What’s The Most Important Thing In Your Life? Your Answer Is As Good As Any Experts—So?
Posted: Saturday, November 12, 2011
by Steve Kovacs
The Kovacs Perspective
What’s the most important thing in a human beings life? Easy answer folks; water, next is food and then shelter. Okay, you may think I asked a trick question but I didn’t mean to. I was serious, what’s the most important thing in a human beings life? What do they long for the most? To start off, we certainly need the basics that I mentioned and without them, not much of anything else is high on the important list. But, once we’ve got the basics handled to survive—what’s next? The most important ones for most people are probably money, peace and contentment. Further, many may say finding God or having a relationship with God is the most important one.
Let us break these “most important ones” down a bit. Money. Money is paper, or gold, or silver and when you think about it, it’s silly to want to accumulate it, but it buys “stuff”. Stuff like cars, trucks, grown-up toys and of course, it can buy more food and bigger or more pleasing shelters which can make our lives more comfortable. Is that your major goal in life? It is for many people, the more money the better.
Peace. What does that mean? I guess it means to feel contentment. It means feeling comfortable and relaxed. I’m guessing when cavemen filled their bellies with roasted dinosaur with a nice garlic sauce they kicked back near the fire pit and thought of relaxing possibilities to feel peace and feel relaxed. Many do that now, minus dinosaur meat and that nice garlic sauce perhaps, but we sit and ponder our fortunate positives and pleasant possibilities.
Finding God. Getting back to cave dwellers of the Stone Age times, I wonder if they pondered about God. Did they wonder about what it all meant? Did they see fire or lightening and think it was Gods or the creators doing, perhaps as some type of punishment? Yes, they almost certainly thought about God, perhaps, in a primitive way, but I believe that it is human nature to want to feel or understand our creator. Today, many people wonder how they can get closer to the creator or to understand what the creator wants them to do with their lives. Of course, atheists and agnostics do not, but I believe they too, at one time pondered the question. They just came to the conclusion of there not being a God or not being sure of one’s existence.
For me, I have gone through different periods: from the accumulation of stuff, to the accumulation of accolades to the search for self-understanding. I reached enough of all of them for me to move forward and past them. Forward for me, means simply to move beyond those to where I am at now. Now, for me it is what God may want me to do in my existence and for me to feel contentment and peace in my life. I suppose gaining contentment in people’s lives can come about in different ways for different people. For some as an example, looking into their child’s eye and knowing that they have that to look forward to does the trick. The different ways are countless. Finding God or his purpose for those who believe in that sort of thing also has many different ways that can bring people there.
Experts who study human behavior may tell us different areas that people may have as their top priorities. However, this is one of those areas that you know better than any expert. Perhaps it is something completely different from what I have written about. Perhaps it is a hybrid of them. Whatever it is, your most important wants are as valid as anyones. What is the most important “thing” in your life?
Peace. What does that mean? I guess it means to feel contentment. It means feeling comfortable and relaxed. I’m guessing when cavemen filled their bellies with roasted dinosaur with a nice garlic sauce they kicked back near the fire pit and thought of relaxing possibilities to feel peace and feel relaxed. Many do that now, minus dinosaur meat and that nice garlic sauce perhaps, but we sit and ponder our fortunate positives and pleasant possibilities.
Finding God. Getting back to cave dwellers of the Stone Age times, I wonder if they pondered about God. Did they wonder about what it all meant? Did they see fire or lightening and think it was Gods or the creators doing, perhaps as some type of punishment? Yes, they almost certainly thought about God, perhaps, in a primitive way, but I believe that it is human nature to want to feel or understand our creator. Today, many people wonder how they can get closer to the creator or to understand what the creator wants them to do with their lives. Of course, atheists and agnostics do not, but I believe they too, at one time pondered the question. They just came to the conclusion of there not being a God or not being sure of one’s existence.
