I also doubt everything we do really matters. For while I agree, conceptually, the flutter of a butterfly’s wings might start the breeze that creates a hurricane.
I think we all agree it will be very hard to point out which butterfly is at fault for the storm.
Obviously, some things we do are more important than other things, otherwise, why did I bother to make all those Things to Do lists that I’ve yet to complete?
And so, we come to the crux of the matter. What is important for us to do within the time we have?
This question I have given some thought and my general solution is like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. What we ought to do I categorize into three levels of priority; Needs, Wants and Desires.
Like Maslow’s physiological needs I categorize “Needs” as those things we must necessarily satisfy to help keep us alive by meeting our fundamental need to maintain homeostasis. If “Needs” are not met, we soon start to die.
Food, water, air, shelter, and safety from bodily harm are some of the basic “Needs” which we all need to survive.
I would argue these “Needs” also are some of the fundamental responsibilities that good governments should be able to provide to their citizens.
The next level of priority which I label as “Wants” combines Maslow’s pyramid of needs of love and esteem. Meeting our “Wants” helps keep us mentally healthy.
While if our “Wants” are not met they certainly will not kill us. If our “Wants” are not met, we may suffer mental anguish and show symptoms of psychological illness and possibly wish we were dead.
I suggest that these “Wants” are the primary responsibilities that good parents should provide to their children.
Finally, our “Desires” is very similar to Maslow’s need for self-actualization and transcendence. In meeting our “Desires” we often believe we are putting our personal resources to their best use.
While not obtaining our “Desires” certainly won’t cause us to die or become mentally ill, we may feel unhappy or unsuccessful due to our “Desires” not being met.
It is our personal obligation to pursue these “Desires” so we may become happy and fulfilled.
To summarize: What is important for us to do within the time we have? My answer is like the unalienable Rights, of the Declaration of Independence.
Each of us have the “Right” to providing for our Needs, Wants, and Desires. And I further believe that:
Good governments should help insure safe food, clean water and air, basic shelter, and safety from bodily harm for its citizens. (Life)
Good parents ought to provide love, affection, education, and respect to their children so they may feel free to pursue their dreams. (Liberty)
Personally we should strive to put our personal resources to their best use. (Pursuit of Happiness)
If you would like more of my occasionally funny answers to life’s questions please feel free to leave a comment and together we will learn and grow through our shared experience.
© David Speakman 2020
