About Merge

Many say Generation Y—or the Millennials, if you like—represent idealism, optimism, and a renewed civic responsibility. Others offer a very different, and seemingly contradictory, perspective: that we are an unabashed expression of “narcissism gone wild,” a frighteningly self-focused and insulated generation of defiantly disrespectful youth.

So, who are we? Well, here at the Merge Project, we think we’re a little (or a lot) of both. But we believe the most important question is: What can we become?

And to that, we answer: Humanity’s first-ever Kosmocentric Generation. What is Kosmocentric, you ask? It’s a perspective and an expansion of identity that is based on the enlightened realization that we are not separate from the Kosmic evolutionary process itself. In other words, we aren’t simply individuals, living out our personal lives, fears, and desires here on planet Earth; we are actually the Universe itself, which is striving to become more aware and conscious of itself through the hearts and minds of evolving human beings.

At the heart of the exploration is spiritual teacher Andrew Cohen’s vision and teaching of Evolutionary Enlightenment. Cohen has developed, over the past twenty-three years, a comprehensive path and practice for creating a new culture, one beyond the rampant narcissism and offensive individuality of our current postmodern predicament, and one that is driven by the undying passion to explore the implications of enlightenment in our evolving world.

The leadership team behind the Merge Project is made up of students of Andrew Cohen’s and, by extension, core members of his organization, EnlightenNext. Although this blogging project is not officially affiliated with EnlightenNext, we are guided and continually inspired by the organization’s powerfully stated mission:

EnlightenNext is dedicated to catalyzing evolution in consciousness and culture. We strive to be leaders, examples, and pathfinders in the emerging field of integral and evolutionary spirituality, and to stand for the ultimate relevance of spiritual enlightenment in our time. Through our integrated annual cycle of programs and events and our award-winning publications, we are awakening, connecting, and cultivating a global movement of ‘evolutionaries’—individuals who feel personally responsible for creating the future.

The Merge Project is open to anyone who’s fired up by the idea that it’s up to each of us to take the reins of evolution and steer it in a more conscious, integral direction. If that resonates with you, we invite you to become a contributor to Merge by contacting us — and also by spending some time exploring the site, commenting on posts, and sharing it with your friends.

Come together. Create the future.

MERGE.

A few members of the Merge blogging team after attending Andrew Cohen's 3-week "Being & Becoming" retreat outside Florence, Italy, August 2009.