Our Great Mistake

Why is life so miserable for so many?

Does it have to be like this?

No.

It doesn’t have to be like this.

We can redirect ourselves towards what we all most want and need.

Let us see.

What do you really want?

What do you need?

What do we all really want?

• All classes

• All cultures.

• All political persuasions.

• All religions.

• All ages.

What needs do we share? What wants?

What is most important to us all?

Let’s dig a little. On the surface, there appears to be much difference. Each of us has a particular view, each our own experience(s). And there are widely differing views and experiences.

How much could I have in common with a Mongolian? Our anyone with completely different circumstances and upbringing?

How much could you possibly have in common with the most different person you can imagine?

Let’s take a look.

As a species, humans are all very closely related.

We share 99.9% of our DNA. We all have the same basic nervous system. We all experience fear, joy, pain, and connection in similar ways. We all have a very limited number of years to live.

We live on the same planet. We’re living at the same time. We share this singular planet’s air, water, sun, and atmosphere. We are all here in this particular space and time, with all its particular features and climates, in a universe of possibilities too large to comprehend.

If you look from far away enough, we are practically identical.

Beyond our physical existence and beyond our biology, we have much in common culturally. In every language and culture, there is:

• Time.

• Kinship / relationship.

• Words for love, pain, birth, death, hunger, fear, and beauty.

• Norms and mechanisms for fairness and exchange.

• Rituals for life and its stages - birth, coming-of-age, marriage, death.

We share so much!

And what’s more, we all have the same needs.

What needs?

This work is based on Maslow. While not perfect, his work has been quite influential. It has also been broadened and updated (as we’re using here).

We start with basic needs. Physical needs. Survival, safety, and basic health. Nothing more fulfilling is really available unless these are met.

We then have emotional needs. Social needs. Belonging. No real happiness or joy is available unless these are met.

We then have “higher” needs. Aspirations. The transcendent. Peace of mind and fulfillment live here.

Let’s break it down.

Basic Needs:

• Food

• Water

• Shelter

• Sleep

• Security - including basic health & autonomy

Emotional and Social Needs:

• Love & Belonging - including a sense of home and family

• Esteem - including self-confidence and recognition from others

Higher Aspirations:

• Knowledge

• Beauty

• Fulfillment - including purpose, self-expression, and having an impact (contribution)

Transcendence:

• Connecting to Something Greater - including nature, love, music, art, the divine

• Peace of Mind

• Awe - especially in the face of great beauty or mystery

What a rich and amazing array of needs (and wants) we share!

Let’s sum them up as well-being and fulfillment.

Well-Being:

• The state of being happy, healthy, and prosperous.

• What is ultimately good for a person, their welfare and quality of life.

• Includes functioning well, feeling well, and enjoying life.

Fulfillment:

• Doing what you promised or intended to do.

• Accomplishing or being at work on what you consider most important in life.

• Meaningful achievement and satisfaction.

So much richness here. So much life! Such experience!

What if we prioritized our shared needs? All of us, consciously? All of us, together? And organized our world accordingly?

Our current world is not organized well for the fulfillment of our needs. Other priorities dominate. It’s not surprising we struggle so much! We’ve made a terrible mistake!

Our mistake?

• We have prioritized our differences.

• We’ve made our differences more important than what we all need and want.

We argue constantly. Fight. Kill each other. Make life a war of opinions.

This is dumb.

Differences are to be celebrated. Differences make life flavorful! Our differences make discovering ourselves and each other a wonderful game!

What if we played with our differences in a world optimized for our shared needs?

What if we got to enjoy our differences in a world structured for the well-being and fulfillment of all?

We can do this. It’s not a crazy dream. It is practical. Functional. Obvious.

What if we prioritize what we all need?

1. Biological and Physiological Needs: Basic survival needs like food, water, shelter, and sleep. 

2. Safety Needs: Security, stability, and freedom from danger. 

3. Love and Belonging Needs: Social connection, relationships, and affection. 

4. Esteem Needs: Self-respect, confidence, and recognition from others. 

5. Cognitive Needs: The desire for knowledge, understanding, and meaning. 

6. Aesthetic Needs: Appreciation for beauty, balance, and form. 

7. Self-Actualization Needs: Personal growth, fulfilling potential, and achieving one's full self. 

8. Transcendence Needs: Moving beyond personal needs to connect with something larger than oneself, often spiritual or altruistic.

UMA is the conversation for this. It begins with a conversation.

We stop having conversations that keep us from working together and start having new conversations for what we all want: a world designed to meet all of our needs.

Join us!

Join the conversation for what we all want.

UMA is that conversation.

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Help us grow.

This is just the beginning - our 9th newsletter! Together, from here, we create the world we really want.

Thank you for contributing!