Hi all, probably nothing new here, but it seems to me that if us humans are going to survive as a species - we need as many of us as possible to move from tier 1 to tier 2 altitude of development. But I have been wondering and I am curious to hear what you all think: How do we get those at tier 1 to listen, to start the journey to tier 2. I think once humans are at tier 2, they are more intrinsically motivated to push forward. But - at tier 1 - I am not so sure. Happy to get any views on what I just said.
Regards
Gary
Hi @gary.niemen, that is basically the perennial integral question, right here 
So I think the short and frustrating answer is, thereâs not much we can do to accelerate this kind of vertical social transformation, other than creating and participating with platforms like these, adding your own voice to the larger integral discourse, and using your own life as a sort of attractor point for others.
The longer and maybe more hopeful answer is, we need to try to find ways for integral to actually identify and engage with problems that can ONLY be solved by integral thinking. The good news is, we seem to have no shortage of these problems today, which is why we recently launched the Institute of Applied Metatheory in order to identify these social leverage points, where a small amount of effort can produce big changes, and then create an entire series of initiatives in order to try to pull those levers. This is something we are just beginning to get off the ground, so stay tuned.
And to make the longer answer even longer, we should also recognize that there is a tension here â because on the one hand, our goal is not to âpull peopleâ up the developmental ladder, but rather to create healthy conditions so that people can grow and develop at their own pace. Like Ken says, âat any point in history the political ideal is to let each stage be itself, and govern from the highest reasonably available at any given time.â
But on the other hand, in order to âgovern from the highestâ stage available to us â which is now the integral stage â we need enough people to actually be operating at those stages. Whatâs more, those people need to be in positions that can exert real influence on the ongoing self-organization of our society.
We often hear things like âthe Renaissance was participated in by only 1000 peopleâ â however, we have to keep in mind that those 1000 people were some of the most well-resourced and influential people of their time, which is how so few people could have such an enormous impact on their surrounding culture and society.
So I think there is no universal answer to your question, as the answer may be as unique as each of our unique kosmic addresses, our unique spheres of influence, and our unique networks of relationship in the world. Personally, my greatest hope is that the work we are doing here at Integral Life can help attract and educate some of these future movers and shakers, who will then go on to exert their influence in the world and help guide our still-adolescent society toward deeper, more sustainable stages of social self-organization.
Which is why I often tell people, if you have any interest at all in these ideas, and if youâve ever wanted to run for political office or lead any kind of transformative endeavor⌠PLEASE DO! This is an inside-out revolution, which means it is one that will emerge through us, not around us.
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Such an excellent answer to my question. Totally agree. I kind of wanted to check my thinking, which was more like a blob (of thought) - that you put into words. Thank you so much.
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Good question! Been focusing a lot of energy on that exact problem. This is just a spit-ball answer - hoping better, more informed ideas are lurking âŚ
To me the Gebserian notion of integral as a âmutationâ to a new type of consciousness makes sense. For Gebser, integral is âaperspectivalâ, effectively adding a new dimension of consciousness. Also, âaperspectivalâ reflects a spherical metaphor, meaning the Gebersian integral perspective has access to the prior perspectives of archaic, magic, mythic, and mental. Wilberâs Integral Theory says essentially the same thing for the transition to teal and second tier. Itâs just that the IT model makes moving from green to teal look like kind of a routine leveling up, whereas the Gebser treatment of this transition underlines the dramatic, paradigm-breaking nature of newly reflexive consciousness at what IT calls second tier. There may well be a good explanation somewhere in Ken Wilberâs massive corpus of writing as to why second tier suddenly has freedom to sample previous tiers, but I am not aware of the underlying mechanism for that transition. The Gebserian version - based specifically on increased dimensionality of consciousness (somewhat comparable to Einsteinian relativistic space-time vs the prior Newtonian view), suggests what is so powerful about second tier.
