Achieving Global
Development and Peace through
Maslow’s Hierarchical
Revolutions
Som Karamchetty [1]
Abstract
As we begin the Twenty first century, we
realize that the world’s greatest needs are economic development and enduring peace.
Most writers have seen world development in only economic terms. Unless we see needs
in a human dimension and bring development at a rapid pace, peace will remain a
distant dream. The human dimension can be understood only when we address the needs
as described by Abraham Maslow in his Need Ladder or Need Hierarchy. Furthermore,
we have to address human needs at a revolutionary pace as people do not have
infinite patience in this Internet age.
Maslow defined five types of human
needs. Physiological needs come first. For the most part, people in developed
countries achieved these needs. Modern agriculture, food processing, storage,
transportation, and distribution satisfied this need in developed countries. These
countries assumed that their safety and security needs are also mostly
satisfied until the terrorism incidents of the eleventh September 2001. Meanwhile
developing countries are still struggling to satisfy both physiological and
security needs of all people.
Next on Maslow’s Hierarchy is the need for affiliation,
association, to love, and to be loved. As we move up higher on Maslow’s Hierarchy,
we encounter esteem, and recognition needs. Artists, musicians, writers,
sculptors, and, those who excelled in their chosen fields, are recognized by
their peers. Great sports persons, athletes, engineers, scientists, economists,
belong to this category. Finally, a small number of people push themselves to
reach the heights of their profession and satisfy their self-actualization needs.
Geniuses, super stars, and statesmen belong in the last category. There are only a few in a million who satisfy
needs at the highest level.
The current
pace of economic development in the world is too slow to accomplish human’s movement
on the Need Ladder. This situation does not auger well for democracy and peace
in the world. How will the society look like, when revolutionary progress occurs
at every level of the Maslow’s Need Ladder? In this paper, I sketched the
characteristics of these revolutions. I believe that intense application of
advanced technology can address these needs and bring peace to the world. Enlightened
and committed leadership can launch and accomplish revolutionary goals. Their first task is to convince people that a
vision of Maslow’s hierarchical revolutions is necessary and realizable. Global partnership and investment of goodwill
by common people will allow human ascent on the Maslow’s need ladder.
Introduction
The world is beset with
problems of various kinds. It is divided into the developed and developing
countries. Millions of people in the world go hungry every day. There is
inadequate housing for many more millions. For most people in the developed countries,
while hunger and shelter are not major problems, safety and security cause them
extreme anxiety. On the whole, life is less of an enjoyment for most people in
the world. Are humans condemned to this fate for ever, or can we develop a
vision of greater fulfillment and happiness for people on the earth? If it is
possible to achieve lasting peace and prosperity on earth, is it the preserve
of only a few or can all people attain that state? Do peoples have to
continually fight for limited resources or can the world develop new knowledge and
means to satisfy the needs of all people?
Before we attempt to
answer these questions, we have to define and describe what human needs are and
what a goal state is. In this paper, I will begin with a description of
Maslow’s need ladder, provide descriptions of the revolutions, and finally
sketch a strategy for applying advanced technology focused on fulfilling all
human needs.
Description
of Maslow’s Need Hierarchy
Abraham
Maslow [2]
presents a hierarchy, which describes human needs. According to him,
"Human needs arrange themselves in hierarchies of prepotency," and,
"No need or drive can be treated as if it were isolated or discrete; every
drive is related to the state of satisfaction or dissatisfaction of other
drives." Maslow’s Need Hierarchy consists of five types of
human needs as shown in Figure 1.
- Physiological
needs
- Safety and security needs
- Social
or affiliation needs
- Esteem
and recognition needs, and
- Self
actualization.
The physiological needs ¾
the most basic needs essential for survival ¾ include the needs for
food, liquid, shelter, sex, sleep, and oxygen.
Safety and security needs
emerge once the physiological needs are satisfied.
The belongingness and love
needs emerge as an individual hungers for affectionate relations from people in
general, for a place in his or her group. In the middle of the ladder is
next need for affiliation, association, to love, and to be loved.
The esteem needs fall into
two categories, self-respect and esteem from other people. As we
reach the higher needs, we encounter esteem, and recognition. Artists,
musicians, writers, sculptors, and other people who excel in their chosen
fields are recognized by their peers. Great sports persons, athletes,
engineers, scientists, and economists fall into this category.
