Integral Sustainability

Rough outline of a brief article on integral sustainability...

I live my life in widening circles
that reach out across the world
I may not ever complete the last one,
but I give myself to it.
- Rainer Maria Rilke

Main story

• Deepening transdual view
  
  • Widening circles of care, consern and compassion.
  • Care for the whole spiral, wherever people are.
  • More aligned with Existence as it is, already more than and including any and all polarities.
  • Need to be real and meet people where they are, use a language they can hear
    
• Comprehensive (quadrants: inner/outer, one/many)
• Include ourselves (also as a tool for transformation)
  
  

• Intro
  
  • Comprehensive
  • Developmental
  • Guideline for own engagement/strategies
    
• AQAL
  
  • Levels
    
    • Widening circles
    • Holarchical development (transcend & include)
      
  • Four quadrants
    
    • Inner/outer, one/many
      
• Specific to sustainability
  
  • SD phases & sustainability
    
    • First tier (general + phases)
    • Second tier (general + phases)
      
  • Examples
    
    • Language (embedded above)
      
    • Applied
      
• Integral practice
  

• Intro
  
  • Comprehesive, common-sense approach, based on our current knowledge (from west & east)
  • A map to help us orient, form strategies, and align our work with that of others.
  • Become real, take the real terrain into account, look at where people are at and what they are able to hear. Meet people where they are at. Become real about why people would take these issues seriously.
    
    
• Brief overview of integral framework
  
  • Holarchies
    
    • Every system is a whole in itself and a subsystem in a larger whole.
      
  • AQAL
    
    • Four Quadrants
      
      • Four terrains, areas of reality
        
      • Interior/exterior, one/many
    • Lines of development
      
      • Examples
        
        • Cognitive, emotional, relational, aesthetic, moral etc.
      • Spiral Dynamics
        
        • History: first found categories, then predictable progression.
        • Increasing levels of complexity.
          
        • First tier: I am right, you are wrong (tier chauvinism). Second tier: embracing the whole spiral, concerned with the health of the whole spiral.
          
  • Benefits
    
    • More comprehensive approach, more thorough change (avoid some surprises from quadrants left out).
      
    • Integrally informed, aids strategy planning, coordination and cooperation.
      
  • Applications: integral practice, sustainability, business, design, culture change, etc.
  • Similarities with permaculture (may write this for a permaculture journal)
    
    
• Applied to sustainability & culture change
  
  • Quadrants.
    
    • Examples of each quadrant, related to sustainability/culture change.
    • Examples of approaches that includes each quadrant.
    • The benefits of including each quadrants (more comprehensive).
    • The benefits of being integrally informed even if do not include each quadrant (coordination).
    
    
  • Lines/levels
    
    • Spiral dynamics
      
      • Background
        
        • Based in research (not baseless philosophy)
          
        • Found categories of worldviews/value-memes
          
        • Then found progression in a predictable sequence
        • Each relate to nature in a particular way, and has a typical "eco-self"
          
      • Increased complexity/inclusiveness at each level, increased flexibility
        
        • Reduced fear
          
          • Widening circles ("us" becomes more and more inclusive)
          • Increased flexibility and more tools in the toolbox (from previous phases)
      • Widening Circles
        
        • Circle of care, concern and compassion becomes more inclusive
        • Pushing the boundary our chauvinism outwards
        • Egocentric, ethnocentric, worldcentric
          
        • Moves into a deepening transdual view, especially at end of first tier and at second tier.
        • Gradually more aligned with what is (Existence as it is), more than and includes both ends of any and all polarities.
          
          • Me - other
          • Humans - other species
          • Culture - nature
          • Current generation - past/future generations
          • Mind - body
          • Spirit - matter
          • Existence - nonexistence
            
          • etc.
      • General development
        
        • Egocentric (red), ethnocentric (blue), worldcentric (orange)
          
        • Preconventional (red), conventional (blue, orange), postconventional (green)
          
        • Modern (orange), post-modern (green), integral (second tier)
      • Solves problems of the previous level
        
        • Each new level solves some of the problems of the previous level, and create new problems (new areas in the blind zone) in turn partially solved by the following level.
        • Each level has a blind zone (areas left out which eventually comes up as a problem)
        • Cycles from individual (red, orange, yellow) focus to collective (blue, green, turquise) focus.
          
      • Holarchical development
        
        • Widening circles
        • Each level a holon, transcend and include the previous ones (the previous levels are accessible at any later/higher/wider level)
          
        • Some of each previous level included in the following
        • Some left out as well (some of the exclusiveness dropped)
          
    • General overview of first & second tier
      
      • Second Tier
        
        • Steps back and sees the bigger picture
          
        • Appreciate the whole spiral, all levels of development, and seek the health of the whole spiral
          
        • Ever deeply worldcentric: care for all being + the health of the whole spiral
        • Gradually more deeply transdual and integrative
          
        • Flexibility to meet people where they are at, to use a language they understand, to apply strategies that they will support.
        • Inclusive, fluid and comfortable enough to use a language that makes sense to the recipient (set aside one's own views for a while).
          
