A great article from the Google Blog, about what google is doing with the Health care system, and ways to provide more integrated and transparent information:

Patients also need to be able to better coordinate and manage their own health information. We believe that patients should control and own their own health information, and should be able to do so easily. Today it is much too difficult to get access to one's health records, for example, because of the substantial administrative obstacles people have to go through and the many places they have to go to collect it all. Compare this to financial information, which is much more available from the various institutions that help manage your financial "health." We believe our industry should help solve this problem.

Now, of course - there are some DEFINITE privacy issues here.  However, I think most of the pertinent  information is ALREADY shared, back and forth, between medical agencies and insurance companies.  This would be making that information that already exists (and is shared a lot of times, when we don't know it) available to the "health consumer" as it were.

Thoughts?

Awhile back I blogged about Blackboard, and how they filed for a pretty obvious patent - e-learning - and were granted it.  Then they turned around and sued another e-learning company. 

The patent is pretty bogus, so I am glad to see a group challenging it.

Good World Changing Article on saving energy, using technologies we have - some decades old:

The world is ripe with efficiency opportunities. ("The low-hanging fruit," as Lovins puts it, "is mushing up around our ankles.") His Rocky Mountain Institute points out that in industrial settings, "there are abundant opportunities to save 70% to 90% of the energy and cost for lighting, fan, and pump systems; 50% for electric motors; and 60% in areas such as heating, cooling, office equipment, and appliances." In general, up to 75% of the electricity used in the U.S. today could be saved with efficiency measures that cost less than the electricity itself.

The post goes into how the incentives to adopt these measures, just aren't there - energy costs still are a low percent of overall costs, even at 70%.

If this becomes a priority, regulation would have to be adopted, for this to happen.

Apparently, I abandoned the Google Reader for My Yahoo, only a couple of weeks before their change.  The interface has been changed for a month or two now.

That's okay, because that gave them time to deal with bugs and such.  But I must say, the new interface is great.  Easy to mark things as read.  One line previews, or, larger previews.  Easy scrolls to next messages.  Easy to get to the various tags I've added.  More reliable speed.  Easy to tag, email, or share with others.

Very, very nice. 

I've switched again!

A rather funny, though true - article from SFGate:

On the contrary. People who do things badly, Dunning has found in studies conducted with a graduate student, Justin Kruger, are usually supremely confident of their abilities -- more confident, in fact, than people who do things well.

Read the rest for the details. 

I have a pet theory about this for laughter, by the way, if anyone is interested.

People who let you know that they said something funny - by laughing at their own joke, thus advertising that you are supposed to smile/laugh as well - basically aren't really funny  (this is funny - it's your cue to laugh! hahaha - uh...ha?). 

I'm a little ahead of the curve - at least I know I am only mildy humorous - if that!  T

This pet theory is probably less true for women though.

At any rate, very good evidence for 360 degree assessments.

Video from David Johnson - know NOTHING about this guy, but interesting video - a dry discussion - let me know what you think.

This is pure "gossip talk", and I really shouldn't be indulging in it - but Vince has a good question on Ken Wilber's recent CEO Search announcement.

A pretty interesting video here - this is actually IONS contributing to the program that COTS does:

Just commented on a Blogger site - I have a "blogger account", that I normally use for commenting - but I notice the "nom de plume" that I use, was changed. 

Going to blogger, I find that I am logged in with my gmail account.

I actually preferred having them separate - so I'll have to see how to have both. 

Still, interesting to continually see this progression of Google features.

I've been using the My Yahoo page as my reader, over the last couple of months - having the ability to quickly scan entries, when you subscribe to as many sites as I do, becomes a necessity - so this morning I checked my Google Reader, to discover that the application has been completely redesigned.

And, from the look of it - very well designed!  Both quick check, one line, to scrolling the entire list, to quick ways to tag entries - very very nice.

I might have more feedback later, but fyi!

Worth reading.  An interesting discussion of  enlightened darkness.

Any thoughts?

A great post by David Jon here.

"Yet, I was still taken up with the promise of what a comprehensive philosophy would look like. It wasn't Ken Wilber's vision that held me in thrall anymore. It was the underlying nature of a comprehensive philosophy–i.e., a non-reductionistic philosophy–that I sensed as being the original basis for my resonance with Ken Wilber's work and what I might now choose to call 'Integral Cognition.'"

I would agree with this - and I find that those who attempt to embrace the highest forms of - Spirit, Mind, Body, Other, Soul, Skillful Means In Living - these are the people I want to be my "tribe" so to speak.

