The Human Brain

There are three interlinked brains:

Reptilian (breathing, heart, fight or flight)

Limbic - emotional intelligences (socially bond, form cooperative communities),

Neocortical - cognitive reasoning (symbolic thought, self-aware, volition)

Our brains must have a supportive, nurturing environment to fully develop.

The stages of human development, as people and societies - Culture and Consciousness

First Order: Magical consciousness

Fantasizers live in an Other World and place their faith in magical protectors.

Second Order: Imperial Consciousness

Power Seekers live in My World, play up to the powerful, and exploit the oppressed.

Third Order: Socialized Consciousness

Good Citizens live in a Small World, play by the rules of their identity group, expect a fair reward, and comprise the swig voters.

Fourth Order: Cultural Consciousness

Cultural Creatives live in an Inclusive World and see the possibility of creating inclusive, life-affirming societies that work for all.

Fifth Order: Spiritual Consciousness

Spiritual Creatives live in a complex, evolving Integral World, which they engage as evolutionary co-creators.

{Empire Culture   to   Earth Community Culture}

First: Magical consciousness > Third: Socialized Consciousness>  Fifth: Spiritual Consciousness

How does brain development affect change?

Different orders of human consciousness operate from different worldviews and differ in their capacities for compassion and understanding. Messages easily understood by a higher order consciousness may seem illogical or even absurd to a lower order. For example, if a person lacks the ability to see itself through the eyes of its victims (emotional intelligence) they cannot recognize the moral hypocrisy of their actions. Telling them is an exercise in futility.

“self regulating adults with the capacity for empathy, bonding and moral self-direction…is an essential foundation of mature democratic citizenship”

If humans encounter a hostile or unresponsive world they may withdraw to escapism and “learned helplessness” including focus on religious preoccupation with an afterlife, etc. and to dominance –submission as a compensating mechanism. We need to redesign modern human societies to support healthful development of every individual from birth to passing. The effect of modern societies is to “keep (human) life fragmented and disconnected to minimize the possibility that we might experience the enduring, caring relationships that are a foundation of healthful human development.

Traditional tribal villages provide the template for healthful human development. The cultural life …underscores the individual’s enduring connection to community, place, and generations past and future. Contemporary imperial societies organize for money. Traditional societies organize for living.

Summarized and quoted from David Korten, The Great Turning, from empire to earth community