What are Reasonable Needs, Wants and Potential?
Almost all living things are biologically hard-wired to avoid unnecessary suffering and to seek pleasure, happiness or contentment through the satisfaction of their reasonable needs, wants and perceived potential.
Basic human needs can be satisfied in almost any primitive community. Reasonable material wants and perceived human potential can only be satisfied a modern, technologically advanced international civilization in which all the tasks of production, service and exploring potential are specialized and divided among the population; and the entire population engages in fair trade and mutual service.
Such an international civilzation must be economically viable, ecologically sustainable and socially just, or it will logically collapse into conflict, chaos and extinction or primitiveness.
Survival and prosperity generally require a good understanding of one's environment and its threats; and the ability to negotiate that environment safely; in this case, a complex, modern civilization with an ever growing body of collective knowledge about our planet and expanding universe. A modern civilization is a complex environment with many opportunities and threats.
Happiness or contentment involves recognizing the full range of human needs as they occur; which apply to oneself; being able to distinguish between them; recognizing the opportunities, avoiding the threats and maintaining a sustainable balance of satisfaction.
Every living thing wants to survive and prosper, as a biological imperative, if not as an intelligent choice. Life is essentially a competitive exercise requiring good health, adaptability, intelligence, judgement, skills, speed, strength, camouflage, agility or other desirable characteristics; and good knowledge of the environment one is born into.
All young life forms, including young humans, are basically stupid, gullible and unskilled; an unavoidable consequence of being born ignorant, as we all are. Human society is better at protecting and teaching its young than other terrestrial life forms; but ignorance and testing limits is still an open door through which many leap to unnecessary suffering and premature death.
As we progress through individual life and social development, our needs, wants and priorities change in nature and priority as they are satisfied. They may vary in nature and intensity according to individual characteristics. This constant process of change is the foundation of opportunities for business, mutual service, employment and prosperity.
Various needs, wants and potential may overlap and can fall into several categories. The greatest human potential lies in acquiring knowledge and skills that results in the satisfaction of other peoples' reasonable needs, wants and potential as well as one's own. It may or may not result in personal wealth and status.
To give people the best chance of survival and prosperity in a modern, technologically advanced civilization, it is necessary to be familiar with the range of predictable human needs, wants and potential and their ever changing priority. This enables us to provide products and services that can help satisfy those reasonable needs, wants and potentials; and thus earn a living, the respect of others and our own self-respect.
Needs and Wants |
Explanation |
| Subsistence | |
| Clean air | To prevent illness or death from suffocation or poisoning |
| Clean water | Non-toxic drink to prevent death from dehydration or disease |
| Nutritious food | Sufficient quantity and quality to prevent starvation and malnutrition |
| Waste excretion | To prevent death from accumulated toxins |
| Adequate shelter | To prevent death from predators and weather extremes |
| Adequate clothing | To prevent death from weather extremes |
| Adequate sleep | To avoid life threatening situations and maintain mental health |
| Health | |
| Adequate housing | Shelter, heating, cooling, drinking, eating, sleeping, plumbing, sanitation |
| Good hygiene, sanitation | Clean environment, personal, social habits to avoid infections and disease |
| Sunlight | Sufficient exposure to sun for vitamin D to maintain healthy immune system |
| Exercise | To be fit enough to maintain good health, stamina and self sufficiency |
| Psychological | An environment conducive to good psychological health |
| Family | |
| Family | To belong to a family or group providing affection, safety, protection, help |
| Safe home environment | To provide base protection, love, nurturing and basic education |
| Social training | To explain need for social existence, specialization, cooperative conduct |
| Job/task training | To participate in family housework or group tasks in preparation for social life |
| Danger training | Explanation of environmental dangers and how to avoid them |
| Safety and Security | |
| Social organization | To explain, delegate and accept responsibility for cooperative social conduct |
| Domestic Abuse | Protection from physical or sexual abuse in the home environment |
| Substance abuse | Awareness of dangers of alcohol, tobacco, drugs, substance abuse |
