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  %POWER RELIGIOUS RITUAL HUMAN RELATION MAGIC TECH 910306

     Rituals  play  important  roles  in  human  lives and
properly understood  rituals  have great power;  but  what
is  the nature of their power?

     It is dangerous  to regard rituals as having power by
virtu  of   some   magical   manipulation  of    spiritual
beings   and relationships.    The experts in  the  proper
performance   of  rituals  are  not spiritual  technocrats
with   manipulative powers  which empower them  to  coerce
spiritual  beings   and  relationships,     as   objective
technocrats     coerce     objects    through    objective
manipulations.   The experts in the proper performance  of
rituals   are  not  experts  in   crossing   the  boundary
between  the realm of objects and the  realm  of  spirits,
to  cause desired events to occur.   To so regard  leaders
of  human  rituals,  is to become the  victim  of coercive
procedures   which  are lead by  people  who  are addicted
to the exercise of power.

     No.   The experts in the proper leadership of rituals
are  people    who  know  how  to  facilitate   open   and
honest relationships  and  dialogue,   which celebrate and
create  fulfilling  human  relationship  and  transitions.
Ritualistic   procedures  in  the  absence  of   openness,
honesty,     mutuality,    balance,      and     authentic
participation by others who  are present,  are  procedures
which lack integrative power;  and are  likely to exercise
disintegrative power.   Experts  in the  proper leadership
of  meaningful human rituals,    know how  to help  people
become    themselves   through     cooperative    communal
transitions   entailing  meaningful   conversations  which
are  liberating because they are open,  honest  and freely
participated in.  Such leaders are not technocrats of  any
kind.  Rather they are leaders who help others  to meet in
ways  which  transcend dichotomies between  objective  and
spiritual relationships.

     Objective   technocrats   are    prone  to   perceive
authentic  leaders   of liberating rituals  as   spiritual
technocrats;   for  objective technocrats are not familiar
with,    and   do not  in  a participatory way  understand
open  and  honest human   relationships.     To  them  all
procedures    are manipulative.    Objective   technocrats
are  unable   to  be authentic   participants    in   open
and     honest    human  relationships,    because   their
paradigm   requires   them  to  be  detached  to   achieve
objectivity which is without bias,   or so  they  "think".
Thus,    to  objective   technocrats   what  happens    in
authentic   rituals  appears  to  happen  by   virtue   of
skillful   manipulations;     rather  than  through   real
liberating  participation  which is  open,   honest,   and
reflexive;    and  so  is  not  objective,   and  is   not
manipulative or coercive.

     Young  people  are  lead  by  some  people  to become
objective  technocrats,    and by others are  offered  the
opportunity  to  become  authentic  leaders of  liberating
humane  rituals.  Young  people  need  to  understand  the
nature  of  each process,    so  that  they may be in  the
position    to   make  informed   choices   regarding  the
alternatives  which  life presents to them.

     Authentic  leaders of  human  rituals  value open and
honest human  relationships,    and through  participation
in    them   apprehend   and  are   apprehended   by   new
understandings  and knowledge.     Objective   technocrats
value      detached  observations   of  the  behavior   of
impersonal  objects   which  are   being   manipulated  in
accordance   with   experimental designs    intended    to
properly   control   experimental variables;   and seek to
create, uncover, discover,  reveal or  otherwise apprehend
pre-existent    objective    knowledge   about   objective
(impersonal)    realities  and  relationships.   Authentic
leaders    of   human  rituals    may    with    integrity
participate in objective procedures,  but technocrats  are
unable to participate in integrative human rituals.

     Compulsively  objective  scientific  researchers view
their  impersonal   procedures  as manipulative  means  by
which   to  achieve    understanding,     prediction   and
control    over impersonal  realities.   Authentic leaders
in  human  rituals  enjoy  their   own  presence  and  the
presence   of  authentic others  in personal relationships
which set them  free  to apprehend,  and be apprehended by
knowledge  of  themselves and  others,    which  knowledge
enables   them   to   cooperate  meaningfully  in   mutual
liberation through participating in open     and    honest
conversations,        transitions,   transformations   and
reflexive relationships.

     Because  of  their   dominantly   objective  paradigm
scientific  researchers   approach  other  persons  in   a
dominantly objective mode,   and regard each other much as
objects     to   be   understood   through    manipulative
relationships of mutual control  within collusive games of
mutual self  deception. Authentic leaders in human rituals
approach  other   persons knowing themselves  as  persons,
and  seeking  to know others as   integrative    creatures
within    open    and    honest  relationships  of  mutual
revelation.

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