"Money can't buy life." - Bob Marley
"If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there
would be peace." - John Lennon
"If you tremble with indignation at every injustice, then you are a comrade
of mine." - Che Guevara
- Stage Green Overview : Green stage emerges in response to Orange's limitations, particularly the unfulfillment found in material success, and transitions the focus towards building a sense of community and meaningful relationships.
- Values of Green : Empathy, compassion, equality, multiculturalism, peace, flattening hierarchies, environmental concerns, and human well-being are fundamental values for Green.
- Emergence and Transition : Green develops when Orange's materialism fails to satisfy the human spirit, prompting a shift from competition to cooperation and a realization of the collective's importance.
- Global Community : Unlike Blue's focus on one's own civilization, Green considers the entire world as its community, seeking harmony and equality for all, regardless of race or culture.
- Rejection of Materialism : The stage sees materialism as hollow and unsustainable and advocates for more humanized and community-oriented values.
- Health Crisis in Orange : An Orange health crisis, physical or spiritual, can trigger a transition to Green by highlighting the importance of enjoying life and relationships over relentless success.
- Green Values List : Important aspects for Greens include love, harmony, environmentalism, activism, rejecting greed, valuing diversity, and practicing empathy.
- Femininity in Green : Green encourages the expression of femininity, marking a departure from the patriarchal tendencies of previous stages and emphasizing balanced gender roles.
- Interpersonal Relationships in Green : For Green, human bonding, sensitivity, and interpersonal skills are prioritized, contrasting with the formal interactions seen in Orange work environments.
- Green's communal spirituality : Green values spirituality without strict religious dogma, embracing shared practices in yoga and meditation circles.
- Environmental consciousness : Prioritizing ecological awareness, Mother Nature's wisdom, and sustainable living, green rejects the notion of humans as mere cogs in a machine.
- Social justice and equality : Green focuses on protecting the vulnerable and redistributing resources to level the playing field, countering capitalism's inequalities.
- Inclusivity and tolerance : Members of the Green stage advocate for inclusive groups where everyone has a voice, demonstrating significant tolerance for differing viewpoints.
- Open-mindedness and intimacy : Green values open-minded attitudes, deeper intimate connections, and comprehensive sex education over the superficial, transactional approach of previous stages.
- Cooperation and creativity : Transitioning from competition to cooperation, green values creativity, beauty, and art for its intrinsic worth, independent of financial gain.
- Green entrepreneurship : While still valuing entrepreneurial spirit, Green's approach is tempered with humanity, contrasting with the profit-first mentality.
- Workplace inclusiveness : A Green leader nurtures employees, valuing their feelings and input, unlike the impersonal management styles of Orange.
- Rejecting material displays : Green prioritizes internal qualities over external material wealth and appearances.
- Individuality within Green : Despite valuing individual expression, there's a trend towards a collective identity, revealing conformity within non-conformity.
- Burning Man as Green exemplar : Burning Man festival is cited as an epitome of Green values, celebrating community, environmental responsibility, and artistic expression.
- Green in politics and society : Progressive movements, the New Age community, vegans, and political figures like Bernie Sanders are emblematic of Green ideals.
- Values transformation in Green : The transformation from "I the capable" in Orange to "We the accepting" in Green indicates a shift towards communal success and growth.
- Decision-making through consensus : Green stresses reconciliation and consensus in decision-making, favoring mutual understanding and dialogue.
- Emotional intelligence over rationality : Green prioritizes emotional metrics for success over quantifiable financial metrics that Orange values.
- Openness to New Age concepts : Green stage is more receptive to New Age ideas and alternative practices that might have been dismissed as irrational by Orange.
- American Political Spectrum and Spiral Dynamics : The U.S. political landscape reflects the stages of Spiral Dynamics with conservatives skewing towards blue (traditionalist values), liberals leaning green (progressive values), and businesspeople falling in between. Republicans reside between blue and orange (achievement and success), while Democrats are positioned between orange and green.
- Political Media and Green Values : Media outlets like CNN and MSNBC appear liberal to those with blue or orange perspectives, while in reality, they operate primarily from orange with corporatist leanings. Progressive political shows and hosts like The Young Turks, Bill Maher, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and Sam Seder's The Majority Report embody green values with rational policies and a blend of right and left-brain thinking.
- Distinction of Green Intellectuals : Public figures such as Noam Chomsky, Michael Moore, and Al Gore represent healthy examples of green intellectuals. These individuals, along with social workers and community organizers, reflect the embrace of green values like equality, environmentalism, and social justice.
