I can feel friendly,
in a very personal and affectionate way, with Spinoza, Abraham Lincoln,
Jefferson, William James, Whitehead, etc., as if they still lived. Which is to say that in specific ways they do
still live.
Abraham
Maslow, The Farthest Reaches of Human Nature
I first encountered the work of Abraham
Maslow in a psychology class in my senior year in high school. I was intrigued. There was much in his work that I found
insightful and helpful. Maslow’s work
was one reason I majored in psychology, along with philosophy, in college.
From time to time, I find myself
going back to his work, and often find new insights. Maslow’s comment on being friendly with
persons from the past comes from an essay on “Various Meanings of
Transcendence.” In this section of his
essay he was writing about the transcendence of time. We can reach through time to connect with others
through their writings, developing a friendship of a kind.
I know this kind of
friendship. I treasure my friends, the
flesh and blood people with whom I can talk, in whom I can confide, with whom I
can enjoy a conversation, an event, a meal.
I also treasure the friends I have made through their writings or their
music. They have challenged me to think
more deeply, and to feel more deeply.
They have invited me see my life in new ways, and opened up new vistas
in my relationship to God.
I am grateful for these friends,
too, among whom I count Abraham Maslow.
With Faith and With Feathers,
David
