The World In Crisis

Deepak Chopra

Deepak Chopra is one of the world’s great leaders in mind-body medicine, and an enormously successful popularizer of spiritual principles.

As a writer, speaker, teacher, and leader in the areas of health and spirituality, Deepak Chopra has become one of the most popular voices in the dialogue between ancient wisdom and modern science. His books, audios, and videos have sold millions around the world, and he has assisted countless organizations and individuals to set themselves within a deeper, more holistic context.In this two-part dialogue, Deepak and Ken discuss two very different contexts for approaching the world situation. War, poverty, ecological despoliation—what can we do to curb our self-destructive ways?

"Terrorism doesn't mean the same thing to everyone: it means something different to people from different cultures, people from different perspectives, and most importantly, people at different stages of development."

From an absolute perspective, nothing needs to be done. Everything manifests as a form of Spirit, an expression of the Great Perfection. On the other hand, from a relative perspective, it is imperative that we act. Our lives depend upon a skillful response to the very real problems we face. This is where stages of consciousness play such an important role.

Any integral approach to change must account for both states and stages. A state of consciousness is a temporary experience; a stage is an enduring capacity. While states are important to give us glimpses of deeper, more compassionate modes of being, we ultimately want to develop to stages where this compassion becomes a trait of who we are. In short: if we want world peace, we have to account for stages of consciousness. Deepak and Ken agree that a stage-conception of human development is a missing ingredient in the work of many conflict-resolution and peace organizations.