Now ⌠as to the question of what motivates such a dramatic change âŚ
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I think if we momentarily for the purpose of discussion forgot about the (convenient and academically meaningful) dividing line of âsecond tier,â we indeed can simply think of the Wilber-identified integral stage as just another (natural but limitedly undertaken, therefore seemingly dramatic) step in development, of which many processes of consciousness play a part, reflective processes being one of them. While earlier stages of development than integral can also be reflective, the reflexion is less whole, e.g. maybe reflection on the singular, but not the plural, on the exteriors but not the interiors, or some such partial combination. Yes, this is Wilberâs 4 quadrants, which to me is cornerstone of the integral stage, and reflexion that doesnât include both the inner and outer, the individual and collective is thinking in parts, not thinking in wholes, and is less than integral per se, but this inclusiveness of all four quadrants, while seemingly a âleap,â is also a natural progression, it seems to me. One has the freedom to sample previous tiers because âbeen there, done thatâ (transcending and including). And it seems that the elements, and there are so many of them, that determine whether or not development occurs is also a 4-quadrant affair.
As for the perspectivism of the integral stage, it seems to be an âeverything and nothingâ kind of situation, which makes sense if development is indeed headed towards Wholeness, the Whole/All.
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Thanks both for your input into this question.
I have another question or two brewing now.
I will start new threads for those.
@gary.niemen. I wanted to frame a clever answer to your original question, but instead I ran into a source that encompasses all my better ideas and adds quite a few more:
https://eaea.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/What-is-bildung.pdf
The extract below appears to be a roadmap to 1st-tier-to-2nd-tier transition. I believe the solutions proposed by @corey-devos and @LaWanna can be found among the options, along with some other very interesting ideas âŚ
"3.8. How to promote vertical development
If one cannot teach vertical development, one can at least
promote it. As I see it, there are several ways:
⢠The slow and hard way: life experience.
⢠The somewhat faster, self-focused, and expensive way: combine the life experience with a good coach or mentor.
⢠The also somewhat faster, multi-dimensional, and more interesting way, which also makes one a more interesting person with something to talk about: the arts combined with good teachers.
⢠The cheap and relatively fast, multi-dimensional way, which will also make one a more interesting person with something to talk about: library books and self-organised study circles around great literature, particularly existential philosophy, which is about life choices.
⢠The cheap, hard, useful, and other-focused way, which will also make one a more interesting person with something to talk about: political activism and volunteer work.
⢠The fruitful and hard way: learn another language, study the culture and travel there.
-
Fast track: get out of your comfort zone. For instance:
- Get a child and raise a family.
- Move to another country.
- Skip your job and change your profession.
-
The add-on that always works: engage with somebody who views the world differently from you, listen to them, have deep, respectful conversations and try seeing the world from their perspective. Engage with unlike-minded people.
-
Folk-bildung and ALE (Adult Learning & Education) that challenge your worldview.
-
Any combination of the above."
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Itâs a great list. Thanks for sharing.
I just wonder what is the âhookâ for those at Tier 1 that are not interested or canât see the value or donât even think it is possible to grow/change.
Well - perhaps there is no need to be concerned with that. I think Wilber says we only need to get to 10% of the population.
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Yes, definitely. And even this idea is being semi-institutionalized in some parts of the world. I just read that Denmark has a âHuman Libraryâ where one can check out not a book, but a person for conversation, with the person coming with a title: âunemployed,â ârefugee,â etc. Towards promoting taking the perspective of âother.â
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Hi @gary.niemen - regarding the âhookâ âŚ
Itâs a common insight from developmental psychology that people donât level up to a new form of consciousness because everything is going great at their current level. Rather, there is a growing feeling that things are not quite right, things that used to work donât work any more, contradictions are cropping up more and more, something seems missing ⌠The old system has to show cracks for the new system to break through. There can be associated depression, loss of meaning, âdark nightâ experiences. Old certainties must give way to doubt. Itâs not usually a fun and enjoyable process.
On a deeper level, what motivates human evolution in general? Pick your theology/metaphysics/ontology. Spirit, Consciousness, Eros, the Ever Present Origin - all good words. All inadequate to capture the raging turbulence of being-becoming.
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There is an innate drive in Humans to expand, improve and so on.
I think in order to answer this question for others we first have to answer it for ourselves, without any delusions that we are âhigherâ than we actually are. If there is a delusion that this is a problem to address for the benefit of others or the unwashed masses and not for ourselves I think that is probably the first order of business. Get oneâs own house in order first, and so the question has to be directed inwardly and when the solution has been found inward, the outward will naturally follow.
