The Daily Evolver

Life is wounding. For some of us our wounds are inflicted in the form of major traumas such as a serious injury, painful divorce, career failure or act of abuse or violence. More often, however, we are merely called on to suffer the slings and arrows of everyday life, which can also leave their mark. Contemporary psychology has revealed two major insights into trauma. One is that trauma is pervasive: two-thirds of Americans report experiencing a major trauma in their lives. The other is that trauma is toxic, often kicking off lifetime patterns of depression, anxiety and addiction. One study showed that people who suffer six or more of ten categories of adverse events lived on average twenty years less that people who had experienced none of those categories of adverse events Whether large or little, some trauma is inevitable and necessary for healthy development. Shocks and setbacks shape who we are and can provide the opportunity to develop resilience and a larger perspective. Yet we tend to feel ashamed of our wounds and naturally shrink away from them. We clench around our pain physically and/or mentally, and deny it so it can’t hurt us anymore. In some cases we may do the opposite, by indulging our pain, using it to control other people, or by playing the victim of our own life. In this two-part podcast Transforming Trauma Into Power, integral psychotherapist Dr. Keith Witt explores what we now know about trauma and how it affects us. He also charts an empowering course forward, so that we can metabolize the traumas of our life in a way that liberates us from their grip and reveals exciting new territories of our ongoing development.

In this podcast I ask Integral philosopher Steve McIntosh a question on the mind of many integral practitioners: how do we relate to the nationalist passions that are arising in many developed countries around the globe? Nationalism is often expressed as “love it or leave it” nativism, or in the case of the election of Donald Trump as a promise to take America back to an era of perceived past greatness. On the other hand many Green-stage postmodernists reject patriotism entirely. As Steve says, “it is like nails on a chalkboard for people of postmodern consciousness to contemplate the good that America has done in its history.” Neither of these positions have much to offer the evolutionary thinker. To cultivate a more Integral worldview we must seek to find the truth in each perspective, and thereby reactivate the positive values of Amber-stage traditionalism within a larger system that appreciates the heritage of all humanity. Steve makes the case that “Until we, as progressive globalists, learn how to better integrate the values of nationalism into our discourse then we’re going to be empowering those regressive forces who keep pulling us back.” In this podcast Steve helps us rise to the challenge of creating more truly inclusive leading edge sensibilities – and societies. Steve McIntosh is the author of three important books on Integral theory, including his latest, “The Presence of the Infinite: The Spiritual Experience of Goodness, Truth and Beauty.” Steve is also founder of the Institute for Cultural Evolution, where you can find more of his thinking on integral politics in his new essay “Appreciating the Upside of Nationalism.”

Steve Bannon is Donald Trump’s favorite philosopher. Trump sometimes jokes that he doesn’t know “whether Bannon is alt-right or alt-left,” but either way Bannon has given voice to the visceral impulse of populist nationalism that Donald Trump has expressed for decades. So what does Bannon believe? A pillar of his worldview is contained in a school of history called Strauss-Howe generational theory, developed by William Strauss and Neil Howe, which states that human events can be loosely organized in terms of recurring eighty year cycles, or saecula, which unfold in four twenty year turnings. The first turning is a season of rebirth, social unity and building new institutions. In our current American generational cycle the first turning is the post World War II period. This is followed by a second turning, characterized by a spiritual awakening and a general rejection of the previous turning’s values, which we saw begin in the 60’s. The third turning is a time of unraveling, where society loses faith in institutions and business as usual. And the fourth turning, which for us began with the financial crisis of 2007, is a time of breakdown where social institutions collapse and the way is cleared for the next first turning. It’s an elegant philosophy, which the Strauss and Howe seek to embed in deep human patterns such as the saeculum, which is an ancient term for the length of one long-lived human life. When released in 1997, their book The Fourth Turning was embraced by liberals like Al Gore, who gave a copy to every member of Congress. I like it too upon first contact, and think that it could reveal another useful pattern in the human condition. As an evolutionary I have no problem imagining that an oscillation between the two poles of creation (the first two turnings) and destruction (the second two turnings) is an engine moving humanity forward. But herein lies a big problem: Strauss-Howe generational theory has little appreciation for the forward movement of history. In fact Strauss and Howe spend the first third of their book explicitly rejecting what they call “linear time” in favor of “seasonal time,” an endless wheel of turnings that goes nowhere. Paraphrasing Nietzsche they write that “every event is perpetually reenacted, that everything anyone does has been done before and will be done again forever.” That is not only depressing but terribly limited. How about we consider that historic time may have aspects that are circular and aspects that are linear? Well it turns out we can, by contemplating the unspooling of time as a spiral, which is an oft-employed image in the evolutionary movement. Adding the dimension of forward movement changes the theoretical calculus enormously. Without it you are left with a worldview that reveals, for instance, that major wars are virtually inevitable — after all, we have had three “fourth turnings” so far in American history: 1) the Revolutionary War 2) the Civil War and 3) World War II. And indeed this is how Bannon has talked about what he sees as the epic and historically recurring conflict between western civilization, built on Judeo-Christian values, and its enemies, foremost of which is Islam. Or perhaps China, which Bannon predicts will be in a war with the US over the South China sea within ten years, and “there’s no doubt about that.” So apparently our fourth turning is just now kicking in and we’re headed for institutional demolition. Worst case: nuclear winter. Or with a little luck maybe Trump, the human wrecking ball, will prove to be fourth turning enough, all by himself, to get us through to the next promised land. Enjoy the podcast!

