Wholeness in politics – surfing the polarities

IEC Conference: 2025

The world is craving for re-connection and healing in all areas. As we approach the climax of late modern consciousness, the collateral damages that this structure of consciousness has – and is bringing about every day – become ever more clearly visible. We see division all around us, in all areas, across the globe. It can be mapped by Otto Scharmer’s metaphor of “three divides”: disconnection from our environment, from our fellow human beings and, ultimately, from ourselves.

We won’t be able to bridge, let alone heal those divides unless we change the paradigm of our inner operating systems towards integral. Sounds straightforward? Well, then let’s get goin! It is high time that we take the promise and potential of INTEGRAL seriously, as well as the implications of a quantum political ontology, suggesting that “we matter more than we think” (Karen O’Brien).

We can no longer afford the divisive ways of first tier politics as usual, which appears to be trapped in its limited perspectives and habits of thinking and behaving. It is us, integralists, who have to step in, leave our comfort zones of great meta-theory, deep spirituality and self-development. It is time to test our inner capacity to stand in the fire and to be and lead the change that we, at least theoretically, know is possible. Now.

 

FEIN, Elke Dr.

Germany

Dr. Elke Fein is a social and political scientist and holds a PdD in Russian Studies. Her academic focus is on large scale socio-political transition processes, leadership and political culture, using adult developmental approaches. Elke is also the co-founder and managing director of the Institute for integral Studies (IFIS) in Freiburg/Germany. She has initiated and coordinated the EU-funded “Leadership-for-transition (LiFT)” project (2013-2022), among them the Strategic Partnership LiFT Politics (2019-2022), which explored political innovations based on integral and meta-modern ideas across Europe. One of the results of LiFT Politics is her book “Foundations, Principles and Inspirational Resources of Integral Politics” (2023). Elke is currently building up a School for Integral Politics as a space for learning and experiencing a new, holistic/integral paradigm of doing politics. Contact: fein.elke@gmail.com, www.ifis-freiburg.de.