Most of us know about Maslow and his hierarchy of needs. Before you can build up to using your full potential, he hypothesized, you need to have your basic needs met, beginning with food and shelter, and working your way up through acceptance, love, and esteem, until you can feel totally free and secure, and then you can "self-actualize."
It was a good idea, popular and easy to understand. It really was never supported by research, as it seems many people can skip some steps, while others get stuck enjoying the food, shelter and sex level.
But whenever I have been asked about what motivates people now, in the 21st Century, and I believe (again, with no real research to back it up) that the big factors are Love, Money, Power and Sex. Possibly today, with the way the world is, Fame, could be added as something many people seem to desire. Being famous for being outrageous and making a sex tape, seems to be worth as much as bringing peace to the Middle East or curing cancer.
The other things about Love, Money, Power and Sex (Fame), is that they are so tightly combined. People want to be loved and respected. Money almost can buy love, Power can bring Sex, Sex is related to, but isn't quite Love. Money is almost Power. Men Love women who are attracted to Money and Power and will have Sex because of that attraction. Some women like to obtain Power to attract Sex partners, some get Power so they don't have to have Sex. All of this is intertwined and everyone gets involved.
A lot of orthodox religions seem to have a lot of doctrines relating to Power and Sex. Almost all give the Power to men, to determine who has Sex.
So it is never too shocking when Powerful men, politicians, generals, business tycoons, movie stars, get swept up in the excitement and the glory of their position, and end up combining admiration, Love, lust and Sex all in one bundle and find themselves enjoying the company of beautiful women twenty years younger than they are.
It's a terrible fate that ends up in scandal. Everyone loves a scandal, and they all involve Love, Money, Power and Sex.
So now, I am looking for someone to write my biography. Preferably a women in her mid-thirties -- but older than my daughter, with a knock-out body and a good vocabulary.
When I raised the idea with my wife she just said "good-luck with that" and then she added that she would like to edit the book before it gets published to keep it real.
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Of course the government has no money to actually put this idea into practice, but the latest theory about dealing with homelessness is "Housing First." The idea in local social service agencies used to be, "First cure your addiction and get your life in order and then we'll see about getting you into housing." Now it's thought to work the other way around. Get them into housing and then its easier to straighten out the rest of the mess.
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