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%EXTREMISM 771221
Extremism carries reasonable behavior to exclusive
extremes which are not reasonable. Extremists can not
tolerate moderation, and presume that all behavior must be
extremely good or extremely bad. Behavior which is helpful
in moderation is carried to extremes in fact or fancy---
and judged to be extremely good or extremely bad---with
that judgement reflecting back on the moderate behavior
which the extremists are unwilling to tolerate. They are
inclined to pass judgement only upon the pure, the
exclusive, form of each kind of behavior. They ask, "What
if everybody did it?" Or, "What if it was done always,
frequently, in all situations?" They want to be ready for
all possible extreme situations, and to guarantee that
each extreme situation can be controlled.
Extremism is a form of perfectionism---a dedication
to excellence. For some people terms like quality,
goodness, value, propriety, etc. are defined in terms of
degree of conformity to an ideal form---the more perfect
the conformity the better. For them quality and
excellence are occasioned by high levels of conformity to
accepted standards. They promote a form of extremism in
that they exclude consideration of non-conformist
perspectives of their behavior---they excommunicate their
most profound critics for threatening to undermine
excellence. Often such extremist dedications to
excellence are highly respected and publicly supported
with taxpayer's dollars. Extremism can be very
conventional, because conformity is very conventional.
Extremism is particularly dangerous when it is the
mainstream of a society---for then it will threaten
nonconformists who can see the situation from outside the
collusions of the society.
Extremism can can most helpfully be moderated by a
culture which ultimately values dedications to openness,
freedom of self expression, and love as the promotion of
open and honest dialogue. When extremists are ultimately
dedicated to dialogue with non-extremists, they will
experience moderating influences upon their views and
feelings. Dedication to opposite forms of extremism will
only harden positions and promote more extreme forms of
extremism.
(c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in
www.essayz.com Search for Integrity and Honesty
(On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)
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