Psychedelics meet System Change–
Consciousness-altering Technologies for Changing our Inner and Outer Worlds
Podcast interview on psychedelics for systems change with Luchele Mendes from SODA Social
Jan 26, 2023
Technology alone will not be a sufficient solution for overcoming humanity’s most pressing problems. Deep inner work will be necessary.
On August 2, 1964, Albert Einstein published a telegram in the New York Times addressing President Roosevelt about the precariousness of the Atomic Age. He wrote: “The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophe.”
Einstein touched a topic 60 years ago that is all the more existential today: The pace of technological developments has become exponential (CRISPER, ChatGPT3, Deepfake…), opening up unprecedented opportunities and threats for all life forms on planet Earth. The human species has become the decisive factor in the evolution of Earth’s natural ecosystems and geology – paving the way to the Anthropocene. In a fascinating podcast series with Nate Hagens, Daniel Schmachtenberger compared the modern human with a mythological, God-like creature who has the power of literally changing the face of this planet (e.g. through large-scale deforestation, mountaintop mining…), introducing and eradicating life at will.
So, what needs to happen so we can apply technology for the prospering of life? One of Schmachtenberger’s statements is striking:
If we have the technology of Gods, we need to have the love and compassion of Gods.
Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield put it clearly: “Our remarkable outer technological development now must be matched by radical inner development. To do this, we need to invest in a new generation of entrepreneurs dedicated to this mission.” Tech alone will not save us. We can no longer afford that our technological development keeps outpacing our inner development.
The Evolute Institute is part of a larger movement, with organizations such as the Inner Development Goals, that deems inner development as a necessity for positive social transformation. “Inner climate change for outer climate change”, so to speak. We came to believe that psychedelic-assisted inner work, given the right conditions (!), can be an outstanding contribution to our own inner maturation and development. It opens pathways of inner exploration, healing and reconciliation with hurtful realities, laying the groundwork for the cultivation of awareness, kindness and compassion. This type of inner work can help people not only to reconnect with themselves, but also with “the world out there”. Ironically, in psychedelic experiences, people frequently report they realize the truism that the “world out there” is actually “an inseparable part of me”. This visceral feeling of inter-connectedness (or “inter-being”, as Charles Eisenstein would call it), gives us not only a new source of meaning and purpose in life, but also widens the scope of our self-interest and our understanding of what “leadership” means.
Listen to the podcast episode here:
The SODA Social Podcast strives to innovate, educate, and inspire future leaders of technology.
In this episode, Luchele Mendes interviews Dmitrij Achelrod, PhD, Evolute Institute’s co-founder on how consciousness-shifting technology can help leaders to change their inner and outer worlds to the better.
If, after listening, you’d like to become part of a pioneering group of entrepreneurs, organisational leaders & change-makers who embark on this journey of intentional inner work with altered states of consciousness, check out one of our retreat programs or schedule an exploratory call. We’d be glad to get to know you.
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