Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

This pyramid is used in every social science, from psychology to nation-building. The theory is, you need the bottom layer before you can get to the second layer, then to the third, etc.

I'm working on a longer post on Haitian aid, but it's fun and instructive to look at this for your own life, and as a way to understand the actions of Haiti's desperate people--and the strategies for aid.

You can see that food comes before security--which is why people continued to loot grocery stores, even when a police officer with a rifle was ordering them away.  Aid workers see security as primary, because their more basic needs are either met or deferred in a selfless action. Once they are assured some security, the camaraderie can develop between organizations, and so forth.

Pretty cool, huh? How does it apply to you at home? (click on it to see the fine print).

Image from bk one web site