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  %ESSENCE PERSONAL BEING INTEGRITY COHERENCE WHOLE 900722

     The  essence  of  a person resides  in  the  person's
integrity,  that which holds the person together and makes
the person whole, coherent.

     The  essence  of  a  person does not  reside  in  the
molecules  and  tissues  which make up  the  body  of  the
person, for those change from month to month.

     The essence of a person does not reside in particular
accomplishments;   for accomplishments come,  go,  and are
forgotten.

     The essence of a person does no reside in what  other
persons  think  of  the person;   for  such  thoughts  and
associated  feelings  may  be  poorly  informed  and  more
indicative  of the nature of the other persons  and  their
communities, than of the person about whom they are poorly
informed and from whom they may be alienated.

     The essence of a real person resides in the integrity
of  the  person;   the internal  relationships  among  the
various  aspects  of  the person's being,  which  lead  to
coherent thoughts,  feelings, being,  decisions,  actions,
and responses.

     When  a  person  slips  into  dishonest  patterns  of
thought,   feeling and attitudes;  the person's  integrity
decays  and  so the essence of the person decays.  To  the
extent  that  dishonesty  dominates  within  the  internal
relationships  among the various aspects of  the  person's
being which lead to thoughts,  feelings, being, decisions,
actions,  and responses;  to that extent the person decays
and dies.

     A person  may be morally and spiritually dead,  while
the physical body continues to metabolize and be active in
community activities;  just as a person may be unconscious
and  totally unresponsive for many years while intensively
being  cared for by sophisticated medical technocrats  who
are  addicted  to  complex medical  technology.   In  each
instance  the  important  issues pertain to the  level  of
moral,    spiritual,    personal,   and/or   physiological
integrity.

     People cannot control each other's integrity.

     Personal  integrity is a mystery over which we do not
and cannot have full control;  although we can take  steps
in the way of love which can have great influence over our
own and other people's integrity. The recovery of personal
integrity  is  a miracle which often occurs as  a  rebirth
which  cannot  be understood,  predicted,   controlled  or
explained.   Such recovery occurs more often within  fail-
safe   secure  contexts  where  people  are  free  to   be
vulnerable,   than in contexts where people feel they must
conform to external expectations to achieve acceptance and
personal affirmation.

     There  is  no  advantage  or  possession  worth   the
sacrifice of one's own integrity; for upon gaining such an
advantage  or  possession at the loss of one's  integrity,
there  is  then  no soul to enjoy  the  advantage  of  the
possession.
                                                                                                                               
                         (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in      
                    (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)  
                                                                                                                               
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