Part One establishes the multidimensional context. It summarizes our cataclysmic ecological predicament, the wholeness underlying our inter-connected, more-than-human world, and the evolutionary and integral visions that establish a basis for a more integrated consideration of how we live meaningful lives in a time of crisis. It synthesizes important insights and ideas that readers can also find in other contexts.
Chapter One surveys our critical evolutionary predicament and crisis, including both its perils and promises--from the state of Earth itself to the trickiness of understanding our situation clearly, including the wickedness of the problems themselves as well as how our own brains and psyches make it maddeningly hard to fully understand and effectively respond to them.
Chapter Two faces the sober facts, and responds with activism. Appreciating the gift of life, and loving life, we allow our hearts to be pierced by the maddening situation we find ourselves in; we consider how we can ground ourselves in an unconditional happiness that doesn't depend on "reasons" to be happy; and, finally, we consider the esoteric anatomy of activism--the absolutely complementary nature of inner and outer work.
Chapter Three considers reality's undivided wholeness--the most basic, obvious, and elusive truth about ourselves and our environment--and how our usual approach (especially in "civilized" societies) is to bypass this perspective in favor of endless fragmentation and analysis, which contributes to the pathology by which we have wrought ecological havoc on our whole planet.
Chapter Four views humans in the context of our sweeping evolutionary story and sees into this pivotal moment when we shift into a much accelerated evolutionary future.
Chapter Five introduces an integral way of understanding our multi- dimensional reality, appreciating how all human perspectives are partial views of a larger truth. Beyond the cognitive, emotional, and spiritual limitations of our typical fragmented thinking are more holistic perspectives that offer a basis for a "radical integral ecology."
My original thinking is largely concentrated in Part Two, which explores an integral understanding of the nature of individual and collective spiritual practice, purpose, social responsibility, and evolutionary activism. These explorations point the way toward an integrated practice that is both personal and social and that enacts whole-system change--a process that is profound, radical, and all-inclusive. I explore how we can begin right where we are, in our relationships with one another--and in our conversations--to seed a broad-based cultural transformation.
Chapter Six describes integral practice grounded in the awakening of free consciousness and love. It unpacks the holistic understanding of life, the humble, curious, joyous disposition, and the flexible improvisational disciplines of a comprehensive, integral spiritual practice--and how it becomes a creative relationship to life's unfolding that can inform every new moment.
Chapter Seven explores the unique adventure of practice that unfolds for each individual soul, and how it can enable us to live our deepest purpose, which we can often best understand through old stories, archetypes, and metaphors.
Chapter Eight shows how such holistic inner work expresses itself creatively in all kinds of outer work that creatively address the need for whole- system change and the multidimensional nature of culture and society. Evolutionary activism can take a multitude of forms, including in-the- system political activism, protest against the system, and activism that obviates government, going around the system. We look at four specific examples, and consider a broad range of integral approaches to political change.
Chapter Nine looks at the powerful synergies activated by communities of practice, as a source of hope for the future, and describes the tender, fierce, passionate nature of authentic communication, as well as the lessons learned through the integral community's experiments with "we-space." Here we begin to speculate about how this new tribalism will shape our near future.
Chapter Ten explores the nature and effectiveness of conversations, and the structures and boundaries that attend to them. It considers what it takes to engage deep, generative mutual exchanges, and explores significant conversations about the human future that are taking place within three groups of leading-edge thinkers--but that need to be happening between the groups.
Chapter Eleven is about our unique role in this place and time for transforming civilization and planetary life. We are "it," whether we like it or not, and it is up to us--through our inner and outer work--to enact all necessary changes for creating a living, sustainable, exciting future. This work expresses who we truly are and it will go on forever, even "after it's too late"--which it never is.
Download a free excerpt and audio from Terry Patten's new book "A New Republic of the Heart: An Ethos for Revolutionaries."
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