Self-actualization need is
the desire to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one
is capable of becoming. The desire to know and to understand and the aesthetic
needs are at the very top. Finally, a small number of people push
themselves to reach the summits of their professions. They may be geniuses,
super stars, statesmen, and so on. Depending on one’s inclination and interest
in the fine arts, sciences, society, sports, and other fields, one can identify
people who achieved the pinnacles on the hierarchy.
Maslow postulates that
people yearn for higher level needs as those at lower levels are accomplished.
History's lesson to mankind is that no group of people is content with the
option of satisfying just the basic needs. Every person and society strives and
struggles for opportunities to move up the need ladder.
Notwithstanding the lack of consensus on the hierarchy,
Maslow’s Need Hierarchy forms an excellent framework for a discussion of the
human needs and how we can achieve economic development, peace, and harmony in
the world as such a framework
reflects people's needs. [3]
Although developed countries have not used this framework explicitly in their
development, their results show the relevance of the need ladder.
Situation Analysis
The situation in the world
can be divided into two broad categories: developed countries and developing
countries. Having satisfied their basic needs, large percentages of people in
developed countries, such as the
Meanwhile in the developing
countries, where the majority of the world population lives, people still struggle to satisfy basic needs, such as food, clothing, and
shelter. The availability of a large pool of unskilled labor drives the use of
primitive and labor-intensive techniques, in preference to mechanization. This
use of unskilled labor sets up a vicious cycle. Low productivity, low wages,
and lack of capital for mechanization lead to a scarcity of food, clothing, and
housing. As people toil in the fields, lack of spare time to invest in
training, and education leaves these people unskilled and uninformed. For most
people in this predicament, pursuit of activities at higher echelons of the
need ladder is unthinkable and incomprehensible. As economic rewards are barely
sufficient to satisfy their current basic necessities of life, no savings are generated
to invest in education and training. As a result, generations get caught in
oppressive poverty.
Efforts to fulfill safety and security needs fail miserably
as class struggles pit one class against another. Historical legacies cause
mutual suspicions and stroke the flames of conflict. The majority at the lower
levels of the ladder concludes that the few at the top will manipulate the
system to hang on to their position of advantage. Those at the top conclude with
no real basis that they are born superior and deserve their position for ever.
These attitudes continue to grow unabated and lead to endless class struggle
and groups feel insecure from one another. Societies stratify and never
coalesce.
While some have no time, other people
who lack jobs have no funds to pursue activities needed to move them up the
ladder to fulfill their affiliation needs. Lacking employment, some among these
have plenty of time to kill. Their affiliation needs draw them into evil clubs and they
become gangsters, criminals, and terrorists. This sector of the population is
on the historic verge of causing enormous harm to world peace and stability.
Many scholars have pointed out that criminal elements have used this need for affiliation
among the poor and dispossessed of the world to build their organizations into
powerful machines of destruction.
As we evaluate the upper levels of
the need ladder, we see people seeking status. They want to feel valued in
their community, at work, and at home. They want respect from themselves and
others. Currently, only a miniscule population of both developed and developing
countries satisfies this need. Finally, only an infinitesimally small number of
people attain self-actualization. Many scholars have contended that this need
is not an economic need; if so, perhaps, it may be somewhat beyond the scope of
this paper.
Impact of economics on Maslow’s Need
Hierarchy
Fulfillment of needs is firstly an economic problem because
costs and rewards bear a critical relationship to one’s position on the need
ladder. A person or a group or a nation is both a producer and a consumer and
has certain economic capability and technical skills and performs work,
produces goods, and satisfies own and/or others’ needs. People struggling at
the bottom of the hierarchy are characterized by hard manual work and lack of
skills and education. The goods and services produced by them fetch them meager
rewards. On the other hand, the higher one’s position is on the hierarchy, the
more empowered they are by education and knowledge. They are rewarded
handsomely for their products and services. As a corollary, the products at
lower levels cost less and those at higher levels cost considerably. This makes
it harder for people at lower levels to acquire the services of those at higher
levels. A natural economic barrier to the upwardly movement of people is thus
erected.
Needs do not automatically result in demand. For example,
poor people need food, but cannot afford it, resulting in no additional demand.