For me, I have gone through different periods: from the accumulation of stuff, to the accumulation of accolades to the search for self-understanding. I reached enough of all of them for me to move forward and past them. Forward for me, means simply to move beyond those to where I am at now. Now, for me it is what God may want me to do in my existence and for me to feel contentment and peace in my life. I suppose gaining contentment in people’s lives can come about in different ways for different people. For some as an example, looking into their child’s eye and knowing that they have that to look forward to does the trick. The different ways are countless. Finding God or his purpose for those who believe in that sort of thing also has many different ways that can bring people there.
Experts who study human behavior may tell us different areas that people may have as their top priorities. However, this is one of those areas that you know better than any expert. Perhaps it is something completely different from what I have written about. Perhaps it is a hybrid of them. Whatever it is, your most important wants are as valid as anyones. What is the most important “thing” in your life?
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Top-level comments on this article: (7 total)You know, when water and clothes and shelter have been acquired, but man cannot live alone on bread, worldly speaking. I find the most important thing is me to have my own peace in mind my private time and a healthy body, besides some hart-to-hart talks friends.
Money really is an outside thing. How much does one need ??Yes Hilda, how much money do we really need. I didn't think about keeping our bodies healthy as being a goal or top important thing--makes sense--thanks.
Steve
Hi Steve,
just read your article which is thought provoking and I must say you sure have chosen a unique topic to write on no doubt besides the 3 basic necessaries in life peace is what every human being is searching for no matter to which religion he/she belongs to and those are lucky who are able to connect themselves to God and in return attain inner peace.
No doubt its a give and take relationship between a man and his God also as the rule of the thumb is applied among human relationships .
Thanks for sharing this article with us.
Tania.
Hi Tania,
Thanks for the words.and as you say, God and gaining peace is probably the best way for real peace.--sounds right. And yes, I agree, personal peace is the big goal throughout the world. Thanks....
Steve
For some, priorities seem to change with the situation at hand. Or what is taken for granted. Water would definitely be a priority for someone living in a rear of the world where fresh water is scarce. There have been times when my priority was finding what I needed at Sears and getting out of there!Very funny and very true about the Sears thing--know what you mean my friend.......thanks.
For me the most important thing is God, then you'll find peace and he'll take care of all your needs.I think you are correct--thanks for writing Roy.
SteveI think you are correct Roy--thanks for writing.
Stevej
This is a great subject to contemplate. I agree with water, food, shelter as primary. There are other basic needs and drives. As you age, your needs become different too. Obviously, as a child, each individual has many needs and requires nurturing. As we mature, the required wants and must haves decrease from being needed and supplied to requiring the individual to supply them himself and so on. An important aspect has always been sex or the desire to procreate. Anyway, I enjoyed your logic and article thoroughly.
Hmmm... I think the most important thing in a persons life depends on their position on the Maslows Hierarchy of needs. The most important thing is the thing that motivates a person to survive...
So people at the very bottom of the pyramid will strive to ascertain water, food and shelter because thats what they need to survive. Nothing else matters til those needs are fulfilled.
But to a person who has comfort and security... food, water and shelter wont be as important... its readily available and taken for granted and isnt necessarily seen as important to survive. it is but it doesnt spark any motivation of desire... it doesnt give the person something to yearn for.
To a 30 year old spinster, the most important thing may be finding someone to love before her biological clock ticks its last tock. To a young adult who has just left home and ventured into the wilderness of real life, the most important thing would be money... probably to obtain the most basic of needs: food, shelter, security....
Well thats just what i think.
I dont know whats the most important thing to me.... in a way, everything is important. You are a sum of all aspects of yourself....Very well said. You add some great points and show that it depends on where we are at at certain times of our lives to really choose what the most important thing is. Great comment. Thank you!
Beautiful article Steve! Thanks for pondering all the themes of importance! I agree with you that we all know for our best what we should do, when we look at the perspective that God is a parent, I am sure that what we have to do is clear.
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