As you can see, the lowest portion of Maslow’s pyramid consists of basic physiological (biological) needs such as food, water, sleep, etc. which must be met or otherwise you will accelerate the entropic (tendency towards disorder) process and breakdown. Maslow explained that in order to be able to rise towards the top of the pyramid and reach our full potential – OR EXCEED IT, we first must be able to maintain the basic biological functions we need to stay alive.
This, of course, makes perfect sense. Those engulfed in an array of physical and/or mental health issues become disempowered or fall short of the ability to self-actualize or progress up. Health is the foundation to all sustainable progress towards your future. As one pastor states, “I’m no good to God, my family, or my purpose if I’m sick or dead.”
HOMEOSTASIS: THE FOUNDATION OF THE PYRAMID
What a whole lot of people do not realize is that the foundation of health and in many ways, happiness, is directly related to an important aspect of biology called ‘Homeostasis.’
What is homeostasis?
Daniel David Palmer, the founder of chiropractic, described the human body as a dynamic self-regulator that seeks to sustain a state of balance and harmony among all of the systems. Furthermore, he recognized that this is the fundamental characteristics of all living things. Homeostasis, as regulated by the nervous system, creates order, growth, and sustainability for EVERYTHING going on inside of us.
It keeps our bodies running just the same all of the time whether it is really hot or cold outside. Your body is in a state of HOMEOSTASIS because your organs and their processes are working together to regulate your temperature, your heartbeat, your breathing, all your hormone levels. As mammals, we are warm-blooded and we have a homeostatic mechanism that keep us that way. When we’re too warm, we begin to sweat, and when we’re too cold we start to shiver. This is the body’s way of continuously maintaining a healthy 98.6°F (37°C). This is the supernatural power of syntropy (order) at its finest.
This internal survival system allows us to maintain a state of harmony, balance, and rebalance and is what homeostasis is all about. It is the foundation beneath the pyramid, ultimately regulating and balancing all of our basic physiological needs.
If you flip the pyramid, you see that not only is homeostasis the foundation, at some level all things flow from ABOVE-DOWN too. Everything you associated with the bottom of Maslow’s Pyramid is managed and controlled by homeostasis or our body’s ability to stay in balance and organize itself. Life and health now or success in the future is fully dependent on maintaining the homeostatic-function of your body.
Avoid doctors, health practices, and activities that serve to cause imbalance or a loss of homeostasis. This can only create the wrong future whether you look from the foundation-up or above-down. Rather find those that look to align and balance the body in order optimize, function, internal integrity, and your ability to heal and sustain health.
The future is bright for those that keep moving to the top of the pyramid…and beyond.
Have fun saving the world
Dr. Ben
