During the year of 1943, Abraham Maslow, a Jewish immigrant in the US, mulled over a question so widely asked it had become theological. What is the meaning of life? His contemplation lead him to the creation of the Maslow Pyramid of Needs. This pyramid is divided into 5 sections, and then are divided into 2 different sectors. The bottom sector represents the 2 physiological needs of food, housing, water, and safety, material things. While the top 3 sections of the top sector represent the spiritual needs, such as friends, lovers, family, spiritual beliefs, and the top most being the need to pursue one’s passions. In order to live healthy and fulfil our needs, we must have a balance of these different sections. This theory of Maslow’s will be discussed in our own lives as we analyze them and begin to realise what we should prioritize in order to be healthy and fulfil our needs.
Nick:
I, admittedly, have a very unbalanced pyramid. I have not focused on the top three sections of my pyramid at all this semester. Instead, I have been focusing on the bottom physiological needs a lot more than anything else. Studying and getting decent grades has been my main focus in this semester. I have neglected creating any relationships in school with my peers, and have also neglected my hobbies and talents in order to accomplish my goals to enter the workforce later in life. To turn my pyramid from a more pentagonal shape to a more triangular one, I need to start doing what I want to do, and continue working towards my passions. I can continue to study and work hard, but I also must live life doing the things I actually want to do, like singing, sports, and crafting instead of being one hundred percent going towards studying.
Mitha:
Transitioning from high school to university also means transforming ourselves into a better version of ourselves. In high school, I used to have my pyramid of needs upside down. Where I tend to achieve my actualization and more neglecting my physiological needs. I rarely eat healthy food, and rarely drank water. That’s probably the cause of me going in and out of hospitals. Also, back in high school, I tend to focus more on my recognition and ignores the intimacy of my close friends and family. Then, when I entered university, I knew that things had to change. I had to balance all of the sections of my pyramid of needs. Both finding my actualization, my self-esteem, love, safety, and physiological needs at the same time, of course, it is not easy and not instant. That is the reason why this semester I want to prioritize more on my health and my self-esteem than the others.
Fira:
At the beginning, I was dead set on chasing esteem and self-actualization. In three years of high school I essentially did nothing worthy of any note. So, to put it simply, I was eager to change that in college. I tried stepping out of my comfort zone by joining several committees—something I was avoiding like the plague in high school. On top of that, I joined marching band. I wanted to be something and not just standing by, watching. And during this blind pursuit of recognition, I unconsciously fulfill the other sections of the pyramid. By being a part of the marching band unit, I gained more friends, thus meeting my needs of love and belonging. I'm engaged in more physical activities and completing my physiological need. When I was struggling to make it to the top of the pyramid, I didn't realize that I'm getting way more than just self-fulfillment.
Agharid:
Living in a different house with my parents during high school makes me don't have any of the pyramid criteria. Because I can do anything I want, I even skip school for several times. In the first year of high school, I was only focusing to play with my friend almost every day, we talk, laugh and play during class or even we share answers during the exam. I had never thought about how will I continue my college life and all I do is playing over and over again. And then the last year of high school makes me think that I have to stop playing because my friends, they stopped to play and start to study. I do start studying but only when there's an exam and I think that's a small progress I've made. After the national exam, I decided to join an extra class for preparation to enroll in public universities. I was a whole different personality when I decided to join the class because I study every day and every time. The changes I made make me get accepted into three public universities but I chose Universitas Indonesia.
Ayf:
based on maslow’s pyramid, everything in life must be balance. i agree that we as a human being needs all of that five aspects. when i was in high school my priority is my friends. like i know its not good but i dont really care about my grade when i was in high school. after the class all i do was just hangout with my friends, and sometimes we skip classes just to hangout together. but in collage my priority isnt social anymore, instead i more focused on academy because that will determine what im become in the future, so i reduced my hangout hours and took the time for studying. but there is other aspect in the collage life that we have to fulfill besides friends,love and academy. and that is safety needs. i know that i have to make my mom and dad proud for my academy but our health is more important.