Human beings are social animals. Other than the question about the purpose of life, this is often the second most pertinent (albeit almost invariably unasked) question that occurs to us.
Abraham Maslow’s Pyramid of Needs puts Love and Belongingness midway, between Physiological needs and Safety & Security needs below it, and Self Esteem and Self Actualisation above it.
Out of all these needs, I can argue that Love and Belongingness needs are the ones that human beings are most sensitive about.
So, in order to satisfy this need, what do we require from others?
Is it money? Is it consideration? Is it empathy? Is it, and here many will err, popularity?
I think that the most important thing we need from others is their time. All the others that I mentioned above, even put together, don’t measure up to time from others.
Why is it so important?
Very simple. Unlike what is given in our religion and scriptures, we limit our lives to Time, an invention of Man.
Since self-preservation has been wired into us as a philosophy of, if not life, at least our existence (a fallout from Survival of the Fittest part of Theory of Evolution), we convince ourselves our own time is more important than the time of and for others. This is so even when we are doing and thinking of nothing. Time spent on ourselves is fruitful; time spent on others is wasted.
On social media (Man as social animal has a fascination for it), the one who discovered emojis worked on this principle of Time spent on ourselves is fruitful; time spent on others is wasted.
But why even emojis when we can just ignore others? Well, our need for self-preservation goads us that others spending time for us is important for our realisation of need for Love and Belongingness! So, that one-second-to-click emoji is not so much as appreciation of whatever s__t the others have put up, but also an invitation for them to spare time for us. Don’t agree? Well, haven’t you come across people (hurriedly) liking and commenting upon other people’s stuff just prior to putting up their own?
“Wasted time,” wrote Herman Wouk (The Caine Mutiny), “is as painful in the beginning as in the end. Only, in the end, it becomes more obvious.”
The day we respect the time of others as much as we respect our own is the time when we start rising above the animal part in the moniker that describes us: social animal!
I give you my time, my love,
As much as your time, I seek.
So, whilst dealing with others,
Of selfishness, I don’t reek.
When I send a video for you to watch,
I tell you what it is about.
Whether you have watched it earlier or not,
You are not left in any doubt.
Your hours of hard work and thought,
Is not made to emoji a slave.
Whilst listening to you or reading you,
My own views I don’t promptly rave.
I know my friends and relatives,
Need from me my precious time.
So, I don’t demand they see my forwards,
Sent to them for no reason or rhyme.
I recognise the needs of others,
As much as I think of mine.
That I am bored with what they say,
I don’t ever give them the slightest sign.
I want to be seen as far from being an animal,
As I can possibly get.
If in life it is bad to be mannerless,
How can it be acceptable on the net?
When someone holds the mirror for me,
I don’t plan revenge and hitting back.
Why should I confirm to him or her,
My hard-pressed-for-time is the social skill I lack!