If these people get money either by way of earnings, or welfare, or charity, or
loans, then additional demand results. Similarly, work does not directly
translate into more earnings. When work is augmented by technical skills,
knowledge, training, education, and technology infrastructure better rewards
ensue. Supply and demand meet at the market and rewards are generated for the
producer or worker. Rewards result in economic capability of a person, a group,
or a nation. Economic capability can be used to gain or enhance technical
skills and technical infrastructure. Therefore, in order for people to move up
the ladder, an upward thrust is needed sufficient to cause a take off. Figure 2
depicts a model connecting needs,
demands, satisfiers, rewards, technology, and development.
The important criterion is that a person’s, or a society’s,
or a nation’s capability should exceed the requirements for the lower level
needs. The excess can be used and people begin to move up the ladder. It is
also possible to receive a boost from others (people, society, or nation) in
moving up the ladder, when one does not have self-sufficient resources. Sacrificing
needs at a lower level for a certain time period also helps in moving up at a
later time. However, since these lower level needs are life sustaining, there
is only so much one can sacrifice.
The experience of the developed
countries shows that technology, knowledge, and skills increase productivity
and yields greater rewards to performers. Higher productivity allows people to
invest time in gaining knowledge to move up the ladder. Those who cater to the
higher level needs and demands get higher rewards. Higher rewards mean greater
economic capability, such as manufacturing, trading, and investment
infrastructures. Economic capability will, in turn, enable a person, a group,
or a nation to gain higher technical skills, leading to further gains in
economic capability. Correspondingly, it decreases manual labor inputs into the
production system. Ultimately, people can be involved in a production system as
business people and have machines (robots, automata, and knowledge machines)
produce goods and services at the lower levels of the hierarchy. This launches
an upward spiral of national economic deliverance.
Patterns of population density at
each level of the Maslow’s Need Ladder
Maslow’s need ladder pertains to individual needs. But,
since our goal is global development, we have to extrapolate the need ladder to
the level of the society. Human beings are highly social and they react in a
social way. For example, a mother sacrifices her food and physical comforts for
her children’s benefit and a father mortgages his farm to give a good start to
his children. A soldier sacrifices his life to defend his country. Of course, such
sacrifices can take a good or an evil form. Individuals can be turned into
law-breaking and immoral tools of gangs and extremist zealots. These social
tendencies lead us to examine the needs at the societal level more so than at
an individual level.
The progress of a society can be gauged by examining the
fraction of a population involved in activities at a particular level or whose
needs are satisfied according to Maslow’s hierarchy. In a democracy, since
people elect their leaders, a majority of people cannot be left at the bottom
of the ladder. They will vote the leaders out continually leading to unstable
societies. Democratic leaders have to work towards satisfying most human needs
to gain stability and peace.
Let us examine the possible, potential, or ideal scenarios
for distributions of people at each level. [5] Traditionally,
a triangular distribution (Figure 3) is envisaged, where most people are
involved in activities intended to satisfy their physiological needs. The
triangle is very acute, i.e. a large base and a narrow peak. An acute
triangular distribution is not conducive to peace and harmony in a society.
Since democracies give power to a majority of people, political power and
economic power are always at odds in a society with an acute triangular distribution.
In the developed countries, these proportions are somewhat better as there are
slightly larger proportions of people involved at the higher levels. This
distribution correlates well with the relative political stability in the
developed countries.
A better distribution looks
rectangular (Figure 4) where we have the same proportion of people involved in
activities at each of the five levels. In this scenario, more people have moved
to the top from the bottom of the ladder. This movement should not be done by
fiat or by class (or caste) but by hard work and capability. All people are
allowed the opportunity to move up or settle at a comfortable or chosen level. From
the point of view of a democracy, this already adds to political stability,
peace, and harmony. But this scenario is not ideal as there are still some people
toiling at the bottom level.
An inverse triangular distribution
(Figure 5) is even better than the rectangular distribution discussed above. Many
more people moved to the top. Only a few people are at the bottom. But it may
not be the goal yet? Because, who (or which few) wants to be at the bottom?
