Ken Wilber is one of the greatest philosophers of this century and arguably one of the greatest theoretical psychologists of all time. Roger Walsh M.D. Ph.D.

Wilber is an American integral thinker and author. Working outside the academic mainstream, he has drawn on a variety of disciplines including psychology, sociology, philosophy, mysticism, post modernism, science and systems theory to formulate what he characterises as an Integral Theory of Consciousness. He is a leading proponent of the Integral thought movement, and founded the Integral Institute in 1998.

While Wilber has practiced Buddhist meditation methods, and the beliefs of Madhyamika Buddhism, particularly as articulated in the philosophy of Nagarjuna, Wilber does not identify himself as a Buddhist.

I first came across Wilber’s writing while in Thailand attending to my father who was injured in a high-speed car accident. Wilber is a prolific writer, and it was indirectly through his books that this site came to be. Some of my preferred titles are listed below.

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Oh, and before I forget, you really should read my Why I Blog post. It might numb the shock of some of the heretical things I say!

All of life is a process, a continual process.

We all start equally at Square One. Progress along the Continuum of Life is determined by, among others:

• Social Environment
• Personal Aptitude and Hunger for Knowledge
• Family Background
• Religious Involvement…

The Development of Consciousness can be described as progression from:

1. Materialism to Spirituality, or
2. Egocentric to Globalcentric

Many theorists have named the different stages in human development. One of the simplest and easiest conception of the stages can be found in Scott Peck’s book, The Different Drum, in which he describes the progression from selfish child to self-giving sage. Peck’s stages are these:

1. Chaotic, antisocial
2. Formal, institutional
3. Skeptic, individual
4. Mystic, communal

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The solution to finding happiness in all aspects of life is actually intuitive. However, it is smothered by the barrage of commercialised solutions we are all exposed to.

Remove the clutter and happiness is ours for the taking.

In everything I’ve written and collected on this site, I am seeking a universal approach to Fulfilled Living, specifically health and wellness.

Despite vast differences and conflicting opinions when it comes to health and wellness, all cultures share universal truths. Behind the facade of cultural differences and egotistical squabbling, all of humankind shares one undeniable common factor: Genetic design.

To be bound to one particular way of thinking with regards to such a fundamental fact of Nature is to limit one’s personal growth and compromise one’s health. All schools of thought should therefore be considered. The positive and the constructive aspects should be extracted from each of these schools and merged to form a more holistic and universal paradigm. Continue reading

It’s been interesting to see how my Myers-Briggs Personality Type has changed over the years, from a rule-following ESTJ during my corporate career, to my current type of INFP, which means I am a:

• slightly expressed introvert
• moderately expressed intuitive personality
• slightly expressed feeling personality
• slightly expressed perceiving personality

INFP = Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Perceiving

Further Explanation

The Portrait of the Healer Idealist - Extract: Healer Idealists are abstract in thought and speech, cooperative in striving for their ends, and investigative and attentive in their interpersonal relations. Healer present a seemingly tranquil, and noticiably pleasant face to the world, and though to all appearances they might seem reserved, and even shy, on the inside they are anything but reserved, having a capacity for caring not always found in other types. They care deeply-indeed, passionately-about a few special persons or a favorite cause, and their fervent aim is to bring peace and integrity to their loved ones and the world.

Healers have a profound sense of idealism derived from a strong personal morality, and they conceive of the world as an ethical, honorable place. Indeed, to understand Healers, we must understand their idealism as almost boundless and selfless, inspiring them to make extraordinary sacrifices for someone or something they believe in. The Healer is the Prince or Princess of fairytale, the King’s Champion or Defender of the Faith, like Sir Galahad or Joan of Arc. Healers are found in only 1 percent of the general population, although, at times, their idealism leaves them feeling even more isolated from the rest of humanity.

INFP Profile - Extract: INFPs never seem to lose their sense of wonder. One might say they see life through rose-colored glasses. It’s as though they live at the edge of a looking-glass world where mundane objects come to life, where flora and fauna take on near-human qualities.

What personality type are you?

Living in any Western (and even increasingly so, non-Western countries) today, is like being trapped inside a 45-gallon oil drum (a metal drum large enough to contain an average sized person, and which echoes horrendously when any sound is made inside). Now imagine turning a ghetto blaster on full-blast, while having a multi-channel TV link transmitting full visual media on all of its channels simultaneously. Add a small whirlwind and throw in loose pages from a variety of magazines and newspapers, and one has created a scale model of the media storm with which we are bombarded daily, and which is nigh on impossible to avoid.

We are all, in effect, being forced into a situation where our frazzled, over-stimulated minds just cannot function effectively. One needs quiet to reason, and especially to reflect on thoughts and past experiences.

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