Stage GREEN in a blue/orange society

[SenshiAna]

Hello there! 

After watching Leo's episode about spiral dynamics, I view my behavior and ideas mainly in stage green, with some traces of orange.

My country, Portugal, display many blue traces. It's society is rooted in catholic ideologies and it's influence is still very present. I myself grew up in a very religious family, though when I turned 18 I decided to step away from that. I accept blue values, but I choose not to be part of those.

In work field, I am surrounded by orange behavior... and I suffer in there. I like cooperative thinking and team work. I understand hierarchy and the good things they bring, but I hate that same people higher in hierarchy forget other people's collaborating. I often see ideological stealing, manipulation and lying and all for someone's own success. Even if I think "don't share your ideas and your reasons for doing certain things" I end up behaving as I think I should.. only to end up feeling used and diminished by some of my colleagues. I feel anger and frustration watching that behavior.

Don't get me wrong; being a "green" teacher actually gets me more respect and collaboration from my students and other colleagues. I like the way I am, despite feeling I don't fit in my company.

So my question for those around here is: how do I survive in a blue/orange society while keeping my green ideas?

 

Edited July 3, 2018 by SenshiAna

[calibrate]

Bumping this because I’m interested. I’m in a situation where I’m having trouble getting motivated to find holiday jobs (am in college) because I view the entire idea of retail and fast food unattractive.

how to be productive and perform well as a green person in an orange city? Some insight?

[purerogue]

Can I ask and be honest, is it that you do not like idea of working in area where you have to deal with products that are against your beliefs, or is it just that you are not motivated to do most of things in your life.

If it is just the business type , you can look for jobs in other areas, like delivery services, charity, maybe some attraction places. 

[Leo Gura]

Find/create a Green niche for yourself.

That's what the Life Purpose Course is about.

It's not gonna land in your lap by accident. You have to engineer it.

The beauty of going into biz for yourself is that you get to set the values and color of your company.

[Bernard]

I used to be a web administrator at a clothing retial store. I didn't survive. I left after it took a toll on me after many years

My suggestion is learn as much as you can and build your own business and do what you want to do on the side. Use what you learned. 

We aren't the same person and in different situations, but from my experience don't let it suck the life out of you. If it's starting to effect you negatively to extremes look for a way out.

My two cents.

[Augustus]

12 hours ago, SenshiAna said:

Hello there! 

After watching Leo's episode about spiral dynamics, I view my behavior and ideas mainly in stage green, with some traces of orange.

My country, Portugal, display many blue traces. It's society is rooted in catholic ideologies and it's influence is still very present. I myself grew up in a very religious family, though when I turned 18 I decided to step away from that. I accept blue values, but I choose not to be part of those.

In work field, I am surrounded by orange behavior... and I suffer in there. I like cooperative thinking and team work. I understand hierarchy and the good things they bring, but I hate that same people higher in hierarchy forget other people's collaborating. I often see ideological stealing, manipulation and lying and all for someone's own success. Even if I think "don't share your ideas and your reasons for doing certain things" I end up behaving as I think I should.. only to end up feeling used and diminished by some of my colleagues. I feel anger and frustration watching that behavior.

Don't get me wrong; being a "green" teacher actually gets me more respect and collaboration from my students and other colleagues. I like the way I am, despite feeling I don't fit in my company.

So my question for those around here is: how do I survive in a blue/orange society while keeping my green ideas?

 

Being intellectually  above your society is the definition of hell, it's almost impossible for you to fit in.
If there is any consolation I live in purple/red/blue society, sometimes it feels like living with chimpanzees..no..no...let me explain more: Any "blue" individual in our society is considered enlightened because the rest is below him, luckily - I guess - I grow up with very religious family so they are mostly blue. 

Thank god for the gift of the Internet.

Anyway, if I discover any solution I will tell you.

[Brittany]

If you are not preachy, you won't have any problems. I am really green and I haven't had problems in the orange society around me because I don't preach

[Elisabeth]

19 minutes ago, Brittany said:

If you are not preachy, you won't have any problems. I am really green and I haven't had problems in the orange society around me because I don't preach

Well... you'll likely also not very sensitive to the requirements made on you, or you've found a niche where these are minimal. I'm doing a phd and I'm like really bothered by the grant system, the pretense you have to put up writing a motivation letter (my today's task) and such. 

[George Fil]

@SenshiAna Move out from  the Loserville, that is my suggestion and what has worked from me. 

[calibrate]

18 hours ago, purerogue said:

Can I ask and be honest, is it that you do not like idea of working in area where you have to deal with products that are against your beliefs, or is it just that you are not motivated to do most of things in your life.

If it is just the business type , you can look for jobs in other areas, like delivery services, charity, maybe some attraction places. 

hmmm...its possible that im just unmotivated and lazy. but my GPA (on a scale out of 7 in australia) is roughly 5.5 so its not like im a complete loser from the 'orange' perspective. i just feel like im entering a crossroads in my life.
i meditate every day and am relatively conscious, so im surprised with my own (lack of) behaviour to a certain degree.

its like im watching myself just turn into a bum

some time ago i would do most things out of 'fear'...go and try to find this job and that opportunity so i wouldnt 'appear' as a loser to others in my societies...now that this paradigm is falling away from my life i feel a bit stuck and a little bit like a 'hippie' with no direction in my life

even though im pursuing hobbies and things like music (which i feel like i could make a career out of), i still feel like a burden on my parents and like a sack of potatoes sitting around stuck in the same place going nowhere.

im watching childhood friends dive headfirst into internships ready to get sucked into the gruelling 9-5 life and it honestly frightens me

in my lifetime, im beginning to wonder whether i might 'revert' back to stage orange for the purposes of my own egoic survival, and this seems despicable to me

Edited July 4, 2018 by calibrate

[George Fil]

 

[Pelin]

@SenshiAna I truly resonate with you. I'm a teacher too, and I like teaching and being inspired by students. But the education system around the world is mostly orange and achievement-oriented, so it is difficult to thrive as a green. The only way out of this system for me is working on yellow values.

Let me tell you a little bit about my story. I also grew up in a blue family -nationalists. I saw the only escape was getting good grades and a good college education. When I got into college, though, I found my community: the environmentalists. I joined talks, rallies, anti-nuclear protests. I became vegetarian, promoted recycling and green energy, even started to organise panels and national meetings with the fellow college students. Looking back, we were so enthusiastic we were able to find funding from green corporations to accommodate 200+ people free for a national event for a week. (Looking back though, it was mostly talking and coming together, with little actual action)

After I started working though, the first 2 years were a huge disappointment. The workplace was entirely orange and being the non-authoritarian person that I was, I couldn't even manage the class. I thought I wasn't meant for the job.

I've been working for 8 years now, and I am enjoying work more. Yet I see the only option is getting more individualistic and striving for yellow instead of going full on green. I still feel the guilt Leo was describing, that I don't do enough for the environment. But I also realise I need to move on. So instead of focusing on how blue and orange people around me are, I'll do hardcore introspection. Quitting my job and starting a business is not an option for me  as I live abroad and the country I live in doesn't let me start a business. But even if I had the chance, I don't know if I would.  

Sorry for the lengthy response, but it helps to know there are people somewhere who feels the same (how green of me, lol. I still have a lot to improve)