| “By the time you make ends meet, they move the | | | | satisfied our desire to have food and water (the |
| ends.”Jer Van Netta | | | | physiological needs), we will wish to satisfy our safety |
| Are you happy? Oh, no, not this again.. Most of us | | | | needs. These may be physical or interpersonal, such |
| would probably like to answer “yes” – and | | | | as having a stable job. Once that is achieved, we will |
| many of us do. We may cite such reasons as | | | | want to satisfy our social needs for love, affection, |
| having a warm home, a family, a job, food on the table | | | | and belongingness. After that, we will be interested in |
| – something not everyone on this planet can | | | | gaining the respect and recognition of others, the |
| claim– and since there are people much worse off | | | | esteem needs. And finally, the highest need we can |
| than us, then surely we must be happy. | | | | get to is the self- actualization need, the need to be |
| For some, happiness may not be in the picture. They | | | | fulfilled, to grow, to use our abilities to the fullest. |
| may have given up the notion of happiness, from | | | | Looking at this theory we might conclude that in order |
| despair or perhaps to make other people happy– | | | | to be happy we simply have to climb up the needs |
| their children, parents, fellow countrymen, and so on. | | | | ladder and satisfy the highest need we can have – |
| For optimists, happiness may be just around the corner | | | | the self actualization need. Then we’ll simply run |
| – just as soon as we finish that degree, get that | | | | out of needs to fulfill and therefore be happy. |
| dream job, get married– then definitely we will | | | | However, even with so many successful, smart, and |
| become happy. | | | | powerful people in the world, few if any of them seem |
| We may finally get those things, and surely there are | | | | to run out of needs and become completely happy. |
| great pleasures that come with them, but sometimes it | | | | Where else can we look? |
| seems that there is still something missing, something | | | | The ancient wisdom of Kabbalah teaches us that we |
| we just can’t get our hands on. | | | | can never become completely fulfilled by the corporeal |
| Perhaps what would really make us happy is the | | | | pleasures in Maslow’s Hierarchy. To become |
| answer to “life, the universe, and everything,” as | | | | happy we do have to fulfill our desires, because we |
| it was put in Douglas Adams’ series The | | | | are, in essence, a desire – a desire to receive |
| Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, where a super | | | | pleasure. Many of the desires Kabbalists talk about |
| powerful computer Deep Thought was designed to | | | | can be found in Maslow’s hierarchy: physical |
| answer just that. It took 7½ million years for it to | | | | desires, wealth, power, fame, and knowledge. |
| compute the answer, which came out “42” – | | | | Kabbalists tell us, however, that there is another desire |
| a perfect example of the GIGO phenomenon | | | | that Maslow does not include– the desire for |
| (Garbage In Garbage Out), meaning that the Ultimate | | | | spirituality. |
| Question was itself not known in order to be asked, | | | | What is “spirituality ?" It is a force that creates, |
| hence the nonsense answer 42. | | | | influences and cares for all aspects of life. According |
| How can we ever begin to put the question about | | | | to Kabbalah, it already exists inside of us, but is hidden |
| “life, the universe, and everything” into an | | | | and dormant. When it begins to awaken, we are no |
| answerable question about what will make us | | | | longer satisfied by the rungs of Maslow’s ladder. |
| happy? Perhaps we can turn to Abraham Maslow, a | | | | We are then driven to seek spirituality, the meaning of |
| psychologist, whose famous theory is still being used | | | | life. To understand and sense it, we must transform |
| today to motivate people to do things – and be | | | | our very nature. Only then will we fulfill the purpose |
| happy doing them. | | | | of Creation. |
| The theory he came up with is called Maslow’s | | | | So are we happy? Based on the teachings of |
| Hierarchy of Needs, a pyramid of increasing levels of | | | | Kabbalah, the answer is no. And we will not be truly |
| needs that humans satisfy one after another. From | | | | happy until we stop searching in the material world and |
| the most basic to the most complex, the needs go like | | | | start searching within. In other words, happiness will |
| this: physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self | | | | come when we completely attain the answer to |
| actualization needs. The lowest needs must be | | | | “life, the universe, and everything”, which, |
| satisfied in order for the higher need to be triggered | | | | fortunately, will not take us 7½ million years to |
| into action. | | | | achieve. |
| So, it works something like this – once we have | | | | |