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 %MORAL RELATIVE BOUNDARY PERSON RELATE RIGHT WRONG+930409
  %RESPOND THREAT COLLUSION ADDICT VIOLENCE CONTROL+930409
    %PROTECT DEFEND ESCAPE TRANSCEND DISINTEGRATION 930412

     On  of the most important questions of our lives  has
to  do  with the issue of how we may best respond  to  the
threats and realities of collusions, addicts and groups of
people who are inclined to do violence to our personal and
communal integrity.

     Is  it  best  to  surrender to  those  who  would  do
violence to  our integrity,  in the interest of minimizing
violence and seeking to resolve conflicts?

     Must  we respond to threats of violence  and violence
itself  with  counter-threats  of  violence  and  violence
itself in order to control the disintegrative behaviors of
those   who  would  violate  our  personal  and   communal
integrity?   Can  we transcend the behaviors of those  who
would do violence  to our  personal and communal integrity
by  being  willing  to do violence to their  personal  and
communal integrity?  Can we achieve security for ourselves
and our community at the expense of their security?

     The traditional  patterns of response have built into
them the basic assumption that to transcend violence it is
necessary to adopt the manipulative attitudes, patterns of
thought,  beliefs,  and technologies of violent people who
are at heart collusive and addictive.  The  disintegrative
experiences  of  those  who  have responded  in  this  way
suggests that the above basic assumption is not worthy  of
respect.

     How then  are we to transcend threats of violence and
actual patterns of violence?  How can we defend  ourselves
against   disintegrative  values,   ideals,   assumptions,
beliefs, convictions, attitudes, etc. It is becoming clear
through  abundant  human  experience  that  condemnations,
judgements,  excommunications,  punishments, revenge,  and
the clever  use  of violent technologies does not lead  to
the transcendence of violence, conflict,  collusions,  and
addictions; but to increased dishonesty, confusion, chaos,
addiction,    codependencies,    and   collusions.     The
transcendence of violence must lie in other ways,  and  we
must therefore seek them in alternative ways.

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