Integral Activism Engages the Human Collective

By Integral Living Room October 12th, 2017

Recorded October 3, 2017

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The theme of the Integral Living Room this year is “A Shout from the Heart” and, in this fraught moment during our global crisis and national crisis during the Trump administration, an exploration of integral activism.

Coincidentally, Terry Patten recently finished the first book about integral activism. It’s called A New Republic of the Heart: Awakening into Evolutionary Activism, and it will be released early next year by North Atlantic Press.

In our last community call on October 3, 2017, Terry offered a short talk about some of the ideas in that book. Jeff and Diane offered additional perspectives, and we had a vigorous discussion, in which many of our community members also participated.

Terry pointed out that integral life practice is ultimately a four-quadrant affair, not just engaging practices directed at “my” body, mind, spirit and shadow, but also practices that engage the human collective—including our roles as citizens of our communities, nations and world.

And he argued that we have a special paradoxical responsibility amidst our larger ecological and civilizational crises. If we are to see profound whole-system change, a transition into a new stage of culture and consciousness, that depends on a large number of people. Some responsibility lies with every one of us.

Jeff rejoined by rejecting the idea that humanity has gone wrong and modernity is a great mistake. And Terry readily agreed that a self-negating misanthropy is inappropriate. In fact, observing that “Things are far too serious for us to lose our sense of humor”, Terry pointed to the existential, spiritual and emotional challenge of penetrating our denial of the seriousness of our situation without losing touch with the joy and fundamentally positive orientation to life that are the soul of wise practice. Diane helped clarify the philosophical points here by observing that both these positions can be simultaneously true.