Universal Needs
BestBehavior is rooted in the concept of ‘universal needs.’ Each episode we aim to explore one need, so we wanted to present the full list, their background, and our inspiration.
At Stanford, Dr. Tia Rich presents an annual Contemplation by Design (CBD) Summit, a two-week long conference with speakers and mindfulness practices. Thom Bond, a founder and the director of education for The New York Center for Nonviolent Communication, was a keynote speaker at the 2024 CBD Summit. Within his work on nonviolent communication, he highlights the idea of ‘universal needs’ as it lives within compassion.
Everyone has universal needs that need to be satisfied. As Thom Bond alludes to, there are 8 billion people on Earth and each one of us has different needs, this is what connects us. The way we respond to those needs is how we find connection, feel our unique emotions, and choose our behaviors. As global citizens, we aim to explore topics related to how universal needs and behaviors result from the lack of those needs.
In our experience, universal needs have been powerful in their role to develop compassion and courage as communicators. Given the omnipresence of needs, they can become a shared language.
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” - Victor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
We return often to this quote when thinking about universal needs. Thom Bond spoke about how compassion comes from creating a space for understanding someone’s negative actions as a reflection of the needs they are seeking. When we find awareness in these actions, compassion and reflection creates agency in our response. We can work to give that person a need, or at least acknowledge the lack of it, giving a person power and connection.
So enjoy the list of Thom Bond’s universal needs, and here are some prompts to reflect on: