This is http://www.essayz.com/a9803291.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.} ========================================================== %CONCRETE OPERATIONAL ABSTRACTIONS OBJECTIVE SINS+980329 %INTIMATE PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS MORALITY COMMANDS+980329 %PERSONAL OPEN HONEST DIALOGUE ALIENATION EXCLUSIVE 980329 People differ as to the level of abstractions which they understand and can deal with. Some people only deal with concrete instances and examples; i.e., with what they have seen, done, handled, worked with. It takes them some effort to see similarities between such concrete instances and examples --- and only slowly can they make generalizations which are based upon personally perceived instances. They are likely to communicate such generalizations by telling stories of a series of concrete instances --- and leave it to hearers of their stories to perceive the pattern. Generalizations may be communicated by stories about concrete instances. This can be true of objective relationships between objects; and, it can be true of reflexive relationships between people. Some other people quite comfortably deal with generalizations, abstractions and bridging-theories which are quite far removed from concrete instances and examples which can be used to substantiate the generalizations, abstractions and bridging-theories. Such people are often comfortable with perceiving the implications of the generalizations, abstractions and theories --- and seeing that the implications ring true to reality. They may work either with objective relationships between objects; or, with reflexive relationships between people. When it comes to offering guidance, suggestions, commandments, prescriptions, proscriptions and/or taboos to promote personal and communal integrity --- some people work in the concrete operational style; and other people work in the abstraction, generalization, and/or theoretical style. Often different kinds of people cannot hear or understand each other --- because their styles of communication are so different from each other. In principle they may be saying much the same thing, but because of their contrasting styles of communication they cannot perceive that they are saying much the same thing. As a result they end up in conflict with each other thinking that the other people must surrender to them --- for righteousness and truth to prevail. People on both sides of lines in the blowing sands of time --- become ultimately concerned with defending their sides of the lines; and both personal and communal integrity perish --- because of the idolatry on both sides of the lines drawn in the shifting sands of time. (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy) ==========================================================