“A real man is someone who can give the love he never got.”    — GarRy Shandling

Full Capacity Living

by Stephen J. Johnson Ph.D., LMFT
MCLA Executive Director

It’s Easter Sunday and I’m sitting at my computer reflecting on the meaning of Easter, the holiday that for Christians worldwide represents the resurrection of Jesus the Christ.  Last night my wife and I watched The Greatest Story Ever Told, a movie about the life of Jesus that was made in 1965.  I was 19 when that blockbuster film was released.  Years before that, I read Nikos Kazantzakis’ book, The Last Temptation of Christ, and was moved by the author’s premise that all mortals will tend to suffer some form of personal crucifixion at some point in their life;  mentally, physically, emotionally and/or spiritually.  I deal with people in my private practice all the time who are carrying their own crosses. Kazantzakis further states that we also have the capacity to rise up and resurrect from the suffering we endure and the challenges that we face. The timing of, and how we do it, is up to us. 

Yesterday morning I participated in a webinar featuring the brilliant philosopher and scholarly teacher, Ken Wilber, author of A Brief History of Everything.  He was speaking about the emergence of a new evolutionary level of human consciousness that he refers to as an “Integral Level.”  He states that current research indicates that humanity is on the threshold of a monumental shift in meaning between “first tier” to “Integral second tier” consciousness. 

This essentially results in movement within an individual from being a “First Tier” human who has been divided, fragmented and partial to one who is a “Whole Human” with no pieces left out, with all aspects of one’s “Operating System” working collaboratively in unison.  In other words, all of one’s motivations, passions, talents and skills can come to greatness as we, as a humanity, make a quantum leap into “Second Tier” consciousness.  Wilber states that all of the preceding times in history, when society has leveled up in consciousness, have made a significant contribution to the ones that would follow thus far throughout the evolution of humanity.

Wilber posits that if humanity is ever going to reach any sort of harmony and true peace it will eventuate from this “Integral Developmental Second Tier Transformation.”   He suggests that anytime one individual expands his capacity for integrating all levels of personal development, he is making a contribution to the evolutionary development of humanity as a whole.  How every human acts is influenced by how we as consciously evolving individuals act.  Therefore, through our actions we are helping to create or re-engineer the human of tomorrow.  When we feel a solidarity with all of humanity it is easier to treat others as we wish to be treated, as Jesus said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Obviously we’re being tested in a broad sense these days on the world stage.  Examples abound but Wilber believes that, “We have suffered for too long as an old, tortured humanity and that It’s a new dawn on the horizon for humanity.”  He encourages that, “We need people in the superhuman condition exercising new capacities for mindful awareness.”  He refers to this as, “A Superhuman Operating System”, a revolutionary shift from the fractured and torn existence to a unified, harmonious, peaceful existence that mitigates against fear and operates from a more understanding, compassionate and loving platform.

We, as a humanity are experiencing something quite new.  For the first time in human history we are being moved via the higher evolutions of developmental-unfolding influencing our overall growth.  Wilber refers to this as the emergence of “Full Spectrum Capacities” in which the capacities that we are innately gifted with come online.  He recommends that we pay attention to the ones that we’re not gifted in and get them notched up so that they don’t crash.  In other words, get the blocks out of the way to be able to focus on elements of our profound abilities.  This can allow you to have a real appreciation for who you are and your innate greatness.  It’s through activating one’s capacities for “superhuman greatness” that the bigger dimensions for higher consciousness come to fruition. 

We, as a humanity, are on the launching pad, poised to propel from leading a life from where only one type of fulfillment is available to one in which our lives offer multi-dimensional capacities for fulfillment.  It’s said that it is darkest before the dawn but that the light of a new day is cresting.   By way of this awareness, there is fundamental change being birthed in one’s being in which the world may soon be viewed from a very different perspective or point of view; from a higher portal.

On Saturday, May 7th, MCLA in association with Sacred Path Productions is presenting a one-day retreat in which “A Gathering of Men” will convene to empower each other to step up to the next level. How are you vibrating?   Invest yourself in a day to explore what that level looks like for your life.  Make a shift in the presence of other good men who are also committed to expanding their “Full Spectrum Awareness.”

Be a part of a group on the threshold of empowered change and make a positive difference in your life and a significant contribution to the shift in planetary consciousness.  Through our work as men on the Sacred Path we have come to the realization and actualization that non-aggressive fierceness is at the core of conscious masculinity and that conscious masculinity is at the core of mindful manhood.  It stands to reason that mindful manhood is at the core of “Full Capacity Living.”  Read more about this extraordinary event on Saturday, May 7th, and enroll now.  See you on the mountain.

In brotherhood,

Stephen

Stephen J. Johnson Ph.D., LMFT
Executive Director

o – o – o – O – o – o – o

Dr. Stephen Johnson is founder and executive director
of the Men’s Center Los Angeles. He is also the author of
“THE SACRED PATH: THE WAY OF THE SPIRITUAL WARRIOR,”
an amazing how-to book for men who want to become better
men . . .  AND for the women who care about them.
Click here for additional info.