This-essay is a7904301.htm which is available at the web-site www.essayz.com. See more notes at the bottom. Previous-Essay <== This-Essay ==> Following-Essay By-Months By-Years By-Words Webs of Like-&-Un-Like ESSAYS <==> Like-&-UN-Like This-One ========================================================== %DEFENSE AGAINST CONDITIONAL GIFTS+790430 %LOVE ACCEPT LAW COMPETE VULNERABLE GAME+790430 %TRUST SECURE SOCIETY 790430 Competitive societies encourage members to engage in the giving and receiving of conditional gifts. To accept a conditional gift is to accept the conditions under which it is given. Such a gift may cost a great deal to the person who accepts it. Through acceptance the acceptor may become indebted to an extent which is greater than the value of the gift. Thus it is important to be on guard against accepting gifts which are not to a net advantage to the acceptor. In a competitive society the purpose of life is to win, to get ahead of others in "points" earned. The most risky gift to accept is one which is given under the condition that you give of your self in return. It is impossible to really give of your self conditionally, for I-Thou relationships involve the whole being, they are not in the manipulative I-It mode of being. Conditional gifts are given and received in the world of I-It relationships, and undermine I-Thou relationships. To accept the rules of the games of a competitive society is to enter a way of living which prompts you to always be on the defensive, on guard, against being taken advantage of. Everybody's motives might be suspect. Nobody can be trusted to be unconditionally generous. All gifts must be examined to determine what the hidden price for the gift must be. The motive of the giver must be figured out and compensated for. In a competitive society it is impossible to relax at any time, for one must always be on guard and ready to take defensive action. In a competitive society it is foolish to give of your self unconditionally. Nobody will believe that you are giving of your self unconditionally, and so any advantage that might be gained by giving of your self unconditionally will be lost because nobody will give you credit for doing what you do---so why do it. Unselfish giving is not rewarded and so is foolish. Each part must be given very cleverly with an eye to accumulating "points" in the "game of life". Keeping score is an important part of the game, and nobody can be trusted to be the only score keeper. All people must keep score in order that all may be secure in the knowledge that they are invulnerable to unfair behavior on the part of the other players. It is important that the rules of the game be explicit and enforced to the letter of the law---else others will win by taking unfair advantage of you. Law is God. (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in www.essayz.com Search for Integrity and Honesty (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy) ==========================================================
Lines beginning with a percent sign are KEYWORDS for use in ESSAY-System Searches. Their terminal digits are dates of writing in the format @yymmdd#, where @ = a means 99, @ = b means 20, and # = is a within-date essay-count. Links to date-adjacent essays are near page top & bottom.
Find the following links by clicking on CENTER when CENTER near the top or bottom of a web page of essayz.com 1. Go to HOME PAGE of essayz.com 2. Find brief-essays via keywords 3. Find brief-essay about ADDICTION 4. Search-Helps related to ABOVE-LINK 5. GoTo Action & Information Center 6. Find Regular-Essays via Year/Month 7. Find Regular-Essays via Word-Starts 8. Find Regular-Essay about LOVE
This-essay is a7904301.htm which is available at the web-site www.essayz.com. These 5 lines echo top lines. Previous-Essay <== This-Essay ==> Following-Essay By-Months By-Years By-Words Webs of Like-&-Un-Like ESSAYS <==> Like-&-UN-Like This-One