Fw: The Global Great Divide (long)

[Michael Herman]

many thanks for posting the don beck reference, meg.

i didn't find a copyright on it, so have cleaned up the formatting and
pasted it here directly.  maybe it will travel faster and easier this
way.  certainly it's the clearest story i've seen on this whole thing.

thanks again, michael

-----



Ken Wilber invited Don Beck to speak out on the recent terrorist attacks
on the World Trade Center
of New York, on September 11 2001. This is his response. (from
http://www.worldofkenwilber.com)
------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Global Great Divide

An Integral Initiative

Don Beck

     "What if a malignant version of some fear-laced "-ism" -- this
Truth is the only Truth and will prevail at any cost" -- suddenly
rears its head for conquest and domination? Can the glass fiber
infrastructure of the global village withstand terrorists fighting
holy wars or self-righteous crusades?"

     "Ancient ethnic sores are belching fire while transnational
companies linked by satellites conduct their business oblivious to
the feudal past below."

     -- Spiral Dynamics: Mastering Values, Leadership, and Change
by      Don Edward Beck and Christopher C. Cowan. Blackwell
Publishers,      Ltd. Oxford, UK, 1996

If, indeed, we are about to launch the first war of the 21st Century,
where are the battle lines? The half century spent in fighting the Cold
War pitted two quite similar social/ economic systems in mortal combat.
Yet, they were simply alternative versions of modernity, with similar
military strategies and mutual destruction capabilities. When the Berlin
Wall fell only to be replaced by the Berlin Mall, that issue was
resolved.

But the end of the Cold War and the meltdown of the bipolar ice sheet
that covered the planet, revealed the hot ethnic cores, seething rage,
and deep tributaries of violence and revenge that had been suppressed.
The unspeakable horror from barbarism in the Balkans reminded us at the
time we may have won the war but not the lasting peace.

And now the fuse that has been simmering for centuries in the Middle
East flared in full view on the morning of September 11, revealing yet
another Global Great Divide. Today we all sit on this huge fault line,
one that 20th Century Dogs of War or Doves of Peace are unable to handle
on their own. Heretofore acts of violence were like bacteria. We could
locate the source of the infection and inject antibodies in the form of
the Marines, or even smart bombs launched from on high. Terrorism is
more like a virus that metastasizes, mutates, lies dormant until
triggered, and flourishes when our immune systems are weak or
preoccupied.

If neither Dogs nor Doves can close the great Global Divide, who can? It
will require men and women with deep insights, 21st Century views, and
brave hearts. Call them Visionaries. They appear in times of great
crisis and seem to possess wisdom far beyond their official positions or
list of professional credentials. They should be heard.

To understand this new Global Divide we will need to engage Visionary
thinking that sees beyond the stereotypes of religion, culture and
nationality and focus on the deeper codes and belief structures that cut
across them all. These codes, like cultural "DNA" scripts, drive human
emergence through layers and levels. Conflicts occur between layers
(tribes vs. tribes, empires vs. empires, holy-ism vs. holy-ism, etc.) or
between levels and layers, such as the ancients vs. the moderns or
Thomas Friedman's Lexus vs. the Olive Tree. These themes exist in all
social systems but in different ratios, and can be either healthy or
unhealthy in their expressions.

On one side of the Great Divide are the ancients feudal empires,
zealotry, fanaticism, "My Truth is the only Truth" self-flagellation,
chosen-people exclusiveness, jihad-like militant movements, often
turbo-charged by the conviction that death in the name of the cause
guarantees a ticket to Paradise. Wars are fought to protect holy sites,
sacred places, the purity of genetic lineage, or the spoils from
predatory empires. Not all ancients generate terrorism but here is the
breeding ground for this malignancy.

The archenemy of the ancients are the moderns - the Great Satan -
secular, materialistic, pragmatic, technology-rich, economically-
sophisticated, win:win oriented, industrial and consumer-based with a
stress on personal freedom. Moderns foster nation-states, multinational
corporations, fast food restaurants, and participate in global financial
arrangements. Postmoderns add explorations into personal feelings, high
levels of permissiveness, and strong rejections of authoritarian
religions, all of which are offensive to fanatical ancients. These
sensitive and caring souls are often the first in line to get their
throats cut in revolutionary times. If you don't believe what I'm
saying, you are a tad naïve.

