ENG 2150 Gimme Shelter: the spaces we live in

Bushwick is beautiful. There is no doubt about it. After living in this neighborhood for almost twenty years, I have come to this subjective conclusion. Beauty can be found in her people, her history, and her current culture. In my paper, I will attempt to explore the history of this neighborhood, especially in the last 100 years. I will research and explain the past, current, and future demographic trends. I would like to look particularly at this neighborhood in terms of it’s real estate as well. Why are costs rising? What will happen to the current residents? Where are the future residents coming from? To determine where Bushwick is going, one must know where it has been.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

When it comes to mental life, there is no more of an ultimate goal than realizing one’s own self-potential. Buddha called it the Enlightenment. Abraham Maslow called it Self-actualization. Truly, they are the same concept.

To be enlightened is to free oneself of his own self-caused immaturity. It is the liberation from negative emotions and the rebirth of mental clarity and love. In the above diagram, Maslow illustrates the path to self-actualization starting from the bottom. In order to climb to the top, one must satisfy all the lower needs on the bottom. For example, one can not satisfy his need for love if he has not satisfied his need for safety. Similarly, one can not satisfy his need for safety without first satisfying the basic physiological needs of food and water. This path is perhaps the greatest challenge of mental life. Although the climb may take anywhere from weeks to years, the achievement of self-actualization is eternally and blissfully rewarding.

Consciousness is a topic that truly gave birth to the field of psychology from the already established field of philosophy. As William James put it, consciousness is in fact not a brick wall. It is not a single whole thought comprised of many small thoughts. Instead, a more appropriate metaphor is it being a stream. One thought flows into another thought which flows into yet another thought. Although each idea is traveling, it remains still a stream or a entire body of water while constantly moving.

Even now, you are reading my blog post and thinking whatever thought possesses your mind at the present time. Whatever this idea in your head may be, it will soon be gone. If not now, then in ten minutes. If not in ten minutes, then in an hour. All thoughts come and go, yet they are still a part of your entire consciousness. Surely, in an hour or perhaps even tomorrow, you will be able to recall these thoughts that you possess currently, for your consciousness, although moving, is comprised of all thoughts that have come and gone in your life.