Algeria Bahrain Egypt
Iran Iraq Jordan
Kuwait Lebanon Libya
Morocco Oman Palestinian Territory
Qatar Saudi Arabia Syria
Tunisia United Arab Emirates Yemen

"لذلك أقترح وأؤمن بشدة بما أقول وهو أن لمصلحة الإنسان في هذا العالم أن يبحث عن أهداف ومستويات أعلى وليست أدنى طيلة حياته بل أن الخير الأمثل لأي حكام وزعماء لهذا المجتمع هو أن يسعوا لترفيه ورفع مستوى شعوبهم إلى أعلى درجات السلم البشري للوجود والحياة"

كلير و. جريفز

“We are initiating action for cultural emergence in the Middle East”

Interactive Middle East Map and Spiral Turquoise MEME Yellow MEME Green MEME Orange MEME Orange MEME Blue MEME Blue MEME Red MEME Red MEME Purple MEME Purple MEME Beige MEME Beige MEME Turquoise MEME Yellow MEME Green MEME Orange MEME Blue MEME Red MEME Purple MEME Beige MEME Build Palestine Initiative

TURQUOISE Holistic MEME – starting 30 years ago

Basic theme: Experience the wholeness of existence through mind and spirit

  • The world is a single, dynamic organism with its own collective mind
  • Self is both distinct and a blended part of a larger, compassionate whole
  • Everything connects to everything else in ecological alignments
  • Energy and information permeate the Earth’s total environment
  • Holistic, intuitive thinking and cooperative actions are to be expected

YELLOW Integrative MEME – starting 50 years ago

Basic theme: Live fully and responsibly as what you are and learn to become

  • Life is a kaleidoscope of natural hierarchies, systems, and forms
  • The magnificence of existence is valued over material possessions
  • Flexibility, spontaneity, and functionality have the highest priority
  • Differences can be integrated into interdependent, natural flows
  • Understands that chaos and change are natural

GREEN Communitarian/Egalitarian MEME - starting 150 years ago

Basic theme: Seek peace within the inner self and explore, with others, the caring dimensions of community

  • The human spirit must be freed from greed, dogma, and divisiveness
  • Feelings, sensitivity, and caring supersede cold rationality
  • Spreads the Earth's resources and opportunities equally among all
  • Reaches decisions through reconciliation and consensus processes
  • Refreshes spirituality, brings harmony, and enriches human development

ORANGE Achievist/Strategic MEME – starting 300 years ago

Basic theme: Act in your own self-interest by playing the game to win

  • Change and advancement are inherent within the scheme of things
  • Progresses by learning nature's secrets and seeking out best solutions
  • Manipulates Earth's resources to create and spread the abundant good life
  • Optimistic, risk-taking, and self-reliant people deserve success
  • Societies prosper through strategy, technology, and competitiveness

BLUE Purposeful/Authoritarian MEME – starting 5,000 years ago

Basic theme: Life has meaning, direction, and purpose with predetermined outcomes

  • One sacrifices self to the transcendent Cause, Truth, or righteous Pathway
  • The Order enforces a code of conduct based on eternal, absolute principles
  • Righteous living produces stability now and guarantees future reward
  • Impulsivity is controlled through guilt; everybody has their moral place
  • Laws, regulations, and discipline build character and moral fiber

RED Impulsive/Egocentric MEME – starting 10,000 years ago

Basic theme: Be what you are and do what you want, regardless

  • The world is a jungle full of threats and predators
  • Breaks free from any domination or constraint to please self as self desires
  • Stands tall, expects attention, demands respect, and calls the shots
  • Enjoys self to the fullest right now without guilt or remorse
  • Conquers, out-foxes, and dominates other aggressive characters

PURPLE Magical/Animistic MEME – starting 50,000 years ago

Basic theme: Keep the spirits happy and tribe's nest warm and safe

  • Obeys the desires of the spirit being and mystical signs
  • Shows allegiance to chief, elders, ancestors, and the clan
  • Individual subsumed in group
  • Preserves sacred objects, places, events, and memories
  • Observes rites of passage, seasonal cycles, and tribal customs

BEIGE Instinctive/Survivalistic MEME – starting 100,000 years ago

Basic theme: Do what you must just to stay alive

  • Uses instincts and habits just to survive
  • Distinct self is barely awakened or sustained
  • Food, water, warmth, sex, and safety have priority
  • Forms into survival bands to perpetuate life
  • Lives "off the land" much as other animals

Natural Design Middle East

FUNCTIONAL DEMOCRACY
A New Paradigm on Geopolitics in the Middle East

Read White Paper on Functional Democracy

Spanda Foundation

Read full Spanda Foundation Journal

The Middle East Now

The Middle East is at a pivotal time in its history, a cross roads in its evolution. Old ways no longer seem to be working and new ways have yet to fully emerge.