In the 21st Century the ancients and moderns are intermingled like never
before. Globalization, new immigration patterns, open borders, demands
for human rights and equality, and access to the Internet and CNN have
illuminated all gaps and asymmetrics. While we live at the same time, we
exist in different historic, ultural epochs. The clash of cultures is,
actually, the conflict in these deeply held codes and worldviews. Lines
are being drawn for a cultural Battle of Armageddon. Everybody is doing
what is right in their own eyes.

In spite of all our information gathering and intelligence capacities we
have been missing the most important dynamic that is shaping these
dangerous times. A militant, pervasive, wrathful, virulent strain of
Arab/Islamic nationalism is rising and is blowing through archaic
tribal/kingdom structures and even traditional nation-states. Israel and
the United States are its archenemies; it is fueled by ancient myths of
superiority and oppression and empowered by the images of a holy crusade
that must kill Western infidels in the name of Allah. Just as the ugly,
black clouds of poison cascaded through the caverns in New York City,
this blast from the Medieval past endangers civilization as we know it.

We had clear evidence this toxic tide was on the rise. The continual
attack on Israel by Palestine kids throwing stones, the anti-Israel
efforts at the recent UN race conference in Durban, and the creation of
a series of propaganda campuses that are instilling hatred in the minds
of Muslim youth, indicate such a pattern. These actions are fueled by
anger and irrational xenophobia. We've seen this before in human history
and such legitimate movements can be either malignant or benign.

The complex Israeli culture was formed and is sustained by a similar
nationalistic movement, with radical Zionist elements on the cutting
edge. What we are witnessing on the Arab side is but a historical
re-enactment of what they now perceived to be the primary obstacle to
their own emergence. These are sensitive issues for many, but the safest
place in any crisis is always the hard truth.

What options are open to us now? For a start, consider the following:

First, block the polarizing stereotypes by redefining the issues in
terms of these underlying value systems. Respect the differences among
extremists and fanatics and healthy versions of Islam. Regard "Arab" as
being a rich spectrum of experiences. Brand the Bin Laden/Taliban
version of both as a virulent distortion. Assist the Arab countries in
the tilt toward moderns and away from ancients. Search for ways to
direct this emerging spirit of nationalism into constructive and
positive channels.

The moderns in these Arab cultures will need resources and encouragement
to fend off attacks from ancients within their own midst. Bin Laden
exploits the tools of the moderns to promote the agenda of the ancients.
He and his cadres are very skillful in moving into modern contexts to
sow seeds of turmoil and fear.

The very best people to detect and snuff out this virus are the moderns
who embrace Islam, live within the Arab societies, and are constantly
threatened by some ancients who are driven for a multitude of reasons to
attack Western society. Arab societies and Islamic believers now face an
existential moment of truth. They will not be able to straddle the fence
on this matter. While it seems like the real conflict is between Osama
bin Laden and his bands of terrorists and the United States, a critical
skirmish in this global battle will be fought between the radicals and
moderates, the ancients and moderns, within Arab communities.

This suggests we should "wage war" in the religious, cultural,
humanitarian, and psychological domains while using our military power
and threats as a foreboding checkmate. We should consider sending in
food and medical supplies into many of the deprived areas instead of
first launching cruise missiles. Consider also a series of emergency
summit meetings at The Hague to "smoke out" these issues in more depth
and detail. The late 20th Century models of "peace," "democracy," and
"cultural pluralism" are no longer relevant to a world endangered by
more primitive elements born of the feudal age.

We should declare Osama bin Laden an international criminal, a mortal
enemy of Islam, and brand the 9/11 attack on innocent citizens as a
"crime against humanity." People from at least 40 different countries
lost their lives in the towers, indicating the assault was not just on
Americans, it was on the whole planet. While one can always blame the
United States for the sins of its past, it makes little sense to carry
the "system vs. struggle" polarity into such a complex world.