- Universities and Green Ideology : Universities tend to foster a liberal and progressive environment, resonating with green stage characteristics such as social justice, LGBTQ rights, and post-modern feminism. This often comes into the crosshairs of critics like Jordan Peterson, who mislabels these movements as "neo-marxist."
- Critique of Jordan Peterson's Position : Jordan Peterson's conflating of progressivism with "neo-marxism" demonstrates a misunderstanding of green values and potentially hinders personal and communal growth past the green stage. Peterson's critiques stem from personal negative experiences and do not reflect the broader, more rational and down-to-earth green populace.
- Green Stage Misrepresentation : Labeling green values as neo-marxist or creating pejorative terms like "social justice warriors" unfairly demonizes the stage and creates barriers to personal development. Organizations fighting for abortion rights, pacifism, and environmentalism, such as ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and environmental NGOs, exemplify green activism, distinct from the unhealthy extremes represented by groups like Antifa.
- The 60s and Green Cultural Movements : The counterculture movement of the 1960s with figures like John Lennon and events like Woodstock express the green stage's emphasis on peace, love, and environmentalism. Modern examples continue this tradition with the legalization of marijuana and the support of psychedelics pioneers like Timothy Leary.
- Green Stage and Business Practices : While some businesses like Whole Foods may attract a customer base that appreciates green values, these entities often represent a mixture of orange ambition and green conscience. An example of the conflict within green ethics is the discontinued sale of rabbit meat at Whole Foods due to customer protests, while still selling other meats like beef and chicken.
- Green Sensitivity and Hypocrisy at Whole Foods : Green stage's emotional sensitivity led to outrage at Whole Foods for selling rabbit meat, reflecting a certain hypocrisy since they still sell beef and chicken. This event exemplifies the emotional decision-making and selective compassion characteristic of the Green stage.
- Green Affinity for Alternative Practices : Western yoga, reiki, Western forms of Buddhism, and other holistic practices are popular among Green stage individuals, catering to their preference for non-traditional healing and spirituality.
- Pope Francis' Blend of Blue and Green : Pope Francis exhibits Green stage values with his liberal stance on global warming and social issues while maintaining Blue stage religious traditions, showcasing a transition phase in spiritual and religious contexts.
- Anti-Vaxxers and Hollywood in Green : Anti-vaxxers and the liberal political views often expressed during Hollywood award shows reflect the Green stage's propensity for social activism and justice.
- Geographic Presence of Green : Regions like Scandinavia, California, and cities like San Francisco and New York are identified as having strong Green stage influences due to their progressive policies and cultural movements.
- Green Approaches in Governance : Green stage values influence policies such as denuclearization, equal pay, free college, universal basic income, and eco-friendly initiatives in societies that lean towards Green.
- Google and Apple as Green-Oriented Corporations : The work culture at companies like Google and Apple embodies Green values through their benefits, such as healthy food options and family care, albeit they still retain Orange corporate elements.
- Warning Labels, Safety, and Utopian Communes as Green Markers : Green stage is associated with an emphasis on safety through warning labels, the popularity of talk therapy, men being open with emotions, and the idea of living in utopian communes.
- Tragic Idealism Represented in "Into The Wild" : The film "Into The Wild" symbolizes Green's tragic idealism where the protagonist's quest for simplicity and nature results in an untimely death due to lack of practical survival skills.
- Green Stage Public Figures : Public figures like Russell Brand and organizations like the United Nations embrace Green stage values with their focus on social justice, environmentalism, and global community.
- Green Stage Slogans : Phrases that epitomize green values include "Love conquers all," "Sharing is caring," "Make love not war," and "Everyone is equal." These slogans represent Green's emphasis on harmony, equality, and a compassionate worldview.
- Triggers for the Green Stage : Green is sensitive to issues like injustice, inequality, oppression of minorities, and abuses of power. Hierarchical systems perceived as unjust, like the Indian caste system, heavily trigger Green's demand for change. Additionally, Green is responsive to instances of unchecked capitalism, consumerism, corporate greed, and environmental destruction.
- Green's Emotional Sensitivity : The highly evolved emotional sensitivity of Green leads to heightened responsiveness to triggers such as human rights abuses, racism, bigotry, fascism, and incidents that symbolize these issues, like Charlottesville in the U.S.
- Progressive Frustration Due to Societal Backwardness : Progressives, associated with Green, are often frustrated by society's resistance to change. They envision an egalitarian, democratic future but find the process halted by traditionalist and conservative elements invested in maintaining the status quo.
