I really found this book amazing when I read it. I was already really into Ken Wilbers’ work and his idea of consciousness development and integral practice.This book fits in with and expands on some of his ideas I became really interested in about a level of consciousness called postmodern flatland or pathological green.

Ken Wilber speaks of the common university discourse as being this type of dialogue which he discusses at length in his amazingly enlightening book ‘Boomeritis’ (put affiliate link in for this) . Ken Wilber speaks about how we came to a stage of being whereby forms of dogmatic religion were rejected fairly but then we came to a point whereas all we have is big egos in a postmodern flatland. There is a total rejection of any kind of consciousness development. There is a world of no spirit, no God, nothing is more enlightened than anything else.

There is a nobility behind this. The world of total equality. Any kind of hierarchy is evil and oppressive. However what happens here with this mentality is that its noble cause becomes self defeating as it means therefore that the ku klux klan is therefore equal to the moral development of Gandhi, everything is equal. It’s therefore a case of everything just tearing one another apart for domination in a world whereas there are no real rules of right and wrong, no elevating consciousness, just a flatland thinking of dog eat dog one upmanship. There is no type of integral development towards authenticity, self actualisation, no meaning. It’s just a rationalising, lets all love each other while we’re here type of approach and way of being, again maybe noble but hugely destructive in the big scheme of things.

When I first read this book it was almost like it was written about people I used to associate with which inspired a lot of my therapeutic process and research into narcissism and narcissistic personality. Possibly narcissistic personality disorder as purely the diagnosis is maybe an oversimplification but it is certainly very narcissistic and hugely self righteous. Whereas it as a noble intent originally it is a way of being without any real integrity and one which does ultimately make the world more racist, more homophobic and more war mongering.

A problem is that within this there is a rejection of ones own ‘red’. Everyone has a primal red which is part of the evolution of ourselves. A healthy red is a good constructive thing. The problem in this way of being is that anything which isn’t all loving is seen as bad. In doing this healthy red is not allowed to flourish into other more evolved colours and the red of the person in this moral development is disowned into the shadow. It is a very narcissistic holier than thou type of mentality which is then projected onto the world. This unhealthy red form breeds more unhealthy red. It is hugely destructive.

When I recently worked with someone who worked from an integral model of therapy which I have been integrating parts of in my own practice she told me about a colleague who in fact refuses to engage with anyone who is at the level of consciousness of postmodern flatland. As if energy is better spent elsewhere. I can empathise with this kind of mentality.

Following reading Boomeritis I was lead to another book called ‘The shadow university’ which I haven’t got to yet but follows this same kind of thinking.

For anyone interested in consciousness development generally I would hugely recommend Ken Wilber and this book is amazing as a discussion of this common university dialogue.

https://www.bookdepository.com/Boomeritis-Ken-Wilber/9781590300084?a_aid=philwalker