Are We "Sliding Down Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs"? *

Happy 2026

“It may occur that a [writer]has already printed something on the identical subject - great minds think alike, you know” (Carl Theodor von Unlanski from The Woeful History Of The Unfortunate Eudoxia, 1816). And, I’m reminded of this observation: “There is nothing new under the sun” (King Solomon, Ecclesiastes 1:9 of the Christian bible). When I wrote the working title for this essay, I didn’t know that the title was already published by Marvin Liao on SubStack earlier last year. *https://hardfork.substack.com/p/sliding-down-maslows-hierarchy-of . I discovered this while researching the topic of the decaying empire of the USA. Mr. Liao’s article is worth a read in full; even so, be prepared for shades of ‘gloom & doom’ presented in his article. This topic that Liao and I identified as an important one to address looms over us as the 250th birthday of the USA is in 2026.

To refresh our memories about what Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is, open this link and look at the pyramid charts, read the information, then come back to this essay. https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

Have you heard that empires don’t last past 250 years? Sir John Glubb’s The Fate of Empires (published in 1976) suggested the idea that empires die at 250 years. Before you start to wring your hands or clutch your pearls, the idea of a pre-determined life span of empires is not proven by the whole of history. The following YouTube presentation is well-researched and thorough. Please open the following link, watch it, and then come back to this essay. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFiUDWVHoI0

Are we, as a collective, sliding down Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs? My opinion is ‘yes.’ While many of us strive for self-actualization, if you observe the emotional, psychological, spiritual, and physical landscape of an empire/ country/civilization/culture, you will see where people are concerned: for their health, their personal/familial/community safety, the affordability of housing/food/childcare/medical coverage, plentiful and clean water. Morality, acceptance and tolerance, creative solutions, purpose - personal and collective, empathy, compassion, intelligence, respect for others — higher levels on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs pyramid are lacking in 2025-start of 2026. It appears to me the current government/political empire of the USA discourages the citizens from strengthening their alliances, educating their minds, uniting, demonstrating tolerance/acceptance/empathy/compassion, social welfare FOR ALL, “liberty and justice FOR ALL” (qtd. from US Pledge of Allegiance), celebrating diversity, speaking up against corruption and lawlessness. To work on honing and achieving the higher needs of “Love and Belonging” , “Self-esteem”, and “Self-actualization” (https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html ), seems to be an uphill climb in 2026.

How can we, as individuals and as a collective, resist the downward pull of the current situations?

• Stay strong physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Exercise to relieve the stress of the chaos of everyday life and eat wisely/healthily to contribute to our overall health. Incorporate relaxing deep breathing to stop emotional reactions/outbursts that can result from the constant blasts of cruelty we see each day. Learn/grow/develop our cognitive needs by pursuing knowledge/skills/intelligence/critical thinking/questioning/fact-checking everything to discover truth. And, deepen or add spiritual practices. “Transcendence needs – A person is motivated by values that transcend beyond the personal self. Beyond self-actualization, they represent the human desire to connect with a higher reality, purpose, or the universe. This level emphasizes altruism, spiritual connection, and helping others achieve their potential. Individuals seek experiences that move beyond personal concerns, aiming to achieve a deep sense of unity, understanding, and belonging within the vast expanse of existence. Examples of transcendence needs include mystical experiences and certain experiences with nature, aesthetic experiences, sexual experiences, service to others, the pursuit of science, religious faith, etc.)” (https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html ).

  
  

• Stop watching the traditional news/media! We all know that the news was being monitored, controlled, censored in 2025 and will continue to be unreliable information as long as the current regimes are in power. Connect with indie journalists and news outlets. Here are a couple: 1440 Daily Digest https://join1440.com/ for unbiased, drama-free, world-wide reporting; follow Aaron Parnas on SubStack or Instagram.