- Unhealthy Extremes of Green : When taken to the extreme, Green's sensitivity can become overbearing, with people getting easily offended and adopting an unrealistic idealism. There is sometimes a lack of practical strategy and too much focus on dialogue without action.
- Green Stage’s Demonization of Materialism : Green may vilify materialism and corporations, mistakenly not fully appreciating their necessary role in society. Green believes in building upon and transcending lower stages like Orange, rather than replacing them.
- Green Stage's Lack of Appreciation for Lower Stages : Green may attempt to introduce progressive ideals to countries that are not yet culturally or infrastructurally ready, overlooking the importance and necessity of the previous developmental stages.
- Challenges of Imposing Green Values : Attempting to uplift people directly to the Green stage without meeting them at their current level of development is impractical. Efforts by NGOs and charities in regions like the Middle East or Africa often fail because they don’t address the people’s immediate needs within their cultural context.
- Green's Misunderstanding of Economic Complexity : The Green stage may oversimplify economic issues, believing that solutions like raising taxes or regulating corporations will solve problems, not accounting for potential counterintuitive effects due to the economy's complexity.
- Critique of Relativism in Green : Green can fall into a trap of false equivalence by asserting that all cultures are on an equal playing field, which can lead to denying the reality that different cultures have varying levels of complexity and development.
- Recognizing Developmental Levels : It’s important to acknowledge that different cultures and individuals are at different developmental stages, which is a natural evolutionary process, not a moral judgment.
- Naive Pacifism in Green : Due to Green’s emphasis on love and peace, the stage can underestimate the complexity of conflict, leading to unrealistic expectations that non-intervention is always the best approach.
- Green’s Struggle with Hierarchy : The desire to flatten hierarchies can lead to inefficient decision-making in organizations, as Green might de-emphasize clear leadership and decisive action.
- Integration of Pragmatism Lacking in Green : Green can suffer from a lack of pragmatic action and effective decision-making when it has not fully integrated the lessons of the Orange stage, such as the importance of financial management and job stability.
- Extremist Elements and Emotional Overreach in Green : The collectivist orientation of Green may create extremist elements, characterized by moments of mob mentality. Excessive emotional involvement can also lead to burnout or emotional harm.
- Green's Compassion Dilemma : Green may focus too much on one type of compassion (soothing rather than confronting), potentially leading to inefficient solutions in situations that might require difficult but necessary truths.
- Green Guilt : Feelings of guilt can resurface in Green, associated with not living up to its high ideals, which can be disempowering instead of motivating effective action.
- Green's Reactive Nature : Green may prioritize reaction over proaction, focusing on responding to existing issues rather than pursuing its own goals and agenda.
- Stifling of Independence and Entrepreneurship : In some societies with strong Green values, independent thinking and entrepreneurial spirit may be discouraged if they conflict with societal norms of equality and consensus.
- The Incomplete Embrace of Spirituality in Green : While Green talks about spirituality, it may fail to fully embody the deep non-dual states necessary for unconditional love, lacking the discipline required for profound spiritual experiences.
- Sense of Entitlement in Green : Some individuals in the Green stage might not recognize that their level of development is built upon the achievements of previous stages, leading to a sense of entitlement to certain life conditions.
- Green's Entitlement and Naivety : Green can show a sense of entitlement, forgetting its own developmental privileges compared to third-world countries. It also sometimes exhibits naive altruism, which can lead to impractical aspirations like helping everyone without acknowledging real-world limitations.
- Green's Denial of Differences : Green might idealize equality to such an extent that it overlooks significant differences between individuals and cultures. Although well-intended, Green's push for equality can evolve into an ideology that limits creative and pragmatic solutions.
- Need for Flexible Thinking : The key lesson from Green is the importance of a flexible mind, free from fixed beliefs. This openness is essential for the liberation of consciousness and to transcend any particular stage's limitations.
- Exploitation of Green Empathy : Green's empathy can be exploited by other stages, such as Red or Orange, leading to situations where Green's tolerance is taken advantage of, particularly in viewing simpler tribal cultures with romanticized, unrealistic perceptions.
- Green's Potential Missteps : Green's idealism can result in underestimating the complexities of societal issues, such as blindly integrating all without practical borders or management of resource allocation, as seen in the case of Osho's commune.
- Green's Societal Influence : Globally, Green influences about 15% of cultural through media, politics, business, charities, and NGOs, with up to 10% of the adult population at the Green stage. Green's governance style typically involves a mix of socialist and capitalist elements with a flat hierarchy.