The Trump Presidency is an evolutionary correction for a culture whose leading edge “is in a 50-car pileup.” This is the thesis of Ken Wilber’s excellent new eBook, Trump and a Post-Truth World, and the kickoff point of a wide ranging conversation I had with Ken last week. Here’s Ken’s argument: Every now and then, evolution itself has to adjust course, in light of new information on how its path is unfolding, and it starts (apparently spontaneously but with this deeper morphic field actually operating) by making various moves that are, in effect, self-correcting evolutionary realignments. The leading-edge of cultural evolution is today—and has been for four or five decades—the green wave (“green” meaning the basic stage of human development known to various developmental models as pluralistic, postmodern, relativistic, individualistic, beginning self-actualization, human-bond, multicultural, etc.—and generically referred to as “postmodern”). Beginning in the 1960s, green began to emerge as a major cultural force and soon bypassed orange (which was the previous leading-edge stage, known in various models as modern, rational, reason, formal operational, achievement, accomplishment, merit, profit, progress, conscientious) as the dominant leading-edge. It started with a series of by-and-large healthy and very appropriate (and evolutionarily positive) forms—the massive civil rights movement, the worldwide environmental movement, the rise of personal and professional feminism, anti-hate crime, a heightened sensitivity to any and all forms of social oppression of virtually any minority, and—centrally—the understanding of the crucial role of “context” in any knowledge claims and the desire to be as “inclusive” as possible. But as the decades unfolded, green increasingly began veering into extreme, maladroit, dysfunctional, even clearly unhealthy, forms. It’s broad-minded pluralism slipped into a rampant and runaway relativism (collapsing into nihilism), and the notion that all truth is contextualized (or gains meaning from its cultural context) slid into the notion that there is no real universal truth at all, there are only shifting cultural interpretations (which eventually slid into a widespread narcissism). These cultural forces have created an anti-green backlash which Donald Trump, our most unlikely candidate, rode all the way to the White House. In this podcast Ken and Jeff explore how the Trump phenomenon arose, and how an integral sensibility can help us respond to the unique challenge of Trump’s political and cultural movement.

Inaugurated with bogus crowd claims and tales of voter fraud, the post-truth presidency of Donald Trump is upon us. Trump lives in a Red “warrior” worldspace alive with apparitions, rumors, conspiracies, and above all, scheming enemies. Placed in the context of cultural evolution Trump’s view actually represent a pre-truth mentality, typical of the world prior to modernity where warlords and monarchs ruled unconstrained by the divisions of power. This is a world where “might is right”, a world of plunder where the goal not just to defeat the enemy but to take their oil. A world where we don’t just build a wall, we make the Mexicans pay for it. (Take heart though; in an actual Red world Trump would not just make them pay for it, he would make them build it, as slaves. So there is that.) Modernity is fighting back against pre-truth thinking with objective facts, evidence and a plea for regular order, but it has been hobbled by the post-truth worldview of postmodernity, where all truth claims are suspect and feelings are privileged over facts. For a brilliant analysis of this phenomenon, check out Ken Wilber’s new essay Trump and a Post-Truth World on Integral Life. Also, look for my interview with Ken on the topic which will be posted in the coming days. The Trump presidency begs a crucial question: can a government that has evolved beyond Red consciousness contain a leader who hasn’t? If so, Trump may be the disruptive force we need to break up some calcified habits and thinking. If not … well, there are only 206 weeks left in his first term! In this podcast I look at how integralists can understand and relate to the fight over pre-modern, modern and postmodern conceptions of truth, and how a new integration of the three can help us build a more authentically inclusive world.

Ok, folks, we’ve had 45 consecutive mornings of waking up and wrapping our heads around the fact that Donald J. Trump is going to be the next president of the United States of America. What do we know now that we didn’t know before? To the degree that we can discern a pattern, we see that Trump will govern the same way he campaigned: as a disrupter. And he is doubling down on that approach with a team and cabinet of disrupters. What will happen? Here is where I’m grateful for my Buddhist training in “don’t know mind,” a practice of watching one’s mind try to make sense of something that is unknown. The fruit of the practice is the realization that you are more happy and effective, and life is more rich and vivid when you recognize that every moment is unknowable and thus full of possibility. We do, however, know the past, and from history we can see that disruption is essential to evolution, whether it is the Acraman asteroid clearing the decks for mammals, or the emergence of postmodern world-centrism after the horrors of World War II, or the new and better person you became after your painful divorce, job loss or illness. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right? Yes, probably, in the long run. How long the Trump era will run we don’t know. What we do know is that it begins in one month, and it is going to be a different world when it’s over. (Sorry, folks, for the echo-ey sound on the podcast. I’m still in a learning curve of doing this myself. Will be better next time …)

