MAZLOW

Maslow was a psychologist who talked about how we gain happiness. He had what he called a hierarchy of needs beginning with basic life needs such as air, food, water, shelter, warmth, sleep, etc. The second basic need was our safety need. When I first studied Mazlow’s hierarchy of needs my professor talked about needing to be safe from drive by shootings, war, and violence. Maslow never imagined that a safety need would include protecting our identity from cyber space villains.

Today I needed to buy something and pay a couple of bills online. First there was the bank. What was my user name and password? The online store wanted the same information as did the utilities we do business with. In order to protect my identity every place has a different user name and password. I got out my book of passwords. This very valuable book list hundreds of names and passwords all unique to me and my husband. In there are also the answers to security questions that a bank or other business might ask in the unlikely event I forget my password.

We hear of wars in far off countries but the war on our computers can be just as frightening because we are the ones fighting this daily battle. So my children laugh at my need to have a book of user names and passwords. Laugh they may, but I am one step closer to true happiness.