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%ALIENATIVE DISINTEGRATIVE TOOL MEANS IDEALS VALUES+950401
%LETTING GO DISAVOW REJECT RESPECT ABUSE PEOPLE JOY 950401

     It  is  important  that  we learn  to  recognize  the
integrative  and/or  disintegrative  consequences  of  our
reliance upon various ideals,  values, tools and technical
means---literally  and  because  of  how people  naturally
respond to them.

     Bombs  are literally disintegrative whether  actually
used to destroy  people and/or their communities,  or used
as  the  focus  of threats---which occasion  personal  and
communal disintegration.

     Tools  which  are used as actual means  of  coercion,
violence,  manipulation and control are disintegrative and
alienative---literally and because of how people naturally
respond to  their  use or threats of their use  which  are
abusive.

     Tools and means are disintegrative when by virtue  of
how  they are used and in what contexts they are used they
engender:  fear,    alienation,    estrangement,    anger,
resentment, and desires for revenge and violence.

     Tools  and means are disintegrative when they  become
the  foci  of  worship  and they  lead  their  users  into
patterns of attitudes, thought, assumptions,  and behavior
which  engender fear,   alienation,  estrangement,  anger,
resentment, and and desires for revenge and violence.

     Generally    when   tools,    means,    technologies,
techniques, knowledge  and  skills  become  worshipped  as
idols---the    idolaters   engender   fear,    alienation,
estrangement,  anger, resentment,  and desires for revenge
and violence.

     It   is   not  only  tools,   means,    technologies,
techniques,   knowledge and skills which become worshipped
as idols.  So also:  ideals,  values,   principles,  laws,
rules,   regulations,   regulators,   religious   leaders,
political  leaders and dictators may become the  focus  of
idolatrous  worship;  and so engender fears,   alienation,
estrangement,  anger, resentment,  desires for revenge and
violence.

     It  is  not  always possible  to  distinguish  tools,
means,   technologies,  knowledge and skills FROM  ideals,
values,   principles and other realities which  presumably
are the GUIDES to the use of tools,  means,  technologies,
knowledge and skills.  When technocrats worship means, the
means become guides in a tragic role reversal.

     It   is   important   to   recognize   occasions   of
disintegrative worship of means which lead to personal and
communal disintegration.

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