Tiers of Change

This year has been a big one so far in the department of self development. Many experiences have really helped shape my perspective on a wide variety of issues, existing on each tier of experience. It had occurred to me that these tiers are not widely considered when approaching Change. It seems as if focus on "Global Change" is the most prominent, while community and individual change follow in behind. 

I've been giving this topic considerable thought over the last couple of weeks and just today I was struck with clarity on the why's behind some of my more recent direction changes. Its easy to jump behind the banner of "changing the world" but when you really think about it, the "World" is nothing more then a concept in the mind, patched together by the bits and pieces of news we catch online or on the tube. 

We obviously don't experience the world from a 1st person perspective, so we rely on our worldviews to fuel our passions for Global Evolution. But where does the real change take place? Lets take a look at the different tiers we are involved with day to day, so as to clearly punctuate where the real change is occurring. 

Tier 1: Individual

This first tier is where the real stuff happens. This is the internal and immediate exterior dimensions of our development. Whenever we are moving through thoughts, emotions, beliefs, blocks, our shadow, our relationships, and our behaviors we are operating on the 1st Tier. And it is at this tier that we turn to first whenever we seek to change the experiences of our life, in the 2 succeeding tiers. 

Tier 2: Community

The second tier represent the dimension of our influence and is greatly dependent on the shifts which happen in the first tier. How we show up to our neighbors, teachers, postal workers, garbage men, city council members, and total strangers reflects the development we have made in the 1st tier. The degree of our involvement in our immediate community determines how we view, not "The World" but "Our World". 

If we existed in a community setting that is productive, peaceful, and happy then such conditions would greatly influence what we would perceive as possible for the 'world at large', and in fact would carry with it considerable power to change other places that we do not immediately experience. At this tier we can see the ripples of our influence within the relationships we share in our communities. 

Tier 3: Global

This is the tier where development and shifts in the previous 2 tiers culminate. True global change occurs with the synergistic efforts of many groups of people working together for a common goal. These changes are caused by collective shifts in consciousness, where old world views deteriorate in the light of new discoveries and opportunities. 

I bring all of this up, not as an attempt to turn anyone away from pursuing global change, but for the purpose of highlighting how this change naturally takes place. I myself have experienced the frustration of having my eyes set on changing the world, only to loose steam from a lack of focus on the "here and now" of the world (or first 2 tiers). 

It is also important to note that each tier is deeply connected and that even the smallest shift made in the 1st tier has a direct effect on the proceeding 2 tiers or dimensions of experience. Lets not get caught up trying to change the "headlines" when we can be changing whats going on in our head.. 

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