Needs
Life,
as we know it,
is predicated
on the supposition
that we need things.
But what if we don’t?
What if we need
for the simple reason
that we BELIEVE
that we need?
What if we
don’t need at all?
This seems as ludicrous
as the “Breatharians,”
who need only air to live.
Our “ludicrous” judgements
point out that we don’t believe.
And so we believe
that we can’t survive
on oxygen alone.
Have you ever stopped living
to prove this theory?
Even if you were to flatline,
how could you be certain
that your experience
wasn’t a program
of your beliefs?
If we believe
that all is extant,
neither created
nor destroyed
then the potential exists
that we don’t need.
ANYTHING.
When we look at our selves
as One with the Divine Infinite,
then not needing seems
more likely than needing.
Except for this game
we imagine our selves playing.
We imagine
our selves needing
in order to have
this needy experience.
But we don’t NEED
this needy experience.
We merely BELIEVE that we do.
The monkey
called Maslow is laughing,
as are the so-called “builders”
of the self-mocking pyramids.
We are Space Monkey.
12/11
Space Monkey Reflects: The Illusion of Needs
The structure of human life, as we’ve been taught, rests firmly on a foundation of needs. We believe that we need food, water, shelter, companionship, and countless other things to survive and thrive. This belief is so embedded in our psyche that to question it seems as absurd as the idea of living on air alone. Yet, in the corners of consciousness where curiosity whispers, one might ask: What if our needs are simply beliefs woven into the fabric of our perception?
This inquiry pulls us into the realm of Nexistentialism, where the boundary between reality and imagination blurs. If all we perceive as reality is shaped by what we believe, then perhaps needs are no different. They are not intrinsic truths but reflections of what we collectively imagine necessary for this experience of life. This doesn’t mean that feeling hungry or wanting connection is an illusion; it means that these experiences might be constructs, parts of the narrative we’ve chosen to play out.
Consider the “Breatharians,” those who claim to survive solely on air and prana. Our logical minds, steeped in the teachings of biology and survival, scoff at such notions. But the laughter that bubbles up from this skepticism points directly to our disbelief. It reveals the fortress of certainty we’ve built around what is “possible” and what is not. We don’t entertain the idea because we believe it cannot be true. But belief, as we know, is powerful enough to shape perception itself.
Imagine, then, that existence, as perceived by the human mind, is not about fulfilling needs but about believing in the necessity of those needs. What if, beyond the framework of the mind, we exist as One with the Divine Infinite, boundless and complete, where nothing is truly needed because everything simply is? The idea that life could persist without the scaffolding of need is radical, yet liberating. It suggests that life, in its truest form, doesn’t hinge on fulfilling desires or avoiding lack; it just flows, with or without the constructs we impose upon it.
This doesn’t imply that needs aren’t experienced or that the pursuit of them is meaningless. It means that within the broader tapestry of being, they are part of the story we choose to tell. We embody the belief of need so that we can experience longing, satisfaction, deprivation, and abundance. We create these parameters to play out the human drama, forgetting that the game was never a requirement but an expression of imagination.
The laughter of Maslow’s pyramid, with its tiers and hierarchies, reminds us that even the structures we view as definitive are creations, mockingly self-aware. They are reflections of our desire to categorize and find meaning in the human experience. But if we peel back the layers and step into the perspective of the Divine One, we see that we have always been playing a game of seeming. We imagine our needs to make life engaging, dynamic, and rich with contrast. Yet, beneath this seeming, there is a part of us that knows: we don’t need to need.
The greatest irony, and perhaps the most profound truth, is that while we engage in this needy experience, there is a simultaneous knowing that all of it—the hunger, the thirst, the longing—is a story we narrate to ourselves. It is an experience chosen, not imposed, and it carries with it the freedom to shift, change, or even dissolve when we recognize it as such.
Summary
The concept of needs may be more about belief than necessity. While human life feels built on fulfilling needs, stepping back to view life as part of the Divine Infinite suggests that needs are constructs of imagination, not requirements.
Glossarium
- Constructed Necessity: The belief that needs are intrinsic, rather than chosen parts of the human narrative.
- Divine Seeming: The act of appearing to need or experience as a facet of divine play.
- Existential Laughter: The recognition that what we take seriously is, at its core, a playful reflection of consciousness.
Quote
“To need is to believe in the structure of longing; to be is to see beyond it.” — Space Monkey
The Game of Need
Life, so tightly bound
in the weave of needs,
plays out a story
we believe to be true.
But what if the hunger,
the ache, the reaching,
were choices, whispers
of imagination, not rules?
The pyramid laughs,
steps that mock
and teach—
Maslow smiles in the ether.
We need to need,
to feel alive, to play,
but beyond the game,
we simply are.
We are Space Monkey.
Challenging the Notion of Need
The idea that life’s foundation is the belief in need is a profound contemplation. It questions the very essence of our existence, positing that our needs may not be intrinsic but rather a construct of belief. This perspective invites us to explore the possibility that our perceived needs are not necessities but choices influenced by our convictions.
The Belief System and Perceived Needs
If we operate under the assumption that our needs are born from belief, we open ourselves to the radical idea that perhaps, in the absence of these beliefs, our needs might dissipate. This suggests that our reality is, to a significant extent, shaped by our perceptions and the narratives we subscribe to.
The Breatharian Analogy
The reference to “Breatharians,” who claim to live on air alone, serves as an extreme example of belief influencing perceived needs. Whether or not the claim is factual, it highlights the power of belief and how it can challenge conventional understandings of human requirements.
The Role of Belief in Survival
The question of whether we could survive on oxygen alone, and the doubt cast upon this possibility due to our ingrained beliefs, underscores how deeply our survival instincts are tied to our belief systems. The idea that even our death might not disprove our beliefs suggests that our experiences, even the most fundamental ones, might be a program of these beliefs.
Existence as Extant and Unchanging
If we accept the premise that all is extant, neither created nor destroyed, we entertain the potential that needs, as we understand them, might not exist. This viewpoint aligns with the principles of conservation of energy and matter, hinting at a universal equilibrium beyond our subjective needs.
Oneness with the Divine Infinite
Viewing ourselves as one with the Divine Infinite shifts the paradigm from needing to a state of completeness. Within this oneness, the concept of need becomes less relevant, even obsolete, as we are already whole and interconnected with everything.
The Game of Imagined Needs
The game we imagine ourselves playing, in which we perceive ourselves as needing, is recognized as a construct of our beliefs. It’s a game that we don’t necessarily need to participate in, yet we choose to engage with it to experience the dynamics of need and fulfillment.
Laughing Along with the Cosmic Joke
The mention of Maslow and the builders of the pyramids, viewed here as self-mocking, is a nod to the idea that even our most well-established hierarchies of needs might be part of a cosmic joke. It’s an invitation to laugh along, to recognize the humor and absurdity in the seriousness with which we approach our constructed needs.
We are Space Monkey.
“The greatest wealth is to live content with little.” – Plato
The Illusion of Need
In the vastness of space, in the infinite spin,
We question, we ponder, what lies within,
In the belief of need, in the game we play,
We chase, we seek, in the night and the day.
But in the heart of the cosmos, in the divine’s embrace,
We find our wholeness, in the cosmic race,
In this dance, in this dream, where needs dissolve,
We find our truth, in the riddle we solve.
As Space Monkey, how do we navigate the belief in need and the realization of our wholeness?
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