We long for a mathematical certainty of political allegiance leading to higher levels of human life and culture. Right now in the political world, there is only one thing certain: our system is overrun with corruption, deception, insanity, stupidity, and, of course, shit goblins. What is Enlightenment? Issue 38 states that we can indeed unite and evolve to a new stage of culture. Thank goodness, because Issue 37 said we were all fucked. There is still hope for a real authentic social movement that includes and transcends all of the problems of the postmodern pluralistic worldview and its shadow side, aka, countercultural relativistic fatalism (CRF).
All stages of human consciousness correlate with one, or many historical worldviews. A worldview is an inner structure of consciousness that is shared by many individuals. Each person’s cultural worldview has been generated by a particular politics of a thriving, or in our case, once thriving, social and economic structure. An integral politics realizes and integrates all foundational stages of consciousness while transcending into a higher stage altogether.
Tribal communities bind together with blood relatives and neighboring families. Although useful for cooperation and survival, the tribal consciousness tends to fear, demonize, threaten, imprison, convert, or kill anyone refusing to conform to the code and rituals of the community. This level of consciousness generates a magical thinking that expresses itself as very young children, indigenous people, and many fundamentalist religions. The strongest competing tribal communities develop military might that leads to warlord states that have the power to exert their will against the hodgepodge of tribal whims. Warrior consciousness learns to bully and threaten their interests into political relevance. The warrior societies assert the individualism found in the terrible two-year olds, most notable examples: Incas, Vikings, pirates, and the Cleveland Indians.
Traditional Kingdoms grow to establish nationalist values, chivalrous codes, etiquette, and religious values. These Kingdoms establish laws and borders that are enforced by state sponsored police and military. King Arthur, The English Empire, and the Catholic Church have expressed this level of consciousness. In recent years, Pat Buchanan and Michael Savage have championed the reestablishment of traditional consciousness in America.
The Enlightenment of the Modern Nation State inspired democratic capitalism based on rational thinking displayed by myself and a few of my fellow Discordians. These Modern Societies brought us constitutional law, individual liberties, and expanded public education. Post-Modern Societies broaden pluralistic awareness of the inherent, often overlooked, rights of others. The Post-Modern Consciousness of the Baby Boomer Generation brings an increased sensitivity to the disenfranchised of our society: civil rights for minorities, women’s rights, gay rights, empathy for our enemies, animal rights, environmental rights, and even power to the sociopathic shit goblins. Ralph Nadar and Dennis Kucinich eloquently express the policies of post-modernism. They champion social justice, challenge corporate corruption, protect the environment, as well as encourage alternative energies, health, and lifestyles. But, please, don’t feed the shit goblins after midnight.
The problem with each stage of political consciousness is its tendency to demonize and attack the other stages. This destroys the necessary integration required to sustain continued evolution. The success of the Modern Consciousness depended upon the hard rock might of Traditional Consciousness that protected the vanguard from the warlord bullies and tribal mobs. If we progressive ‘intellectuals’ continue using our minds to devise shrewd plans for the deconstruction of American values, then tribal consciousness will flourish and overtake our freedom of thought, speech and actions (enters things like Sharia Law; good luck with that). Mick Zano refers to this group as ‘the bake brownies for Al-Qaeda’ folks. The Crank refers to them as ASSHOLE LIBERTARDS! The Crank should consider switching to decaf.
We must integrate the truths for each of these valid stages of development before we can fully evolve into a higher stage. We must respect the conclusions of sincere rational inquiry and follow its conclusions wherever they lead. We must honor the plurality and degree of validity of others’ perspectives even if those others wish to chop our heads off or arrest us for naked bungee jumping with a minor. That’s still legal, right?
Will you come back to my cliff, bouncy, bouncy?
The most challenging aspect of the integral politician is to fully embrace the communal and traditional values of the culture and society before expanding into a unified internationalism, aka, evolve before you leap.
Many Post-Modern Progressives overlook the insights of history, the heritage of constitutional law, and the tools of logic. If we Progressives really wish to continue evolving then we can’t keep attacking and deconstructing the necessary foundational stages of consciousness. The residue of unresolved traditional values slithers through our nation’s psyche and threatens to corrode the very fabric of our union.
That’s my job!
Those politically on the right tend to ignore the core truths of transcendence. The mind is not limited to the brain. Human nature is not limited by its history. The possibilities of the future are infinite and as our consciousness transforms. So, too, does the surrounding world transform. They also tend to borrow from lower perspectives and demonize anything unfamiliar. Don’t knock naked bungee jumping until you’ve tried it.
Those on the left tend to ignore the core truths of nationalism. If the country is not rooted in its history and heritage it will collapse, just as the molecule which fails to embrace the atom will collapse.
Now we must join all of these valid truths while modifying the inconsistencies, transcending into a higher ‘integral’ perspective. Pat Buchanan and Michael Savage are correct: 1.) our country cannot survive without clear definable borders and the will and ability to enforce them, and 2.) there is a real problem with certain Islamic sects who assert their will to kill or assimilate anybody beyond the terrible twos. But the traditionalists must be careful not to act out of anger and humiliate the radical Islamists or we will make the problem worse not better. Humiliation is the emotion that sparked this radical machismo, woman-squelching, bomb-dropping, suicide-wishing mentality in the first place. Let’s not intentionally stir up the hornets nest without a clear exit strategy.
Kucinich is right; the Bush administration has compromised our country’s integrity, and alienated and misdirected our resources from our most pressing problems, but let’s not throw out the Buchanian baby with the Bushian bathwater. Yes, Buchanan sounds like your crazy old uncle, but we must recognize and root with our country’s foundation before we can evolve to a world where there is no war, hunger, or Sean Hannity. And let’s not forget, Hillary Clinton is right about, well, I’ll get back to you.
We must transcend the left and the right by recognizing the validity at each stage and all perspectives, well, except, of course, for the shit goblins, who MUST DIE!
