I recently read a couple of books about people living in desperate situations. One was an autobiography of growing up in communist Albania, the other the story of a Syrian town under siege by Assad’s regime for three years.

Both books were horrific and moving. But even in these extremely difficult situations, people’s lives weren’t relentlessly grim. There were times of great joy and deep connection, of pleasure in small things despite the big picture.

That got me thinking about the concept of thriving – of what we really need in order to have a good life.

Sothe other day I asked people what thriving meant to them. Here are some typical replies:

A regular dose of immersion in nature, a good laugh and spending time with people who are positive and supportive.

Having space to be present in the moment, relationships which are mutually beneficial and being heard, noticed or valued.

When I was in my 30s-50s thriving felt like making progress, making things happen, driving things forward, changing and challenging things and it was exciting and inspiring. In my 60s faced with unexpected personal life challenges, thriving would mean, not worrying or fretting so much, being able to take pleasure from life and bring back the joy.

Of course this is not a representative survey, just responses from people in my network, but these responses reminded me of the Fundamental Human Needs proposed by Chilean development economist, Manfred Max-Neef. Writing in the 1980s he criticised development policy of the time for (among other things) focusing solely on subsistence needs.

He argued that life is about much more than survival – and that we have a total of nine needs that are fundamental to being fully human:

1. Subsistence covers physical survival requirements like food, water, shelter, and healthcare. However, it extends beyond mere biological needs to include the conditions necessary for maintaining life with dignity.

2. Protection involves safety, security, and freedom from harm. This includes physical protection but also emotional security, legal rights, and social systems that provide stability and predictability.

3. Affection encompasses love, friendship, caring relationships, and emotional bonds. This need highlights humans’ requirement for connection, intimacy, and belonging with others.

4. Understanding relates to learning, knowledge, curiosity, and intellectual development. This need drives humans to explore, question, analyse, and make sense of their world.

5. Participation involves engagement in social life, decision-making, and collective activities. This need reflects humans’ social nature and desire to contribute to their communities.

6. Leisure covers rest, recreation, play, and activities that provide enjoyment and renewal. This need recognises that humans require downtime and pleasurable experiences for well-being.

7. Creation involves creativity, innovation, and the drive to make or build something new. This need encompasses artistic expression, problem-solving, and the satisfaction of bringing ideas into reality.

8. Identity relates to sense of self, belonging to groups, and understanding one’s place in the world. This need includes personal identity as well as cultural and social identity.

9. Freedom encompasses autonomy, choice, and the ability to determine one’s own path. This need includes political freedom but also personal agency and the capacity to make meaningful decisions about one’s life.

It’s been a while since I’ve looked at Max-Neef’s Fundamental Human Needs, studying them again now they seem to capture what it means to thrive.

I’m not suggesting that communist Albania or war torn Syria are places where people can be expected to thrive - many of these needs are obviously unmet in those kinds of situations. But even in extremely harsh conditions, some of these fundamental human needs, like affection, understanding, participation, creation and identity can be met, often quite fully.

It’s also apparent that despite living in one of the richest countries in the world, for many people’s needs aren’t currently satisfied:

Subsistence: Rising living costs, food and fuel poverty, and regional health inequalities undermine basic security.

Protection: Precarious work, reduced public services and widespread anxiety weaken people’s sense of safety and stability.

Affection: Loneliness, weak community bonds and growing mental health issues leave many emotionally disconnected.

Understanding: Education is exam-focused, critical thinking is undervalued and misinformation erodes shared understanding.

Participation: Political disengagement, limited local influence and workplace disempowerment restrict meaningful involvement.

Leisure: Overwork, time scarcity and commercialised entertainment diminish genuine rest and recreation.

Creation: Unequal access to creative opportunities and underfunded arts limit self-expression outside market contexts.

Identity: Cultural divides, consumerist identities and social exclusion challenge belonging and self-worth.

Freedom: Economic pressure, surveillance and social conformity constrain true personal and collective freedom.

I wrote earlier that:

The more our work [i.e. on sustainability and climate change] helps people to thrive today, the more likely people are to support that work, to believe that future benefits are relevant to them, and to trust that they might actually be delivered.

Of course, it’s nothing new to argue that climate, nature and sustainability projects and initiatives that offer short term benefits are more likely to be supported. But benefits in these situations are typically financial (save or make money) or jobs. These other fundament human needs are rarely considered.

What if we applied a “thrivability lens” to every climate, nature and sustainability project or initiative, when planning and reviewing them? If we explored with everyone involved and affected, how the project could be scoped and developed in ways that helped people meet their fundamental needs?

What do you think? Please let me know!

More…

The books I mentioned are Free: Coming of Age at the End of History by Lea Ypi and The Book Collectors of Daraya by Delphine Minoui. (BTW if you buy via these links we, and independent bookshops, receive a small commission. Or borrow from your local library like I did.)

Manfred Max-Neef’s Fundamental Human Needs were first described in English in his book Human Scale Development (pdf). Very insightful, but very dense reading! I found a good summary here.

Many of our fundament human needs are deeply intwined with connection and relationships – see also the quotes at the start. Sam Dressler argues that, for good reason, there’s a “connection craze” at the moment. But its potential for civic renewal risks being captured and monetised. Read Connection Grift (long read).

Locally…

I’m making a conscious effort to get off screen and outside to visit places and meet people.

• The relaunch of Edinburgh Soup that I mentioned last time was a huge success in building connections and funding good projects. Plans are now afoot for more events with new partners across the city.

• Not sure if there are any places left, but I’ll be at the Edinburgh Circular Economy Network’s Supper Club on Thursday 13 November.

• If you’re a podcaster in Edinburgh, join me at the Podcasters Pub & Pizza Meet Up on Monday 24 November. I’m organising this with my podcaster hat on: I’ll soon be launching Thrivable Scotland, thrivable planet (working title).