Human beings are social creatures; I think that we can all agree on that. Abraham Maslow theorized about the needs that motivate us in his Hierarchy of Needs: physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. I can see where socializing contributes to meeting all of those needs. However, being social isn’t something unique to humans as other creatures live in cooperative groups. The simple act of socializing helps any organism living in community achieve its physiological and safety needs. There is even a certain level of love and belonging that is achieved in such arrangements; but, I’m not sure that such love and belonging does nothing more than reinforce the first two levels of the hierarchy. Esteem and self-actualization being higher order cognitive functions are most likely beyond the capability of most other species, with maybe a few exceptions who are capable of these at some rudimentary level. I think, though, that it is safe to say that we as human beings are unique in our need to achieve the higher levels of motivation.
“So, God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27, NIV). As I wrote in my previous blog, we have a yearning to reunite with our origin. If we accept the Genesis account that God is our origin (and you are free to believe otherwise), then we understand that humankind is a reflection of God, albeit a now-corrupted reflection. With the knowledge of good and evil, humanity stands opposed to God as our origin and now looks within for that origin; but, the image of God is still a haunting reminder of the origin, clouded by the new-found “freedom” gained in the knowledge of good and evil.1
I think that it is this desire to reunite with our origin that, in part, compels me to the higher levels of motivation. Self-esteem (seeing value in myself) and self-actualization (achievement of my full potential) would be greatly enhanced by fully knowing my origin. But, in absence of God, I look to the closest thing that bears his image, my neighbor. Socializing with my neighbor and becoming part of their community becomes paramount to achieving self-esteem and self-actualizing. There are, of course, many ways to socialize. One is through poetry.
Composing a poem is a creative act. It sometimes, depending on the poem’s subject, requires me to travel into the most profound levels of my being and unpack my thoughts and feelings about that subject. Such exposure leaves me vulnerable; and, it is this vulnerability, I think, that allows me to connect with my audience, a connection transcends time, space, and circumstances. I become part of their community. Through the audience’s feedback, I experience love and belonging. With increased love and belonging, my self-esteem grows. Increased self-actualization is realized as the poetic talent is developed. In return, my poems enrich the lives of those who read them. Socializing, then, facilitates within me personal growth, well-being, and contentment. But what about the impact on others? How do I enrich their lives? And how does this all bring about the reunion with God, my origin? These are topics for another day.
A. E. Fonner
With the knowledge of good and evil, humanity stands opposed to God as our origin and now looks within for that origin; but, the image of God is still a haunting reminder of the origin
1 Bonhoeffer, Dietrich, Ethics (New York: Touchstone, 1995), 21 – 24.
