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             %SOCIALLY AFFIRMED PERSONAL REFLECTION 860711

     There  is  a significant  difference  between  social
affirmation  of  a  person's overt behavior  and    social
affirmation of a person's reflections.   A  person's overt
behavior  is relatively obvious.   A  person's reflections
may  well  be quite private,  especially  in  a  conformal
society.   A  person may well be quite private, especially
in a conformal society.   A  person may well experience  a
need  for  social affirmation of both  overt  behavior and
personal reflections upon self.  Because of the difference
between the  two,  the two kinds of social affirmation are
not equally readily available.

     Social  affirmations  of  personal  reflections   are
scarce   in  a  conformal  society  which  requires  overt
conformity  as a price for social affirmation.    Personal
reflections  are bound to  include  reflections  upon  the
coercion  of  the conformal  society.    Only  fools would
expect  to  enjoy  social  affirmations of  such  personal
reflections.

     The  availability of social affirmations  of personal
reflections become  even  less  in a society dedicated  to
objectivity   as   an  ultimate  arbiter  of  reliability.
Personal   reflections  by  their  very  nature  are   not
objective, regardless of their content.  In an exclusively
objective society  people can not ever expect  affirmation
by  the  society  of  their  personal  reflections;   such
reflections being non-objective are unreliable, not worthy
of  discussion,  and perhaps are taboo.   Only fools would
seek social affirmations of  their personal reflections in
a society compulsively dedicated to objectivity.

     These considerations do not indicate  that people  do
not   need  social  affirmation  of  their  behaviors  and
reflections.    To  be fully human is to be  a  person  of
personal  integrity  functioning with social integrity and
honesty   in  a  community   characterized   by   communal
integrity.    There  is a fundamental human need to  fully
human,  and that which  stands  in the way of being  fully
human  should  be  open to profound criticism in the  most
constructive ways possible.   The community that seeks  to
promote  it unity with integrity  will seek  to  meet  the
needs of  its  members  for  affirmation   of  integrative
behavior  and integrative  personal  reflections  upon all
efforts to promote both personal and communal integrity.

                                                                                                                               
                         (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in      
                    (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)  
                                                                                                                               
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