Ultimately, an inverted-peak
distribution (Figure 6), where all the people, or the whole society, are
involved in activities at the highest level is ideal. Having satisfied their
lower level needs, people obtained the necessary skills, knowledge, and
education, and moved up the ladder. Leaders should have this scenario as their
ultimate goal. It is up to the individual people or groups to choose and reach
the level at which they are satisfied and comfortable. People should have the
opportunity and options to settle at a level of their choosing. [6]
In reality therefore, as a society develops, an actual
scenario or distribution will be somewhere in between the traditional
triangular and this inverted-peak distribution. As all the people are at the
top, or where ever they are comfortable, this results in a very stable
democracy. One would expect that there will be intellectual debates and not physical
conflicts as candidates vie for political leadership. The shape of an actual
scenario can be used as a metric for the level of development accomplished by a
society or a nation.
Maslow’s Hierarchical Revolutions
So a society’s goal should be to move
from a traditional triangular distribution to an inverted-peak distribution, i.
e., from a current reality towards an ideal system (Figure 7). While it takes
time to go from one distribution to the other people will not tolerate a slow
rate of progress. I introduce the concept of a revolution as people want a fast paced fulfillment of their
needs. People and societies are more likely to trust the leadership, if positive
results are evident. Hence, I call for Maslow’s Hierarchical Revolutions. These
revolutions are the means to get to the goals.
From the discussion in the previous sections, it should be
clear that there is need for revolutions at each level on
Maslow’s Need Ladder. [7] The
call for revolutions rather than evolutions is justified because the world
population is increasing at an alarming rate and because small scale, or
slow-paced, or evolutionary improvements will not satisfy a significant
fraction of people. Without satisfying most people, there will only be conflicts
and confrontations. In democratic societies where the majority holds the
ultimate power, people will not accept slow progress at any level of the
hierarchy. The result will be anarchy or brutal dictatorship but not peace.
I propose five levels of revolutions (Figure 8), namely,
·
Green
revolution
·
Security
revolution
·
Affiliation
Revolution
·
Esteem
Revolution, and
·
Mind
Revolution.
Let us consider the Physiological needs first. Modern
agriculture, food processing, storage, transportation, and distribution
satisfied this need in developed countries. Thanks to Green revolution of the
last several decades and the help from of developed countries, many developing
countries have satisfied most of these needs. Food has been given a primary focus
in international development. Housing is a dire need. For the majority of
people in developing countries, rewards for work are barely sufficient to buy
and satisfy basic necessities of life. They have no savings left to improve their
lot or that of their children. Generations get caught in depressive poverty. Large
scale mechanization and automation will increase productivity on the farms and
allow people to gain additional funds for housing. Manufacturing automation
will make more affordable housing available to satisfy people’s need for
shelter. Green revolution and manufactured housing are necessary to address physiological
needs.
The prevailing wisdom was that
safety and security were mostly satisfied in the developed countries. This was
so until the terrorist attacks in the
A security revolution allows security technologies to be
deployed. Security and safety should protect humans from man-made and natural
forces of destruction; protect the environment from misuse of technology; and
free people from diseases. The most important protections are equal
opportunities for all people and their freedoms to pursue individual
expression, movement, and enjoyment. These securities then extend to values,
ethics, and culture. The reader may notice that I have defined security in a
broader sense.
Affiliation revolution can contribute
significantly to world peace and harmony. Unfortunately, planners do not give
any consideration to affiliation needs. Most peace-loving people join some
group or the other and enjoy the company of one another. People support one
another or derive pleasure from such companies and invest their free time in
mutually supportive and societal activities. Sports clubs, athletic clubs,
music groups, drama and debating societies, literary conventions, and cultural
groups fulfill the affiliation needs of most people. With Internet and
electronic media, there are many opportunities for on-line and virtual
affiliations.
When their affiliation needs are not satisfied, some people
are attracted to evil groups, such as gangs, drug rings, mafia, and terrorist
organizations. These nefarious groups market themselves to the credulous folks
and convert them to their vile and vicious ways. Some extremist religious groups
also succeed in luring unsuspecting people by taking advantage of their
affiliation needs. In the guise of affiliation, they train and turn the
gullible people into terrorists and criminals.
Healthy societies and smart governments encourage and
promote positive affiliations. Advanced technologies, such as television,
radio, Internet, World wide web (the Web), Instant Messaging, and Weblogs can
play a vital role in satisfying the affiliation needs. Education, training, and
extension of physical and virtual clubs can satisfy this need.
Esteem revolution comes up next. The
modern world provides people with infinite opportunities to excel in their
chosen fields. As more activities are created and developed, people will get a
wide array of opportunities to choose a field of pursuit and thrive in it.