- Transcending Green Stage Myopia : To move past the Green stage, individuals need to grapple with its limitations, study the Yellow stage for greater wisdom, and stop prematurely judging other stages, ensuring they fully understand and integrate the lessons from each stage before advancing.
- Green's dissatisfaction with neutrality : Green sees neutrality as a lack of passion for social causes, while Yellow seeks a systemic approach before engaging in activism.
- Criticism of demonizing other stages : Green tends to demonize stages like Orange and Blue, which causes societal polarization and stalemate, hindering progress.
- Green's pitfalls in polarization : Progressives fear that without strong opposition, fascistic elements will prevail; however, this reactive approach creates stagnation rather than change.
- The urgency of transcending to Yellow : Reaching Yellow is crucial for solving systemic issues in society, a task that Green's approach often fails to accomplish effectively.
- Green's perspective on social issues : Greens are encouraged to balance their focus on social causes with the understanding that society progresses at its necessary rate.
- Recognition of politics as ego : High-minded Green politics are ultimately another form of ego, potentially distracting from inner self-actualization.
- The necessity of business : Acknowledging business as a necessary societal component and that Green is not the final developmental stage promotes growth beyond Green.
- Empathy for different stages : Empathizing with why people at different stages can't immediately become Green is essential to move into Yellow stage thinking.
- Educational privilege and consequences : Greens must acknowledge their educational privilege and the rigidity in mindset that improperly educated people may possess.
- Understanding action out of ignorance : Accepting that actions from bigotry to violence arise from ignorance helps in developing more effective approaches than mere protests.
- Resistance to triggered reactions : Overcoming the impulse to react to societal ills with demonstrations alone, prioritizing love and tolerance, including for intolerance itself.
- Moving beyond simplistic blame : Comprehensive understanding of the causes of societal issues is crucial, beyond attributing them solely to politicians or corporations.
- Introduction to systems-thinking : Studying systems-thinking helps Greens see the limitations in their stage and paves the way for transitioning to Yellow.
- Addressing Green hypocrisy : Greens often decry societal issues while inadvertently participating in them, pointing to the need for self-reflection.
- Identifying Green mob mentality : Being aware of the excesses of collective action within Green is key to developing individual critical thinking skills.
- Integration of lower stages : Fully integrating the pragmatic aspects of Orange, such as learning through starting a business, is recommended for evolving beyond Green.
- Self-reflection and serious practice : Pursuing practices such as meditation and self-inquiry enables greater introspection beyond the surface-level expressions of Green.
- Educating oneself on higher stages : Reading about Yellow and Turquoise stages and Spiral Dynamics aids in transcending Green by understanding the complexity of societal evolution.
- Deconstructing social values : Examining one's social causes in light of meaning, value, and purpose is recommended to identify underlying attachments and ego influences.
- Financial independence and self-sufficiency : Striving for a career that reflects Green values without reliance on exploitative systems encourages genuine alignment with Green principles.
- Self-alignment and avoiding stereotypes : Abstaining from stereotyping based on the Spiral Dynamics model aids in the advancement toward higher stages of personal development.
- Designing Career Choices with Consciousness : Leo suggests individuals take responsibility by creating their own job aligned with Green values and not based on exploiting others or the environment. He acknowledges the challenge and fulfillment in this path, highlighting his life purpose course aimed at assisting this process.
- The Importance of Neutrality and Perspective : Leo emphasizes the superiority of neutrality over polarization, especially as one advances to the Yellow stage's "true neutrality," which involves understanding and accommodating all stages within the Spiral Dynamics model.
- Protesting and Advocacy Limitations : He acknowledges the role of protests but points out their limitations, stressing the need for a deeper, systemic approach to problems beyond simple protest and dialogue.
- Contemplation and Self-reflection are Key : Leo advises thorough contemplation and self-reflection to understand the limitations and traps of one's current stage and to integrate lessons from previous stages before progressing.
- Model and Stereotyping : Leo warns against using Spiral Dynamics to stereotype people and stresses the model's complexity, advising against using it to advance political agendas. He encourages viewing politics from an ego and meta perspective to transcend the polarizing effects of political engagement.
- Importance of Not Skipping Stages : Leo emphasizes the importance of not rushing through stages or seeking shortcuts in personal development. He recommends mastering each stage and learning all its lessons before moving on to the next.
- Collaborative Efforts : Leo invites individuals to contribute to the actualized.org forum, where they can share or learn about examples that epitomize different Spiral Dynamics stages, enhancing collective understanding of the model.