Personal Growth Can Save the World

Ken Wilber is an interesting fella. A prolific writer in spirituality and personal growth and the founder <!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:”Cambria Math”; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:1; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 0 0 0 0 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:”"; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –> the founder of the Integral Institute. Wilber is also a staunch proponent of a theory called Spiral Dynamics which purports that human nature is not fixed. Humans are able, when forced by circumstances, to adapt to their environments by constructing new, more complex, conceptual models of the world that allow them to handle new problems. One of the more inspiring examples of this to me was illustrated in An Inconvenient Truth, in how we as a population of evolved humans addressed the issue of our shrinking ozone layer, by changing our practices in using CFC’s…and, stopped the damage we were doing to the ozone.

Reaching new levels of the ’spiral’ illustrated in the theory of Spiral Dynamics require greater levels of self-awareness. It’s my belief that the more self-aware the entire population is, the more able we are to make smarter group decisions that push the population’s level of happiness and responsibility forward. To me the practices and resources of personal growth (whether it be a simple Yoga class w/ meditation or a book on reaching your financial goals) is an accessible way to invite a population of people into greater self-awareness. That ‘next level’ of thinking, to me, helps illustrate a basic example of how personal growth can play into the theory of massive leaps in spiral dynamics.

To that end, some friends of mine recently launched a personal development review site, called GrowthPop.com, where users post reviews, rate & comment or discuss their experiences with self improvement & growth resources from books to workshops to spiritual gurus. I feel like this sector has been heating up lately, from mainstream folks like Tony Robbins, to the proliferation of life coaches and Yoga going mainstream. A single source where you can find everything in one place will help more people find resources to become more conscious of their thoughts and actions and play a key role in helping the masses discover new levels of consciousness…and…thereby save the world. =)