People can succeed in a chosen vocation and be recognized by groups. Family and
friends play an important role in mutual recognition and in according esteem.
Next, workplace and communities bestow recognition and a person’s esteem is
enhanced. As people choose their own enterprises, work diligently, and attain
business success, their esteem grows. As people move away from working for
giant monolithic corporations, and work on their own businesses, or
partnerships, or collaborative ventures, job satisfaction and goal
accomplishment lead to a high degree of self-esteem. Encouragement of small
businesses and franchising will lead to a great number of people satisfying
this need. With the availability of Internet and e-business facilities, people
can engage themselves in areas they like to work in and leave other aspects of
a business to collaborators. Progressive application of electronic business
systems will make work more interesting.
Mind revolution is concerned with
self-actualization. There are times when one wishes to be as great as Einstein,
or Gandhi, or Emerson, or some other great personality. Self-actualization is
traditionally the province of a few ¾ one in a million or a billion. In
an ideal state of the world, as people’s drudge work is offloaded to machines
and a variety of networks are available to communicate with knowledge sources,
the top level needs are grasped by a greater number of people. Unlike other
needs discussed so far, this need is something that is satisfied by one for
oneself. Society can create environments to satisfy the other four types of
needs and leave individuals to work on this need by themselves. A small number
of people push themselves to reach the heights of their professions or other
pursuits. They may be geniuses, super stars, statesmen, or leaders. It starts
in the minds of people and a revolution here is a great success for humankind.
Characteristics of the Revolutions
How do we recognize that we are in a
state of revolution and how can we measure the success in our efforts? We have
to identify certain unique characteristics of each revolution. [8] When
the world produces abundant supplies of food and shelter outpacing demand, we
know we accomplished this revolution. Food production surpasses total needs of
global population. Every person is well clothed and receives needed shelter. Physiological
needs, by and large, do not obey the laws of elasticity of demand. People
cannot consume more food just because it is available and cheap. The demand
saturates and the curve flattens. Likewise, when food becomes scarce, people
cannot avoid consumption. The minimum and maximum demands for basic needs are
within a narrow band relative to higher level needs. Large scale mechanization
on the farm and in the industry will improve productivity per unit of labor and
per unit of land and other inputs. We will see a small number of
producer-entrepreneurs on the farm. These farmers are well educated in
technologies, knowledge of farming methods, and business. They actually enjoy
farming (just like hobby gardeners do). Additionally, they will be collaborating
with other self employed entrepreneurs. They receive high economic rewards without
increasing unit costs of food. Similar characteristics will be noticed in the
housing sector also.
The hallmarks of Security revolution
are that safety and security of all freedom loving people is assured. Safety
extends to people’s health, well being, and fundamental rights. Such a safety
is possible through strong emphasis on health care sciences and technologies.
Liberties and fundamental rights are guaranteed by focusing on the legal and
justice systems. National, state, and local law enforcement systems and
authorities provide internal security. Military and global police forces
provide national and international security from criminal elements. Security
technologies, such as, robots, electronic monitoring, autonomous weapons
systems, and knowledge intensive analytical systems, will be largely deployed.
Again, a small number of entrepreneurial security specialists will be operating
to provide these services. Accounting, auditing, financial, and legal
information and enforcement systems are built so that security from white
collar crimes is addressed. Education and training in law abiding, value
systems, and ethical living will prevail.
Affiliation revolution will be
marked by a wide presence of clubs at local, state, national, and international
levels. Virtual clubs, groups, societies, and networks will become ubiquitous. Such
clubs emphasize positive and healthy friendships, relationships, and
comradeship. Societies will be marked by their high level of education, skills,
and broader international understanding in a wide range of subjects. As stated
earlier, people will have more time and resources available to invest in these
higher level pursuits. As people become sophisticated, they value intellectual
and friendly pursuits. Activities are seen as win-for-all, rather than as
winners and losers.
The affiliation revolution can also show a marked decrease
in international terrorist groups. It is stated that as young people look for
affiliation, they are sometimes attracted by religious extremists and are
converted to these causes. [9] Lacking
education and skills of analytical reasoning, these affiliation-starved people
join terrorist organizations. If a wide choice of affiliations, such as clubs,
societies, and networks are available, people will be so busy that they are
less likely to be attracted to terrorism. Being knowledgeable of the robustness
of the security systems, these potential miscreants may desist from joining
terrorist groups. The world will consist of a vast array of friendly and
affiliated real and virtual networks.
