This is http://www.essayz.com/b0307231.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.}
==========================================================
%META QUESTIONS VALUES IDEALS PRINCIPLES FOUNDATION 030723
%IMPORTANCE PRIORITIES ESSENTIAL VIRTUES VALUES GOD 030723
%PRINCIPLES IGNORED ABSENT MISSING LACKING ATTENDED 030723
 %EXCLUDED EXCLUSIVE REJECTED EXCOMMUNICATED RACIAL 030723
%SEXUAL GENDER DISCRIMINATION ROLE MODELS SCRIPTURE 030723
%ABSOLUTE SURE CERTAIN TRUTHS FUNDAMENTALISTS DEVIL 030723

     It  is  important  to  ask  questions  such  as   the
following helpful questions:

     1.  What  essential virtues,  values,  ideals,  prin-
ciples,   etc.    have  overall  been  tragically  IGNORED
recently?

     2.  What individuals and  groups  of people have been
tragically    IGNORED   recently;    i.e.,    have    been
systematically   missing  from  important  discussions  of
communal concerns?

     3.  What   words/concepts  have  been   conspicuously
ABSENT  from  the  discussions  in  powerful   committees,
assemblies and board rooms?

     4.  What  relevant  and  well  demonstrated/confirmed
facts have been systematically LEFT OUT of the discussions
in powerful committees, assemblies and board rooms?

     5.  What   are  the  essential  foundations-for-both-
personal-and-communal-integrities  which  are  NOT SYSTEM-
ATICALLY  BEING  AFFIRMED in some powerful way within  the
work of powerful committees, assemblies and board rooms?

     6.  What    might    be    the    nature    of    the
reason/motivations   for  any  of  the  above  "ABSENCES",
"LACKS", "OMISSIONS", and/or "DIVERSIONS OF ATTENTION"?

     7.  Might it  be  that giving authentic attention  to
the above  questions could lead us to recognize how we are
involved in, and/or are the victims of ---

         (a)  COLLUSIVE GAMES of mutual self deception,

         (b)  competitions over who will be MOST DOMINANT
              and most in control,

         (c)  ADDICTIVE patterns of thought/behaviors,

         (d)  ARROGANCE and SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS,

         (e)  EXCESSIVELY NARROW SPECIALIZATIONS,

         (f)  PROVINCIALISMS of culture, religion,
              science, nationalism, professionalism;

         (g)  EXTREMISM, FANATICISM and TERRORISM
              on the part of individuals, organizations
              religions and official governments;

         (h)  "The Domination System" which systematically
              keeps itself hidden from view/recognition?

     When we ask ourselves questions of the kind suggested
above --- we need to at the same time keep in mind that it
is much more  difficult  to  identify  something  which is
lacking,  absent,  forgotten or neglected;  than it is  to
identify something which is always "in the news",  "in our
face",   "the focus of conflict"  and/or the occasion  for
contentious   debate.     Domineering  people  focus   our
attention  excessively  upon  many  considerations   which
divert  our attention away from much that they want us to:
neglect, forget,  reject and/or lack;  so that they can be
more successful in dominating and/or controlling us.

     Domineering people seek to force us to focus upon the
legitimacy  or non-legitimacy of one isolated issue --- as
they  have  defined that one isolated issue.   Domineering
people rarely, if ever, seek to get many diverse people to
participate  in  democratic-priority-setting  wherein many
participants  have equal  influence  and/or  wherein  many
possible  priorities  are given due consideration in  open
and honest discussions.

     Topics, issues and people that have been long ignored
--- can be kept-long-ignored by domineering people whom we
let continue to focus  our  attention  narrowly upon their
narrowly  defined  issues  ---  in  isolation  form  other
related,   complementary  and/or  competing  issues;    in
isolation  from  people  who  are  incarnations  of  those
related, complementary and/or competing issues.

     Any  time  that a few powerful people  play  dominant
roles in getting many people to focus a large fraction  of
their  time,   energies and resources on any one  "enemy",
"issue", "question",  "crusade", contest, etc.  ---  it is
time for many people to start asking many questions  about
the many: issues,  ideals,  values,  principles and people
that   are   being:    ignored,    neglected,    rejected,
excommunicated and denigrated.   The  few  powerful people
are most likely tragic  leaders  who  are  domineering and
unworthy of respect, honor, or support.

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