Widening Circles

Through the filter of Spiral Dynamics, we see that our value view tends to develop in widening circles of care, compassion and concern.

We start out mostly oblivious to anything (fetus, infant), and then expand our circle of concern from our human self (ego-centric), via our group such as family, tribe, ethnic/religious groups and nation (ethno-centric), to our species, all life and the planet as a whole (deepening world-centric), to eventually all of Existence beyond and embracing all polarities (deepening transdual).

The good news here is that there is that this does seem to reflect a genuine developmental process. If the conditions are right we do develop as individuals, and - through a progressive shift of our collective center of gravity - we also gradually evolve as a society, culture and civilization.

The bad news is that our current center of gravity is at red, blue and (in industrial societies) orange. Our collective situation demands interventions at orange, green - and optimally - at second tier levels, while our center of gravity is far below that.

Will we be able to take the appropriate actions, from wider circles of concerns, before it is too late? Before regional and global ecosystems unravel to the point where they take our civilization with them, or before we commit mass suicide through weapons of mass destruction.

Again, there is good and bad news within this particular form of bad news. The bad news is that one or a small group with access to these weapons can do large segments of humanity in. The good news is that only the global leaders need to be at second tier to trigger large scale structural changes (they need to be informed enough to meet people where they are at while initiating these changes).

And there is further bad news for our species in case there is a massive unraveling of ecosystems and human culture. The good news within this is that the Earth will continue to evolve, as it has through many - apparent - setbacks in its history. And it is also just one planet of an immense number throughout the universe, many of which have most likely evolved into life.

In this wider context, we see that what is a disaster from the view of the human species may not be so from the view of the Earth, and is most likely not so at all from the view of the Universe as a whole.