This is http://www.essayz.com/a8704192.htm Previous-Essay <== This-Essay ==> Following-Essay Click HERE on this line to find essays via Your-Key-Words. {Most frequent wordstarts of each essay will be put here.} ========================================================== %TRANSCENDING REBELLION AGAINST CONTROL 870419 Attempts to control people through the use of taboos, collusions, guilt, moralisms, ethics, legalisms, etc. invite rebellion and addictions to defensive means by which to achieve a sense of freedom from control. Such efforts are confused by the taboos, collusions, guilt, moralisms, ethics, legalisms, etc. which occasion the rebellion; and by the rebellion itself. Neither the efforts to control human behavior, nor the rebellion against such control promote clarity of self knowledge nor clarity in open and honest dialogue. Self honesty and mutual honesty are not encouraged by attempts to control human behavior. Attempts to control human behavior thus undermine honest reflexive considerations of any evidence regarding the advantages and disadvantages of experimental courses of action. People who are trying to control each other will attempt to use all means available to achieve control; even including the manipulation of evidence and patterns of reasoning. To control others, people will undermine the integrity of evidence and reasoning; because getting others to conform to good standards of behavior is their ultimate concern. To serve that ultimate concern they will gladly sacrifice both personal and communal integrity which they regard as of small importance. To promote both personal and communal integrity we must find ways to transcend the natural rebellion against attempts to control. Rebellion tends not to be creative, imaginative, thoughtful, integrative. Clever controllers may deliberately prompt rebellion as a desired form of response. To transcend control one must avoid reactions which play into the hands of controllers. Reflex reactions are not creatively reflective upon the conditions which occasion the reactions; they are reactive in a non-reflective way. Submitting to people's efforts to control human behavior encourages their efforts. Often rebelling against people's efforts to control only encourages more violent efforts on their part. Often people are personally insecure and feel the need to be defensive to compensate for their lack of self esteem. It is often helpful to transcend rebellion and deal with controllers as people who are addicted to technologies which are used in futile efforts to compensate for their personal inadequacies and deprivations. (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy) ==========================================================