Say What You Need to Say

“Without free speech no search for truth is possible... no discovery of truth is useful.”

— Charles Bradlaugh

We’ve now examined each of Maslowe’s fundamental needs.  Did you think we were done with him?  Not so fast!  In A Theory of Human Motivation, the paper in which he originally introduced his understanding of the basic needs in 1943, he mentions some related concepts that I’d like to tour in the next few blogs.  One of these is the existence of preconditions for the continued satisfaction of those needs.  He states that if certain cognitive functions are threatened, we are wired to react.  That’s because, on some level, we understand that our survival is supported by our cognitive functions, that these must remain intact in order for us to protect ourselves.  If we’re denied the ability to freely use those functions, we feel as though our very lives are in danger.  Logically, this will cause us to be drawn back down into the realm of safety needs—which are some of the more dire needs, and less fun and rewarding to spend our time on than some of the “higher” needs.  These preconditions (he mentions “freedom to speak, freedom to do as one wishes so long as no harm is done to others, freedom to express one’s self, freedom to investigate and seek for information, freedom to defend ones’ self, justice, fairness, honesty, and orderliness in the group”), as you will see, are both in the realm of the cognitive and fostered at a societal level.  If they are not present, it will be a lot harder for us to live a satisfying life that includes progress toward the things we really want.

The first of the preconditions that he mentions is the freedom to speak, so we’ll start there.  In “free” countries, there is recognition that allowing individuals to speak openly within society is important for the proper functioning of that society; the importance of free and independent news outlets is also acknowledged.  In the United States, for instance, freedom of speech is named as a fundamental right of all citizens in the nation’s Constitution.  While no one will enjoy hearing the opinions of all the voices that will be raised in such a culture, and conflicts and disagreements will result, the exchange of ideas makes more possible for all.  It’s much easier for anyone to find other like-minded citizens, and to band together with others to explore specific viewpoints, experiments, and experiences, which is often what the pursuit of happiness is all about.  It’s also far easier to stay abreast of what’s happening in the culture and the surrounding world; this supports better decision making across the board, from deciding where to live and work based on our preferences, to how to plan for our family’s safety and development, to figuring out what to do for fun.

Consider what we know of cultures that do not encourage or allow free speech.  They are generally restrictive cultures in which a few make all the important decisions about what will be possible for the many.  Often there are dire consequences to speaking out on any subject that is taboo.  Selling out others who do wish to speak openly to authorities is often encouraged, which creates an environment of general fear and distrust.  Yuck!  In this scenario, the safest thing is to metaphorically and physically batten down the hatches, interact with only a very few people you feel you know and trust, and stay as invisible as possible in order to preserve the freedoms that remain.  Uprisings and coups are inevitable in environments like this in the long run, because the human spirit rebels against such smothering influences.

News organizations, those that publish facts about the happenings of the world and local concerns in any location in real time, assist us in quickly becoming aware of any threat to the preconditions we need in place in order to tend to our basic needs.  When you live outside of a small tribe or close enough to others to interact, this becomes important.  No individual can keep track of everything that happens around him unless his world is very small.  When we can benefit from the efforts of people who work full time on understanding and sharing information about the world, we ourselves can spend less time on this and more on our own interests and personal needs.  That’s helpful in fueling personal progress.  Of course, we have to keep in mind that any writer or organization may have an agenda beyond sharing facts, so it’s best to educate and use our critical thinking skills.  Completely outsourcing our thinking to others has also proven historically to be a bad idea!

On the other hand, there are some obvious annoyances that come with the territory in today’s free countries, such as:

• With the advent of the Internet, the world has rapidly become much smaller in that we have access to a mind-boggling amount of information and shared experience at the touch of a button.  It’s interesting and hard to ignore, and may distract us from clarity about and from spending time on the things we truly want.
• A significant portion of the available content is created by people who are not particularly good at or mindful about what they do.  They are merely excited about doing it, and often desperate for attention.  This tends to mean a lot of fun for the creator, but an amplification of worldwide cacophony for everyone else.
• It can be hard to sort in information relevant to one’s life and sort out everything less relevant in an efficient way.  Most of us end up feeling like our time and focus are being eroded at every turn.

And yet most free citizens prefer these annoyances to the alternative.  It’s hard to go backward once you’ve had a taste of some basic freedoms, like that of free speech, and the free flow of information.  That is, unless you find it overwhelming.  Some do, and may long for simplicity.  That can be created through various approaches, such as moving to a remote area, narrowing one’s field of movement or social interaction, or even narrowing one’s mindset to include only a few restrictive ideas or beliefs.  The first two are examples of actions that can empower you as you find a balance with the modern world, though of course your balance may need to change over time.  This last choice may help some to feel more calm and confident, but sadly, it often encourages its proponents to advocate for the similar restriction of others around them as well.  Insisting that you have all the answers that anyone else should ever need is the height of hubris is this world of variety.  Over and over, history has taught us that adherence to this viewpoint, and the attempt to force it on others, never goes well.  Humans have a natural desire to learn, and ponder, and create that will not allow endless restriction.

The preconditions for satisfying our basic needs need not be perfect in order for us to thrive.  The world’s most successful free countries acknowledge that some limits to free speech may be helpful; for example, there are generally laws against disclosure of state secrets designed to protect the security of citizens (whether or not those laws are sometimes abused, governments are responsible for attempting to keep their people safe from invasion and other harm).  There are often laws against the manufacture and publishing of untrue information that may cause harm to individuals or groups, as obviously these behaviors can cause a lot of havoc and loss.  While some individuals will find these limits upsetting, part of maturity is realizing that no culture or its set of rules is ever perfect.  It’s all in flux all the time as we learn and grow as a race, and that’s also part of what makes life exciting.  We get to participate in that constant change and progress.  What’s important as far as speech is not complete lack of limitation, but that we are allowed to speak and write as we choose as long as we are not maliciously or falsely attacking others.

If you live in a place where this is a protected right, congratulations!  One of the preconditions for the pursuit of what you need and want out of life is firmly in place.  This allows you to formulate and share a message with others that you feel is important.  Self-expression (what you do with your freedom of speech) will be the subject of next week’s blog.  In the meantime, try to take a moment or two to appreciate the freedom of speech that you currently have access to, and think about how you interact with it.  Is the balance you’re striking within it satisfying to you?  If not, why not?  What can you do to move toward a more constructive balance for your personality and your goals?