Grounded in the world.
In communion with the Divine Soul
Self aware, of one's own shadows and B.S.
Learning, giving, growing, creating - "He not busy being born is busy dying".
Relaxing into the Buddha's smile, that is perfect as it is.

One thing about the Integral Life Practice - it includes:

Mind
Body
Spirit
Shadow

But - there isn't SOUL there - any good community practice must have some SOULfood, IMHO.

At least a heart practice, right?

I've practiced a few different heart practices, but I wonder - is there a specific INTEGRAL heart practice that people know about?  That takes as little as 5 minutes, up to 30?

I guess the "official" heart practice is Tonglen.

But this truthfully, isn't as effective as it should be.

I was speaking about this in our ILP Support Group, and one person said that, when he was working with a Buddhist master, the master said it was important to "pray to the Gods" before doing Tonglen, that your Tonglen would be EFFECTIVE.  And that this was very necessary.  (Being Western, he found it weird to pray to say, Amitabha.  But he did notice that his tonglen was more effective.)

At some point, there is going to need to be an "integral ritual", that involves the heart, prayer, (song perhaps?), as I believe humans basic physiology is built to commune in faith, in that way. This also has a double effect to bind communites together.

But - damn - what ritual is going to WORK for us integral types?  If any??

List here.

These things are always subjective, but man - I can't help but think that there is quite a lot missing on this list, both in impact, and in popularity.

From the 00's, you have Muddy Waters?  A compilation?  Not that Muddy Waters isn't great but, still.  I'd like to see some nod to electronic - Paul Oakenfold, or Moby.  At least Outkast is there.   Even Dave Matthews makes more sense.  You can make a case for Wilco as well, but that's more underground, so I can understand why not as influential.

From the 90's - you have the Chronic - but not Tupac?  Not to mention - no Red Hot Chili Peppers, or Rage Against The Machine - both bands that redefined a new type of funky or harder sound. Alanis?  That Jagged Little Pill?  Again, quite influential for its time. (Overblown, but influential.)

From the 80's - Sign O' The Times?  Come on...

No Police. (At least they have the Talking Heads).

On the other hand, it looks like the 1970's were pegged correctly, from the stuff I have from that time period (after the fact, in this case.)

Others thoughts?  Paul? 

Noted without comment.

Just had a co-worker come up to me with their new IPod Shuffle.

Man, is this thing little thing amazing.

Small, light as a pack of matches (and a bit smaller than a pack of matches), clean lines, easy clip - and I don't know if this is feminine to say but - it's cute as all hell!

I have a "larger" IPod, and more expensive - but I'm wishing for this small little thing!

Has anyone bought this?  Is it as great to use in the gym as I think it is?

I will have more to say about this over the weekend - lost a pretty good post on this - but if you feel like you have the time, read the following three posts (if you haven't already)

Integralisms.

Diversity of the Integral Movement.

 Two kinds of criticisms of integral theory: internal and external:

Again, more later.

Man, these guys just keep improving Zaadz.  And quickly too.

There really isn't a more intelligent social networking, web 2.0 site out there.

From the wisdom of crowds for books, from the pictures, from the backend mail, from the ideas and thoughts wisdom of crowds implementation, to the blogs and the feeds, to the reviews and recommendations, events, and services -

It really is coming together in a way that I've been imagining "a site having", over the last 2 years. 

Kudos, brothers and sisters, kudos!

A good post from Integral Awakening: 

Integral Criticism:  The Solution Is Easy

"Response through authentic, unbiased, research".
 
The problem - this type of research takes time, from what is already a very busy life - and then, there is little compensation, outside of a "job well done".

So - despite the Integral Wiki, despite the great work being done at the P2P Foundation, despite the various integral groups - the integral research project seems to stay the province of the charismatic leaders, the "try this method" people, and the ruminations of the  philosophically-oriented.

I'm thinking about ways to encourage a greater, more practical participation - what are others thoughts?

Who has a lot of time to add to either the Integral Wiki, or integral stuff to the main wiki?  Who has time to participate in a online research project.

Now, that would be pretty easy to create.  Say 40 people in the world - 50, maybe - decide to do the 1 Minute modules every day, for 90 days. detailing the experience, say, to Google Spreadsheets (shared).  During, and after, the spreadsheets can be downloaded, put into either Access, or another database, and statistical analysis run.

That is how EASY it would be, for people to participate.  But even then, who has the time?

There needs to be some carrot, I think, for this stuff.  Peer to peer Foundation began discussing various ways to incentivize the wisdom of the crowds.

I wonder if this could be done with this type of integral research? 

One idea would be, perhaps, some type of community blog, for the research participants, that would publish interesting content, at the same time detailing some of the results.  Then, you add Google Ads, and others, to the site.

