This was absolutely brilliant and funny.  A great look into the world of someone who is really bringing integral into their whole life and a delight to have someone express so clearly the issues and challenges that an integral-sapien runs into.  I'm starting to feel like some kind of book review person but I really just wanted to express my deep appreciation for this offering.

Thank you David Zeitler.  For your Work and your words.

 

Jeffrey

 

 

Jeffrey,

Thank you so much for your kind words. It was offered with deep appreciation for our community, and I am delighted that it is being received as such.

Like most of us, Ken's life and work has inspired me to great heights and broad depths. The more I practiced my ILP, the more I realized that I was being fragmented in my work by NOT trying to be Integral in that context. But how can I compartmentalize my Integral living? It's a false dichotomy to be Integral during down-time but not when we are being "tested."

In other words, I was orienting to the anchor of the LL/LR forces of the food service industry. This is something that Ken has been talking about more and more, particularly since 2005 - that since 50% of "who we are" moment to moment is the intersubjective and interobjective aspects of the holon which we are, we are always being a little bit pulled towards the lower end of our self-systems' altitude when we are in Traditional or Modern or Postmodern contexts.

In the same way that attending an II seminar, or being with a group of beautiful and intelligent Integral folks, makes us feel fully seen and light and luminous, so too does being in Traditional and Modern and Postmodern LL/LR sociocultural contexts dampen us slightly. Such LL/LR contexts can never fully "hold" you, nor will members of those sociocultural systems "see" you for who you fully are. Rather, they will construct the Traditional or Modern or Postmodern aspects that you have reintegrated into your being. Then, they will interact with those parts of you that they resonate with. You will find yourself being interrupted alot, because being Integral, you will want to paint a picture, go into the parts, and then repaint the picture.

Accepting the fact that there are sociocultural limitations and therefore necessary fragmentations for my LL/LR, made being treated poorly as a server much easier. It also made those moments of true connection extremely valuable.

And so I combined what Ken was saying about LL/LR, with my deeping ILP, and I realized that I was (once again!) being fragmented.

So I came up with a saying that has become a kind of mantra for me:

"We are only truly Integral to the degree that lower Altitude views do not bother us."

As Ken often says, it may hurt more, but it will bother you less.

:-)

thanks again!
david z

---

Gregarious Curmudgeon

Dear Jerffrey:   Yes.   Once again one of my favorite teachings from Ken is the last one on IOS.   #13 where Tami Simon (the interviewer and one of the very best) says she now wants to have us listen to something they found in the archives.  Ken tells us about how we can become a "dolt" like everyone else when we go out into the world and try to manifest at times.  One reason is that other people will hurt you and then we are tested.  Many times we then end up in Samsara.  The other side of the street as he calls it.  "Welcome to Hell!!  And when we are in Hell or Samsara, we need a map to get out.  Anyone in hell would want that.   So what he has done is that he has made a map to show us how to get out of Samsara.  So when we find ourselves suffering, we want that map- big time.   For me, I have found that it takes work to study the map, ponder and contemplate the map to find out where and what we need personally, which road or street or pointing out instructions we need.  And as we continue to use this map we do come to the place more and more of learning.  "We are only truly Integral to the degree that the lower Altitude views do not bother us."

And as Ken says, it may hurt more, but it will bother you less.   Another POI (pointing out in.)  is when I am bothered,  to actually say to myself, "Remember to leave a space where love and wisdom can flow between us."   I was reminded of this again recently.  Many times these people are family and friends and the work it is taking for me re: knowing how to respond to the healthy part of the color scheme and let the other go most of the time is so helpful.   And the more I struggle, the more I realize how we all struggle with the unhealthy stuff.  It is a great equalizer since we all started at square one and each path is different.   I have more love in my heart.

And since I have read and studied so much in my own profession, it is not all that different to work on growth and I also knew that we needed a "Practice"  and that we needed to eat and exercise etc in order to manifest.  And I knew others in the Health Care professions who were doing the same.   We would ask if our patients and clients had a spiritual life and how they ate and all this good stuff.   But there were places we still could not go and where we were still separated.   That can change now.   Ken came along with his Map and ended up making it all into a Prayer  or Meditation that everyone can hear.   If they have eyes to hear and ears to hear.   I really liked what you said.  You found a mantra for yourself. It doesn't get much better than that.   Love to You   Pattye    PS  You know, Ithink it will be possible to begin to tell the stories, write new mantras, etc.   As Ken said someone will come along and write a new Jonathan Livingston SeaGull.   Just think of your mantra put in a way a child can understand.    Awesome!

PS   And thank you.  Now I want to experience  David's article or video.  Good to have someone review it.  PTG

David and Jeffrey:    I do apooigize for mixing this all up.   David, thank you for blog and I agree with Jeffery and hope he cont. to give his reviews and supporting that which others might want to know about.

And David:  Forgive me.   Your answer was very wonderful for me.   I do not think I would have gone quite so far with my Post in just the way I did.  Maybe I would have.   I think I thought you were older.  And the picture caught my eye.  That happens a lot .  My doctors, the lawyers, all the young people look  so young to me.   I have a hard time knowing what age one is from 20 to 40.   I am also amazed at how deep so many are.  Thanks for your writing.  I am going to re-read and then also read your answer again to Jeffery.   For sure, I resonated with your writing.

Sincerely, Pattye