In today’s society, we face many serious problems, like alienated kids, teenagers turned into simple consumers, global pollution, political corruption, not to mention modern slavery, starvation, and war. We could go on forever, it seems, listing issues in need of acute attention.
How can this go on when most of the world knows it is happening? We believe many factors are at play, but perhaps the most important is how we think of and relate to this knowledge. Do we feel energized to help, or do we tend to hide from the horrors we seem to be unable to change?
Second tier is a level of consciousness where the way we relate to our lives, and the problems of the world, is dramatically changed. Second tier consciousness frees each individual from the confines of their own experience and allows them to see a ‘bigger picture’ in which we are all interrelated. As each first-tier actor acts within his own developmental level, each second-tier actor can span all levels of development to weave a more whole, comprehensive, and enlightened solution.
While the information one receives may very well be the same, second tier consciousness gives a multifaceted interpretation, providing a much deeper comprehension. The same problem that from the first tier seems to only have one obvious solution will often prove to have several possible solutions once experienced from second tier. From second tier, the ability to cooperate with others, understand differences, and provide helpful solutions is considerably increased, which means that second tier consciousness is a powerful route to a better world. Currently, however, the vast majority of the world operates within the first tier.
A ready example of the danger a lack of second tier consciousness can cause is nuclear weaponry (1). One day, in a different time, someone invented a weapon that could destroy life as we know it. There is no going back, what is done cannot be undone. Yet if we wish to end the threat of nuclear war, what options do we have? Most traditional solutions involve international law. Outlaw them all, once and for all. But what if people break the law? Or even if it is obeyed totally, and the weapons are gone, the knowledge remains. What prevents someone from building from scratch?
What then can we do? The only way to end the threat once and for all is to change people, to elevate consciousness so that war is no longer a consideration. In the words of Ken Wilber, "You have to go, that is, to the interior quadrants and the growth of the soul, the growth of wisdom, the growth of consciousness, an interior growth in the Left-Hand quadrants that will keep pace with the growth in Right-Hand technologies. And it simply does not matter that this is an impossibly difficult task; the alternative is painfully clear."
At Matrix Integral, we want to take the first stab at this "impossibly difficult task"- we want take part in creating a new generation of leaders that can take the Integral vision into the real world and make the changes so desperately needed. We are convinced that the solutions to many of the world’s problems do not only lie in the exterior, the quick-fix, the legal patch. Instead, we have to include the interior, the world of minds and hearts. The solution lies inside of each one of us, within a change of mind to a more all-encompassing worldview. This vital change of consciousness, this impossible task, is the leap to the second tier.
The Integral community worldwide, spearheaded by Ken Wilber, is presently working to spread second tier awareness through several different initiatives. At Matrix Integral, we believe that this is one of the best ways to change the world and we are committed to contribute by offering innovative Integral education solutions.
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(1) Adapted from A Theory of Everything, (Ken Wilber, 2001)
