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 %SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS JUDGMENT CONFORM OTHERS BETTER+931020
  %BIAS REFLEXIVE IMAGINE PRESENCE LOVE TRAP PRISON+931020
   %DOUBLE BINDS PREDICAMENT ESCAPE SUPERIOR BELIEF 931020

     We  are  often  tempted  to  make  judgements   about
ourselves  in comparison to other people---as better  than
or worse  then  other  people ---  for  purposes of  self-
justification; either directly or indirection.

     We  may focus upon how much better we are than  other
people---according  to  criteria of  our  own  choice---in
order  to  justify  ourselves  to  ourselves  and  in  our
imagination to justify ourselves in the presence of others
who might pass judgement upon us.

     We  may focus upon how much worse others are than  we
are---according to criteria of our own choice---in   order
to justify ourselves  to  ourselves and in our imagination
to  justify ourselves in the presence of others who  might
pass judgement upon us.

     We  may even focus upon how much worse than others we
are ---according to criteria of our own choice---in  order
to justify ourselves  to  ourselves and in our imagination
to  justify ourselves in the presence of others who  might
pass judgement upon us- - - - -  -because we think that we
can  justify  ourselves  by  being  more  severe  in   our
judgements  of ourselves than others are at all likely  to
be.   The  persons  who  are  the  most  severe  judges of
themselves are most worthy of justification;  or so we may
feel and think.

     Each  of  these patterns of self-judgement and  self-
justification is a trap,  a  prison,  a  double bind and a
predicament---out  of  which we cannot escape through  our
own  cleverness,  intelligence,  will-power,  superiority,
dedication,   beliefs,  convictions,  perfection or  other
personal  accomplishments or attributes---without the help
of  the  supportive presence and love of others.     These
kinds of  biased  reflexive  behaviors  do  not  point  to
liberating  truths.     They  are  manifestations  of  our
collusive  games of mutual self deception about  ourselves
and  others.    They are perversions of truths seen  in  a
distorted way in contorted mirrors and through  distorting
lenses of our own imaginations.

     Preoccupations   with   self-judgement   and    self-
justification  need  to  yield to  open  and  honest  non-
judgmental dialogue with ourselves and  others  about our
own experiences, perceptions, insights, attitudes, desires
needs  and fears.    We need to seek honest relationships,
personal integrity and communal integrity---rather than to
seek  self  justification  and  favorable  judgements   of
ourselves  as  being  better than  others  are within  the
darkness of some criteria which  demand conformity  as the
price for our personal acceptance into some community,  or
as the price for continuing to  be  conditionally accepted
by some community.
                                                                                                                               
                         (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in      
                    (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)  
                                                                                                                               
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