Human Needs Pyramid – Urgent Prepping Needs
Human Needs Pyramid – Urgent Prepping Needs
What are the most urgent needs to meet when prepping?
Previously, I talked about Maslow’s Hirearchy- the human needs pyramid.
The first and lowest level of Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs is the most pressing- physiological needs. The first thing to do when addressing these needs is to identify them.
These basic needs are, in general terms-
- Air
- Food
- Water
- Warmth
- Rest
This is a set of examples, to be clear, and there are some arguments from professionals about other things that should or should not be on the list.
For the purposes of this article, focus on the bottom section of this human needs pyramid.
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Basic Physiological Needs
There are actually several things that I do not mention on this list, but they are generally assumed to be included in the list- the most common of these is prescription medication. If, for example, you are diabetic, you may require insulin- without it provided to you externally, you will die. There are a number of conditions that require prescription medications to survive.
The problem with listing all the potential items that people might need is that I do not know each and every one of you and your needs- in the case of prescription medications, for example, some very few are essential for the next hours of life, while some just make life more comfortable. Your judgment is required to know what essential medications are, and how to address them.
Additionally, I know that a number of you will be confused over the inclusion of Air on the list. Please note the color of the picture-
This is actually a picture I took near where I live. Notice that sepia look on it? I didn’t put a filter on it. The air actually looks like this when the wildfires are especially bad, and this was taken while there is actually dust from the Sahara in the air that has traveled all the way to the US.
I remember waking up, and thinking that my neighbors were burning something in their back yard- the smell was about the same, as when they have wood filled with pine tar and don’t have enough dry and ready wood to fully combust it.
I have asthma. I have some fairly bad asthma. But even people who don’t have asthma noticed how bad the air was, and stayed indoors by and large. Sore throats are fairly common right now, and since as I write this there is a globally spread virus -COVID-19- that causes a sore throat as an early symptom, this has caused some stress.
The look that people gave me as I went on a walk while wearing a respirator was pretty funny, I will admit- not worth the hassle though: 3/10.
At the same time, if I were living in Baltimore, forest fires are not something I generally have to worry about.
In short, I included Air because I am heavily affected by it. Which is what I hope you will do- take what I say as guidelines on how to think about this, rather than instructions on what to think specifically.
What Are Your Basic Human Needs?
Giving yourself the leeway to understand your own needs, rather than restricting yourself can make all the difference in your personal happiness, and your survival.
The other thing to keep in mind is that your set of needs right now is not the same as they are in an emergency- I know more than one person who has planned a vacation, and forgotten to take into account the weather, and wound up packing wildly inappropriate clothing; either too hot or too cold.
Once, memorably, someone forgot to take food allergies into account and spent the entire vacation in another country eating pre-packaged food and fast food from brands that they knew already. Freeze-dried eggs and granola bars are not such great vacation food, especially when everyone else is eating nice restaurant food.
In an emergency, there is no need to add that level of stress to your life.
Once you have determined what emergencies you are prepping for, it is much easier to know what your exact list of physiological needs includes. If you are unlikely to face forest fires or dust storms, you probably don’t have as urgent a need to worry about making sure you have air filtration.
Now that you know what your exact list of physiological needs are, you should make sure that they are in the order you are most likely to have them kill you if they are unmet. For example, if you live in Death Valley, water is probably the thing that will kill you quickest if you don’t have any.
On the other hand, as an otherwise healthy adult who lives in Alaska, a lack of warmth is likely what would kill you the fastest. See? the order of safety needs you need to address changes based on personal circumstances.
After you have ranked your needs, you are ready to address each of them- make sure to have this list handy when you shop, since it is a lot easier when you do that.
Feel free to read more on Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs (AKA the human needs pyramid)