This is http://www.essayz.com/a9002151.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.} ========================================================== %CONTEXT HONEST PERSONAL EXPERIENCE ACCEPTANCE LOVE 900215 It is difficult and dangerous to be honest about those aspects of your self which are most uniquely yours; if you do not have a context for authentic, open and honest sharing. Our personal responsibility to be honest is coupled with our communal responsibility to work to create contexts in which all members of our community are given the gift of security within a healthy communal context; where open and honest expressions of persons' most unique attributes are eagerly accepted, and they as unique persons are retained within the community of open and honest dialogue in loving recognition of their honest expressions. We cannot expect to enjoy a context for honest expressions if we do not contribute to creating that context by helping to keep within the community of dialogue people who express themselves in ways which trouble us. It is not enough for us to be honest ourselves. We must work to create the context in which those who most trouble us with their honest expressions feel secure in openly and honestly expressing themselves. A healthy context for honest expressions can exist only for the whole community; it cannot long exist for some exclusive subset of the whole community. In the absence of a communal context for open and honest expressions the community will be unable to make wise decisions for lack of reliable information. The freedom to express conventional truths upon which there is consensus, does not constitute the essence of a context for honest expressions. The freedom to express unconventional statements of abstract belief, opinion, and conviction does not constitute the essence of a context for honest expression. Both these freedoms might exist and be exercised; yet, if people are not free to openly and honestly report their own emotions, feelings, fears, anxiety, experiences, etc.; there is no authentic context for honesty: the essence of such a context is therefore not present. If there are topics, experiences, emotions, etc. which are real and significant to members of a community, and they are never openly expressed in fully public channels of communication; then the essence of an authentic context for honest expressions is not present. If the typical response to certain kinds of expressions is to indicate surprise, displeasure or concern at the fact of the expressions; rather than to respond to the content of the expressions and what is point to: then the essence of an authentic context for honesty is not present. If powerful people in positions of authority and leadership neglect to actively work to maintain an authentic context for honest expressions; then the essence of an authentic and stable context for honesty is not present. Such a context may be present in some passing unstable form, but in the absence of powerful initiative to maintain it; the context will soon be gone. Any context for honesty is an unstable reality which tends to disintegrate in the face of human tendencies to collect together in collusive, addictive, codependent and technocratic patterns and networks which are mutually supportive in hidden, misleading and tragic ways. Healthy individuals cannot exist in the absence of an authentic context for honest expressions of whatever may most uniquely represent their individual integrity and creative potentials. Any health maintenance program which is founded upon a theory which fails to take this into account is likely to fail to help its community to maintain its health and integrity. Contexts for health, honesty, integrity and stability GO TOGETHER; in presence, or in becoming absent. (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy) ==========================================================