Something Wilber said has really got the gear works churning. His comment was basically that the only Green we see in the media is broken Green, therefore people below Green can’t see it properly, and are developmentally hopping over it.
I would actually extend this lack of healthy Green to the Integral media, and say that a large portion of the Integral media is any variation on repress/criticise/kick Broken Green, hence we are actually worsening the lack of healthy Green embodiment by simply focusing on its dysfunctions, perpetuating it in the media. I think we could and should improve our relationship to Green as a collective with a fairer, balanced, bigger picture view that really aims to integrate Green, we do like to consider ourselves integralists after all.
I’ll give an example. There was one Ken Show episode on Social Justice where much of it was dedicated to kicking dysfunctional Green and criticising unhealthy Green. While that is necessary, and while we ideally don’t embody regressive, foaming-at-the-mouth, modern social justice Green, there was not much said about embodying the beauties of centre-of-gravity-Green, nor identifying beautiful Green both in culture and in our interiors, something that one could dedicate many years, or a lifetime to, and of course, something that we’ve all hopefully done in then being able to reflect upon and make an object.
Not knowing much about the feminism movement, I was left with quite a biased view after the Social Justice episode, but after doing my own research, it’s clear that unhealthy feminism is really just a recent phenomenon, and that the large bulk of feminism (WW1- 90s) was a remarkably liberating phenomenon. Surely, surely, we want to promote that, given that a huge percentage of the world population is nowhere near that level of development?
In the worst case, I think sometimes it’s not really a conscious choice: I fear that in much of the integral content, a lot of green shadows are coming out, all while we’re trying to influence and grow the next batch of integral thinkers. These are then collectively reinforced, given the pervasiveness of anti-Green in such circles. Clearly this is a disastrous situation, one that we’d be quite quick to call out Green on while it reflects on Orange, for example.
The positive qualities of Green are simply incredible, and the fact it is just a recent developmental stage, still quite limited on the global scale, only appearing in a major way in the great democracies, is evidence in and of itself of its uniqueness.
It is the first true “Ecocentric” stage, without a serious enactment of which I don’t believe our species will be able to survive. We only need to look at all the political and scientific movement on this for evidence of that.
It is the first stage which cares about animal welfare in a true way, where one’s identity can actually expand to the point where they recognise the striking similarities between themselves and even basic animals. (in my own experience, I remember that before Green came online, animals were a big Other, lesser, dead, insentient; now I can imagine getting in their skin, truly taking on their view, and seeing their own characteristics in my interiors). Again, I think if humanity doesn’t enact this on a wide scale, we are going to remain stuck in a type of living hell, carelessly harming literally billions of other sentient beings. I’d say 90% of the centre-of-gravity Postmodernists I’ve met are either veggies or vegan. It’s our duty to really promote and full embody this element of Green.
It is the first stage, that in my opinion, genuinely cares about the welfare of other human beings. You can see this in non-profits etc., and you can see it in your own interiors.
It is the first stage that really goes beyond the scientific method in looking for truth, and the first to genuinely call science as an entire paradigm into question, allowing us to move on and ultimately incorporate and be open to all of the ancient traditions, which an enormous percentage of the population are completely allergic to.
That’s just a few examples of healthy, beautiful, vital Green. Shouldn’t we, as Integral thinkers, be doing our damnedest to help Orange grow to and embody Green, help Green itself to fully realise these selves, and help Integral and beyond to fully chew all of the Green meat (what a terrible metaphor), identifying, cleansing, recapitulating, and integrating their Green selves? Shouldn’t we also be really looking at our Green shadows personally and being really honest with ourselves about why we reject Green? Shouldn’t we ultimately be looking to fully incorporate Green as the interior-exterior cosmic evolution continues relentlessly?
If so, I think we need to step up our game and enact what we so often preach to those centred at other stages of development.
