The Daily Evolver

It has been a hundred years since humanity spun into the chaos of the First World War. Peter Jackson’s acclaimed new documentary, “They Shall Not Grow Old,” brings vivid new life to the experience of British soldiers fighting on the western front. Using newly released footage from the Imperial War Museum, Jackson and his team worked four years to digitally restore, smooth, colorize and convert the film into 3D. The narration is told completely by former soldiers, in their own voices, from interviews recorded by the BBC in the 1960s and 1970s. WWI is a case study of human evolution. Britain entered the war as a traditional culture (amber altitude), full of romantic visions of honor, duty and the glories of war. Young men, thrilled by the promise of adventure, clamored to answer the call. Once at the front, they soon realized that they were in a meat-grinder, beset not only by age-old battle curses like hunger, cold, mud, sickness, rats and lice, but also the emergent features of modern weaponry: aerial bombs,

For Valentine’s Day, integral couples therapist Tom Habib returns to share his insights into what he calls the “couples’ line of development.” In previous episodes he laid out the trajectory most couples take — from initial attraction, to role-partnering, to mutual respect, to what he calls first love, where intimacy begins to blossom into an exciting new we-space that transcends (while including) the stages that came before. Today Tom returns to focus on an essential yet surprising requirement of the first love stage, which guides his therapy with couples: relationships reach first love when each person is free to safely and consciously express their inner child. Neediness, hurt, joy, tantrums — all are welcome as long as they are held within clear boundaries (four minutes for a tantrum, for instance) and attended by a caring, nurturing partner in the adult role. One of the most beautiful integral projects is to reach back to reclaim the juice and enchantment of our childhood stages. In this epis

The idea of human progress has been widely discredited since the wars and genocides of the mid-20th-century. But what if the 20th century also featured the largest (and largest percentage) of people living in peace and prosperity, eclipsed only by the 21st century so far, which is dramatically even more peaceful and prosperous? This argument is made by Steve Pinker, author of “Enlightenment Now” and leading rehabilitator of progress in the mainstream intelligentsia. His nemesis, historian Niall Ferguson (“The Square and the Tower”), thinks Pinker stands a good chance of becoming a historical joke, like author Norman Angell, who predicted in 1911 that war would soon be a thing of the past. In this episode I attempt to bring some integral thinking to a debate between Pinker and Ferguson hosted by Fareed Zakaria in his GPS Sunday show on CNN. Plus! You’ll get to swoon over Bradley Cooper in real time, just like Lady Gaga …

Integral practitioners talk a lot about creating a more spacious consciousness, one that includes more of reality. To that end we do things like place people and cultures on maps. We tease apart distinctions, we “transcend and include” and “differentiate and integrate” — all in an effort to increase the resolution of our worldview, as one would zoom into a google map to reveal more of what is already there. But does creating more space mean we’re creating more distance? Is the process of making distinctions also exacerbating differences? Might all our maps just be holding us in place? This is the jist of a thoughtful question I received from a listener, Kc Daugirdas in LA. He asks: “This space versus distance thing has been bothering me in all the domains that integral claims to integrate. I’m haunted by the suspicion that in the process of ‘transcending and including,’ we lose something. I’m farther from this, I’m farther from that. So where am I? What am I close to now?” Ultimately this is a spi

The culture wars heated up last week with two new skirmishes. One was the release of the American Psychological Association’s new Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Boys and Men. The other is a new ad released by the Gillette razor company: The Best a Man Can Get. Both explicitly criticize traditional views of masculinity; as the APA Guidelines states, “traditional masculinity — marked by stoicism, competitiveness, dominance and aggression — is, on the whole, harmful.” And both encourage men to be more sensitive, cooperative and revealing. Predictably, the new ad and report created blowback from people who see them as part of a postmodern project to neuter men by damning masculinity itself as toxic. They maintain that traditional masculine qualities are innate to men and essential to a healthy culture. Could both sides have a point? In this podcast Jeff talks with Dr. Keith Witt about an evolutionary approach that liberates masculinity and femininity into a new integration that features the best of bo

Donald Trump’s coarseness has proven to be more powerful than most people thought possible. In act two of his presidency he is being met with reciprocal incivility from his opposition, exemplified by newly-elected Congressperson Rashida Tlabid, who promised at a rally to “impeach the motherf*****”. In this episode I explore where and how this “new incivility” is arising, its evolutionary potency, and how it can be – and is being – engaged with more wisdom and intention.

