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                  %DISINTEGRATIVE VALUES AND IDEALS 871229

     All  ideals  and  values tend to be  presented  in  a
positive   light.     People  who  affirm  ideals  do  not
present them in a negative light.    If they do not have a
positive  light  in  which  to present  their  ideals  and
values,   they in a kindly way offer other people  glasses
with  which   to see  the  affirmed  ideals   and   values
through  filtered  light    which makes   the  ideals  and
values appear as if they were   in  a positive light.

     Idealists  do  not  always offer  to  us  integrative
ideals.    Idealism  can  be  grounded  in  ignorance  and
confusion,    more easily than idealism  can  be  grounded
in balanced knowledge and clear thinking.   Perfectionists
are   very    idealistic   people and are  often  out   of
touch     with   realistic   and    balanced    knowledge.
Perfectionists   do  not   deal honestly  with  their  own
limitations or with the limitations   of  other    people;
they     are    more concerned   with    their  idealistic
ideals     and   values  than  they   are    with    their
realizations.

     Ideals   and   values   are not helpfully  judged  in
terms  of  the public intentions  of   those   who  affirm
them.   Ideals    and   values    are   most     helpfully
judged    in  terms      of     the    integrative     and
disintegrative  consequences which  follow  logically  and
naturally    from the  structure  of  the  value system in
which  they  find their affirmations.    Ideals and values
are  best  judged in terms of  their personal incarnations
and  the   fruits   of the lives  of  their  incarnations.
Apart from  their  personal incarnations ideals and values
can  not   be helpfully  judged.     What is  important is
how  and where  a system   of  ideals   and values   leads
the    people  who   affirm   them.       The  unrealistic
visions   of  perfectionists are not   a   firm basis upon
which to appraise the worth of abstract ideals and values.

     Victims  of our various forms of addiction have their
own   confused   systems   of ideals and values,   and  in
their  view  their  ideals and values make some  kind   of
sense.   They   are  mislead by their confused  system  of
ideals  and values,    and need to reach out to others who
are  not  addicted---for  guidance   in  discovering  more
integrative ideals and  values.    The worth of the ideals
and values  which guide  addicts can be seen in the fruits
of addicts'   behavior  patterns;  provided one wants   to
see  clearly how worthy  those  conceptions  of priorities
are.

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