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  %EXTREME LOVE SECURITY VULNERABILITY RISK FOOLISH 950613

     In  its most powerful forms love leads us to  realize
that  we  are  not  ultimately  responsible  for  our  own
salvation, security, defense or invulnerability.

     In  its  most powerful forms loves also leads  us  to
realize   that  we  cannot  achieve  our  own   salvation,
security, defense or invulnerability---by being willing to
take ultimate risks; even when intellectually we know that
the  probability  of  integrative  fruits  being   thereby
engendered are extremely small.

     We  cannot  save ourselves by taking high risks  even
when the probability of integrative fruits are very low.

     We  cannot  save ourselves by seeking  to  avoid  all
risks even  when the probability of integrative fruits are
very high.

     The  essence  of salvation is not in  avoiding  small
risks, or in being willing to take high risks.

     The  essence of salvation is not in being  sure  that
our efforts will bear integrative fruits, or in not caring
whether our efforts will bear integrative fruits.

     Love sets  us  free to take prudent risks,  when  the
probability  that  taking   risks  will  bear  integrative
fruits is reasonably high.

     Love  does not call upon us to throw away our  powers
of reason,  intellect and cognitive insight---in order  to
be willing to  take great risks when  the probability that
taking  risks  will bear integrative fruits is small---all
in efforts  to  save ourselves  through  being  willing to
sacrifice ourselves through extreme acts of imprudence.

     Love  does  not call upon us to be in control of  our
own  salvation,  security,  defense or  invulnerability---
through careful use of our powers of reason, intellect and
connective insight.

     Love does not call upon us to save ourselves, achieve
security,  defend ourselves or achieve  invulnerability---
through perfection in our faith in miracles in the face of
strong   evidence  of  the  improbability  of  integrative
fruits.

     We cannot achieve salvation,  security,  or defensive
invulnerability---by  being  willing to risk all,   or  by
being unwilling to risk anything.

     We need to be prudent in our wisdom,  to consider all
available experiential evidence carefully,  and to use our
intellect  and  powers  of  reason  fully  to  assess  how
probable  it is  that  taking risks  will bear integrative
fruits---and  then  feel secure in the presence  of  God's
Love to take appropriate risks in the  hope that they will
bear integrative fruits for us and/or for others.

     We  cannot achieve salvation,  security or  defensive
invulnerability---by  being  willing to be fools,   or  by
being unwilling to make any mistake.

     We cannot achieve salvation,  security  or  defensive
invulnerability---by any form of extremism, perfectionism,
judgmentalism, or self sacrifice.

     Salvation and the  enjoyment of security known as the
freedom to be safely vulnerable are both the gifts of God;
which we may,  or may not, accept---and are gifts which we
may or may not humbly pass on to others in the Presence of
God.

     So  long as we do not really believe that we  are not
ultimately responsible  for  our  own salvation, security,
defense  or  invulnerability---so long  we  are likely  to
believe, teach, preach and practice perverted forms of the
gospel:

     1.  Pretending that we are sure when we are insecure.

     2.  Going to extremes when moderation would be wise.

     3.  Taking tragically imprudent/disintegrative risks.

     4.  Tragically taking no prudent integrative risks.

     5.  Trying to save ourselves and/or others.

     6.  Seeking to achieve invulnerability.

     7.  Being compulsively defensive and technocratic.

     8.  Seeking salvation through imprudent rescues.

     9.  Seeking perfection in an imperfect world.

     10.  Excelling in being judgmental.

     11.  Never letting go in God's secure presence.

     12.  Clinging to false means to personal security.

     13.  Playing collusive games of mutual self
     deception.

     14.  Compulsively fixating upon technical fixes.

     15.  Pretending to be in control, when we cannot be.

     16.  Pretending that others are in control.

     17.  Pretending to know, what we cannot truly know.

     18.  Tragically taking too much care of others.

     19.  Tragically taking too little care of ourselves.

     20.  Tragically keeping too much for ourselves.

     21.  Tragically giving too much to earn salvation.

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