Higher level needs are different from wants

When you see your neighbors taking off for a tour to exotic places, you will probably think that is a wasteful use of money.

It is especially so when they have complained about lack of money.

You may see them go without many things in life just for the sake of saving up for the vacation.

However, you may not realize that they are answering a higher level need, and that is really a need, not a want.

Perhaps they join a mission tour to exotic places to spread the gospel.  Perhaps they join a charity group to help the villagers in remote region built schools or dig a well. 

They have to go on this trip so that they will satisfy their spiritual needs.

Perhaps they go for the experience of seeing life in a different perspective.

You have to remember that many people have such higher level needs.

Steve Jobs went to India to satisfy his spiritual need despite not having much money at that point in life.

The Beatles visited India to attend Transcendental Meditation (TM) training session.  

They all gained, and ultimately the world gained, because they knew about their deeper and higher needs, and they knew it is important to satisfy the higher needs.

All of us have higher level needs, but not all of us know how to go about it. 

Many of us have thought of helping the poor villagers to build schools or toilets or dig a well, but when we see that the living condition in those places, we back out of the deal.

Our higher needs are not great enough to help us overcome the inconveniences.  When we think about the travelling time, the lack of modern convenience, and the discomfort from the bare minimum living condition, we may decide that making a donation is the best that we can do.

Those who go on such a trip never regret going.  They may save up so that the whole family can go on such trips year after year.