According to Shane McDermott, my guest today, the biggest challenge of being human is living in a body. At every stage of development we are in conflict with how we look, feel or function. Shane approaches whole-person development through the portal of physicality. In our discussion he shares his methods for freeing up life force and releasing patterns that constrict us without our being fully aware of them, including how to: Identify and heal past traumas at the source Embrace a deep self acceptance of your body exactly as it is The wisdom drives of the body – with a special emphasis on relating to nature How to attend to issues of chronic pain, injury and illness Shane MeDermott is a Master Integral Coach (through Integral Coaching Canada), with additional certification in Structural Integration Bodywork, Yoga, Feldenkrias, Intuitive Energy Medicine, and Corrective and Holistic Exercise Kinesiology. You can contact him at shanemcdermottcoaching@gmail.com or at his website mindbodybeing.org

On the Daily Evolver we often explore the downsides of various stages of human development, such as warrior violence, traditional fundamentalism, modern materialsm and postmodern relativism. But what are the blind and stuck spots characteristic of the post-postmodern stages of development? In this episode I am joined by development psychotherapist Kim Barta for a discussion of both the light and shadow sides of integral consciousness. Kim Barta is a practicing psychotherapist for many years, and a collaborator with Terri O’Fallen in the application of her STAGES model of human development.

Donald Trump at midterm is poised to be one of the most consequential presidents in modern history. Not necessarily for his policies, many of them odious (like his character), but for leading a frontal charge against the worldviews of modern globalism and postmodern multiculturalism. Drawing on the latest headlines, I examine Trump and the Trump phenomenon in the light of cultural evolution. Can a government built on enlightenment principles of shared power contain an autocratic head of state? Plus, how has Trump’s vision of American greatness inspired so many people? How may his disruption of norms create positive results? What new opportunities are arising for those on the left and right to create a “new patriotism” that inspires both sides? Cultural differentiation isn’t for the faint of heart, but integration makes it all worthwhile. I hope you enjoy the episode!

The morning after this week’s US midterm election I got a note from Dr. Keith Witt, my Shrink and the Pundit podcast partner, suggesting we do an episode on the voting results. “I’m a little let down by the election,” he confessed. “I’m uncharacteristically at a loss around understanding this situation culturally and politically, and have some questions I’d like to explore with you around it.” “Oh goody,” I thought, “this time I get to be the shrink!” What a fun and fruitful session we had. Dr. Keith’s condition mirrors that of many in the integral community: grateful for the new Democratic House of Representative which will put a check on President Trump, but also dismayed at the continued strength of what many see as destructive and regressive political forces. Not to mention the general mendacity and nastiness that attends so much of today’s politics. So what does an evolutionary pundit masquerading as a therapist have to say to that? Tune in and find out!

Today I’m joined by Corey DeVos, editor-in-chief of Integral Life. I invited him on because my job is highlighting the emergence of integral consciousness, and I have been really impressed with the stuff Corey and company are putting out these days. (Plus they host my live show twice a week, and I want them to know I love them!) In our conversation I asked Corey about three recent offerings that particularly touched and edified me: A memorial to Father Thomas Keating, who passed away in October and who developed the practice of Centering Prayer, a contemplative, post-mythic portal to the spiritual heart of Christianity. Corey and I commemorate Father Thomas’s contribution to each of us and to the field of Integral Christianity, not just with his teachings but also through his personal transmission. The Ken Show, where Corey hosts Ken Wilber in a series of video conversations using integral thinking to illuminate some of today’s hot philosophical topics. Their latest, “Is Free Will an Illusion?”, really hit th

Celebrity chef David Chang’s irreverent new series on Netflix, Ugly Delicious, illuminates the developmental arc of some of the world’s favorite foods. Each of eight episodes highlights one dish or concept, such as BBQ, fried rice or home cooking, and explores its roots in different regions and how it has evolved. Today I’m reviewing the first episode, which follows Chang and his gang as they seek the soul of pizza, from the 300-year-old classic Neopolitan Margherita, to a sushi and ginger pizza in Tokyo, to Wolfgang Puck’s California reinventions, to a Dominos delivery shop in New Jersey. Ugly Delicious imparts a distinct integral flavor as Chang concludes his exploration by legitimizing all claims of pizza purity. As he puts it, “authenticity is something that has been overvalued, but which really has not been scrutinized enough.”

by Jeff Salzman Today I’m joined by one of our most impressive young integral thinkers, Jeremy Johnson. Jeremy is a scholar of the 20th century poet/philosopher Jean Gebser, and is currently president of the international Jean Gebser Society. Gebser is a major (if eccentric) figure in the integral lineage, most famous for describing the structures of human consciousness as archaic, magic, mythic, mental and integral. Surprisingly (to me at least) Gebser did not see these structures as evolutionarily continuous, but as “mutations” which are all online now in various states of “efficiency” and “deficiency”. Further, not only are the structures of history online, but so are the structures of the future – and they are calling to us right here and now. This presents a terrific koan to the integral practitioner, and Jeremy Johnson transmits it in a way that left me inspired and the world reenchanted. May he – and Gebser – do the same for you! “What is gaining importance now is the spiritual

