The Daily Evolver

This week I spotlight more of what’s new in cultural evolution:

President Joe Biden leads a memorial to COVID victims and offers consolation to their survivors in a way that brings on the best of “good green”. Green consciousness, “the sensitive self”, is drawn to ever-deeper levels of empathy and care, especially for those who are typically unsung in society. It is the leading edge of human evolution and the part of green that we want to integrate into 2nd tier consciousness. Joe Biden, uniquely qualified by virtue of his personal suffering, is leading the way.

TwinsthenewTrend is the moniker for twin brothers Tim and Fred Williams, now 21, who have become YouTube sensations recording “reaction videos” of themselves listening to all types of music. Their effortless flow and guileless friendliness to all are magnetic and, I argue, represent qualities of integral consciousness that are native to a new generation of young people, two more of whom I profile.

Enjoy the episode! – Jeff

In this episode of Post-Progressive Inquiries, Steve McIntosh and I visit with economist Pia Malaney to ponder economics through the lens of evolutionary theory. We look at what is arising concerning globalism and nationalism, wealth distribution, the future of work, model economies, the culture war between MAGAstan vs WOKEstan, and why Joe Biden gets us from the fire into the frying pan. Hope you enjoy the episode! – Jeff Salzman

Pia Malaney is Co-Founder and Director of The Center for Innovation, Growth and Society and Senior Economist at the Institute for New Economic Thinking.

Her own professional research has focused on economic, biological, and sociological approaches to human welfare. She has held positions at the Harvard Institute for International Development and the Center for International Development at Harvard’s Kennedy School where she worked in collaboration with Asian and African governments on the development of health care and economic policies. She received a BA from Wellesley College and a PhD from Harvard University.

Learn more about the Institute for Cultural Evolution and Steve McIntosh.

In this episode, recorded in the middle of the impeachment trial, I examine both the stunning House prosecution of the worst presidential betrayal in U.S. history (thank you Liz Cheney) as well as the apparent, dispiriting acquittal. It turns out that rationality and the evolution of “laws not men” are not built on solid ground, but are tethered to tectonic consciousness structures that are pre-rational, mythic and magic.

I also look at last week’s Real Time show, where Bill Maher makes a good case about the religious qualities of Trumpism, but … if only he understood development.

Finally, I highlight his guest, Charlotte Alter, who attempts an integral analysis of the cultural “cancellation” of actor Armie Hammer. It may fall flat with Bill — but you’ll get it!

Enjoy the episode and let me know what you think. You can write at [email protected] or leave a voicemail here.

Just when we thought it was safe to go back in the water, out of the depths arises Marjorie Taylor Greene, the QAnon Congresswoman from Georgia who trumps Trump in conspiracy nonsense. In this episode I attempt to bring some integral context to her and QAnon, the spaces they rent in our heads and suggest how we as evolutionary practitioners can relax into a more mature engagement with our ever-morphing culture.

In this episode, Steve McIntosh and I visit with two young leaders, Gary Sheng and Zoë Jenkins, who are activating higher consciousness in Generation Z through their organization Civics Unplugged. 

Civics Unplugged is a community of Gen Z leaders committed to strengthening democracy through civic entrepreneurship in the U.S. and around the world. The organization has received significant attention with partners like Andrew Yang, the Smithsonian, Duane “The Rock” Johnson, and National Geographic.

Wisdom is rarely married to youth, but meeting these two young people gave me greater confidence in our future, and I hope it will for you as well.

– Jeff Salzman

Gary Sheng, a former software engineer with Google, is on Forbes Magazine’s “30 Under 30” list of young innovators. Zoë Jenkins is a 17-year-old equity and justice advocate from Lexington Kentucky.

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Announcement

Are there higher “stages” to friendship? 

My friend, Terry Patten, will be offering a major address on one of our key leverage points in a fragmenting world: our capacity for generosity and friendship.

You’re invited to register for Spiritual Friends Amidst Cultural Madness: The Power of Our Grateful Generosity. The free online event will be Wed, February 3rd 2021 @ 12 Noon PST, and you can watch or listen to the recording at any time.

Hey folks, here’s some commentary I did live today as the Inauguration for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris was unfolding. As always I looked for interesting integral angles, and think I found some. Also, I finally made peace with JLo!

Enjoy and let me know what you think at [email protected]. – Jeff

Photo of National Mall: AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Rand Stagen is well known in the integral world as founder of the Stagen leadership academy. Stagen is the gold standard for leadership training, focused on long-term, disciplined, “leadership practice” which integrates psychological and even spiritual dimensions. I consider Rand to be one of most effective practitioners of applied integral thinking out there, and I enjoyed this conversation immensely. I hope you do too.

“Post-Progressive Inquiries” is a co-production of the Daily Evolver and the Institute for Cultural Evolution. My co-host is the founder of the Institute, Steve McIntosh.

You can find out more about Rand Stagen and the Stagen Leadership Academy here.

Thank you for this hopeful and inspiring conversation. – Donnell Allan

Thanks fellas. I needed this chat. – Mary Evans

Absolutely love you guys. Tons of sense-making along with optimism for the future. It feels good to smile again. – Cee Gee

Last Wednesday we saw a mob assault the US Capitol Building in an attempt to stop the certification of November’s presidential election. Five people have died.

This insurrection was incited by a sitting president of the United States – whose flags then waved from the broken windows beneath the Rotunda. As these astonishing events have sunk in over the past few days, there is a growing sentiment that Trump and rabid Trumpism must be condemned and contained. And that Trump’s political energies – “mean red” in developmental terms – are poisonous to the hard-won civility of a modern society.

In this episode, integral psychotherapist Dr. Keith Witt and I try to add some integral perspective. Let me know what you think at [email protected].

– Jeff Salzman

I start this week with some feisty and insightful letters from listeners and end with an idiosyncratic list of my products of the year, decade and millennium (so far).

Let me know what YOU think! Write to me at [email protected] or leave me a voicemail.

And farewell to a no-fun but probably quite fruitful year. Hope you all have a Happy Holiday! – Jeff Salzman