        • Apply strategies to facilitate the health of the whole spiral, and help people along the spiral.
        • Systems view, holarchies.
        • 2% of population
          
      • First tier
        
        • Phase-centric
          
          • I am right, you are wrong
          • Typically see lower levels as primitive and ignorant, and higher levels as naive, elitist and/or incomprehesible
            
        • 98% of population
          
    • Specifics of how sustainability looks at each level + approach to change.
      
      • Higher yet
        
        • Nondual
        • Deity mysticism
        • More deeply transdual & integrative, higher reaches of consciousness (towards and into nondual and beyond)
          
      • Coral
        
        • Integral-holonic
          
        • Nature mysticism
        • Ecoself: Eco-sage, unity ethos
          
      • Turquise
        
        • Whole view, synergize, universal holistic system, unites feeling/thinking, grand unification possible
          
        • Global networks, nature-culture systems
          
        • Honor and includes all levels
        • Ecoself: Integral ecologist, inclusive ethos
        • Solves:
          
        • Problem: Can be more deeply transdual/integrative
          
        • 1970s on
          
      • Yellow
        
        • Integrative, integrate and align systems, holarchies, flexibility
          
        • Early integral
        • First second tier phase
        • Honor all levels
        • Ecoself: Eco-holist, holistic ethos
          
        • Solves: flatland (flat web-of-life) approach of green
        • Problem: early synthesis, still somewhat fragmented
          
        • 1950s on
          
      • Green
        
        • Deeper worldcentric: All species included in the circle of care and compassion
        • Web of life, Gaia
          
        • Egalitarian, communitarian, networking, honor diversity, pluralism, against hierarchy, value communities
          
        • Ecopsychology, deep ecology, universe story (also second tier versions)
        • First level where a genuine concern and care for the web of life arises
        • Similar to Paul Ray's Cultural Creatives
          
        • Ecoself: Eco-radical, equality ethos
          
        • Solves: rampant individualism, oppressive hierarchies, blindness to ecological concerns
          
        • Problem: flatland, does not take development and hierarchies into account
          
        • Final first tier level
          
          • Orientation of embracing all perspectives, although not those who themselves are exclusive
            
          • Leave out holarchies and holarchical development
          • Green tends to leave out a developmental perspective (in favor of an exclusive egalitarian view)
            
        • 1850s on
        • Where seen (arises first here): deep ecology, post modernism, ecopsychology, animal rights, diversity movement
          
        • 10% of population, 15% of power
          
      • Orange
        
        • Early worldcentric: all humans included in circle of care & compassion
          
        • Protect resources for current & future generations
        • Pragmatic, science based, individualistic, achievement oriented
        • Similar to Paul Ray's moderns
          
        • Ecoself: Eco-strategist, rational ethos
          
        • Solves: herd mentality and ethnocentrism of blue, rigid hierarchies, blind obediance
          
        • Problem: leaves out concern for ecosystems, nonhuman species, future generations
        • Where seen: the enlightenment, materialism, liberal self-interest, mainstream democrats
          
        • 1700 AD on
          
        • 30% of population, 50% of power
          
      • Blue
        
        • Ethno-centric (our value group, nation, religion etc.)
        • Conformist, rules, order, laws & regulations, strong sense of "right and wrong" and "good and bad", often ancient source, rigid social hiearchies, paternalistic
        • Similar to Paul Ray's traditionalsts
          
        • Stewardship, caring for creation
        • Ecoself: Eco-manager, stewardship ethos
          
        • Solves: rampant individualism of red level.
          
        • Problem: ethno-centric, we are right & you are wrong, imposing own values on others.
        • Where seen: religious conservatives, totalitarianism, fundamentalism, patriotism
          
        • 3000 BC on
          
        • 40% of the population, 30% of power
          
      • Red
        
        • Ego-centric, heroic, "terrible twos"
          
        • Eco-warrior, won't be constrained, ego over larger system
        • Ecoself: Eco-warrior, heroic ethos
          
        • Problem: exclusive ego-focus, leaves out the concerns of the collective
        • Where seen: terrible twos, rebellious youth
          
        • 7000 BC on
          
        • 20 % of world population, 5% of the power
          
    • Benefits
      
      • Be familiar with all of the terrain, what is actually out there
        
        • If use only for instance green level language, none of the levels below will be able to hear it (sounds naive at best)
          
      • Less exclusive in communication
        
      • Use a language that is understood at the particular levels (speak a language they can hear from their worldview/value perspective)
      • Gain cooperation and form partnerships
        
    
    
  • Example
    
    • Discussion courses
      
      • How integral
        
        • Quadrants: UL, with influence on LL & R
        • SD relatively narrow range (orange and up)
          
      • How to complement
        
        • Quadrants: LL (structural change in all areas of society) and right side (technologies etc)
          
        • Extend range down
          
      
      
  • Integral practice
    
    • Body, mind and spirit and self, culture and nature
    • Examples of what can be included in personal practice.
      
      • Body: excercise, hiking, yoga, tai chi, etc.
        
      • Mind: Studies, framework.
        
      • Spirit: yoga, tai chi, chi gong, meditation, prayer, etc.
        
      • Culture/society: engagement.
      • Nature: engagement, hikes, etc.
        
    • Benefits of integral practice
      
      • Balanced health/development + speed up development
        
      • More healthy/balanced engagement in the world (take care of your self as an expression of the Earth, and an instrument for change)
      • Explore and model how we each can progress through the levels