Until today, I never much cared for cherry tomatoes.
I love ketchup, tomato sauce, and all the many tomato things – but ask me to grab a tomato off the vine and take a bite…Let’s just say I had other opinions! I blame the texture…
So what inspired me to try one today? To venture outside of my comfort zone and try something new?
One place we could look is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This is also an interesting topic to consider amidst a pandemic.
Try your best to visualize this description as a pyramid with five tiers. At the base is Physiological Needs. These needs are air, water, food, shelter, sleep, clothing, and reproduction. Maslow theorized that these needs have to be satisfied before we can do anything else.
The next level is Safety Needs. These are personal security, employment, resources, health, and property. Following this thinking, once we have satisfied our basic needs of food, water, and shelter – then we can focus on our workplace and health.
Following our needs for safety is Love and belonging, which looks like friendship, intimacy, family, and sense of connection.
The next level in the hierarchy is Esteem – respect, self-esteem, status, recognition, strength, and freedom.
At the very top of the pyramid is Self-actualization. This is your desire to become the most or best that you can be. However, before we get to the very top of the pyramid, we have to first satisfy all of the needs that came before it (according to Maslow).
We could easily translate these levels of needs into what we are currently experiencing.
First, people are focusing on providing food, water, and shelter for their families. (Physiological)
Next, we are working hard to maintain and protect our quality of health. (Safety)
Now – these next tiers get a little tricky. The top three needs might be getting a little less love during the pandemic, as we put all of our energy into our physiological and safety needs.
This brings me back to my tomato. It struck me as interesting that, for a brief moment, I thought about something beyond my immediate, basic needs. I thought about the joy and simplicity of picking a vegetable right from the vine and not even washing it.
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