Thanks for the link to Robb’s article. I’ve probably read it in the past, but will do so again when time permits.
That is a challenge, as the communications between folks at this very ILC site attests to. Finding and maintaining awareness of what are core and primary and foundational commonalities, regardless of stage of development, seems necessary. For some, the commonalities or ‘sameness’ may stem from a sincere religiosity or spirituality (e.g. my True Self is your True Self, no difference, identical). Without that, there is always our shared humanity; we’re all human, we all eat and sleep, laugh and cry, fret and brood, feel pain and pleasure in relationships, share DNA and the same moon and sun, etc. etc.
For me personally, I don’t have a rigid expectation that everyone will “get along,” that there will be no conflict or pain. Conflict is a part of life. A seed sprouting, reaching towards the light, in its pushing against the soil is at variance with the soil, and that is a form of elementary conflict in the evolution of a plant. Mammals, including human ones, experience labor pains in the process of contracting and pushing to birth another generation, and that too is evidence of a very basic form of conflict.
I also don’t expect there to be unlimited connection in terms of depth. The higher/later the stage of development, the greater depth of consciousness there is in that person/group. Integral-speak says “the more depth, the less span,” which is why the numbers/percentages of people at earlier stages of development than orange-rational are far greater than those at later stages, such as pre-integral green and integral. While we can certainly have functional, working relationships with people at different stages of development than our own, the depth (or ‘height’) of connection, and the ability to see eye-to-eye on many things will be limited.
Even people within the same stage of development do not all see eye-to-eye or get along, sort of the way flies can hang out with butterflies but not spiders, even though they are all insects, or the way sparrows can hang out with finches but not hawks, even though they are all birds, Within species, within stages, creatures do not always mix well. And between stages, it can be even more challenging. Conflict and any associated pain seem baked in to this manifest realm, perhaps all the more so because we remain an egoic culture, having failed as of yet to become a subtle-soul culture, as you and I are both interested in. It’s sort of incredible we keep breathing through it all, the conflict and pain, and that as many of us stay interested and committed to bettering things as we do.
In reviewing some pages from Wilber’s Religion of Tomorrow book, I was reminded of some things about the Integral stage that may be pertinent in this discussion. For one thing, he points out that Integral is the first major stage of development where a number of individuals actually knew it was coming. With the 60s revolutions (which began in the '50s), no one actually knew (including those early greens) that there would be the massive changes that resulted from those revolutions.
But, during this same period, researchers were doing developmental studies and had already identified the Integral stage (called by different names by different theorists), and a coming “Integral revolution” was expected (by a small group of people) who watched for signs of it. His point is that through this “watching for it,” a self-reflective awareness was born in those people (and successive ones–some of us) that they were “close to the edge of evolution itself.” This self-reflection can reactivate narcissistic tendencies (and other psychological dysfunctions).
Which is why, says Wilber (and LaWanna), “waking up” is so important, to help with transcending the ego and separate-self sense, and why keeping humility as a constant characteristic of self-awareness is so important. Cleaning up/shadow work is also important for the same reasons.
Another thing he says is that people at the Teal stage tend to have a sense of “certainty and self-security.” Whereas people at the integral Turquoise stage tend to have a “wobbling insecurity” (because they are close to 3rd Tier where there is a good amount of genuine transpersonal awareness). This makes me think of how the stages have been characterized by some as generally alternating (e.g. amber–collective, or feminine; orange–individualist or masculine; green–collective or feminine; and to follow this on out: integral teal–individualist or masculine and integral turquoise–collective or feminine.) (We could maybe also think in terms of the competitiveness–cooperation poles, apply them.)
To apply this security/certainty–insecurity/uncertainty dichotomy to the stages, we would have amber–insecure; orange–secure; green–insecure. I think Suzanne Cook-Greuter has addressed something similar to this in her stages of identity. I don’t know if this is of any help Michelle with your concerns, but maybe it adds new pieces to the puzzle.
Finally, I will admit I am a little confused by claims or wonderings that Integral may be practicing “tyranny,” at the same time as claiming or wondering or questioning that Integral is “doing nothing.” Integral is tyrannical in its doing nothing? Seems like an oxymoron, but maybe not.
