The Best of Times; the Worst of Times

Is human civilization, with its cities, laws, technology, and endless forward momentum, a plague on Mother Earth moving us further and further from our indigenous, natural, Eden-like past with every progressive step? Or is it the most recent expression of an extraordinary process of evolution that has given birth to higher and higher forms of complexity, beauty, and inclusiveness with every leap forward? At this point in history, when some say that things are better than they’ve ever been while others are say they’re worse than they’ve ever been, it seems like this deep rift between those who see our current trajectory as inherently positive or negative is getting more and more complicated by the day. And which side of the aisle you sit on with regard to this particular topic has a huge impact on how you will see and relate to our current predicament and to the future in general. I recently came across a hilarious episode of The Stuart Davis Show that helps shed a comic light on this debate. Davis—a rock musician, comedian, and founding member of the Integral Institute—may be the integral world’s most entertaining personality. And the clip is nothing short of genius. In a schizophrenic scene situated in an idyllic Colorado mountain meadow, “Techno-Progressive Stuart” dukes it out with “Eco-Spiritual Stuart” over the ultimate value of human civilization. Enjoy! This blog post was originally created on the EnlightenNext magazine Editor's Blog.