| Job or income security | Marketable skills to provide financial security in a social environment |
| Safe work environment | To avoid accidents at the workplace |
| Self sufficiency | To be able to live alone for periods when help unavailable |
| Social and Affection | |
| Bonds of affection | Reciprocated feelings of love, friendship, care and appreciation. |
| Security bonds | Reciprocated concern for each others reasonable needs and wants |
| Mutual understanding | To avoid feeling misunderstood and isolated from family or group |
| Companionship | Shared activities to avoid feelings of loneliness, isolation, social rejection |
| Intimacy | To provide a sense of closeness to at least one other and avoid loneliness |
| Community | To provide group identity, shared knowledge, attitudes, values and beliefs |
| Esteem | |
| Social comprehension | Understanding social synergy, specialization, cooperation, mutual service |
| Merit | To acquire social characteristics valued and respected by self and others |
| Task skills | To be able to contribute to satisfaction of the needs and potential of others |
| Self respect | To feel competent, self confident, worthy of self respect |
| Recognition | Receive positive feedback or reward to confirm acceptance and respect |
| Respect of others | To win the respect of others for contribution to partnership or group |
| Higher education | To provide more complex highly valued services and higher rewards |
| Status | Recognition for a highly valued service to a community |
| Skill development | Necessary to contribute to the needs of others and earn respect |
| Achievement | Achieving realistic and achievable potential and personal goals |
| Power and influence | Ability to manage relationships and projects efficiently and effectively |
| Independence | To feel able to look after one's own basic needs and contribute to others |
| Appropriate path | Choosing a direction in life with compassion and the courage to take risks |
| Appropriate vocation | Finding an occupation and activities one is passionate about and suited for |
| Appropriate conduct | Based on socially appropriate attitudes, values and beliefs |
| Cognitive Education | |
| Good explanation of life | To reflect known science and provide meaningful framework for knowledge |
| Environmental knowledge | Understanding natural and social environment to ensure survival, prosperity |
| Appropriate belief system | Arriving at an adequate explanation of life, the universe, existence |
| Survival skills | Knowledge and skills to required to survive alone in most situations |
| General education | To provide historical, social and environmental context for knowledge |
| Scientific knowledge | To understand why things are and how they work |
| Literacy skills | To be able to communicate, learn by reading and teach by effective writing |
| Math skills | To be able to perform basic and advanced mathematical operations |
| Arts education | To be able to learn from music, metaphors, visual and dramatic arts |
| Social education | To develop socially appropriate goals, attitudes, values, beliefs and conduct |
| Problem solving skills | Achieve realistic goals by identifying and resolving impediments and threats |
| Work skills | Help satisfy the needs and wants of others to earn a living and respect |
| Social comprehension | Understanding social synergy of specialization, cooperation, mutual service |
| Competitiveness | To evolve the most appropriate products, services, eliminate redundancy |
| ITC skills | To function in an information, communication and technology based society |
| Challenge | To stimulate the mind and emotions |
| Ability to Think | Ability to process and extrapolate information with reasoning |
| Critical Thinking | Ability to evaluate information for veracity, context, meaning and consistency |
| Material | |
| Comfort needs | Home, furniture and goods required for comfort and entertainment |
| Transport needs | For mobility in a transport and trade dependant society |
| Information needs | Television and internet access for information dependant society |
| Communication needs | Telephone, mobile, fax, email for communication oriented society |
| Aged independence | Income security, health and freedom in old age |
| Aesthetic | |
| Domestic aesthetic | Emotionally satisfying home, garden, furniture, art, books, music, etc |
| Environmental aesthetic | Emotionally satisfying urban or natural environment |
| Companions aesthetic | Emotionally stimulating friendships and companions |
| Work aesthetic | Intellectually stimulating work, colleagues and work environment |
| Aesthetic skills | Know how to derive and provide pleasure with beauty, form, symmetry |
| Leisure | |
| Relaxation | Relief from physical, social, sexual and psychological deprivation or stress |
| Physical exercise | To maintain appropriate weight, health and fitness, stimulate endorphins |
| Reinvigoration | Intellectual and emotional stimulation and motivation |
| Fun | Entertainment, levity, enjoyment, thrills, excitement and satisfaction |
