The Rise of Chaos - Leaping to Tier 2

In the development of human perspective, there exists a profound leap. This shift is different from anything we’ve experienced before. It’s not the same as the expressive shift from Purple to Red. Or at all like the organized assembly from Red into Blue. Neither is it akin to the liberating force of Orange out of Blue’s box. Nor does it resemble the harmonious renouncing of Orange intro Green. It presents something else entirely.

Up until now, “our perspectives” have dominated “our thinking.” The values, beliefs, behaviors, and ways of life have stemmed from the way we are currently solving life’s problems. Our colors have held us hostage in a sense, you see. They have been Fighting over each-other for control, disagreeing with each other, and even going to war.

Green introduces a concept that we should be solving OTHER people’s problems, and is dedicated to doing so. Towards the end of Green’s cycle, some things begin to make sense. Or rather, not make sense. Many aspects of life start to fall apart, actually. In all of Green’s attempts to bring justice and harmony to the world, and despite its struggles, protests, committees, and non-for-profits, there is just too much complexity to come to a unanimous decision.

Naively, Green believes that the group will always come to the right conclusion. It operates as a whole, serving minorities and the down-trodden, insisting that, with kindness and openness, it can “fix the world.” But the reality is much deeper than this. Because Green’s scope of awareness is so expansive, it takes on the world. Naturally, things become far more complicated. Put simply, there is no easy answer to climate change, racism, or the energy crisis.

“Maybe we don’t have the answers”

Beyond peak Green, we awaken to how the way we’ve been living until now is causing more problems than it’s solving. Each color believes it has the answers, but it only has a part of the bigger picture. Despite all our efforts to fix things, they’ve only gotten worse since we’ve entered Green.

It’s [Green] a very warm system, but the person gets so tied up in this business of attempting to express self or attempting to let others express. So, because he or she doesn’t have to worry about trying to stay alive, or trying to overcome the storm (or things of that sort) that it sort of loses sight of the fact that you gotta do something to stay alive around here!
– Clare Graves - In Conversation with Clare W. Graves. (Youtube)

Beyond peak Green, one begins to see the cracks of the well-intentioned councils and board panels. As much as we do not want to admit it, our group does not seem to have the answers. Those still pulled by a strong Green will work with others to try to find the answer. It takes a strong reason or something that has gone very wrong to push a Green out of the collective.

However, we’ve entered a time in our history where answers must be generated. The very survival of our species depends on it. As Green’s “collective wisdom” breaks down, we find ourselves searching for answers wherever we can get them – regardless of where it comes from.

From “Surviving” to “Being” - A Spiral Reset

The leap into Yellow from Green interestingly presents many similar life conditions to that of Beige. The chaos of the wild is re-introduced as the complexities of modern life. This time much harder. One might say the Great Spiral is reset.

The shift to Tier 2 is like a song that changes key in the middle. It sounds similar, follows a very familiar if not identical pattern of melodies and chords, but is fundamentally different.

Tier 1 (Beige–Green) exists in a very survivalist mentality, doing what it can to solve the problems in its life. Tier 1 colors are fixated on having, wanting, needing, and acting in ways to end the feeling of shortcomings.

Beyond Green, Tier 2 focuses on the survival of not just oneself, but the entire Spiral as a whole. As such, the need of the individual truly shrink, and along with it, the fear associated with losing what one has in Tier 1. Tier 2 perspective shifts into a mode of “being” with reality as it is, not as we want it to be. Accepting and seeking out the natural order. A radically alternative lens in which to see our world.

A call for better thinking and empathy

Bluntly, there are not enough of us who are thinking in these terms. The problems we are now facing as a species appear insurmountable because we don’t understand each other and are not working together.

Tools like Spiral give us frameworks to understand others (even if we vehemently disagree with them). If you are reading this, I implore you to find someone who, like you, is interested in this, and share it with them. We are not enough as it currently stands.

Empathy and intelligence are on the rise, but not as fast as the sea levels. We need you; we need more. Humanity needs the action-oriented empaths and the harmonious problem-solvers.

If you are resonating, if you recognize the importance of this call, please consider joining our open slack channel. All are welcome. All are needed.