Sequencing of Events

Everything should have a purpose. I've been thinking about all that I do and the objectives behind it, and lately, I've been trying to figure out how all these things fit together. What am I really trying to achieve in life? How do my actions fit together to ultimately get me where I want to go? And how will I know when I've come to this "Nirvana" in my life?

There was once this fellow named Maslow and he made this triangle looking thing and it had different needs. At the bottom were the basics...food, safety, etc...BUT...are these REALLY the basics? Take for example of these these "basic" needs--sex. Isn't that a major driver of a significant amount of human activity? I guess what he meant was that "sex" was really about reproduction. So, reproduction becomes a key motivator, which is true. Aw shit, now I have to back up further...

We work. I work. The rat race is on and everyone is trying to claw their way to the top. Why? What do you we achieve by this? Do we actually do what we want? Are we what we always said we "wanted to be when we grow up?" Probably not for most people...I can't imagine a kid saying he/she wants to grow up to manage money (bankers) or become an Analytics Manager for Kraft Foods (me). So, therefore, we work at these jobs for other reasons--like money. Money is a key driver of many people's career paths, and the more they get, the more they want. I know some very rich people that theoretically have enough money for all their basic necessities, yet they are continually driven by the task of making more.

Money has this strange relationship with sex (and hence, reproduction). Yes, there is the simple equation of paying money for sex, but that's not what I'm eluding to here. Rather, it is a two-step process, and often involves what Singaporean women would call "the 5 C's". They are Condo, Car, Cash, Credit Cards, and Country Club Membership. Pay for these, and you are all on your way to separating your ugly self from the rest. I was on a tour in Africa, and the guide was describing how a particular animal, the Impala, actually mates. In this case, the biggest, strongest male gets to mate with all of the females...are his choice. The other males, labeled as "losers", are sent out to graze for life with other weak Impalas and probably will never have the chance to have the pleasures of a female. Like Impalas, we use money to separate ourselves from the pack, avoid being a loser, and maybe have the opportunity to reproduce!

So, money, as a primary driver, gets people to a basic need (sex). So now what? I do many things in life that are outside the realm of money. Travel, boxing, bungee jumping, basketball and partying are among my favorite activities. So if not for money, what is the point? Yes, thematically these things often lead me step closer to moving up Maslow's ladder, but where does it all lead to? Experiences can be had not to satisfy basic needs, but why do they leave me yearning for more?

So my observation is this. Psychologically, these events have a certain way of deductively getting me to a basic need--reproduction. By accomplishing many of these wild dreams now, I essentially "check the box" and bring myself mentally one step closer to settling down. I believe they call this "sowing your wild oats".

I have sowed and sowed and sowed. I think now I finally feel like I can reproduce. The precursors to it (money, etc.) seem to be there, so as long as I keep my main goal in mind, then the world loses part of its complexity. The constant greed I see around me seems absurd, but I suppose not everyone asks themselves what is the point of having so much.

Hmmm...here's a thought. Maybe having all that shit makes people feel like they have entered self-actualization. Well, then theoretically the US would have a lot of self-actualizers...too bad they don't rank among the happiest cultures (we are #23 actually).

See this article about the "Happiest Countries" published by Newsweek

Happy Countries

This may be the most dull blog I've ever written. I'm literally almost falling asleep as I re-read this awful masterpiece of shit. And for that reason, I'm going to abruptly stop it. Maybe something more thoughtful will come out next time.