Movement Building Through Metanarrative (Preview)

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The premise of my JITP article is that an Integral approach to climate change will only be as successful as we are at changing the "flatland" culture that selects against integral approaches in the first place. Therefore, straight-ahead application of Integral Theory and the AQAL model to climate change—or any global challenge facing humanity—is imperative yet insufficient, and needs to be complemented by a systematic, strategic, and non-issue-specific effort to manifest an integral vision.

Put differently, integral needs to get ideological, where ideology is "the conversion of ideas into social levers." Unfortunately, to date we of the Integral community have been reluctant to view ourselves as participants in a social movement, let alone a movement powered by ideology. (I explain why in the article.)

"Movement Building through Metanarrative" is thus an initial attempt to operationalize an ideological approach to enacting integral futures.

My hope is that readers will come away with powerful new insights and tools to grow the global integral movement and challenge existing moral and social orders, including:

• Barack Obama's public narrative approach, which intuitively and elegantly integrates the Big Three domains of self, culture, and society
• Renewed focus on Wilber's "beyond flatland" metanarrative and a corresponding injunction: look within the narrative, go beyond flatland
• Integral must be of two voices, neutral framework (AQAL) and narrative frame, but we have fallen in love with the former and too often "speak through" it instead of in a narrative voice, which instructs and inspires
• "Meeting people where they are" is an extremely popular rhetorical move among integral practitioners, and while it helps others to "find their voice," we sacrifice our voice and the opportunity to articulate an integral vision
   

Finally, I should note that these methods and perspectives came about by immersing myself in the mindset and morphic groove of ideology. I invite you to do the same. Then let's ignite a conversation—and a movement!

Jordan Luftig