The Evolution of Desire
What is the next stage in human development?
Needs or Wants?
The minimal definition of basic human needs includes food, water, clothing and shelter (housing). It is common to add sanitation, education and healthcare. Look at the simple definitions in the poster above, intended to educate children about the difference between needs (“things that you must have to live”) and wants (“things that you would like to have”). In the modern consumer society it seems that we have forgotten this distinction, and the ramifications are devastating on both the personal and global levels. The most common health issues of our time and the most common environmental issues of our time can all be attributed to this confusion.
The COVID-19 Effect
The Corona virus is changing us. Our thought patterns, desires, and priorities. As the chart above (from May 2020) shows, people are now far less interested in all sorts of things generally related to consumerism and entertainment. What are they more interested in? Basic needs: health and especially food! Perhaps our bare necessities are simpler than we think? :-)
Body and Soul
Although we tend to forget this, we are animals. We share 98% of our DNA with bonobos and chimpanzees, 90% with cats, 85% with mice, and you can find the rest of the list here. We can potentially transplant in humans cells, tissues or organs of similar species if we overcome some technical obstacles (can you say “xenotransplantation”?). And even in terms of our brain and intelligence it isn’t clear how we are different from animals.
Yet we feel there is something in us above and beyond our animal body. We grapple with how to define and name it. Perhaps the best word is “soul”. It is that deep and persistent yearning to discover who we are, where we are, why we are, to find meaning in a chaotic life, to connect, to love, to outlive the body, to be immortal.
We know how to take care of our body. How can we fulfill our soul?
[1] As my son Oren likes to say, each one of us is half a centaur :-)
Hierarchy of Needs
American psychologist Abraham Maslow suggested the famous hierarchy of needs named after him.
Indeed the story of human evolution can be viewed as evolution of desires, as we climb up the pyramid from the lowest level of physiological needs to the highest level, called self transcendence, exiting myself and connecting to something beyond me. Many people refer to it as “spirituality”. Interestingly, that top level was not included in the original 1943 version, and was added by Maslow many years later. Did he learn something throughout his life?
What Next?
Search Google for an image of “Human Evolution”. You’ll get many pictures like the ones below. They depict a sequence of developmental stages that starts with an ape or primitive man to the left, and as we move to the right, the human race keeps evolving until our time. The last stage is interesting! Some like the first one below show modern man sitting in front of a computer or playing on the phone. In others he is fat and holds a cup of soft drink. In yet another sequence the next stage is a tombstone (RIP), with mankind doomed by natural selection. And in the second image below we evolve into spiritual beings with supernatural powers. What will it be?
The choice is in our hands. I believe we are at the beginning of a fascinating journey to discover our essence, our purpose, our raison d’être. The answer will not be found inside any one of us. It can only be revealed between us.
Our past has been the story of stuff. Can our future be a story of love?