Micropayments for participation would probably run in the cents, to the tens of dollars - but there is at least a measurable carrot, no matter how small. 

Of course, you would need to attract enough of an audience to have the site pay for itself - and on top of that have extra!  Which is hard to do!

On the other hand, you can now get a SCOOP community site, for less than 20/month.  That would be easy to raise (or simply pay for) and any extra, again, wouldn't be so much for "making" money, just to have a measurable carrot.

At any rate, it's a good question - participatory integral research projects, that use the web, and pay for themselves. 

Any ideas?

I won't say which Brian - supposedly sits next to Paul, who was (conveniently) home sick.  (Yeah, avoid talking to me Paul!)

But at any rate, Brian has been tasked with "reaching out" to the various Integral Salon, MeetUps, etc, that exist out there in the world. 

Since I organize the San Francisco Meet-Up, I got an email with an invitation to talk, and I called him back.

Brian was specifically looking to know how II could help the various Integral communities out there.

It was good to be asked, because without preparation (and I'm horrible with preparation), when you "meet up", to talk about integral stuff, or Ken Wilber, it can be WAY too disorganized.  So much ground to cover, for one - and then some people have heard from Ken Wilber for the first time, while some people have decades of familiarity.

While some of the disorganization I speak of stems FROM me, of course, some of it is the topics at hand.

So, for me, it actually was pretty clear - I - as organizer - would be helped by getting programs that are either practice/study, with feedback/discussion, for either 2-3 hours, or for work for a day/two days.

People are pretty busy, so in those timeframes - an evening, or an eight hour day, I want to be able to practice/learn something, with peers, in a way that I can validate what we've gone over.  I think this would help with the "falling away" that happens with integral.  Well, at least would give a sense of moving forward. 

The Alchemist.

I've never read this book, I'm ashamed to say - should I?

Joe does a masterful job, in the following posts, fleshing out with great descriptions, viewpoints of development, that align with the integral model.

Infrared and Magenta Stations

Red and Amber Stations

Orange and Yellow Stations

Green and Teal Stations

Update: 

Violet and Ultraviolet Stations

I recommend reading these.

One thing about developmental theory, studies, and I alluded to it in my last post (and Vince added a thoughtful comment as well), is that I'm not sure anyone is AT any particular station.  I more think that a person passes through - on a daily basis, states that reflect the stations.  As such, a particular person is infrared, magenta, red, amber, orange, yellow, green teal, depending on what is active in the person's consciousness, at that moment.

A line from Joe:  Formation of ability to trust others; the ability to embrace life as fundamentally worth living

This element of trust/no trust, of LIFE, is carried through, as an adult.  In times of tiredness, it is easy to revert to a state of "no-trust", even though most of the time one's attitude is one of trust.


And this can be wildly affected by what the surrounding environment is.   That basic primeval state can be re-engaged by life and death issues, as well as say, being put in prison indefinitely (see previous post.)

In this sense, I don't know how useful it is to label a PERSON - you can attempt to label a view, or a certain behavior set.  For example, aversion to discipline may be labeled that a "negative red", has been activated in a person. And for an honest self-evaluation, it's good to attempt to see what is motivating you.  (Don't tread on me!)  But in another situation, that same person could be incredibly disciplined.  

At the same time, if that "Don't treat on me", appears as a fixated pattern, often enough, in that person, then we can say - yes, that person is spending a lot of time in a fixated negative red pattern.  Negative self-esteem, that periodically attempts to force that esteem from others, might be an example.

This is the case of Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri:

This is not a case of someone being detained on a battlefield or even overseas, nor is it the case of someone who entered the country illegally. He was in the U.S. legally and was detained while sitting at home. And just as he was about to start his criminal trial, the President essentially cancelled the trial and ordered him detained indefinitely and incommunicado

Regarding legal issues, this is some of the impact of the Unlimited Detention and Torture Act (also known as the Military Commissions Act). 

A complete betrayal of the legal underpinnings of the Constitution.  A complete betrayal of any type of ethical system.

It looks like one of the first things Democrats will do, is attempt to address this law, removing or altering some of the more egregious elements.

Let's all pray for success in this.

