Hitler and many such people thereof are at the ethnocentric
level of consciousness.
There are several stages of consciousness and one usually
progresses as they age until a certain level (but this stops at
different stages for different people, or it may be impeded by a
pathology, and also usually one does not reach transpersonal levels
unless one has done spiritual practises, with a few
exceptions)
What Is Enlightenment Magazine
Evolving Worldviews, Expanding Self
Although the spectrum of consciousness includes twelve colors to
denote
twelve specific levels, stages, structures, or waves of
development, for
ease of explanation Wilber often uses a simpler, three- or four
level scheme
pioneered by developmental psychologists like Lawrence Kohlberg and
Carol
Gilligan. Tracing the most general contours of psychological
growth, this
scheme highlights the fact that increasing consciousness
corresponds to a
broadening of worldviews and an expansion of one's sense of
self.
Egocentric ("me"): A stage characterized by narcissistic
self-absorption,
bodily needs and desires, emotional outbursts, unsocialized
impulses, and an
incapacity to take the role of the "other"; seen today
predominantly in
infants and young children, rebellious teens, wild rock stars,
and
criminals. (Infrared to red)
Ethnocentric ("us"): An expansion of self-identity to include one's
family,
peers, tribe, race, faith group, or nation; the adoption of
socially
conformist rules and roles; commonly seen in children aged seven
to
adolescence, religious myths and fundamentalism, the . ,'moral
majority,"
Nazis, the KKK, right-wing politics, patriotism, sports teams,
school
rivalries. (Amber)
Worldcentric ("all of us"): An even greater expansion of self to
embrace all
people, regardless of race, gender, class, or creed; a stage of
rationality
that questions rigid belief systems and transcends conventional
rules and
roles; commonly seen in late adolescence, social activism,
multiculturalism,
science, moral relativism, liberal politics, the "global village,"
New Age
spirituality; the emergence of integral cognition. (Orange to
teal)
Kosmocentric ("all that is"): An identification with all life
and
consciousness, human or otherwise, and a deeply felt responsibility
for the
evolutionary process as a whole; "superintegral" cognition and
values;
innate universal morality; spirituality beyond merely personal
motivations;
an emergent capacity, rarely seen anywhere. (Turquoise to clear
light)
------------------------------------------------------------
WILBER: Now these stages, which we also call structures or levels,
show up
in all human beings, so we have to take them into account. One of
the real
problems is that you can have a spiritual experience a profound
taste of
emptiness, or pure nonduality, or absolute oneness, or radiant,
luminous
absolute bliss/love and when you come out of that experience or
even while
you're in it, you'll interpret it according to the level or stage
you're at.
The evidence for this is now just overwhelming.
So understanding stages is the first piece of the puzzle. The
second piece
is states of consciousness. States of consciousness generally tend
to come
and go; they are temporary. The natural/meditative ones are waking
(gross),
dreaming (subtle), deep steep (causal), witnessing, and nondual.
And then
there are nonordinary states, such as drunken states and stoned
states. And
you can have any of these state experiences at virtually any level
or stage
you're at. You can be at any level and have a waking, dreaming, or
deep
steep state. You can be at any level and experience a meditative
state. You
can be at any Level and actually go through Zen training. What's
so
astonishing is that a Nazi can complete Zen training. That's the
point
states can be experienced at any stage you're at.
[End Quote]
Those interested to read more should grab the book 'A Brief
History of Everything' by Ken Wilber from bookstores or library. It
does not only discuss the stages of consciousness but everything in
an integral view. Interesting read.
By the way, many psychiatric illnesses can be attributed to various
pathologies associated with a particular level of consciousness.
Some fragments (may not be all) of their 'self' gets stuck in that
particular level of consciousness and turns sour. Read Ken Wilber's
books for a very detailed explaination of the whole thing -- he
mentioned the pathology (including various personality disorders)
for every level of consciousness. For instance,
schizoid personality disorder (but not schizo split
personality, which is a pathology due to various aspects of self's
development at very different stages/not in unity) seems to be an
Egocentric consciousness level of pathology... so herzog_zwei might
be interested to get the book.
Compassion and loving kindness is very important, it expands one's
level of consciousness. But for one who is plagued by a pathology,
various kinds of therapies might be needed.