Another week of cultural evolution at warp speed was brought on by a real-life daytime TV drama. It started on Tuesday, with NBC morning host Megyn Kelly defending blackface as a Halloween costume choice. She apologized and had her consciousness raised live on her Wednesday show, and was fired from the network on Friday. In this episode I use an integral lens to tease apart some of the cultural forces at play in this story. Plus, I take a look at another daytime tv show that also powerfully moved the ball in race relations this week: Dr. Phil’s “What You Need to Know About White Privilege”.

People often call me an optimist, a term I’ve never felt quite comfortable with. Is it optimistic to notice that humanity – and humans – fight our way forward? Is it optimistic to see that the catastrophes of history, while dwindling, are far from over? I prefer the term evolutionary, someone who sees how the upward draft of Eros creates beauty through means that are often not pretty, and that it is animating everything, for worse then better, including us. In this episode, I make the case that humanity is not fallen but rising, and that what matters more than our sinful nature is our basic goodness and the goodness of a kosmos that has destined us to grow.

This is a sequel to last year’s popular Valentine episode featuring Dr. Tom Habib. An integrally-inspired clinical psychologist specializing in couples therapy, Tom has mapped what he calls the “couple’s line of development,” which describes the predictable stages a couple typically grows through — and where they may get stalled. The adventure of love generally starts with sexual chemistry and illusions of safety, an intoxicating stage that some people replay through multiple partners. At the next stage a more committed couple seeks to build a life together by assuming roles such as mother/father or provider/supporter. If they are able grow into the third stage, it will be into some form of relational partnership based on a flexible roles and mutual respect. In this episode Tom focuses on top two stages of couple development, which he calls first love and spiritual love. First love corresponds with integral development and is created by an active appreciation of one’s partner, as well as the intentional devel

The drama surrounding the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court is proving to be a seismic event in cultural and consciousness evolution. This week Jeff shares and reflects on listeners’ response to last week’s episode: Judging Kavanaugh. Like his listeners, Jeff focuses on the emerging recognition shared by many of gender dynamics that had previously remained unseen. A common trajectory: New sensitivity to our historical traumas creates a larger worldview – which can extend to embrace the pain of others. Softening one’s identification with that worldview liberates it (and us) into integral consciousness … … which is able to also hold the unique truths of previous worldviews which have not become sensitive, making us far more effective in nurturing the evolution of a new culture that can integrate the gifts of all. Plus: Why it had to be Kavanaugh. And a modest proposal for evolving the Court.

Each stage of human development features a unique way of organizing work. From hunting and gathering, to agriculture, to industry, to the Information Age, each emergent represents a radical evolutionary expansion of capacity, and each remakes the world in its turn. So what’s next? Frederic Laloux‘s blockbuster book, Reinventing Organizations, offers  compelling answers to that question. A McKinsey consultant for many years, Fred has identified and researched what he calls “next stage“ organizations, and identifies the specific features that set them apart.    The key emergent of next-stage organizations harkens back to early human history: small bands of people on a mission, each deeply seen and valued by the others, responding together to changing conditions and making their way forward. Today’s cutting-edge version of archaic bands are self-managed teams, which have become the building blocks of companies of all types and sizes. It’s a fascinating (and explicitly integral!) thesis whose success is demonstra

The political firestorm surrounding the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court is a juicy case for an integral analysis. Today Jeff shares his insights into the testimony presented to the Senate Judiciary Committee by both Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing him of attacking her as a teenager. He considers: How do we process two perspectives that are in diametric opposition? Why and how we should “take it personally.” How to navigate the predictable political polarization. The cultural forces at play in this case and how they are moving us forward. You can access the video or audio below …

by Dr. Keith Witt Suicide has been in existence as long as self-aware consciousness has been in existence. The gift of self-aware consciousness included the capacity for humans to anticipate and understand the inevitability of their own deaths, and all gifts come with a price. One price of awareness of death is the capacity to choose it. In some tribal cultures, the choice of suicide was considered moral for the aged and infirm. Rather than be a drain on precious resources, people would walk into the blizzard, or be ritually executed by friends. In Classical Greek societies, suicide was considered a right by many; though Aristotle was quite critical of the choice (Socrates had no problem with it obviously). Christian cultures have pathologized and punished suicide. In medieval times in Paris, suicides’ bodies were dragged through the streets and thrown on refuse heaps. The Catholic Church relegated suicides to Hell, and made it a sin to choose one’s own death. Japanese samurai culture glorified seppuku (known