| Solitude | Periods of solitude, reflection, meditation and re-evaluation |
| Freedom | Time to escape domestic, work or social duties |
| Family | Time for family activities and bonding |
| Vacations | Getting away from usual environment |
| Sport | For exercise or team building, competitiiveness or self improvement |
| Change | To stimulate the mind, avoid repetition and boredom |
| Privacy | For personal space and contemplation |
| Transcendence | |
| Peak experiences | Feelings of intense unity, happiness, well-being, ecstasy, wonder, awe |
| Peak knowledge | Understanding transcendental unity and identity underlying diversity |
| Losing self-importance | Transcending personal identity as a shared identity of "Me" or "I AM" |
| Purpose | Knowing the purpose, meaning and value of existence to explore potential |
| Selflessness | Satisfaction of own potential in satisfying the needs and potential of others |
| Knowing immortality | Understanding reincarnation, continuity as the renewed experience of "me" |
| Social dedication | Dedication to long term goal of viable, sustainable, ethical global civilization |
| Peak values | Valuing all life as expressions of the same transcendental unity and identity |
| Individual redundancy | Accepting the equal expendability of any and all life at any time |
| Accepting death | Accepting death as a necessary filter for the continuity and renewal of life |
| Social justice | Routinely treating others as oneself in recognition of transcended world view |
| Challenge | To exercise the mind and maintain interest in living |
| Sex | |
| Bonding sex | For expressions of acceptance, love, intimacy, affection, companionship, etc |
| Approval Sex | As an affirmation of attraction, desirability, approval, relevance |
| Recreational sex | Sex for pleasure, fun, relief, exercise, stimulation, orgasm, satisfaction |
| Functional Sex | For the biological preference to have children |
| Emotional Sex | For emotional and psychological security |
| Power Sex | Sex to exert influence over another, ability to give satisfaction, orgasms |
| Sex skills | To acquire or impart sexual knowledge and experience |
| Aesthetic Sex | As an art form, expression of beauty, to convey range of emotions |
| Sexual safety | To avoid disease, unwanted pregnancies and psychological harm |
| Experimental sex | Sex for risk, danger, excitement, diversity, power, control, experience, etc |
| Communication | Ability to communicate needs, desires, state of mind, etc |
| Gender understanding | Ability to appreciate the language, needs, state of mind of sexual partner |
| Social infraustructure | |
| Government tiers | To regulate and manage social systems at various regional levels |
| Water infrastructure | To store, distribute, manage water for drinking, washing, irrigation, industry |
| Sewage system | To dispose of body wastes and waste water |
| Primary industry infrastructure | To develop necessary natural resources, food, fuels, minerals and energy |
| Energy infrastructure | To distribute necessary energy for industry, transport, heating, cooling |
| Housing infrastructure | To provide adequate housing and shelter |
| Health system | To provide necessary health services and prevent infectious diseases |
| Waste disposal | To collect, recycle and dispose of consumer waste products |
| Political system | To ensure participation and create laws that reflect needs of society |
| Justice system | To enforce reasonable laws and promote social justice |
| Transport system | Adequate transport in transport and trade dependent society |
| Trading infrastructure | For primary, secondary, tertiary products, services and employment |
| Money system | To establish relative value and distribute means to acquire adequately |
| Education system | To provide necessary education, science, technology and skills training |
| Communication system | Adequate communication infrastructure in information dependent society |
| Belief systems | Promote appropriate conduct, address diverse spiritual needs and mortality |
| Armed forces | To fight unavoidable territorial and resource wars |
| Social security | To provide a safety net in periods of unemployment or disability |
| Political parties | Empower people by participating in debates, goals, priorities and strategies |
| Community facilities | To provide for discussion, leisure, sport, entertainment |
| Standards system | Ensure products, services, conduct meet reasonable expectations of quality |
| Public media | To provide accurate information, entertainment and news |
| Aged Care facilities | Accommodation and care for those too old to care for themselves |
| Problem solving | Help people identity and satisfy reasonable needs and potential |
| Conflict resolution | To help resolve conflicts and promote fairness |
| Corporate systems | To mass produce products, services and provide employment |
| Security services | To monitor and respond to aggressive activities of enemies and competitors |
| Diplomatic services | To engage and negotiate with other governments and societies |
| Research facilities | To extend scientific and technical knowledge |