In short, we must drive a wedge between the ancients and the moderns to
enable Arab/Islam and their countries to fend off the counter-attack
from their ultra-conservative elements. This is a time for creativity,
imagination, unexpected moves, defusing strokes, and a host of
strategies all designed to deal with the deeper dynamics that produce
terrorists acts as symbols of tectonic-like cultural shifts.

Second, mobilize local and global resources to close the developmental
gaps, thus releasing millions of people who are trapped in abject
poverty, restrictive governmental structures, and puritanical,
repressive religions. These are the menacing breeding grounds for the
dangerous viruses that are spilling out into First World environments.
Enlist the cooperative efforts from foundations, think tanks, NGOs,
business, religion and other sectors to focus their resources like
laser-beams to clean out these cesspools, and find new ways to mesh
divergent cultures who must learn to live together.

The Israeli and Palestine feud has gone on long enough and there is
guilt enough to go around for the dangerous impasse. Again, it is time
for fresh approaches, since what we have been doing is not working. If
this means constructing a 10-year wall of separation between the
combatants, combined with massive development efforts to raise levels of
complexity and affluence in the "Third World" sectors in Palestine, than
so be it. There might be other options to consider as well. This global
sore has got to heal, one way or another. Both the Oslo Accord and Camp
David initiatives were compromised by the rapidly expanding Pan-
Arabian-"ism."

Third, identify the hot cells of violence, take them out if necessary,
isolate them when possible, and carefully monitor the growing threats
from biological warfare and other forms of mass murder. Use whatever
means necessary to both interdict and disrupt these forms of hideous
terrorism. The entire global community must rise in unison to purge this
element out of our mainstream. Life on this planet is at peril.
Everybody must be vigilant; everybody must be proactive; everybody must
take responsibility.

I have no doubt but that military interventions will be required to
clean out some of the dangerous seed-beds and supportive
infrastructures. These actions must be part of the broader 'hearts and
minds" initiatives that can shrink the size of "the evil," drain the
swamps, reduce "blowbacks," and redirect emerging Arab/Islam
cohesiveness onto a different track. The move out of ancients toward
modernity is going to happen, one way or another. Millions of youths are
desperate to escape the control by the mullahs, which means they are
vulnerable to voices that offer them a quick trip to a meaningful
existence, the good life, and access to the global mainstream. They need
new options.

These new and turbulent times will require new thinking, innovative and
integral strategies, and a host of new projects all designed to address
the deeper cultural dynamics that are now erupting in surface-level
violence and terrorism. No single ethnic group, nation, government,
religion, or any other social grouping can prevent terrorism and close
this huge global gap on their own. We can get it done with integral
wisdom and renewed resolve, but it will take time, patience, and
perseverance.

Make no mistake about it. What looms on the horizon are threats from
biological and chemical warfare, if not nuclear attacks. No one in the
21st Century wants to hear this, but it is a reality. We have no time to
lose. Finger pointing and blame-fixing aren't useful. This is a global
problem, requiring a global solution.

While the Dogs and Doves will be necessary, let's also summon the
Visionaries. This time of maximum danger is also resplendent with rare
opportunities. The whole world system must be set right before we can
conquer this horrible virus. This is our real challenge.


------------------------------------------------------------------------

Don Edward Beck, Ph. D. Institute for Values and Culture.
Tel. 940.383.1209. P.O. Box 797, Denton, Texas 76201
DrBeck at attglobal.net
------------------------------------------------------------------------

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>From  Tue Sep 18 14:46:05 2001
Message-Id: <TUE.18.SEP.2001.144605.0700.>
Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2001 14:46:05 -0700
Reply-To: bjpeters at amug.org
To: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
From: BJ Peters <bjpeters at amug.org>
Subject: Re: Microsoft Word is obviously bringing hidden anti
 Jewishhate-messages onto our desktops
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; x-mac-type="54455854";
 x-mac-creator="4D4F5353"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Hape-- I'm sorry I addressed you as Viele in my earlier message. That's what I
get for being rushed!

BJ

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