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God Our Refuge Amidst Uncertainty
by Mrs. Sneha Josey, Psychologist (Clinical)
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We are in such times
where we are not even certain about the normal things of our lives such as travelling, shopping, attending weddings, etc. When our normalcy is at stake and masked by fears of meeting ends, worried about our own safety as well as for our dear ones, it is natural to think about and ques- tion who will rescue us? Who, or where is our refuge?
Humans are wired from a young age to adhere to the systems of their society . Each generation has its own challenges and needs which have to be tested as well as met to be considered successful according to the common set standards . Sometimes we become like the hamster, who relently runs on his wheel never able to take a pause, but pushed in an unceasing race . Being caught in this end- less race, we ourselves forget what we are even racing for .
According to the famous humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow, humans are driven by their needs as demonstrat- ed below:
He believed that each of the basic needs (at the bottom part of the pyramid), must be met in order to reach the top pri- ority needs, for instance the need to be self-actualized . This can also be interpret- ed as: only when the basic needs of eat- ing, drinking, housing, loving, ownership etc . get realized, the greatest human need of transformation or transcendence can be achieved . The self-actualization need is the need of our inner self to know the meaning and purpose of our lives where we find sense to our very being such as to feel content, be creative, and not wea- ry but peaceful . Even this worldly model agrees to the fact that material needs and worldly relationships cannot give us our ultimate satisfaction or joy . Rather it is a ‘beyond’ experience of the physical to that of a spiritual realm that human beings find their fullest potential and satisfaction .
But if I turn Abraham Maslow’s Hier- archy triangle upside down, I find at the top, that knowing Jesus Christ is knowing one’s true identity, giving meaning and value to the whole of our lives .
Abraham Maslow’s Need Hierarchy