Raging Red
By Tim King
The RED or “Warrior” expression of humankind has been well-represented since early in our history. Passing through the instinctual daily Survival stage (beige) and progressing up into the Tribal stage (purple), it was only a matter of time before our earliest ancestors expanded their clans and enlarged their territories, encroaching upon the domain of one another. The subsequent struggle over food, water, land and a general claim to the right of expansion was inevitable and from this the acting out of the Warrior mentality took full form.
Perhaps this is so because many of the dignities of the prior Purple/Tribal stage are found in rituals, traditions and symbols – it is the loyalty to the Chieftan that keeps such things intact – and perpetuating these customs is everything when it comes to the identity of the tribe. To have outsiders with a different way of life encroach upon the land and the ways of the local tribe was wholly unacceptable.
In many ways, these earliest exclusive and often domineering expressions within our tribes (nations) have not changed. In his book Fighting Identity: Sacred War and World Change Michael Vlahos reminds us that the globalization of the world today is very much tied into our sacred story. Vlahos writes, “Our rhetoric speaks to the deeper meaning of our national gospel – the passionate core of our sacred story. How can we know this? We believe in it so strongly that we either trivialize or demonize developments that do not fit the story. We are threatened by alternative initiatives. People going in different directions become enemies.”
And we all know what must happen to enemies: they must be conquered, if not altogether extinguished.
In his work on Mimetic Theory, behavioralist and social scientist Rene Girard helps us understand the core of our species. It seems that we are practically hard-wired with an aggressive and warring mentality. Girard posits that as the tension of the tribe builds, it begins seeking an outlet for its aggression, leading to the identification (within or without) of a proper scapegoat upon which to unload its collective angst. Often the tribe does so in the name of its god, hearing messages compelling them to defeat, cast out, or destroy the enemy nations confronting them.
As an example, in the biblical narrative of the nation of Israel, there are times that the list of surrounding nations which must be conquered and “driven out of the land” appears inexhaustible: there were the Philistines and Ammorites, the Jebusites, Amalekites and Midianites – the list goes on (see the Book of Judges).
For the Red or Warrior meme, little justification is needed in going to war if it is done in the name of the sacred – especially if it assures the ongoing propagation of the sacred story. We see this today in the strategic attempts of suicide bombers. In the excellent book Cutting the Fuse : The Explosion of Global Suicide Terrorism and How to Stop It, Robert Pape and James Feldman help us understand the role that foreign occupation plays regarding suicide bombers/bombings; in almost every case, they argue, it is the occupation of foreign troops that ignites the deepest and most extreme actions of those occupied, ultimately leading to suicide bombings. The giving of one’s own life on behalf of the occupied tribe/nation is not only deemed as appropriate but a sacred and holy gift on behalf of the nation.
Such a fact compelled author Reza Aslan to write a book entitled How to Win a Cosmic War. His answer is simple: don’t fight it! Cosmic (sacred) wars cannot be won because there will always be one more radical willing to continue the fighting. And the idea of complete annihilation is an impossible myth employed only as a means to motivate the continued violence of one people against another. And as we have seen, one conflict inevitably ignites another in an endless circle of violence.
Understanding the Red or Warrior stage of humankind, it would seem, is critically important to stopping such Cosmic Wars to begin with.
It’s The Ego… Again!
Not surprisingly we find that the Warrior level of the spiral is highly self-centered or egocentric. Much of the goal of this way of being in the world is to gain power and to gratify needs – you fight to win – and winner takes all.
The Warrior/Red level of expression is about an impulsive drive to express oneself fully and often without conscience or remorse. According to the Warrior way of thinking, the world is filled with hostility, aggression, anger, selfishness, hedonism and is dominated through power.
Without power, nothing happens. Power is everything.
For the Red meme the best coping mechanism is to be tough, assertive, bold, action-oriented and guiltless. The motto of the Warrior meme is that “might makes right.” Trust no one. Take all you can; give nothing back.
When Red is Healthy
At first glance it may appear as if the Warrior (Red) mentality offers little in the way of improving our place in the world. However, upon deeper reflection we see that the Red meme, when healthy, carries the potential for much that is good.
For instance, without the expression of the Warrior level there would be little in the way of protection for the weak and vulnerable. Our police forces and military institutions tap into this meme – and when they function from the healthy side of Red there is much to commend them for and much for which to be thankful.
As well, we see a glimpse of Red expressing itself throughout the ministry of Jesus. His righteous indignation compels him to drive the money changers from the temple, confront the corrupt religious authorities and gives him the strength to stand as a lone voice in defending the outcast. If there is such a place for righteous indignation then Jesus gives it a home. His ire is unmistakable in places such as the twenty-third chapter of Matthew and his series of “woes.” There he refuses to mince words or nuance meaning. The religious elite of the day have made a mockery of spirituality and have done little other than create a business opportunity where none should have existed, and Jesus withholds little in his scorn of them.
When working in the natural flow of the universe the healthy side of Red is spontaneous, colorful and energetic. This is Jesus at his best as he is assertive and willing to break from tradition in the ways and places it no longer serves God’s children. In just a span of a three year ministry, so innovative and autonomous is Jesus that he forever changes the trajectory of religion and relationship with the one he calls Abba father. It seems that nothing less than Jesus’ ability to tap into the Warrior/Red meme could have accomplished such profound and systemic change.
When everything that is a part of the Warrior/Red meme is taken into consideration, there is much that can be offered to our world today. By utilizing police forces and world powers to protect and defend the weak, the world as we know it could be changed almost overnight. By harnessing the ego and responsibly and morally employing might on behalf of the outcast and voiceless masses of the world, heaven on earth could be a reality witnessed within our lifetimes.
And it is, therefore, this upward call for peace and justice that leads us to continue climbing the ladder of evolved consciousness. Not surprisingly, we will soon discover that the next stage, the stage beyond the Warrior/Red meme, calls forth all the rules, regulations and governance that just might allow this to happen.
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