Success of esteem revolution will be
marked by highly successful entrepreneurships, partnerships, and collaborations.
People take responsibility and pride in ownership. Such a social system leads
to esteem ¾ both esteem from peers and self-esteem. People choose enjoyable
vocations and avocations. This in turn, should result in harmonious
relationships and high productivity. One will find a highly educated and
knowledge intensive society. Production systems are highly efficient and productive.
People will have free time available to invest in progressively higher
pursuits.
Self-actualization starts with
winning the minds of people by the society or enlightened minds. This
revolution starts within one’s mind and accomplishments solidify there. Need
satisfaction is viewed in the context of philosophical and spiritual light.
Great
artists and performers will get audiences in person, as well as on the
Internet, TV, Video, and other virtual networks. Since communication technology
can connect global networks, audiences can form internationally in small or
large groups instantly. Technology can also allow for many different and
dispersed networks. People and groups have no need to fight for network
resources. Both people and performers get choices. Good performers and
interested people make connections and performances thrive. Time and resources
will cease to be constraints.
People will have plenty of time on their hands to pursue
these pastimes as they have machines doing chores to satisfy their lower level
needs. Availability of economic resources will enable people to pursue a mind
revolution. Self-actualization appears to be very personal and may have to come
from within people. Leadership’s role ends with making resources available.
A Strategic plan to launch the
revolutions
After defining the ends and means, now it is time for leadership
to develop a strategic plan to realize the vision of an enlightened society that
exhibits an inverted-peak distribution. Key tasks deal with automation to
relieve the drudgery from the masses, continual application of science and
technology, creation of virtual spaces to allow activities that would otherwise
be restrained by the constraints of
physical spaces, harmonious allocation of resources with a view to increasing
productivity and efficiency, investment of people’s time in high level
pursuits, entrepreneurial environment for work and management, and assurance to
people of opportunities to move up the ladder based on talents and effort. I recognize
eight key tasks as follows.
- Large
scale mechanization and automation in producing goods and services
- Continual
advancements in and application of science and technology
- Creation
of virtual spaces and environments on a large scale
- Separation
of spaces to avoid conflicts
- Harmonious
allocation of resources
- Allocation
(freeing up) of time to high level pursuits
- Make
societal resources available for people to borrow, repay, and replenish
- Assurance
of equal opportunities to move high up on the Maslow’s Need Hierarchy.
So long as there are drudge and rout chores at the lower
levels, clever people in the society will connive to enslave others from within
the society or from another society and impede the vertical ascent of all
humans. Hence, the first task is large scale mechanization of all chores to
improve the production systems and satisfy the physiological needs. Technology
should pervade all human activities, freeing humans to do mental activities
only. When mechanization displaces people from manual labor, there can be
massive unemployment. Displaced people should be offered opportunities to seek
knowledge through education, and skills enhancement through training. Such educational
and training activities will also consume their free time. This then avoids the
dangers of undirected free time of people. Societies should be willing to
invest in these activities as they are investments in a positive revolution.
Presently, large scale utilization
of technology is highly non-uniform. Many parts of the globe are still emerging
out of the middle-ages. There is need for large scale development of new
sciences. Translating sciences into technologies and transferring technical
products to serve people is a key part of this task. A thorough understanding
of science and nature’s workings will give us greater technical potential to
develop new material formulations and products. We can overcome resource
constraints of the current techno-economic environment. One lesson we can learn
from nature is that it recycles everything and unleashes tremendous changes. Understanding
human mind and the factors that drive people to extremely evil acts is an
essential research undertaking.
Leaders have to launch science and
technology development programs to develop virtual spaces. For example,
electronic spaces and networks can connect people around the globe into chosen
activities (virtual clubs) and allow members to satisfy their affiliation needs
and pursue higher goals. Electronic (or information) spaces can also provide
teaching, learning, and discussion forums. By connecting physical and virtual
activities, a few performers can entertain a large audience and a few science
experiments can satisfy several researchers in their individual inquiries. Societies
have been fighting for space for the last few millennia. We may not be able to
create physical space even if we colonize the moon for man’s desire to own physical
space is endless. The solution lies in creating endless virtual spaces and in
creating minds that know that space is a means to life and not an end in
itself.
