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As one of the least read Zaadsters, who am I to critique one of America’s most read. A Brief History of Everything is a fascinating read but something is missing, and I think it is the state of consciousness.
“From virtually every inception of every major knowledge quest, East and West alike,” writes Wilber, “the various approaches have fallen into one or another of these two great camps, interior versus exterior.”
I look within for answers. I’m expecting Wilber to agree with me. But no, Wilber maintains that it is almost impossible to understand higher and spiritual developments without taking both the exterior and interior path into account. The exterior is well-known by the senses, says Wilber. “You don’t have to try to get into the interior, at their consciousness… you are looking at the exterior,” reasons Wilber. You are looking at what is good for the birds. It’s tweedle-dee-dee and tweedle-dee-dumb with Wilber. Actually, you are looking at Ayn Rand’s, Atlas Shrugged philosophy, at objectivity, neither here nor there: we live only to serve the many. My, oh my!
There is no such thing as objective reality. There is only subjective reality—your reality, my reality. Objective reality serves only to enslave the soul. Rand’s mindless aspirations are external of the mind. God is not objective. There is no external animating you. Your energy is your’s, if you know what is good for you. Wilber does not let me know that all evil is of exterior origin. Know thy self and know goodness. Know the right way to know you are a being of power, intelligence, and love.
The essential thing to know is that the supreme law is the supreme consciousness of the universe. Somewhere in-between there is an exterior universe separated by time and space but the law never changes. Only man’s laws expediently change.
There is a missing link in his external and internal take. Wilber needs to go back to the drawing board. In this dangerous time, it is essential to know that God is not external and internal. God lies within.
If we Zaadsters are ever to change the world, we are going to have to put things and people into logical perspective. We are going to have to realize that we’ve evolved. We have choices. If we are going to change the world, know that we are all individuals with the right to pursue our individual destinies free of interference.
A dear friend once told me that I should read A Brief History of Everything. She was correct - I loved it and have re-read it many times. Ken struck a note with me and now I believe that I have almost everything that he has written in my library. Grace and Grit brought me to my knees. Ken is a part of my path - one I turn to frequently.
I really relished the parts of the book when Wilbur shared his heart and process…I have a really hard time when Wilbur is in his theoretical head…everything becomes too wordy…why use so many words when you can sit and breathe………
I've read this book about a year or two ago–And it was great! It summed up everything eloquently, developing a great framework to understand many facets of reality. That being said, it also has a down side. Wilber's work, while groundbreaking, I feel is more of a catalyst than anything else. This is good in many ways. What I liked about the book, and what has really struck me recently while listening to the Audio-book version, is the concept of the holon. If anything, Wilber's usage of this concept has popularized it. The one thing I have taken away from Wilber's book is probably his central thesis: That the universe seems to be a great evolutionary unfolding, and as time goes on, greater complexity emerges. From this; life, mind, soul and spirit have evolved into being. I believe this is Wilber's crowning achievement, his magnum opus, philosophically speaking.
That being said, what about his all-encompassing map of the “Kosmos?” I think some forms of it will be adapted in mainstream science, but I am even more sure that he was able to intuit transformations and evolutions in society that go beyond his work. As society spirals into the 21st century, we are witnessing an increasingly complex social organization, Web 3.0, social networking, open source movements–these are all exactly as Wilber described, but not in the language he used. This is society becoming more complex, more “Integrated.” Eventually, more integral models will emerge (probably in this century). So, I believe Wilber's work has laid the grounding for the next century, and should be appreciated for being so all-encompassing. It's a great starting point, and an eye opener for where we are heading. Use it to lift off, and embrace many of the ways that “integral” is naturally manifesting in our civilization.