Singing together

This need to ground the good, the true, and the beautiful in the political life of our nation brings us back to the distinct value sets described in Part I as “heritage values,” “liberty values,” “fairness values,” and “caring values.” 

 

As originally mapped out in figures 4.5 and 4.6 on pages 54-55, each of these value sets can be understood as discrete bandwidths of value energy, or as distinct “octaves” in the ascending scale of our human aspirations for goodness, truth, and beauty. These four discrete sets of political values derive their magnetic power from the underlying intrinsic values which they help concretize and translate into accessible cultural identities. By rendering these intrinsic values into political agendas that are relevant to real-world problems and opportunities, each of these cultural categories defines its own version of the American Dream.

 

McIntosh, Steve. Developmental Politics: How America Can Grow Into a Better Version of Itself (p. 115). Paragon House. Kindle Edition. 

 

This map of value sets or stages of consciousness lends itself to determining where we are at as groups within our nation and the nation as a whole and where we might want to go. 

 

We have seen the struggle over heritage values with the taking down of confederate flags and statues. We have seen the oscillation in liberty values in joining the Paris Climate Agreement and then withdrawing from it, from supporting NATO to the threat of leaving NATO. We have seen the debate over fairness values with Affirmative Action policies and the debate over CRT. We have seen the struggle over caring values with the debate over Global alliances, immigration, and universal income.

 

In these debates we have become, some say, more polarized and divided and if you observe social policy making in the red and blue states there are distinct differences in the policies the electorate supports. There is a question now about our mutual preference for the use of democratic processes with the Big Lie Republicans wanting a more authoritarian and less democratic form of government.

 

Which value octave do you sing in: Heritage, liberty, fairness, or caring? Maybe a little from all four which is the Integral position hoping that there can be some sort of harmony if we can coordinate how we sing together.