Hi Darren,
Thanks for taking the time to engage me in this topic. I had not yet read your post (it was on my mental list) but did last night after seeing your reply here. I will drop back to it shortly and would like to ask some questions for clarification and to move the conversation forward.
Meanwhile, back to the question of what integral parenting might look like. I offer the following:
In considering any new endeavor or approach to addressing an issue it seems very important to me to be clear on what is the intention of the proposed activity. Intention determines directionality and serves as a compass point to keep one on track. Since life is a bit messy at time I think this analogy of a trip, utilizing a compass, may be very helpful ... after all, the shortest distance between two points may be a straight line, but we don't see many straight lines naturally arising and any trip we take will entail adjustments in our route. And on microscopic examination we will find man made straight lines are only relatively so. Sorry, I got sidetracked, let me return to the importance of intentionality and how it applies to the issue of raising children in an integral fashion.
If the intention in raising children is to see that they do not disrupt the current social order then there are well worn tracks laid down to accomplish this ... it is the amber (blue) approach in its many guises born out of the multitude of social constructs in which it was applied. A very good approach as far as it went, but as Orange or the scientific mind began to emerge into human consciousness the ways of amber became problematic. The rigidity of invoking divinity as the source of all laws, morals and ethics that served to move humanity through the treachery of red's each for themselves mentality was now a solid wall that blocked the way. And those that dared climb to the top to look over incited others to tear the wall down.
The intention of child rearing for Orange culture is to encourage Individual expression while still maintaining social order. Our modern day school systems and democratic institutions are the result. But, the failure of Orange to adequately address the inherent contradiction of a split intention and to honor the depth of the preceding amber level that provided the moral compass to guide the determination of the law of the land produced a social structure that suffers from multiple personality disorder and has the depth of a cartoon.
This is enough for now. I don't want so much here that it discourages someone from reading it. I will pick up the thread later today or tonight.
Jerry