This is http://www.essayz.com/a9811041.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.} ========================================================== %FORMS PROUD PRIDE FORMULA CONFORMITY IDEALS VALUES+981104 %KNOWLEDGE GOOD DEVILS FRUITS DIFFERENCES ATTITUDES+981104 %ASSUMPTIONS BELIEFS VALUES IDEALS APPROACHES SINS+981104 %ALIENATION EXCLUSIVE ARROGANCE SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS+981104 %INSECURITY DEFENSIVE EXCOMMUNICATION APPEARANCES+981104 %SHARED FELLOWSHIP BELONG TOGETHER COMMUNION MEALS+981104 %EXPERIENCE TRADITION SCRIPTURES CONFESSIONS STORY 981104 Both disintegrative people and integrative people are proud of their ideals and values. The difference is to be found in the fruits of their attitudes, assumptions, beliefs, values, ideals, and approaches to people and situations --- which are the foci of the contrasting forms of pride. Some forms of pride flow from and lead to: personal and communal reconciliation, mutual understanding, healing, open & honest dialogue, gentle & vulnerable security, commendations, integration and integrity. Other forms of pride flow from and lead to: personal and communal alienation, estrangement, excommunication, insecurity through defensiveness, dishonest appearances of security, ignorance, prejudices, exclusivity, condemnations, and disintegration. The many forms of pride are often shared forms of pride; people of similar and mutually supportive attitudes, assumptions, beliefs, values, ideals and approaches --- share their forms of pride with each other --- and point with alarm at people who share complementary forms of pride. People are often proud together in the form of pride which they share; and when they are together in their forms of pride they find it hard, if not impossible, to understand how different people can with integrity share any different form of pride. Many times people do not recognize their own disintegrative forms of pride. Often people do not recognize the disintegrating fruits of their particular forms of pride. Some forms of pride lead those who share those forms of pride --- into attitudes, assumptions, beliefs, values, ideals and approaches which are disintegrative in ways which blind those who share them. They, through their particular forms of pride, become blind to the nature of the fruits which their particular forms of pride bear. Often many powerful and respectable people gather together in powerful and respectable institutions --- wherein they encourage each other by sharing disintegrative forms of pride, arrogance and self- righteousness. When they are together in their pride-full institutions --- they forget the importance of: humility, gentleness, healing, reconciliation, liberation, relaxation, safe-vulnerability, honesty, openness, conflict-resolution, spontaneity, authenticity, and being true to self and other in integrative ways. They sacrifice what they forget is important --- leaving what they forget as sacrifices on the alters of their preoccupations with: achievements, winning, dominance, conformity, formulas, commandments, prescriptions, proscriptions, issues of control, and manipulative means to salvation. In their forgetfulness, confusion and exclusivities --- they become alienated idolaters who serve the false gods of their disintegrative preoccupations. (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy) ==========================================================