There was a lot to take in, of course.  A few quick thoughts, on somewhat new stuff, and just random comments.

a. Lots of jumping from concept to concept - it is muddled to see how they all go together - lines, states, stages, quadrants, zones.
b. The zone concept especially was utilized to a great degree.  It's a good concept as well. 
c.  One very good single page summary of Advaita Vedanta.  What I thought was interesting about the "5 Bodies" - gross, dreaming, subtle, causal, non-dual (I hope that is correct, typing from memory - I'll go back and fix this post otherwise).  Now, as the Advaitins always say, these states are ALWAYS ACCESSIBLE.  Accessible, now, to you.  (And Big Mind shows, this, as well.)  Ken Wilber then jumps to "growing" on the vertical level of the Wilber-Combs lattice, and how you advance through meditation and training,  but skips over a bit, how, if the non-dual body is accessible now, then meditation isn't necessary to access the non-dual.  Which again, is part of what the older advaitins teach, and part of what neo-advaitins teach. 

d.  I would say the crux of new concepts, at least what is leaned on a lot, aren't so new, but presented in a clearer, more coherent manner.  This again, would be the Wilber-Combs lattice, and  the eight zones (modes of viewing and studying the world).  

e. Shadow work is sort of thrown in there, but a great description of me-it, on the psychological level. 

f.  There was a lot of leaning on the concept of "stages", and that people are AT certain stages, however, I'm still not sure to what degree this holds up.  I still don't find many people who are "at" only orange, or "at" only blue, etc.  People seem to hold differing values, across the red/amber/blue/green spectrum, depending on an ISSUE.  It would be great if the type of Zone #2 and Zone #4 studies, could show that "in general" a person is at so-and-so stage, but I need to see it to believe it.  Because it could just as easily be, on the values issues that:

i. Values for different issues are at different levels - and this means that a person ISN'T at a particular level.
ii.  The various studies - Graves, Leovinger, Keegan - definitely show a one-way arrow towards greater complexity, and a greater depth, in people.  From the me to the us, to the universal.  However, one thing glossed over, is that if this in any way meshes with the SD concept of colors, and thus the Wilber-Combs matrix. 

Basically, I need to see that the various types of complexity and growth - morals, cognition, values, etc - share anything other than increasing complexity.  Could it be possible that someone could be at value stage orange, yet be at moral stage 3?   I think so, as you can find fundamentalists, fully committed to the mythic religious vision, who nevertheless are operationally, at the highest ethical level, in their personal behaviour.

A lot hangs on the answer to this question though, as Wilber universalizes, the "level" or "stage" a person is at, and collects the various different developmental lines, under the same rubric.

This would be the vertical side of the Wilber-Combs matrix.

No one I meet though, is "at" a stage.  People to me seem all over the place.  I'm not sure that stages work, in the real world.  (I'm probably wrong, but thought I would point that out.)

g.  I really like the small part - but very valuable - about upper levels of faith.  Not only mythic faith, but the "i-thou" love relationship, in spirituality, continuing always, even in the midst of realizing non-duality.  Don't skip over your heart, and the heart of the world!

h. At some point, I will bet money that this "full spectrum analysis", will make its way into various evaluation tools.  Already the tools used by corporate America are very, very, good, for example, when used for hiring both for pyche traits, and for skills traits.  I can only see this being an addition.

i.  By the same token, however, related to points h (evaluations) and f (assigning people at stages), I don't even know what stage I am at!!   Especially, as is claimed, "green" can mask a power drive of red (isn't red always about a power drive anyway?), and so be mean green, it will be interesting to see what smart, in-depth assessments can pick up about where a particular person is at.

What else have you seen from the book?  Your thoughts?

This post from P2P is certainly very true.

No one can be "shut up", in the new era, at least not effectively.  Stories get out.  And the example of Andrew Cohen is a good one, detailing What Is Enlightenment's primary role in getting the world out at A.C.'s abuses.

It's also incredibly humorous, to see Andrew Cohen attempt to "embrace" blogs.   Here is a blog of his on Integrity.

He declares his allegiance to "authenticity, transparency, and integrity", pretty early on, using this new blogform.

Why is that humorous? 

Well, because if you attempt to leave a comment - which I did - it doesn't post, but gets caught, and "reviewed".   The reasons why  a comment wouldn't get posted are many - you can read the subtext - the comment I left was mildly oppositional, slightly mocking,  certainly nothing that supposedly wouldn't get by the filter. 

But it wasn't posted, of course. 

So much for transparency!  I've heard from others, and they have had the same experience.
As well, the post is full of abstractions, strawmen, and defensiveness, when speaking about his "controversial path". 

Also, he mentions why he hasn't spoken of his detractors before:

The motives of my detractors appeared so transparent that I thought they would be obvious to others, and I naively concluded that there was no point in responding. Besides, it just felt beneath my dignity to do so. I was wrong. I have now, obviously belatedly, come to understand that my lack of response is being considered by some as an admission of guilt or wrongdoing, or even worse, as a lack of integrity in itself.