If one is truly living a second tier life, people will see it and naturally have that innate human sense of FOMO and want it and want to know how they can get it. If people are not asking us with a slight tone of awe how we get our perspectives and how we are able to handle things they struggle with - well, maybe we are not living a second tier life after all.
I get these inquiries occasionally, but the fact that I only get them from a few select people who I judge are in Green - this tells me I have not integrated Orange and below and only partially Green. I judge that if I was fully Integral, I would have everyone I pass every day feeling that they want what I have.
Modern humans are familiar with the âGet ahead of the Jonesesâ. For humans at modern tier you donât have to âmotivateâ them from Red to Orange. They see the clear benefits of it. Similarly, Healthy Green Tier Communities (as opposed to dysfunctional or shadow green) have humans that are currently Orange lining up for their workshops and programs, willing to pay $8,000 for a weekend.
A truly Integral offering will have people lining up around the block to get access to it. But only if it is actually integral. If itâs not quite there - or has some kind of shadow or dysfunction (like trying to elevate others before we elevate ourselves) - nobodyâs going to buy those tickets.
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Hi Gary,
This is a very interesting thought. The tear 2 that you are referring to is the spiral dynamics stages yellow and turquoise. When ego develops to those high stages, it understands all stages below because he already embodied those stages himself during his life experiences. When you are in tear 2, this is only then you are able to understand the importance of the lower stages as you wouldnât be there without the going through previous ones. However, people who are still experiencing life in tear 1 stages, such as orange, blue or even red, they donât think in such terms and they are not aware of the higher stages or even the concept of it. The biggest part of our society is in stages blue and orange. They need to exhaust those stages, reach the point that their world view is not acceptable anymore and they are ready to move on. How to help them. By our life example, by understanding where they are, by being empathetic and patient. Everyone is on the journey, everyone is where is the best place for them at the present moment.
This is what I understood during my exploration, contemplation and own experience.
I would also say that a truly Integral approach to showing people that their world view is not acceptable anymore can also include negative reinforcement. For Orange this can be rational discourse and dogma such as has existed in Academia since Ancient Greece. For Amber (Blue) this can be the threat of existential doom such as Hell or exile, ostracization, imprisonment or other similar punishment through group exclusion. For individuals or groups at Red this negative reinforcement can be verbal such as humiliation for being so absolutely stupid, a punch in the nose or kick in the groin, or ultimately death if the person or group is absolutely not able to stop their violent tendencies and unwilling to progress.
We see this in America now, and we have seen it percolating in Europe and Asia since WWII. Failure and unwillingness to match a threat at the appropriate level and trying to address it at oneâs own individual and societal level has landed us in the spot we are in now both nationally and globally.
We can also look at this at the individual level. If a woman is about to be raped, for example, or other violent threat is clear and present the appropriate 2nd Tier response at that time is not understanding, empathy and patience.
I see the unwillingness to recognize when to leave Green and use a lower level as one of the biggest tells an individual or group is not actually at 2nd tier, but want to believe they are. Even Jesus Christ modeled Red behavior at the merchants in Temples by overturning their carts. The goal when engaging in violence isnât to bring them suddenly to 2nd Tier, which is impossible. The goal is to get them to stop the violent behavior.
I would actually divide all 1st Tier behavior into two categories: that which harms others and that which only harms the self. If the individual or group is only harming themselves, then I see no need to actively interfere. If, however the behavior is harming others, then there is a burden to stop it. For example, when corporations at Orange are harming society, it is necessary to engage them with legal and bureaucratic challenges to force them to cease their harmful behavior. When they start harming others, then itâs possible to use the âcarrotâ approach. Unwillingness to also use the âstickâ of legal action in a society whose laws are at Orange is in my opinion a failure to fulfill oneâs obligations. Of course one cannot engage in every conflict everywhere, so doing oneâs part as one can is oneâs only obligation. Avoidance is failure to engage because of fear, which at Green is most often concealed by spiritual bypassing.
