Psychologist Carl Jung distinguishes our lives in halves. He states that the first half of our life is the process of individuation. This is where most of the energies of our family of origin, our educational systems, our institutions, our social norms, and most anything else focuses their attention, effort, and energies. As I see it, the gravitational pull of this initial stage is systemic, immense and deeply integrated into our psyche. Most of the people that I work with are still largely defined and bound by the effects of our initial need to find solid, safety, success, and solidarity.

But there is a second important act that asks us to integrate our collection of styles, perceptions, ideas of ourselves into something that is more authentic to what it means to be good. This calling is not to some moralistic posture, but to thinking and applying of ourselves to the situations and people of our lives in ways that supercedes our historic addiction to our own egocentric needs.

For some, the movement continues to summons an orientation past ethnocentric (the superiority of ones group) ideas and norms to a worldcentric/post-conventional (a commitment and practice of being and doing good for all people) lifestyle. This new activity of our lives is a chosen one that pushes past reptilian brain stem ethics to a neo-cortex, even spiritual standard. This act two orientation is about the maturation, alignment and practice of the highest intellectual, emotional, spiritual and social intelligence applied to situational, individual, and group needs.

There is more to unpack with this, but ask yourself the question: “How am I acting?” then do something to raise the level of your play.