This chilled me, especially, when considering the following story from What Enlightenment blog, about a british 70 year old female follower:

The following day, on Sunday 12 December 1999, her phone rang once more and it was again Steve Brett on the other end of the line. Clearly dissatisfied that in the previous phone call Caroline had not "cracked" under his pressure and "admitted her sin," Steve Brett went on to deliver a renewed but far more devastating attack on Caroline. Caroline said later that the conversation lasted for about forty five minutes and that during it Brett repeatedly insulted her with a ferocity that left her completely traumatized. Caroline said that she had to keep the phone handset away from her ear on many occasions as Brett was literally shouting at her from the other side. She was told that she was going to “die a miserable old woman” and how awful it was on her part that she had dared to leave the venue without waiting to see Cohen. Without any consideration whatsoever for her physical and spiritual frailty, Brett again and again furiously scolded Caroline for her apparent egotistical and independent ways that completely infuriated her teacher. Caroline was told that, instead of surrendering her soul to Andrew Cohen now that she was coming close to dying, she was still holding on to her small life and her ego and would die as such. Caroline also spoke about her intuitive feeling that Cohen was in the room with Brett, listening to the latter delivering his attack.

 Caroline died 11 days after this conversation with Brett - (and the suppositions is, (no proof, I will say) that this was at Cohen's direction), and the case is made that it was mainly due to the severe effect of the "talking to".  I'm sure that isn't all, as bodies go when they go, especially 79 year old bodies - but wow, what a great last gift to a dying woman, huh?

Whether the story is true or not - the story certainly doesn't seem something "beneath Andrew's dignity", to speak about, or clear up.  It seems exactly opposite that.

And, of course, that is just ONE story, out of many, from many, MANY different sources.

So, let's continue to use these peer-to-peer tools to expose the corruption, in the communities we belong to.   Just remember, it's like weed-whacking.  Something you have to do again and again.

I wonder about the efficacy of Big Mind, 3-2-1 - well, for me, specifically about Big Mind. 

There is no doubt, that a perspective shift is engaged in, when Big Mind practice occurs.  As always though, as for my other big realizations, it fades away. 

Perhaps it is the nature of the beast - all realizations fade away - I shouldn't expect anything else, right?

What is so, is so.  And - that means "me experienced as me", and "other experienced as other" as well. 

I'm not sure, really.  I've had enough peak experiences, enough time in silent awareness, in meditation, watching the universe quite literally "rise and fall", as one breath, in one moment - it still seems strange that I so easily revert to "me against the world", objectifying and identifying myself with - er - myself...

I'm sure there is something I am missing there, so I decided to kvetch on it...

I clearly haven't been posting a lot here - mainly because I've been pretty busy.

But also, this particular blog has focused on the "basics", of integralism (when not veering to tech stuff and philosophy!)

For various dimensions, it is now pretty clear what the basic practices are.

Physical - I've blogged before - but 2 to 3 times a week, cardio, stretching, and weighlifting for exercise.

For diet - barring special circumstances - less carbs, and balanced eating.

Meditation - while there is a lot around the map here, the basic practices involved for integral involve:

Basic Zen/Vipassana sitting
BigMind/Advaita training
Compassion/Heart work


Now, of course, I'm missing a lot of the I-Thou meditations.  Perhaps I could blog them.

In terms of professional, career - one of the best books out there for this is Pathfinder, and What Color Is Your Parachute?

Both are passionate and practical, and give a very good sense of what are the gifts one has to GIVE, in terms of skills, abilities, and desires.

Psychological/interpersonal- while there are a lot of books out there, self-assessment is fairly easy to use, and I have also used this site to point to inexpensive therapeutic options.  And then there is the Shadow Work of the 1-2-3, as well as Byron Katie's work.  I could write more about relationship as well, but it is so easy for this to become narcissistic, in my opinion.

Now - community - this is probably one of the biggest lacks that I personally have, or have not written a lot about, and I've been attempting to address this through the Ken Wilber MeetUp, and organizing the San Francisco ILP Group. 

And then, when you do all the above, do you have time for rest, play, and creativity? Where is the balance?

I still believe there are things that are important for an "integral practitioner" to deal with - deeper delving into the interpersonal, dealing with MOTIVATION and destructive subpersonalities (just because all the practices are out there, doesn't mean you are doing them!), and also re-introducing some concepts into the integral community with ethics - such as "duty", "community commitment" etc.  A community is defined by the individuals that "take on" the duties of that community, and it is duty and volunteerism that is the glue of community.  Which conflicts a bit with "my/your integral growth".  And you want to keep away from any cultism, as such.

At any rate, opening up for questions - what integrally, needs to be worked on?  My integral growth, rather than "our" integral growth?