This is http://www.essayz.com/a9803041.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.} ========================================================== %MUTUAL ADMIRATION SOCIETY LOVERS MOTIVATIONS 980304 We prefer to be admired by people whom we ourselves admire. We can be very disturbed by being admired by other persons whom we find very un-attractive, and may even despise. Often we seek to be attractive to people whom we admire --- by playing roles and doing things which we believe will make ourselves be attractive to them. In such efforts we may make calculated use of: clothes, make- up, perfumes, grooming, affectations, masks, etc. It is often difficult to discern the difference between prudence in such efforts, and addiction in such efforts. Many people slip over the edge from mature behavior into addictive patterns which are manipulative, dishonest and disintegrative. Many businesses are more-than-willing to encourage such manipulative, dishonest and disintegrative behaviors --- because they stand to profit from employees adopting them. It is not a simple thing to be true to yourself and others. It is not a simple thing to discern what is truly yourself, and what is a distorted mirror image of yourself seen through the desires of manipulative other people who are trying to get you to admire them through manipulative, dishonest and disintegrative behavior patterns. How is one to tell the difference, and talk about the difference in integrative ways? Who is to tell the difference? Who is authentic? Who is manipulative? Who is deceptive? It is a puzzle on which the quality and significance of our lives depends. (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy) ==========================================================