Message of the Week: Sam Adeyemi

Better life for Everyone 2

Abraham Maslow developed the theory of Human Motivation in 1943. He classified human needs into five levels. Starting from the lowest, they are physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs and self actualization needs. He went on to say that not till the lower level needs are met, will human beings be motivated to strive to meet the higher level needs. Taking a closer look at these levels of needs, the levels one and two needs are physical or tangible needs; levels three and four needs are psychological or emotional and level five needs are spiritual needs. The objectives for these classes of needs differ – the first and second level needs are for survival, the third and fourth levels for success and the fifth level for significance. Survival is the strongest instinct in man. By observation, a majority of Nigerians are trapped in survival mode (in levels one and two). Unfortunately, the struggle for survival breeds negative qualities in human beings, like desperation. This explains the desperation in Nigerians. Man was not designed to expend his physical and psychological resources on survival. When Adam was created, food was waiting for him. Man was endowed with the ability to co-create with God; work is only a means for contributing to the world, not for survival. Desperation has adversely affected every part of our national life – family, politics, education, religion, etc. Consequently, our values have been eroded, that's why there's an explosion in drug trafficking, kidnapping and fraud. Jesus Christ says we mustn't worry about our lives, what to eat, wear, or drink, but we should seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all the things we struggle for will be ours. Therefore, we must get out of the first two levels of needs, fast, so we can align our thinking with God's, otherwise our potentials will be frustrated. God's system is driven by love and when we love, we serve one another. That's what leadership is all about, giving not getting; a leader should not be motivated by survival, else he'll loot the resources meant for everybody. If the Spirit of God is in you, there's got to be love in your heart, no one around you should go to bed hungry. Let us all commit to providing a better life for everybody – that's true success.