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         %ESCAPE COLLUSION HONEST PRAYER LOVING GOD 870415

When  a  participant in a collusive game  of  mutual
self  deception  can not be honest with other  people  who
matter (all participants in the collusion) the participant
may  yet  come into the presence of God in spirit  and  in
truth,  and  explore through prayer the possible routes of
escape  from  the  prisons  of  the games of  mutual  self
deception.  Through previously unknown forms of prayer the
participant may learn how to get back in  touch with those
realities  which  are  most  central  to  being  a  unique
creative individual with  personal and communal integrity.
In  previously  unknown  forms of prayer  there  may  come
visions  of  a life  free  of the  games  of  mutual  self
deception which dominate people---who try to dominate each
other with  the power  to  be in control:  in keeping with
the   moralistic,    ethical,    legalistic,    scientific
requirements  of participants'  compulsively driven by low
self esteem to seek ways to be in control.

     Honest prayer is  the way  out  of collusions and the
way toward personal and communal integrity.  Honest prayer
seeks to integrate love, power, justice and truth in a way
which coherently balances needs  for personal and communal
integrity.     In  honest  prayer  games  of  mutual  self
deception  become  clear;   the structure of  their  moves
unmasked,    their  motivations  evident,   the  way   out
illuminated.

     Prayer  is  not  a technique  for technical achieving
already defined and/or chosen  goals;  it is a way through
which  to  arrive  at  an  integrative   understanding  of
personal   and   communal  possibilities  which  helpfully
respond to the human needs which collusions deny exist.

     Technologies  are often means for achieving goals  to
which powerless people are addicted---in futile efforts to
bolster  their  sagging  self esteem by  finding  ways  to
achieve  control  as the key to  acceptance,   love,   and
feeling good about self.  Objective  technocrats  seek  to
find ways  to  achieve feeling good about self,  but those
who are addicted  to objective technologies can not permit
themselves to know this truth.  They must play their games
of   mutual  self  deception  by  avoiding  all  reflexive
considerations  of truths about themselves as subjects who
are  the  victims of denials  regarding  their  subjective
considerations  about themselves.    They are not free  to
pray for personal and communal  integrity,   because  such
prayer does  not constitute  objective  behavior  which is
good beyond measure.
                                                                                                                               
                         (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in      
                    (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)  
                                                                                                                               
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