Needs are different from wants. They are physical, emotional or spiritual requirements and they are non-negotiable.

What is freedom, and if offered would you take it?
I've had no job, service jobs, volunteer jobs, government jobs, and private-industry jobs, and neither type of job is sufficient when it comes to happiness. Each employment status and niche comes with its own set of rules and regulations to follow, but if you violate the rules, you risk losing it all. But what is "it"? Is it freedom that you lose?

Singer/songwriter Janis Joplin sings these lyrics in a song: "Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose." But Janis Joplin was a rock singer, not a philosopher, and from what I know about her life, she never knew freedom. In fact, I don't think most of us achieve freedom, and if we were offered true freedom, would we know what to do with it?

Our lives are programmed for us from the day we are born.  We are told to work hard, study hard, volunteer or donate, get a job, and become prosperous. For inspiration, we are offered images of the trappings we are supposed to desire--new cars, new houses or condos, new job advancements, new faces, new body parts, and new horizons easily attainable by way of travel. We are told that to acquire all of these possessions is to achieve greatness, but most of us think we work for financial freedom. But would you rather have greatness or financial and emotional freedom?

Based on what psychologist Abraham Maslow called a "hierarchy of human needs," we don't need the trappings of worldly possessions and we don't need freedom, but as we accomplish goals, our human needs are being fulfilled. Whether we admit it or not, there is something comforting in being told what to do in the workplace, in school, and in religious institutions. Our political and public leaders are elected by the public for the public, but when they fail us, we fail to be outraged. We simply keep focused on our "end game" which includes achieving personal and financial goals, staying out of jail, and having enough fun in our youth so we can be satisfied to raise a family and make the necessary sacrifices when the time comes to fulfill the need for family connections.

As we follow a path prescribed for us, we fulfill basic and higher needs. The  hierarchy of needs outlined by Abraham Maslow, other psychologists, and educators are categorized as basic and higher needs. Only after basic needs are met do higher needs arise. Our human needs include:

• The need for basic necessities, like food, shelter, water, and warmth;
• The need for safety;
• The need for love, acceptance and belonging;
• The need for heightened self-esteem and appreciation;
• The need for spiritual connection to a higher power and/or to spiritual others;
• The need for self-actualization, achieving ones highest potential and sharing or "paying it forward" for altruistic reasons.

This summary of Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of basic and higher needs is often diagrammed as a pyramid, with the bottom of the pyramid reserved for basic needs and the apex of the pyramid representing the highest need, self actualization.

If you think about the many ways we fulfill these human needs, it becomes apparent that the reason we do most things is because we need to, no matter how altruistic and self-less our efforts appear to be. Some of us need a greater sense of empowerment while others don't need as much, but we all are in this world to fulfill the same needs at some point in our lives, and according to the society in which we live, the sooner we attend to fulfilling these needs, the better.

Needs are not wants. Because needs are physical, emotional or spiritual requirements, they are non-negotiable. When we want something, we can take it or leave it; However, needs must be met in some way. If we fail to understand the difference between wants and needs, we experience personal dissatisfaction, spiritual confusion, sadness or emotional chaos. Educational and religious institutions are on guard to keep us focused on achieving a sense of purpose in life, and having a purpose in life allows us to more easily fulfill our higher needs.

When I think of the lyrics to Janis Joplin's song, "freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose," I am reminded that freedom is not a basic need nor is it required. So why do we value it so much, or do we? What need does "freedom" really fulfill? Is it simply a motivator that keeps us focused on a purpose in life? Which inspires you more, the idea of freedom or the idea of greatness?