First Week

Kudos to your Wonderful Website - yet to in at attempt to bring some clarity on this Life Pressing issue - I believe we must, at the least check out a few critical fields & associated websites: 1. www.wie.org —Award winning What is Enlightenment Magazine lead issue this month is on Ecology, Politics & Consciousness. Which talks about the “Bright Green” movement - despite the best of efforts we can hope to achieve as individuals is minimal (which doesn’t mean we don’t enact individual changes as to reduce our Ecological Footprint (see http://www.earthday.net/Footprint/index.asp to determine yours), but dramatic changes must be enacted at higher levels (systems, building, etc) This is crucial. We can’t be retro-romantic and return to some perceived better era, but must embrace and utilize technology responsibly. (maybe our only real chance to navigate these perilous times,,,) 2. Integral Theory (http://www.holons-news.com/free/whatisintegral.pdf) & Spiral Dynamics (http://www.spiraldynamics.org/pdf_resources/SDMC.pdf) Perhaps the single biggest issue most people (including leading environmentalists)are ignorant about is Levels of Consciousness - basically we broadly develop from Ego-centric(“Me”) to Enthno-centric(“Us”) to World-centric (“All of Us”) to Kosmic-centric(“All of It”) - each with a deeper, wider, more encompassing level of care and concern. It has been estimated that 70% of the world-population is at Enthno-centric level or below - scary thought - for here it’s “me or my country, me or my people, me or my religion, etc”, In-Group vs – Out-group… Western Countries have approximaelty 50% at World-centric, any people/cultures below this level are developmentally incapable of having the care,concern and to take the necessary steps and action. (side note Every one is born at Level one and develops up from there, based on countless factors, the biggest being the culture or country one is blessed to be born into). The world-centric level of consciousness has been responsible for the Civil Rights movement, Women’s rights and The Environmental movement. One message that fits all is impossible for they’ll will always be people at various levels of “thinking”, they have a Right to be where they are and more importantly must be spoken to AT their particular level (any thing “above” them, doesn’t exist for them, will be literally “over their heads”, as for example a young 10 year old math whiz may be incapable of doing advance calculus!!, despite how smart she currently is. ) First Tier thinking has one main thing in common - “I’m fcking right, you’re fcking wrong”, until we develop to 2nd tier/Integral where we literally realize the evolving spiral of development and the various levels - the battle of levels will continue…to our mutual destruction Please check out the Pioneering work of Barrett Brown (Integral Sustainability) http://multiplex.integralinstitute.org/Public/cs/files/43/sustainability/entry19624.aspx and Integral Ecology—Integral Theory incorporates and honors all truths and perspectives… http://www.coventry.ac.uk/researchnet/external/content/1/c4/32/44/v1193045750/user/Integral%20Ecology.pdf

3. Lastly biggest Environmental Issue - unmitigated population growth - more people , more resources need, more strain on enviroment (more personal suffering in developing countries with “needs, not being “met”—seeds of violence, terrorism, etc sown here)see Peter Russell’s site for World Clock—http://www.peterussell.com/Odds/WorldClock.php Population has exploded from 1 billion people in late 1800’s to 3 Billion in mid 1950’s to 6.5 billion today and expected to level off at 9-10 billion by mid-century - unsustainable - yet if this became a top priority,(current administration 1st act in 2000 was to cut UN’s family planning, no contraception, etc—madness), see www.populationconnection.org 4. The Whole Earth Catalog of our times most definitely is http://www.worldchanging.com/ the associated book is a must buy, use and spread… http://www.amazon.com/Worldchanging-Users-Guide-21st-Century/dp/0810930951/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-0059011-0082430?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193943503&sr=1-1 e-mail me at belmontl@aol.com for comments, etc Joe

Make peace, not war!