Spiral Dynamics in Action

7The Nordic Countries and Second-Tier Consciousness: The Need for Second-Tier Leadership in Times of Great Turbulence

Teddy Hebo Larsen

Introduction

In a recent Danish e-book about Europe and the European Union (EU), Gade et al. (2017) asked the following interesting question: “If EU is the answer, what is the question?” The book was published by the Danish branch of the organization “New Europe” and contains a total of 21 chapters in which a select group of authors philosophize the future of an increasingly fragmented Europe. The authors represent a large group of Danish people from many different fields, such as politics, art, charity, NGOs, literature, unions, sustainability, journalism and universities.

On the front page of the book there is an illustration by Bjørn Nørgaard, a famous Danish art professor, and next to the thought-provoking illustration the following statement: “Our common union can move in three directions: explosion, implosion or evolution.”

The book was promoted in major public Danish newspapers, and in the foreword of the book it is claimed that 2017 is Europe's year of fate – or more precisely – the fate for all of us living in our corner of the planet Earth. Huge well-known challenges are facing us, including increasing nationalism, the unknown effects of Brexit, the impact of refugees and migration pressure, Trump, Putin's Russia, inequality and climate change. Perhaps most importantly, it seems as if we in Europe have come to doubt who we are, what ...