This is http://www.essayz.com/a9611241.htm         
Previous-Essay      <== This-Essay ==>     Following-Essay
Click HERE on this line to find essays via Your-Key-Words.
{Most frequent wordstarts of each essay will be put here.}
==========================================================
  %BASIS COMMUNITY INTEGRITY INCLUDE EXCLUDE ACCEPT+961124
  %REJECT DIALOGUE INTIMACY TRUST FEAR ENEMY FRIEND 961124

     Each  community struggles with what is the basis  for
its communal  integrity,  and  what  might  undermine  its
communal integrity.   Does its integrity depend upon unity
in  conformity?    Does integrity  depend  upon  everybody
agreeing with everybody else about: beliefs,  life styles,
behavior patterns, kinds of relationships, dress, make-up,
jewelry, etc?

     Whom  should a community trust;   not trust?     Whom
should a community include in communal dialogue?   Exclude
from  communal  dialogue?     Who are  the  enemies  of  a
community---inside the community,  outside the community?

     The integrity of a community depends greatly upon how
its  members  define their community and  try  to  protect
their  community.   Often,  members of a community try  to
define their community and try to protect their  community
in ways which ultimately undermine the integrity of  their
community.    In  such  instances  the  members  have  not
understood   the  truly robust grounds for  personal   and
communal integrity.

     Communal   integrity  and  personal   integrity   are
inseparably interdependent.  Neither kind of integrity can
be    sacrificed   to  promote   the   other    kind    of
integrity.   Too often members of a community are  willing
to  sacrifice  the integrity of a member of the  community
with indifference---in efforts to protect the integrity of
their  community.    Such members do  not  understand  how
personal integrity and communal integrity are  inseparably
interdependent.    Such  a lack of understanding can  lead
ultimately  to both communal and personal  disintegration.
Attempts  to  defend communal integrity in the absence  of
such an  understanding  are  attempts  which are likely to
backfire in tragic ways.
                                                                                                                               
                         (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in      
                    (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)  
                                                                                                                               
==========================================================