The Daily Evolver

Today Jeff and Corey respond to listener feedback, focused on how we evolve (both as individuals and as cultures) by “transcending and including” our previous stages of development. But, practically speaking, how do we know what to include and what to transcend? Kristina from Idaho writes: “I’m asking myself how to discern what cannot or should not be included in the movement toward an integral perspective. Can you give any kind of guideline or perhaps qualities of previous levels that should NOT be brought forward?” Durwin from Canada provides a good explanation using the example of traditionalism (Amber Altitude): “We need to affirm the healthy expression of amber/traditionalism collectively, while personally, the goal is to heal any remaining amber sub-personalities, so that we can experience the “mini-transformation” that comes from no longer having any of our subjectivity stuck there.” And, Mimi K. writes: “Red, amber. orange, green and integral seem to be all alive and well on this planet. Earlier stages used to last for millennia before a new one emerged. How can we keep red, amber orange and green from destroying each other before Integral can embrace and contain them?” Being conscious of our own development allows us to deliberately participate in it. Here are some insights to help guide the way.

Today we share Jeff’s guest appearance on the episode We can’t evolve without these traditional values from Steve Harper‘s “What’s Your Theory?“ webcast. Steve and Jeff explore the interior qualities of traditionalism (amber altitude), and how to recognize, respect and nurture their power in one’s self and others. The conversation is organized around three touchstones: Joseph Campbell, whose insights into “the hero’s journey“ reveal the deep structures of myths throughout history, and their value in giving our lives direction and meaning. “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” the classic Frank Capra film where an idealistic young Senator (Jimmy Stewart) champions honor and sacrifice over the interests of money. Jordan Peterson, whose wildly popular YouTube videos and new bestseller “12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos“ seek to reanimate a heroic traditionalism, particularly for young people who are deficient. This podcast is a companion piece with the episode, “The Beauty (and Baggage) of Traditionalism,” where Jeff provides a more theoretical context for the amber altitude of development. Stephen T. Harper is the host of the “What’s Your Theory” podcast, where he and Jeff have a regular series of “Integral Chats.” Steve is also the author of the Kings X Saga, a series of novels blending contemporary fantasy and world history.

Today, in a more theoretical turn, Jeff looks at key principles of Integral theory that illuminate the traditional stage of development (amber altitude) and how it arises both within human culture and in each individual human being. The goal of traditionalism is to civilize the chaos of the previous warrior stage (red altitude). “Might is right” becomes “right is right,” as we enter a world of meaning and purpose oriented toward a transcendent God or Pureland. One goal of integralism (teal and turquoise altitudes) is to reclaim what is good, true and beautiful from all previous stages. In this episode, Jeff looks at the deep structures of traditionalism and how we can nurture its most healthy expression in our culture, and in our own minds and hearts.

It was Super Bowl Sunday last week, America’s great secular holiday where the nation’s top two football teams go to battle to prove who is the ultimate champion. All the attention and hoopla do not, however, hide the fact that football’s popularity is waning in American culture. Attendance has been down steadily (yesterday’s Super Bowl continued an eight-year decline in viewership), as has participation in football programs in communities, schools and colleges across the country. . The main reason? The awareness of the effects of head trauma caused by the violent contact that is central to the game. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that 110 of 111 brains of NFL players had chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Hundreds of personal stories are also being told, exemplified by a major article in yesterday’s New York Times describing the sad decline of 43 year old Rob Kelly, who left major league football 15 years ago and whose mind, as described by his wife, Emily, is now “destroyed.” Sports represent healthy “red altitude” developmental energy in our culture, the progressive civilization of blood sports that seeks to express physical aggression and competition in ever more benign forms. Football is still with us, but its popularity is undermined with every new case of the tragic personal price paid by so many of our heroes who play it.

Today we look at President Trump’s State of the Union address, where he made opening moves toward a grand bargain to overhaul the U.S. immigration system and rebuild the nation’s infrastructure. What are the policy and political ramifications? Can we trust the guy who brought us birtherism? Are Democrats willing to give Trump victories they themselves want (and Republicans would never give them)? In this episode we deploy integral thinking to shed some new light on these two issues so crucial to America’s future.

Today Jeff continues his ongoing conversation with Greg Thomas, an integral thinker who is pioneering a new way forward in race relations in the U.S. Greg advocates transcending the postmodern emphasis on racial identity in favor or embracing what is a broader American cultural identity, of which all Americans are an inextricable part. Greg advances a rich lineage of Black intellectual thought that includes Albert Murray and Ralph Ellison. Today Greg and Jeff discuss Ellison’s famous essay, “The Little Man at Chehaw Station: The American Artist and His Audience”. The title character, the “little man,” stands in for any person of any station who wholeheartedly participates in the American culture. As Ellison writes, “[The Little Man] demands that the relationship between his own condition and that of the more highly placed be recognized. He senses that American experience is of a whole, and he wants the interconnections revealed. And not out of a penchant for protest, nor out of petulant vanity, but because he sees his own condition as an Inseparable part of a larger truth in which the high and the lowly, the known and the unrecognized, the comic and a tragic, are woven into the Americans skein.”

Star Wars is one of the most treasured film franchises in history, and one of the very few that is enjoyed by such a massive and cross-generational audience. The original trilogy is often collectively referred to as a pop culture masterpiece, and even the less-renowned prequel trilogy has earned its place in the hearts of fans around the world. Now we are in the midst of the third trilogy in the franchise, inspiring yet another generation of young padawans across the galaxy — well, across the planet at least. Today Jeff is joined by Cindy Wigglesworth and Corey deVos, and together they dive deeply into the rich mythology and mysticism of the Star Wars universe — sharing their personal connection to Star Wars, their integral appreciation of its central themes and allegories, and their best guesses as to where the Force may be taking us next. *SPOILER WARNING* Cindy, Corey, and Jeff get into some of the plot details of The Last Jedi, so enter at your own risk!

Imagine a world that is lit up with the loving intelligence of the Divine. Where spiritual practitioners realize their identity as evolving beings in an evolving kosmos, a kosmos that is teeming with life including all sorts of of celestial beings, angels, seraphim, and extraterrestrials from billions of inhabited worlds like ours. And that these beings love us, communicate with us, and guide us as we grow toward ever-greater expressions of goodness, truth and beauty. Welcome to The Urantia Book, a spiritual revelation that came into being in the early 20th Century and has inspired generations of adherents since. Today Jeff talks with Byron Belitsos, author of the new book, Your Evolving Soul: The Cosmic Spirituality of the Urantia Revelation, about the principles of these deep and beautiful (and controversial!) teachings, and how they can illuminate our spiritual development.

In this episode we look at the continued emergence of postmodern consciousness (green altitude), using a current example from the U.S. financial sector. Last week Laurence D. Fink, founder and chief executive of BlackRock, the world’s largest investor fund, informed business leaders that if they want any of the the $6 trillion he invests they are going to have to serve a social purpose. “To prosper over time,” he said, “every company must not only deliver financial performance, but also show how it makes a positive contribution to society.” This is a sentiment that was anathema to the business community a generation ago, and actually opposed as counterproductive by respected economists such as Milton Friedman. But yesterday’s financial heresy is going mainstream today. What’s up? Emergence, the one thing we can count on…

Donald Trump has just completed the first year of the most unlikely, outrageous presidency in modern history. What do we make of it? In this episode Jeff looks at Trump’s impact on the exterior aspects of American life (actual policies and their effects on people) as well as his impact on the interior aspects (the culture and individual consciousness).