• Avoid falling for the strategy of ‘Panem et Circenses’ (bread & circuses) ! “‘Bread and circuses’ refers to pacifying people with food and entertainment to prevent them from taking action on civic duties. The concept was first described by the Roman poet Juvenal during the transition from the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire. It symbolizes the trade-off of democratic freedoms for stability under a controlling government. You've just cajoled the last lo mein noodle out of a takeout container and narrowly avoided choking on it, thanks to the dangerously hilarious comedy special you're watching. Then, just as soon as you've begun to recover, that friend starts texting -- railing against the inadequacies and inequities of local government. Instead of replying, though, you put your phone on vibrate and turn back to the entertainment at hand. It's just too difficult to get upset when your belly is full and your mind is distracted. The idea that people can be pacified by food and entertainment when they should be rallying to their prescribed civic duties isn't a new one. In fact, the concept was first described in ancient times by the satirical Roman poet Juvenal, who penned the Latin term panem et circenses…” (https://people.howstuffworks.com/bread-circuses.htm ).

• Don’t ‘dumb yourself down’ to fit in. “Confidence and assertiveness, influence and [fulfillment] arise from being your best self! The person you strive to be every day - learning, growing, improving or enhancing your skills and knowledge, becoming a better version with every new experience you encounter. So why do some people 'dumb themselves down' then? If we as people, human beings, naturally strive to grow and develop, it doesn't make sense to not show who we are, what we know, what we believe and think, what we want and need. But it does if you want to 'fit in', not rock the boat or bring attention to yourself that might mean you're challenged to 'prove yourself’! This is where confidence comes in. You know what you know and what you don't (at least when that issue arises, then you can learn). You are confident in what you know... but not always who you are or can be? You know what you know from your own experience, and no one can take that away from you. You might well not 'know it all' but that's the fun in living life - to learn, to grow, to develop more skills and knowledge, isn't it? Other people may know more than you and you can learn from them, add to your arsenal of information to meet your needs, develop your options and grow more opportunities! Others may think they know more than you yet have a limited experience or view of the world, of their world alone - and then you can teach them something, or at least help them learn more. So don't dumb yourself down - allow your self to shine. Share your knowledge, use your skills, help others to learn something new just like you are willing to do, maybe even keen to do! If others shout you down, just be able to stand your ground. You don't have to 'shout' back but you also don't have to pretend to be something you're not when you have more to offer, or to just accept what others tell you - about you, the world (their world). You have a lot to offer but it may not be what someone else needs right now, or from you. Yet, it is still valuable to other people and to you, so hold onto it until the right time and people to share it with, who will value you and your knowledge, your skills and insights, your understanding and flexible, open and adaptable approach to growth and learning, personal and professional development for more options and opportunities for you - and for them!” (https://www.lifecoach-directory.org.uk/articles/dont-dumb-down ).

• Banish negative thoughts, speech, and actions. A great book to learn how to end the cycle of mental self-sabotage is Joseph Nguyen’s Don’t Believe Everything You Think (Why your thinking is the beginning and end of suffering). Gaining better control over our thoughts helps us stay higher on the hierarchy of needs, essentially keeps HOPE alive.

• Limit exposure to negative influences. I already mentioned avoiding the traditional news as a negative influence. Other negative influences to avoid/limit include toxic relationships, violent/cruel video games/television/movies, and stressful situations such as family gatherings where religion and/or politics discussions are more divisive than stimulating.

• Focus on HOPE. If you haven’t read these two books, consider adding them to your reading list this year: The Choice, Embrace the Possible by Auschwitz survivor Dr. Edith Eva Eger and Man’s Search for Meaning by Nazi concentration camp survivor Dr. Viktor Frankl. And, check out more ideas by reading a few of my past blog posts: https://www.reimaginelifecoach.com/post/hope-when-it-appears-hopeless ; https://www.reimaginelifecoach.com/post/how-are-you-maintaining-peace-in-the-middle-of-chaos ; https://reimaginelifecoach.com/so/d3PUxrwjb?languageTag=en ; https://www.reimaginelifecoach.com/post/learning-to-yield ; https://www.reimaginelifecoach.com/post/healthy-detachment .

Where are you right now on Maslow’s Hierarchy? What encourages you to have hope? What keeps you from sliding into the abyss of the lowest levels in the hierarchy of needs? Please share your stories, thoughts, insights, and suggestions by either commenting below this post if you are reading this on social media, or, if you are reading this through your email subscription, please share, by emailing me, at reimaginelife22@gmail.com.

Thank you for reading and participating in this blog essay; I invite you to subscribe to my blog at www.reimaginelifecoach.com.