The Daily Evolver

As I write this posting I can’t help but remember an incident that happened a couple decades ago when I was working with W. Scott Peck, the author of The Road Less Traveled, one of the most popular spiritual books of the era (13 years on the NYTimes best-seller list). We became good friends over time, and I remember him once asking me “what is the profession that you would most hate to be a member of?” My answer was easy: “TV preacher,” a group of cringe-inducing hucksters who I saw as the lowest of the low. He looked back at me, took a drag on his ever-present cigarette and replied, “then that is what you shall become.” And so I kinda have, albeit the internet variety, spreading the good news not of Jesus Christ (not exclusively at least), but of Emergence Itself, the upward draft of life, the procreant urge of the world, as Whitman wrote. Here’s an audio of a sermon (oh God, really?) I presented for a group on a recent Sunday morning at the Integral Center here in Boulder. It’s a basic overview of how evolutionary theory is able to integrate essentially all human spiritual paths into a larger embrace where each can be appreciated for the gifts it brings. This is the theory behind a new, indigenous form of integral spiritual lineage. The actual practice of this lineage is currently under construction by path-breaking spiritual teachers all over the planet. Interested in a little integral evangelism? Have a listen…

Fox News has itself been making news the last week or so. First was the report that their ratings have fallen, part of a two-year slide. Then a couple days ago Public Policy Polling released data showing that viewer trust in Fox News has fallen to an all-time low, down 8% in two years. This slide has been no doubt exacerbated by Fox News’ “in-the-bubble” coverage of the presidential election (culminating in the surreal, and now infamous, election night scene of Karl Rove playing the role of Republican Baghdad Bob in his refusal to believe the results coming in from Ohio). I recorded a few thoughts about Fox News and the evolving role they play in American tribal politics and culture wars. Audio is posted below…

How do we wrap our heads around the idea of progress when there is still so much suffering in the world and so much obviously wrong?  We look around and see the violence in the Middle East, the rising of the oceans, the precariousness of our economic systems, the hypocrisy of politics, not to mention extreme weather, epidemics and Honey Boo Boo — the list of things to worry about is long and scary. This is progress? My thesis, of course, is yes and it has stimulated many terrific conversations with evolutionary-minded people. One of them is Jeremy Johnson, a reader of the Daily Evolver out of new New York. As founder of the blog Evolutionary Landcapes, and having just finished up a degree in consciousness studies at Goddard College, Jeremy is a worthy conversation partner, so … we decided to tape a discussion we had on the topic of progress and share it with you here.

With everything in flux on multiple global fronts, including events in the Middle East, the budget debate in the US, and the frenzied antics of Charlie Sheen, the continuing nuclear crisis story in Japan seems to have been pushed off the front page. We wanted to be sure not to drop the ball on this tremendously important story, so David and I take a look at how an Integral perspective can help us make sense of the ongoing aftermath of the Japanese earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis. Here we discuss: How do we keep our heads in a complex crisis situation where there is so much fear and so many unknown consequences? How do we make intelligent decisions when there is so much at stake on a personal level, a national level, and a global level? Should nuclear power still be included in our energy solutions for the future, or should the nuclear crisis in Japan be considered a deterrent against nuclear energy? So what do you think? How does an Integral perspective help you sort out your own reaction to and relationship with what we have been seeing in Japan over the past several weeks? Let us know in the comments below!

The extraordinary events in the Middle East continue to unfold this week with the revolution in Libya. In a few short weeks, the forty-year-old reign of Muammar Qaddafi finds itself hanging by a thread in Tripoli. In this interview, David Riordan and I take a look at what’s been happening in Libya, asking the following questions: What makes Libya different than Egypt? (0:00) How does Libyan oil influence our decisions about what actions to take? (6:23) How can we help modernism arise in Libya? (11:50) What new muscles do the U.S. and western powers need to develop to support the rise of modernism in the world? (17:10) What do events in Libya mean to emerging global culture? (22:10) So what do you think? Are we currently seeing evolution, revolution, or regression taking place in Libya? Let us know in the comments below!

It has been an extraordinary few weeks in the life of the Egyptian people and the world as they stood up and demanded a change in leadership in their country. In this interview, David Riordan and I take a look at what’s been happening in Egypt, and where it may lead the country in the future. Join us as we try to make Integral sense of this ongoing revolution in the heart of the Arab world. So what do you think? Are we currently seeing evolution, revolution, or regression taking place in Egypt? Let us know in the comments below!