Read more...

Function of CHE-ME

The Primary function of the Center For Human Emergence-Middle East is to create the new models that have in them the complexity that makes the older systems obsolete. We identify the underlying value-systems codes that manifest in surface level behavior, thinking and beliefs. In doing so, we can construct methodologies and processes that are culturally appropriate and that will align and integrate all the activities to support the emergence of what is next for the region.

Integral Framework/Our Methodologies

Spiral Dynamics integral is a bio-psycho-social map of living human systems that focuses on natural designs and offers whole new integral solutions that are ecological, systemic, and life-affirming. In effect the theory describes and makes sense of the enormous complexity of human existence, and then shows how to craft elegant, systemic problem-solutions that meet people and address situations where they are.

This powerful conceptual system has been field-tested in some of the most complex environments on the planet, from inner-city Chicago to racially plagued South Africa; and from large scale projects in Palestine and the Netherlands to reforming the educational system in Mexico.

Read more…

MeshWORKS in Syria

Project SHAMS-Bosra, Syria
A partnership of the EU with local authorities in the Mediterranean area. The project SHAMS is being co-sponsored by the European Commission in the framework of the Med-Pact program.

The Center for Human Emergence- Middle East partnered with the project to offer a MeshWORKS perspective for Bosra including an assessment of the value-systems in Bosra and offering culturally-fit training in Spiral Dynamics integral.

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Build Palestine Initiative

In 2005, together with Palestinian partners, Dr. Beck and Elza Maalouf launched Build Palestine Initiative.

Using his ground breaking experience in South Africa and his practical knowledge in dealing with the different mindsets in cultures, Dr. Don Beck offered a fresh start to the Palestinians and they responded with an overwhelming enthusiasm. Dr. Beck’s work in South Africa with Mandela, De Klerk, Chief Minister Buthelezi and community leaders sparked the Palestinians’ initial attraction to this work. Now that they have a deeper grasp of the Spiral Dynamics integral approach (SDi link) they believe that this conceptual framework will support their efforts to build a country for the many generations of Palestinians to come.

Read more…

Our Initiatives in the Middle East

Arab Style Democracy: Building the Post Dictatorship Institutions

Elza S. Maalouf

 

Elza S. Maalouf, Co-founder & CEO, CHE-ME

“The insight here is that one style of democracy does not fit all. The Myth that Western democracy if given the chance, can spread throughout the Middle East has proven to be a false doctrine.”

Jean Houston

 

Dr. Jean Houston, Human Potential Movement, Founding Member & CHE-ME Project Advisor.

“Arab women will no doubt change the world”

Dr. Don E. Beck

 

Dr. Don E. Beck Complex Systems Strategist Senior Advisor, CHE-ME

“Revolutions do not cause change; they confirm the change which has already happened. Typically, this happens more to societies which are already changing, as the raised expectations put pressure on existing leaders and structures, like the geologic tectonic shifts that will cascade to the surface as earthquakes.”

Clare W. Graves

 

Prof. Clare W. Graves, Pioneer, Large-scale Psychology

“The pathway from tribalism to democracy has to pass through autocracy.”

Nation Building Convention 02-02-2008

Nafiz Rifaie

 

Palestine Emergence - In the Words of one of its Enlightened Leaders.

Nafiz Al-Rifaie, a prominent leader in Fatah Third Generation, addressed the attendees of the Nation Building Movement. Watch video

Elza Maalouf

Emergence in Palestine and the Arab World.

Elza Maalouf spoke to nearly 700 Palestinian community leaders from all over the West Bank addressing societal emergence in Palestine and the Arab world. Watch video

Elza Maalouf

Palestinian Engineer Presents Ground-Breaking Proposals

Engineer Nasra Zgheil presented ground-breaking proposals in the name of her group "The Promising future" at the Nation Building Conference, which was mainly formed by professional women from Salfit and Hebron. Watch video

Elza Maalouf

A 10-year-old Palestinian Girl Thinks Big

This video of Balkis Rifaie, a 10 year old Palestinian girl, sums up the "Future Pull" (forward-looking future orientation) of the Palestinian historic Nation-Building event in Bethlehem. Watch video

Elza Maalouf

“Ana Falistini” — I am Palestinian!

Dr. Don Beck addressing 700 Palestinian Leaders at the Nation-Building Convention. In his speech, Dr. Beck focused on the theme "Palestine 21, Palestine first!" Watch video