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Just got done reading a long book by JĂźrgen Habermas on cultural evolution. One key point is that new levels emerge through âcognitive dissonanceâ. Namely, the accumulation of facts no longer fits the previous story, or the rituals that are supposed to bind society together are no longer effective for binding society.
One can make an argument that the emergence of AI, biotech, alternative gender identities, etc is messing up a lot of existing stories of how things are and how things ought to be. Likewise, our social rituals (like elections) are not as binding as they might be. So many people are in fact giving things a rethink.
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This is fantastic thanks Iâll check the link out
I doubt that people can be moved up the spiral by force. If the lower stages are not fully integrated and exhausted, they will not understand and will not accept the tear 2 concepts. If we try to force them to accept our world view, it will be met with resistance or indifference. Also, when you are operating from the tear 2, you will not use force to change those in the lower stages as you will understand their perspective. Another thing, the majority of humanity is still at the tear 1 stages, some are battling for survival, some are trying to achieve their individual goals and move away from the dogmas. It will take time for the shift in our collective consciousness and this is a natural process. Humanity is moving upwards slowly, integrating the experiences, and we can choose our response to reality, shine the light around us and inspire others.
I guess it starts with education and transforming how we educate our kids but then that isnât going to happen unless we transform our political institutions and thatâs not going to happen unless we get the right kind of people in those positions and that isnât going to happen if the masses are exhaustively trying to survive and provide for their families, etc. If the Cultural values of say America are imbalanced toward exteriors then that has to change as well. The whole thing seems unlikely yet I havenât given up on the human spirit and throughout history there are examples of people that transformed their views and beliefs in very dramatic ways for reasons not completely clear. I do think that there has to be some kind of âDark Night of the Soulâ period that one must go through in order to grow and come out the other side transformed. Transformation doesnât happen on a lighted stage in takes place in the depths of darkness!
Best,
Brian
Iâll cross pollinate an idea i posted elsewhere.
I rarely / never see in these discussions the idea âHow do I motivate myself to be tier 2 more of the time?â
The idea that once a person achieves Tier 2 for a moment they are permanently there is flawed, counterproductive and a bit humorous bordering on absurd. Like a tram full of unpleasant smelling people all wondering why everyone else smells. âHow do i convince these people to use deodorant?â All the while immune to their own odor. âI dont use deodorant because i dont smellâ.
I think this is the starting place.
Anyone who thinks they are Tier 2 100% of the time is to my mind blind to their own missteps.
âIn what moments today have I fallen into tier 1 emotions and behaviorâ
âWhat can i learn about it so I repeat it less going forwardâ
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Sometimes Iâm Red. Sometimes Iâm Green. Sometimes Iâm Orange, etc. The fact that I accept all of these levels within my being is the Integral level allowing them to coexist within myself.
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I think a lot about what in the education business is called âscope and sequenceâ. Or in project management âcritical pathâ. Namely, what is the total work? And what order must things happen in to complete the overall objectives?
The scope of work Iâm interested in at this point is pretty big - human survival, navigating the metacrisis, reharmonizing the planetary ecosystem - all the hyper-hyper-scaled items. The challenge with all that is that the goals are impossibly out of scale with any individual human life. So it appears that any given daily action by any of us is only very loosely correlated with progress towards such wide-ranging goals. However, if one can identify a leverage-based model in which actions in small immediate systems move variables in larger systems, and the larger ultimately affect the planetary, it is possible to identify constructive action plans even at the personal level. (This all sounds nuts - but itâs basically how the âanthropoceneâ happened in the first place - lots of small behaviors and innovations aggregating to massive historical change).
So looking at your list above, yes, I agree, the masses can and should be trying to survive and provide for families. People should get the jobs they can get that best align with their values, but mostly they just need the jobs. When it comes to education (my professional space), I think waiting for national politicians to figure it out is backwards. Wonât happen. Parents and teachers need to figure it out locally and then let positive innovations bubble up from there. US political institutions are borderline pathological, and they certainly need transformed, but the key to that is transforming people to get to the political. There are all kinds of voluntary associations, communities, practices, disciplines, etc. to support personal transformation. So working through organizations aligned with personal and community growth seems the high-leverage move. (Basically, why I am hanging out here and in similar forums elsewhere on the interwebs).
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