The Shrink and the Pundit is an ongoing discussion between Jeff and his longtime friend, Dr. Keith Witt, a leading Integral psychotherapist. In this podcast they explore the topic of self-love. Dr. Keith traces the relationship that each of us has with our own “self-sense” from birth (actually gestation), when we fall from the paradise of the womb to begin the process of growth into ever new worlds of conditional love. That pattern continues until we reach higher stages of development, where a more integrated sense of self is able to love what has previously been in shadow. Dr. Keith presents practical ideas on how to become more aware of self-defeating patterns of thought and behavior, and how to transmute them into a loving self-acceptance that can elevate you as well as the people around you. A father of two himself, Dr. Keith shares specific insights into ways to support a loving sense of self in the children in your life. Later in the podcast, Dr. Keith leads Jeff in a simple yet powerful exercise designed to develop one’s capacity for self-love. Here it is so you can try it too: While attending to the sensation in your chest area, ask yourself the question, “At this moment am I willing to love and accept myself no matter what?” If you feel a pleasurable relaxation in your chest, the answer is probably, “Yes, at this moment I am willing to love and accept myself no matter what.” Enjoy this moment of self-acceptance. If you feel an uncomfortable tightening or constriction in your chest area as you ask, “At this moment am I willing to love and accept myself no matter what?” the answer is probably, “No, at this moment I am not willing to love and accept myself no matter what.” If your answer is, “No,” ask yourself, “Why not?” and answer the question of why you are not willing to love and accept yourself at this moment no matter what. The answer doesn’t have to be rational. It can be, “Because I don’t deserve it,” or “Because I don’t know how to love and accept myself,” or “Because I’m not a nice person,” or, “I eat too much sugar,” or, “Because I forgot to feed my dog today.” Don’t dispute or indulge the answer, just observe it with interest. After you answer the “Why not?” question, ask yourself again, “At this moment am I willing to love and accept myself no matter what?” while paying attention to your chest area. Does your chest get tighter or looser? Observe any shifts with interest. Practice this sequence five times a day for a month. You’ll notice your chest getting looser after you answer the “Why not?” question. You’ll also probably more frequently answer, “Yes,” to the “At this moment am I willing…” question. If you practice this exercise consistently, over time you’ll program, “Yes, I am willing to love and accept myself at this moment no matter what,” deeper and deeper into your adaptive unconscious. This is one way of growing your capacity for self-love. Listen in as Jeff and Dr. Keith discuss how to cultivate “a warm sense of oneness with your self as being good, caring and beautiful.”

My colleagues Diane Hamilton and Terry Patten are here at my home, preparing for the Integral Living Room gathering which begins tomorrow. They arrived a day early, yesterday (November 8), so we could celebrate Hillary Clinton’s victory together. Ha ha! Instead we, like millions of people, are trying to come to terms with the victory of Donald Trump. Suddenly we are in a new world dealing with questions like: Where are we? Why did this happen? What do we need to see? How might we respond? Of course nothing is settled, except that we are embarking on a new adventure together — one that Diane, Terry and I, at least, would never have chosen. We recorded a conversation of our process to share with you, in case it might help you make sense of things as well.

Oddsmakers have Trump with an 8% chance of becoming the next President of the United States. This is terrifying. Not because Trump is a big alpha figure who would bust up the establishment. Not because he’s vulgar. Not because lacks a coherent policy vision. Those things can actually be evolutionarily potent in their proper measure. No, the real problem with Donald Trump is that in important lines of development he is arrested at the level of a five-year-old. I’d also note, with love, that he’s not the nicest five-year-old. Donald demands constant attention. He’s impulsive, chaotic and vengeful. He lies and won’t follow rules. He loves to fight and rebels against all constraints. And he believes, accurately, that all of the above will get him what he wants. Now … imagine our young Donald with a nuclear weapon. So, yes, an 8% chance is way too much. (It’s the same chance as me being born in the month of April – and yet it happened! I rest my case.) This podcast is my attempt to use an integral lens to peer into Donald Trump. Unfortunately, the picture it reveals may be even more dangerous than we thought. But only if he wins. If he loses I believe the Year of Trump will actually turn out to have been a tonic for our culture. So Trump must be defeated and defeated decisively. If you’re a US citizen make sure you vote and see that two, three or more of your friends do too. The rest of you please say a prayer. Thanks for listening and enjoy the podcast!

I had a terrific gabfest with my Integral besties Diane Musho Hamilton and Terry Patten about the Clinton-Trump campaign. I’m sharing it with you here. We recorded ourselves Monday, October 10th, the day after the second Presidential debate (the debate preceded by Trump’s press conference with four women who accuse Bill and Hillary Clinton of abuse). Here’s some of what we talked about: Is Trump degrading our culture? The painful karma of being the first female presidential candidate, and how Hillary is handling it. What about the third party option? The gift of Trump: how something ugly can create something beautiful. In the call I test-drove my theory that this campaign, as appalling as it is, is a powerful engine of cultural evolution and is moving us to a more intelligent and humane place (as long as Trump doesn’t get anywhere near the Oval Office of course). Have a listen and see if Terry and Di buy it. And if you do too … – Jeff