Imagine what it must be like for Caster Semenya, the top South African female runner who was in the news recently because her sex has recently been challenged. By “sex” I am not referring to her sexuality, but to the physical, biological characteristics that determine whether one is male or female. That basically comes down [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Postmodernism'
No Going Back (Quote of the Week)
October 6th, 2009 by Andrew Cohen· 4 Comments · Cultural Evolution, Evolutionary Enlightenment, Postmodernism, Quote of the Week, Spirituality
When we experience a profound awakening to the evolutionary impulse, we can never really go back to the way things were before we tasted its magnetic and ecstatic promise. We can’t go back to the unenlightened values and convictions of the personal self, nor can we continue to be spiritually inhibited by the powerful materialist [...]
Tags:Andrew Cohen·Eros·Evolutionary Enlightenment·Materialism·Modernism·Modernity·Postmodernism·postmodernity·Values
The Narcissism Epidemic (Think About This #68)
September 2nd, 2009 by Joel Pitney· 145 Comments · Culture, Pop Culture, Postmodernism, Think About This
Starting in the sixties, teachers and parents began to believe that building self-esteem in children was the best way to develop confident happy adults. But psychology researcher Jean Twenge says that the truth is not so simple. In her latest book, The Narcissism Epidemic, she unveils some startling evidence that this cultural trend towards individual [...]
The Spiritual Onion #2
July 27th, 2009 by Joel Pitney· No Comments · Atheism, Humor, Pop Culture, Postmodernism
Philosophy and professional football are a pretty unlikely combo. Growing up, I distinctly remember being chided (somewhat justifiably) by my fellow sports friends when I would bring up questions about the meaning of existence midway through a Superbowl party. On the other side of the spectrum, every time I would show the slightest interest [...]
Tags:Comedy·football·funny·Humor·jacksonville jaguars·Materialism·nihilism·satire·The Onion
The Onion’s Spiritual Side
July 14th, 2009 by Tom Huston· No Comments · Humor, Pop Culture, Postmodernism
Here at EnlightenNext, we’ve always been big fans of The Onion, which was America’s foremost source for “fake news” — and the incisive cultural satire that comes with it — long before Stewart and Colbert staked their claim to the terrain. And it’s probably no surprise that their more spiritually and philosophically inclined pieces have [...]
All Excellence Is Elitist
June 29th, 2009 by Tom Huston· 22 Comments · Culture, Evolutionary Enlightenment, Evolutionary Spirituality, Pop Culture, Postmodernism, Spirituality
This morning I opened my inbox and found the latest Quote of the Week from EnlightenNext founder (and editor in chief and spiritual teacher) Andrew Cohen, titled “Aspire to Be Great.” But before I quote it here, I want to mention what I’d been reading right before I saw it, which was a message that [...]
Tags:Andrew Cohen·authority figures·Billy Corgan·development·elitism·excellence·Ken Wilber·Michael Jackson·music·narcissism·The Smashing Pumpkins
Are You a Narcissist?
June 26th, 2009 by Joel Pitney· 12 Comments · Culture, Pop Culture, Postmodernism, Spirituality
I recently interviewed San Diego State University psychology professor Jean M. Twenge about her new book, The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement. The book is quite an achievement and deserves all of the attention it’s been getting from Newsweek and other media outlets. Bringing together an overwhelming amount of evidence from recent [...]
Tags:jean twenge·narcissism·narcissistic personality inventory·the narcissism epidemic
Genpo Roshi on Spiritual Hierarchy
June 25th, 2009 by Tom Huston· 1 Comment · Buddhism, Consciousness, Evolutionary Enlightenment, Postmodernism, Religion, Spirituality
Earlier this week, an American Zen Buddhist named Dennis Genpo Merzel paid a visit to EnlightenNext’s main center in western Massachusetts. And on Monday night, he joined spiritual teacher Andrew Cohen and a group of Andrew’s students for an intimate discussion about his life and work as a modern Zen master. In the video clip [...]
Tags:Andrew Cohen·carter phipps·EnlightenNext·Genpo Roshi·hierarchy·Integral·student-teacher relationship·Zen Buddhism
Why We Need to Compare Ourselves to Others
June 18th, 2009 by Joel Pitney· 4 Comments · Culture, Pop Culture, Postmodernism
This past weekend, I watched Kobe Bryant win his fourth National Basketball Association title as his team, the Los Angeles Lakers, defeated their opponent, the Orlando Magic, four games to one in a best of seven series. While the victory was definitely a team effort, Bryant, who was voted MVP of the play-offs, stood out [...]
Tags:basketball·boomers·championship·entitlement·gen x·gen y·jean twenge·kobe bryant·lakers·Leadership·los angeles·narcissism·nba·playoffs·sports·the narcissism epidemic
The Good, the Bad, & the Mediated
May 31st, 2009 by Carter Phipps· 2 Comments · Cultural Evolution, Culture, Pop Culture, Postmodernism
A few years ago, sometime in 2003, friend and colleague Dr. Don Beck, cofounder of Spiral Dynamics, turned the editors of EnlightenNext on to an article he had recently read in Harper’s magazine. The article, which he felt was indicative of a change in cultural values and attitudes, was by media theorist and scholar Thomas [...]
Tags:Consciousness·Culture·Evolution·harpers·marshall mccluhan·media·mediated·mediation·narcissism·norman mailer·Pop Culture·Postmodernism·postmodernity·thomas de zengotita
It’s So Hard to Be Goode
May 29th, 2009 by Joel Pitney· 3 Comments · Bright Green, Culture, Humor, Pop Culture, Postmodernism
This past Wednesday evening, I could hardly believe my eyes when I watched the season premier of The Goode Family, a new animated sitcom on ABC by Mike Judge (along with John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky). The show, which chronicles the trials and tribulations of an environmentally-responsible, culturally-sensitive middle class American family, was absolutely hilarious. [...]
Tags:Comedy·ecology·Environment·Humor·mike judge·Pop Culture·Postmodernism·satire·the goode family
Andrew Cohen, Editor in Chief
Carter Phipps, Executive Editor
Elizabeth Debold, Senior Editor
Ross Robertson, Senior Assoc. Editor
Tom Huston, Senior Assoc. Editor
Joel Pitney, Associate Editor
Megan Cater, Assistant Editor