Spiral Dynamics Green/Community Mindset

Overview

The response to the somewhat singularly driven Orange vMEME is found in the Green “Community” vMEME, the sixth “awakening,” which first appeared nearly 150 years ago. The basic theme for the Green vMEME is: Seek peace within the inner self and explore, with others, the caring dimensions of community. Another way to think of this vMEME is as “The Sensitive Self.”

Some of the characteristic beliefs and actions of the Green vMEME include:

  • Becomes more aware of the suffering of the world, of other sentient beings
  • The human spirit must be freed from greed, dogma, and divisiveness
  • Feelings, sensitivity, and caring supersede cold rationality
  • Share the Earth’s resources and opportunities equally among all
  • Reach decisions through consensus processes
  • Anti-authoritarian and against hierarchy; establishes lateral bonding and linking
  • All values are pluralistic and relativistic; no one should be marginalized
  • Environmentalism becomes a socio-political movement
  • A fundamental belief is “All people are good; it’s society that makes them bad.” Highly idealistic.
  • Can create cults of victims and censorship through politically correct thinking; can also be politically dogmatic.

The Green vMEME is seen in the following: John Lennon’s music, deep ecology, Greenpeace, animal rights, Woodstock, single payer health care, ACLU, humanistic psychology, diversity training, multiculturalism, Boulder, Colorado, Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream company, The Body Shop, politically correct thinking, deconstructionism, postmodernism, The Utne Reader, Paul Ray’s Cultural Creatives, and the natural/organic foods movement.

The Green vMEME comprises 10% of the world population, and holds nearly 15% of the power; in the U.S. you can double these numbers. The Green vMEME now has more power in the U.S. than the Blue vMEME.

The following provides more information on the qualities inherent in the Green “Community” vMEME.

  • Characteristics: Seeks inner peace; Everybody is equal; Everything is relative; Harmony within the group
  • Decision making: Reach consensus; All must collaborate; Accept any input; Communal spoils
  • Education: To explore feelings; Shared experiences; Social development; Learn cooperation
  • Family: Grouping of equals; Participative activities; Highly accepting; All feelings processed
  • Community: Social safety-nets; “Politically correct”; Open for insiders; Invests in self
  • Life space: Thrives on belonging; Needs acceptance; Sacrifice feels good; Renews spirituality

Quick Summary

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