The drama and karma of refugees in Europe - How do postmodern cultures integrate premodern cultures?

The refugee crisis in Europe, Africa and the Middle East is testing the status quo between the so-called first, second and third worlds. Millions of people have been fleeing war-torn Syria alone. Five hundred thousand refugees and migrants have made it to Europe so far this year. The vertical, developmental differences between these countries is complex. Add to that the horizontal dimension of differing cultures and the history and karma of these nations and that complexity multiplies. What to do?

Jeff looks at the policy arguments being made on the liberal and conservative sides of the issue. On one hand, a voice of compassion proclaiming our shared humanity; on the other, a recognition that each European culture is precious and they’ve worked hard to create safety nets for their people which cannot support oceans of immigrants. “I want to tease this apart and see if we can find an integration that really includes the best of both of those arguments and both of those perspectives,” says Jeff, “because that’s what Integral does, it integrates.”

We also share a couple excerpts of a first hand report from our friend Bence Ganti in Hungary, in the epicenter of the crisis. (You can find Jeff’s full conversation with Bence here). Imagine a country the size of Colorado, with double the population, and 5000 immigrants streaming across the border every day, and you have some idea of what Hungary is trying to deal with. “It’s a creative moment in history,” Bence tells Jeff. And an astonishing challenge that calls for an integral response.

Plus…hungry bears descending on Boulder, and Pope Frances’ visit to the US (more on that next week).