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%LEAD EXPLORE LIMIT BOUND PARADIGM CREATE EXPERIENC 910128

     What   is it like to have the experience of  being  a
leader  who   creatively  explores  the  limits   of   the
currently popular  paradigms,    and creates new paradigms
which  are beyond  the boundaries of what is popular   and
respected? How is such a person to know whether they are a
prophet or a fool?

     There are risks in exploring new frontiers:

     1.    Physical risks due to lack of knowledge of  the
details of  physical  objects,   physical  realities   and
physical relationships.   These are the risks of going  to
places  and  dealing with things in ways which no one  has
gone and done before.

     2.   Psychological risks due to lack of knowledge  of
the  details   of reflexive realities  and  relationships.
There  are   the   risks of entering into new   kinds   of
reflexive  relationships  in ways which no  one  has  done
before.

     3.    Spiritual   risks   due  to  taking   seriously
experiences  and    realities   previously  dismissed   as
unimportant,   unreliable,     wasteful,     embarrassing,
sinful,    evil, irresponsible, etc.

     4.   Risks   of  NOT  taking  seriously   experiences
and   realities    previously     focused    upon     with
compulsive dedication, interest and concern.

     5.   Risks  of  alienation when others  fail  to  see
the creativity, integrity, coherence, honesty, and love of
the venture.

     People    who  check  out  the  boundaries   of   the
known    territories   in   space,     time,     paradigm,
relationships,    and  spirit  often appear  to  self  and
others as fools,   cracked up,    crazy,    irresponsible,
sinful,    and evil.   Only  in historical  retrospectives
is  there  clear   and   confident  certainty  as  to  the
differences between appearances.

     It  helps,   however,   to consider some criteria  in
terms  of  which  it  may be possible  to  recognize   the
differences,    before     such    confident    historical
retrospectives   are reached:

     1.    Is   there truly a dedication to being true  to
self and others in a balanced way?

     2.   Is  there  a gentleness of spirit and a sense of
humor   and     proportion,      which    keeps    serious
matters   in perspective?

     3.  Is there a dynamic balance between taking care of
self and taking care of others?

     4.   Is  there a honest search for the real limits of
what  is  humanly  possible,    and respect for such  real
limits  which  do exist;    honoring such limits  and  not
pretending to move beyond them, when it is not possible to
do so.

     5.    Is there humility and respect shown for  others
who are seeking to be true to their best selves,  in their
own most integrative ways.

     6.   Is there respect for the difference between what
each  person can change,   and all else that is beyond the
realm  of  what  each  person can change;   along  with  a
dedication  to learn from past mistakes made by  self  and
others,   so as to initiate healthy changes where  changes
need to be made.

     7.  An  honest respect for the realities of the past,
and  for  the   possibilities   for  creative  change   in
the  present,    leading  to a future which will  be  more
healthy than  the past.

     Why  are  great people often not recognized by  those
closest to them in time and space?

     1.   It is hard to recognize that the person you have
known as a child,   has matured into a truly great person.
Great  people   more often are recognized when  they  come
from  far away.

     2.   Truly  great  people are  not  preoccupied  with
the  inhibitions,     prohibitions  and  taboos  which  do
preoccupy many people.

     3.     Our  addictive,    codependent  and  collusive
patterns   of thought  and feeling confuse us  as  regards
what is  worthy of respect.

     4.    Truly    great  people   threaten   our   false
sense   of  security  by   challenging  the  integrity  of
our   futile systems   of  defense,     by  which we  seem
to  achieve security  through defensive technologies.

     5.    Real  greatness  is  associated  with  humility
and  simplicity,      rather    than   with     complexity
and sophistication.

     Often     really    great   people   threaten     the
unhealthy  addictions,    codependency,    collusions  and
taboos  of  their contemporaries  to such an  extent  that
they are  rejected, ostracized,    excommunicated and dis-
fellowshipped  in  the holy  name of a similar humble one,
who was  treated  the same way and crucified.

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