Day Four Pt. 1

After having discussed personal motivations over the course of two days, we planned to proceed with using a similar methodology to discuss personal needs.

Participants: Paul Free, Janina Abels, Matthias Larisch, Bodhi Neiser

Method

The first step of writing down personal needs individually was taken care of in a timeframe of approx. 40 minutes. During this process we came up with the following equation:

needs + values = range of goals
goals / motivations = actions

The needs were collected on a big sheet again, clustered thematically and placed on a range starting at basic needs (things I need to function/survive) and going up to sophisticated needs (things that I want to achieve/that would be nice to have).

Using this new cluster of needs, we started to discuss 'food' in more detail, meaning that we collected ways to satisfy this need, followed by the implications, requirements and obstacles to every way in specific.

Cluster of personal needs

Most basic needs

(1st third, from top to bottom and from left to right)

Physical closeness / sex
Social interaction
Access to food, water, warmth
Protection from extreme temperatures
Food and drinks
Satisfying the feeling of hunger
Sleep
Sleep / rest
Tranquility / space to be alone
Fresh air
Safety of my physical, mental and emotional integrity
Health
Protection from physical and emotional violence / peace

Intermediary needs

(2nd third, from top to bottom and from left to right)

Successful communication / deep exchange of thoughts / mutual understanding → Recognition of my personality / loving and being loved
Spending life in the company of people, who share similar values and goals
Interaction / contact / love
Structure / clarity / stability in thought and action
Continuance - to not have to create the same thing over and over again
Physical action
Movement
Freedom of personal movement and evolvement
Purposeful work
Use of time, that makes sense (pursue goals)
Learning and experiencing new things
Create inspiration
Balance between work and play (contribute with my skills)
(waiting for Matthias to decipher his handwriting for me...)
Being happy / being content / fulfillment
Harmony
Safety due to inner forces
Fun / excitement

Most sophisticated needs

(3rd third, from top to bottom and from left to right)

Goal-oriented and value-driven action
Openness / honesty
Criticism (because recognition distribution works by itself...)
Collaboration
Realization of ideas (together with other people)
Mindfulness
Clarity / confusion / creativity
Freedom
To ease suffering (of me and others)
Safety from external forces
Convenience → internet / electricity / comfyness / pleasure

Struggle with the process

We came to realize shortly after starting, that this process would take ages and would include too many details, which don't need to be discussed at this point.

The new strategy proposed by Paul was to just state the possible ways to satisfy a need and then indicate our personal interest in the topic with a X, ? or ! mark right next to the keyword.

Sadly, this day motivation was low from the start in most of the participants and frustration surfaced quickly. In the end all of us had the feeling that we were not making good use of our time and that the process we came up with maybe didn't lead us to where we wanted to arrive - at least not soon enough. In this understanding the main time pressure was derived from an ongoing decline of motivation, rather than not being in the same place for long anymore. We all knew (more or less) that there was sense in the process(es) suggested, but without Laurina being there to push through the initial phase of doubt, as well as this being the 3rd or 4th day of wh-y-unity meetings already, we decided to stop here and completely revert the process to make the topics of interest more concrete and tangible and thus boost motivation.

Personal needs