Predictability – The Needs’ Year (Week 52)
I heard sirens in the distance. Then I saw the square and blue lights from a couple of police cars. I paid no direct attention to it and kept on running. When I came back to the apartment, my partner had just returned home from a dinner in central Stockholm with her...
Authenticity – The Needs’ Year (Week 51)
I was at a concert and on the other side of the venue, I saw my ex-girlfriend’s new partner for the first time. I was still gloomy after we had broken up. After a while, he came up to me and introduced himself: “Hello, I’m Carl. I just thought...
Intimacy – The Needs’ Year (Week 50)
I always start my blog posts in the Needs’ Year with a personal story. Partly it’s because I want to examine how a specific need manifests itself in my life. Another purpose has been to try to capture the reader’s attention. A personal story often conveys...
Closeness – The Needs’ Year (Week 49)
“I wish I had no feelings!” I was lying at home in my teenage room thinking about the girl I was in love with. My feelings of love were unanswered and I felt like the loneliest boy in the world. If I didn’t have any feelings, I wouldn’t have to suffer as I...
Order – The Needs’ Year (Week 48)
“I’m sorry, but I need to cancel our meeting. I can’t find my ID.” I was calling a friend. We had decided to meet, going to the bank to finally sign the last documents to be able to open a bank account in the newly formed Swedish NVC association. I needed...
Shared Reality – The Needs’ Year (Week 47)
“NASA has said that if all the ice in Antarctica melts, the oceans will rise by just two decimetres.” My father looked at me encouragingly and waited for an answer. I asked (a bit weary) “Can you show me the source where NASA claims this?” For the...
Love – The Needs’ Year (Week 46)
I was in my early teens walking down the school corridor on one of the first days of ninth grade. When I reached my locker, I saw Anki and Hubbe sitting and kissing. They started giggling when they saw me. I unlocked my locker, hung up my jacket and took the school...
Play – The Needs’ Year (Week 45)
The kids are hanging on to me in bunches. A horde of 20 small seven-year-olds are trying to drag me to the ground. I stagger forward and can barely stand up. I plead in a complaining voice: “Please stop! I cannot take it anymore!” This only triggers them to try...