Separation of spaces will lead to
the avoidance or resolution of conflicts. Perhaps, we can create virtual spaces
and spend as much time as we want there and also learn to time-share physical
spaces. Humans have been fighting for land to raise crops and to graze their
animals. Mechanization of farming will likely eliminate such conflicts for
physical space. We have been fighting for energy and other resources; science
and technology may give us an abundance of creative knowledge that such
resource fights will be history. We need to understand the root causes of
conflicts and address them with knowledge solutions.
Following on the defining of goals,
leaders should allocate resources towards the revolutions. Preferred projects
are in mechanization, and automation, development of science and technology,
education and training, construction of virtual spaces, affiliation vocations,
and mutual understanding of cultures. Directing people’s time to high level
pursuits as opposed to low level chores and evil designs is key to
accomplishing ultimate objectives. Leadership has a special responsibility to
create activities so that people channel their time into creative and positive
pursuits.
The success of a plan hinges on
allocation of adequate resources. Traditionally, development expenditures are
treated as costs rather than as investments. As people move up the ladder and
engage in higher level activities, the economic worth of society’s resources
actually increases. Leaders should develop financial mechanisms so that people
may borrow, repay, and replenish society’s resources cyclically. For example,
people can borrow money for acquiring any skills and education and repay as
they gain earnings. People should have opportunities to invest in pursuits consistent
with their aptitude. An important task for leaders of developing countries is
to invest in education and training. Correspondingly, the leaders in the
developed world should assist the developing world in the pursuit of knowledge
and skills. Since only a small fraction of the world falls into the developed
category, leaders can be assured that there are more developmental
opportunities in the world. There appears to be a fierce competition for energy
resources and job opportunities. But a look at the end state or goal state
shows that we have enormous research and development opportunities in developing
energy technologies and high productivity manufacturing technologies.
Leaders and societies should assure
all people of opportunities to move higher on the Maslow’s Need Hierarchy
regardless of their current or recent social status. This assurance can be seen
by designing legal, justice, and financial systems for the protection of
people’s right to opportunities. With such an assurance, people will make
sacrifices in the near term for long term benefits.
Measurable
goals in the march towards the vision
From an
implementation perspective, national vision has to be translated into short-term
goals that can be measured periodically. A period of forty or fifty years appears
to be a good time frame for the long-term vision as it is the productive
lifetime of a citizen in a developing country. [10]
For instance, in a fifty year time horizon, people can visualize what their
children will achieve and the environment in which their grandchildren will begin
to grow. If we follow this time horizon, we should set a goal, which reads,
"Nearly one-hundred percent of people will move up from the two lowest
levels of the hierarchy into the third echelon in fifty years." It means
that most citizens will have their physiological needs satisfied and are busily
working on satisfying their esteem and affiliation needs by the end of the fifty-year
period. Granted, some will move higher and a small fraction of people may be
left behind. Yet, once such a national commitment is made, we can expect
present sacrifices (investments) in order to attain the vision. In the absence
of such a clear vision, we are left with the current situation in which
everyone and every group joins a scuffle to grab resources and opportunities. Without
a defined vision, goals, and a plan, there are no tasks, no assignment of
people to perform the right tasks, no optimal allocation of resources, and no
monitoring of metrics. Hence there is no forward march towards a developed
nation status. Chaotic motion only leads to intense heat!
When national commitment
is specified in terms of a framework of Maslow's hierarchical needs, a janitor
will know that his or her grandchild need not be cleaning up after someone
else. However, the janitor will also realize that his grandchild can be among
those at the finish line only through literacy, education, effort, and
commitment. People will know what the means are to attain those goals and not
fight for quotas for a lucky few among the currently dispossessed. Simultaneously,
a professor will realize that she has two important tasks. One task is the
creation of more positions at the higher levels of Maslow's need hierarchy and
the other task is to prepare her own grandchildren to enter a competitive and
merit-based society.
A lesson from the
experience of US is worthy of note. The
Science and Technology are the key
enablers of the Revolutions
The key to move people up the ladder
is science and technology. Stated in plain language, no people should be
expected to do the chores at the lower levels. Industrialization and
mechanization of agriculture had already lifted the burden of production of
foods from peasants (and industrial goods from mechanics) to machinery in the
developed world. The fact that computerization, flexible manufacturing systems,
and robots have improved productivity in every sector of the economy proves
that technology can work harmoniously with human need system.
