In this series of discussions, Daily Evolver host Jeff Salzman talks to Corey deVos and Nomali Perera about some crucial perspectives and practices to help us bring more clarity to our thinking, and more depth to our hearts, as we witness the brutal realities of war in Ukraine.
Part 1: Putin’s War on Modernity
Vladimir Putin’s romantic Russian nationalism has metastasized into megalomania. Will Russian society go along? Will the modern world? Witnessing the heartbreak and resistance of the Ukrainian people.
Part 2: Does Integral Help?
Integral Life’s Editor-in-Chief Corey deVos and I are old integral pals who love talking about current events. Here we turn on the microphone to share our attempt to make sense of the Ukraine conflict.
Part 3: To Contact and Hearten Ukraine — Guided Tonglen Meditation
Thoughts and prayers are not enough. However, sometimes everything and anything helps.
Long-time integral teacher and coach Nomali Perera leads us through the Buddhist practice of “exchanging self for other.” In so doing we are able to contact the suffering in non-local space, and bring wisdom, courage and compassion to all who need it. She led this meditation at a recent event at Integral Life for Ukraine, which was not recorded. I asked her to record this for the Daily Evolver.
Part 4: Ukraine Through the Lens of Development
Considering situations like the Ukraine war from multiple perspectives is like turning up the resolution on a google map. We are able to see more of what is there, how things fit together in a larger pattern and how to better navigate through it all.
*Watching the “Winter on Ice” documentary on You Tube, one of the demonstrators in the 2013-2014 protests said something that has stayed with me as the debate over a no-fly zone has come more to the fore. She said: “Yes we’re scared. But if we don’t come out and defend our position today, we’ll be afraid tomorrow.”
*Also hearing numerous commentators call for describing the situation as the “Putin-Ukrainian war” versus the “Russia-Ukrainian war,” which allows (integrally-speaking) for distinguishing between a red-amber leader and a modern-orange country (among other things).
What a piece of work. Corey, I loved your humble preamble that you might not have anything useful to share, and then both of you plunged in to the river of the logos and kept bringing forth beautiful pearls of integral wisdom. Really an extraordinary piece. I feel humbled, grateful and honored to be able to call you my friends and colleagues. Deep bow.
Thank you for saying so my friend, it means a lot. And for the record, I had the exact same response to your stunning conversation with Kateryna and Vytautas. Such a wonderful, powerful, and often heartbreaking discussion. Nice work John!