The last meeting with the Integral Group I've joined was a true eye opener. I have the blessing to have met such well education informed and open minded people that there is no doubt that in the long run they will have made a lasting impact on my life. The presentation was Spiral Dynamics, although I was familiar the talk added depth and insight into my understanding. Most of the information below is paraphrased from the presentation given by a very intelligent and talented lady. After our discussion I went home and listened to a lecture by Don Beck that expanded what I had just learned. For me, it's another great tool in building a context for the world we live in today and understand how people are operating in this world. The aspect of the theory that attracts me the most is that it is based on Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. Once a society or individual is able to stabilize certain needs it opens them up to think on other matters and they begin to look to meet new needs and this process repeats it's self into an upward spiral of social and personal evolution. Coming from the perspective of someone who believes in Christ to looks like the process of human sanctification. Christ of course would be an example of a human an the top of the spiral who has surpassed the classifications of this theory all together. Well I mean he was God incarnate after all (he he).
The classification of each stage, perspective or mindset is a crucial piece of the puzzle that one must get through to get to the next and in each stage there is a healthy and unhealthy aspect as well as spectrum closer to the stage before it or to the next stage to follow. Most societies and individuals are operating out of predominately two stages and leaning toward one or the other but to be their healthiest at each stage they must have mastered or resolved the issues of the previous stage before being able to evolve and access the full capacities of the previous stages when appropriate. Each stage is color coded which makes for an easy discussion of theory.
Beige= survival instincts, baby;
Purple= bonding, tribal, magical thinking, childhood;
Red= Self-sovereign, self only perspective, adolescent;
Blue=socialized, traditional, self sacrifice for future gains, self control, authority internalized, loyal to the group, adulthood;
Orange= self authored, modern achiever, authority found in self, innovative, create a way for them selves do not blindly trust in leaders;
Green= self transforming, more expansive and inclusive, authority is fluid and shared, sense of connectedness drives interactions;
2nd Tier is one where very few humans at this time are. People in the 2nd Tier at
Yellow and
Turquoise etc would have minds that appreciate and work with all previous levels in respectful harmony. Complexity and interdependence are embraced. Peril is confronted with cautious confidence. Authority is "glocalized" to the level at which a problem can be resolved. Those with the most understanding tackle the critical issues. Jobs are assigned based on individual capacity.
I thought deeply on the spiral and each stage and applied it to my personal evolution. I can say with all certainty and even with a little pride that I have the perspective and complexity coping skills of say a Green and even a little 2nd Tier but am far from being full realized in either level. It has been only in the past 5 years that I have stepped fully into blue. And with the common disadvantage of having parents that had little healthy Blue in their experience to instill in me. The other thing that struck me was that many teachers, the ones who are now the primary socializing force among our children today are largely my age or younger with very little healthy Blue to pass down to their students. In our discussion we touched on how the of age Orange and Green of the US has major Blue holes missing from their development. Many lack self-discipline, personal integrity, structure, respect for structure, respect for boundaries and rules etc. Since the 60's a generation may have thrown the baby out with the bathwater and with the good intentions of equality and increase in freedoms left future generatoins with a weakend socialization and fuzzy boundaries.
It suddenly made perfect sense to me that I would be attracted to a conservative Church rather than say Unity Church despite my eclectic views and open mindedness. Something intuitively was drawn to a heavy Blue atmosphere. Instead of an Orange prospering oriented Church or a Green connectedness oriented Church I landed in a traditional southern Bible Belt style Church. Now granted my Church is pastored by a well educated balanced compassionate pastor with a great sense of humor it is still a conservative fundamental Christian Church. They don't even have a Church band we all just sing acapella together which honestly I like more and experience more fully. They also don't allow women to do any ceremonial type duties. Despite all this I never get a sense that anyone respects the women's contribution any less. The concern of course to me would be the toxicity of the lessons or sermons and so far I feel mostly inspired to be a better person and sacrifice for a better future, fellow Christians and the people around me in general. Most lessons are about how to apply the principals and the values in the bible for the greater good in everyday matters. The focus is less on prosperity and more on character building. It is mine and the convictions of many that integrity is the foundation for prosperity.
Recently I found myself starting to feel really good and grounded in Blue. I'm still working on it but the need for it has been realized enough to start focusing on Orange concerns. The biggest blessing I can see is working though these stages with access to the Green perspective instead of the Blue and Orange perspective alone. It some how helps me to draw out and fine tune the aspects of these stages that I intuitively am drawn to work on the most without absorbing too much of the unhealthy aspects of the stages or being stuck. The Green may find Blue too backward and Orange too self oriented but the truth is they made way for Green to even be possible and are both important to our collective evolution. Being the healthiest you can be at any stage provides a model and example to the those in proximity.
How can a Green share the wealth with all of humanity with out the wealth generating inventiveness of the Orange? How could one experience the fullness of a self-authored materially prosperous generous life without the self-sacrifice and discipline of the Blue? How can Green give what they don't have if they haven't experienced Orange or Blue in their own life? How will Orange prosper with integrity in their business dealings without having experienced a good healthy Blue in their life? Instead they will all resort to unhealthy Red! Again I was reminded that even though I'm not out saving the world or doing work with inner city youth or a CPS worker or counselor I am doing the world a service by focusing on my personal growth and filling my own personal needs so that I'm able to open up to helping others in the small ways that I do now is just as important. I know with all certainty this will lead me to giving even larger contributions as I travel down this road and those contributions will be effective.