Agriculture, food, and housing sectors
will receive a tremendous boost from a large scale application of science and
technology and complete the green revolution. Life sciences, medical and health
technologies, sanitation and public health, electronics, communications,
sensor, and robotic technologies will help with security and safety
revolutions.
Information, computer,
communications, media, and material sciences and technologies will launch the
affiliation revolution. They will provide unlimited access to information and
knowledge for people in their pursuit of virtual networks and virtual clubs.
Modern management methods and
business processes will be the pillars for esteem revolution. Ready availability of knowledge and easier
learning methods owing to modern media technologies such as simulation, gaming,
and virtual experience will foster a highly learned society. This learning and
accomplishment will extend to and embrace all forms of fine arts, crafts, and
literature. Based on the foundation of the strongly emerging sciences and technologies,
people are at the threshold of a mind revolution.
Unfortunately, the implication of
technology is often misunderstood. In the first instance, productivity owing to
the application of technology can result in unemployment and therefore misery
for those displaced from their erstwhile productive occupations. But,
appropriate application of technology when combined with opportunities for education
can move people out of the lower level occupations and into higher level
pursuits. The objective of mechanization should be the movement of people into
so called, leisure activities and intellectual and cultural pursuits and not
into unemployment.
Computer, communications, and
television technologies have allowed more people to receive training in
technical skills, and education in higher arts. Pursuit of knowledge and the
arts, and research into new frontiers of knowledge can provide large
populations with opportunities to move up the ladder. Technology decreases
costs by producing more goods at any level of the hierarchy and thus increases
rewards for those who apply it. Producers get better rewards and will be able
to afford goods and services to move in an upward spiral of development.
Conclusions
I have suggested Maslow’s hierarchical revolutions, which
are strongly based on human needs and a rapid pace of development. The current
triangular distribution of people along the Maslow’s need ladder is the primary
cause for conflicts among peoples and nations. These revolutions lead to an
inverted-peak distribution where most people are highly satisfied and
enlightened. This is a highly desirable and stable distribution conducive to global
peace and harmony.
My prescription of a revolutionary pace of well defined
development strategy is based on the realization that people have little
patience to wait to get to an undefined goal state at the current snail’s pace.
The slower pace will not work. Planners have to take risks with a rapid pace. Being
afraid of riding a bike fast, if one tries to go slow one only becomes unstable
and falls to the ground. Fearing to fly an airplane fast, if one eases on the
throttle slowly, one never takes off. To succeed in interplanetary travel, one
has to leave the earth with escape velocity or one will for ever be grounded. In
this context, speed pays.
Leaders have to develop an
international plan and several national plans with timelines. In a forty or
fifty year plan period, a twenty some year old person’s children would have
graduated from college and the person’s grandchildren will be commencing schooling.
When the plan horizon is seen by people and specific results are marketed by
leaders, people will support the plan and work for its success. More
importantly, people will be willing to sacrifice and wait in the hope or assurance
that their grand children will reach the top. I believe that this time period
is within the span of peoples’ patience and revolutionary.
During the transition, when
technology displaces people from their current professions, they should not be
relegated to the ranks of unemployment. That should be grasped as an
opportunity to move the unemployed from the lower levels to upper levels
through education and skill enhancement. With will and leadership, we can begin
the revolutionary voyage to establish peace in the world!
Figure 1.
Maslow’s Need Hierarchy.
Figure 2. Model Connecting Needs, Demands, Satisfiers,
Rewards, Technology, and Development.
Figure 3. Hypothetical Patterns of Populations Involved
in Activities (Satisfiers) at Each Hierarchical Level; A Conventional Triangular Distribution.
Figure 4. Hypothetical Patterns of Populations Involved in Activities
(Satisfiers) at Each Hierarchical Level; A Rectangular Distribution.
Figure 5. Hypothetical Patterns of Populations Involved in Activities
(Satisfiers) at Each Hierarchical Level; An Inverse Triangular Distribution.
Figure 6. Hypothetical Patterns of Populations Involved in Activities
(Satisfiers) at Each Hierarchical Level; An Inverted-Peak Distribution.
Figure 7. From a Triangular to a Peak Distribution.
Figure 8. Maslow’s Hierarchical Revolutions.