The spiritual life is part of the human essence. It is a defining characteristic of human nature, without which human nature is not fully human.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of spirituality in defining what it means to be human.
Abraham Maslow expresses the notion that spirituality is a fundamental aspect of human existence. He suggests that without recognizing and nurturing our spiritual selves, we cannot fully understand or appreciate the essence of human nature. This perspective highlights the significance of spiritual exploration and development as integral to the human experience.
In practice
In a speech about personal growth, one might say: 'As Abraham Maslow noted, the spiritual life is essential to our humanity.'
It looks as if there were a single ultimate goal for mankind, a far goal toward which all persons strive. This is called variously by different authors self-actualization, self-realization, integration, psychological health, individuation, autonomy, creativity, productivity, but they all agree that this amounts to realizing the potentialities of the person, that is to say, becoming fully human, everything that person can be.
Dispassionate objectivity is itself a passion, for the real and for the truth.
The study of crippled, stunted, immature, and unhealthy specimens can yield only a cripple psychology and a cripple philosophy
Marriage is a school itself. Also, having children. Becoming a father changed my whole life. It taught me as if by revelation.
It seems that the necessary thing to do is not to fear mistakes, to plunge in, to do the best that one can, hoping to learn enough from blunders to correct them eventually.
I was awfully curious to find out why I didn't go insane.
Attach yourself to what is spiritually superior, regardless of what other people think or do. Hold to your true aspirations no matter what is going on around you.
When you're at war, you think about a better life; when you're at peace you think about a more comfortable one.
So our human life but dies down to its root, and still puts forth its green blade to eternity.
Once a man is united to God, how could he not live forever?
I'm a study of a man in chaos in search of frenzy.
Looking back at the worst times, it always seems that they were times in which there were people who believed with absolute faith and absolute dogmatism in something. And they were so serious in this matter that they insisted that the rest of the world agree with them. And then they would do things that were directly inconsistent with their own beliefs in order to maintain that what they said was true.
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