Michael Sylvester wrote:
> Since according to Maslow we should satisfy our basic
> physiological needs first,how is it possible that a homeless
> couple be genuinely in love?
But Michael!
You're being Eurocentric!
Homelessness is relative in value. In the US, an individual can
be defined as homeless simply because he/she is in transit between one
home and another! Most "homeless" people have found _some_ form of
medium term accommodation (with friends, relatives, a transient hotel, a
shelter, etc.) and even those who have not usually have a sheltered
place to spend their nights, even if it's an abandoned (and condemned)
building. There ARE hard core homeless who sleep on the streets and in
the doorways, but for the most part you don't _see_ relationships
between them (other than ones that assist in gaining food, alcohol,
drugs, shelter, etc.)--certainly it's rare for two people in that
setting to "Fall in love." It can--and does--happen, but rarely enough
that it hardly contradicts the concepts Maslow outlined (not, of course,
that everyone agrees with Maslow in the first place).
The _basic_ needs faced by the homeless involve adequate (not
good--adequate) food, water, protection from the elements (i.e.,
clothing), shelter from the cold, and safety from physical attack.
Nearly all US homeless are able to meet these minimum needs (the
exceptions--the addicts, alcoholics, and "mentally-ill," as stated above
seldom form relationships that last). Thus, in the US (and most
first-world Western nations), it is perfectly possible for a person to
achieve the minimum level of completion for the physiological needs
level and progress to the next level where relationships ARE expected.
In nations w/o any form of support for the indigent at all
(India is a good example, since it has a very large homeless
population), the needs can still be met "creatively." For example, in
Calcutta it isn't unusual to meet second generation "street dwellers,"
i.e., people who were conceived, born, and raised living on the
sidewalks of the city. Even these families, however, manage (in most
cases) to obtain adequate nutrition to sustain them, as well as some
form of shelter (i.e., awnings in front of closed businesses, sheltered
doorways in alleys, etc.), and enough clothing to protect them from the
elements and thus still meet the criteria. Of course, in India, the
weather is a bit more amenable to homelessness than, for example, in New
York City where protection from the cold is a criteria for survival.
Bear in mind, also, that Maslow's theory, if carried beyond the
most basic level (i.e., if you are starving, freezing to death, dying of
thirst, etc., you are NOT very likely to be out looking for someone to
form a relationship with) would be in conflict with genetics. People, as
is common with all animals, are "hard wired" to propagate their genes,
and in the case of Western society, we have incorporated "Love" into
that drive culturally (not necessarily true in other cultures--in India,
for example, love isn't considered relevant to marriage; logical in a
culture which still practices arranged marriage). Certainly, the drive
to reproduce is a basic enough one that it is shared by both homeless
and non-homeless alike; it is only the cultural definition of "love" (as
you know, "romantic" love--the kind you imply in your question--only
lasts a couple of years and has a VERY high "lust" content :-) that
inspires the person at the very base level of Maslow's hierarchy to seek
it out, rather than seeking only sex itself.
Shame on you, Michael. You really need to let go of those
Eurocentric definitions and views--they limit your perspective on
humanity! ;-)
Rick
--
Rick Adams
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Department of Social Sciences
Jackson Community College
Jackson, Michigan
". . . and the only measure of your worth and your deeds will be the
love you leave behind when you're gone." --Fred Small
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