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   %CONFORMITY HIGH STANDARDS BOUNDARIES GUIDELINES 040809
    %LAWS MORALITY CODES COMMANDMENTS PRESCRIPTIONS 040809
 %WORLDVIEWS COSMOLOGY MYTHS TALK ACTION DEEDS DOER 040809
 %INHUMANE INVULNERABL RELATIONSHIPS PERFECT PURITY 040809
 %NATURAL CAUSES EFECTS CONSEQUENCES ARTIFICIAL GOD 040809
 %ALIENATION EXCOMMUNICATION NON-VIOLENT RESISTANCE 040809

    Living in terms of "high-standards"  can mean a  wide
variety  of things to a variety of people with  different
world-views:

    1.  Talking-much about "high-standards"  ---  without
giving much attention to the nature-of and effects-of how
oneself    participates   in   humane   and/or   inhumane
relationships with vulnerable people.

    2.  Focusing-compulsively upon how  perfectly  others
conform  to some set of articulated-standards --- without
giving  much attention to the nature of and the  natural-
effects-of how oneself-participates  within  truly-humane
and/or in-humame relationships with vulnerable-people.

    3.  Focusing-much-attention   upon  perfecting   some
standard  set  of  prescriptions  and  proscriptions  ---
without   giving much attention to the nature of and  the
effects   of  how  oneself-participates  in  truly-humane
and/or in-humame relationships with vulnerable people.

    Within  the above framework, diversity may have to do
with  the character of the standards which are the  focus
of attention.   There may be:

    1.  Standards  about OBJECTIVE-BEHAVIORS having to do
with:   foods,  clothing,  travel,  cleaning,   spending,
saving, investing,  borrowing, charging-interest, giving,
talking,    writing,    viewing,    reading,    meetings,
associations, etc.

    2.  Standards about SUBJECTIVE-BEHAVIORS having to do
with  public and/or private:   thoughts, desires,  fears,
beliefs,    doctrines,   emotions,  dreaming,  fantasies,
temptations, etc.

    3.  Standards  pertaining to REFLEXIVE-BEHAVIORS  and
the  virtues and vices which govern  REFLEXIVE-BEHAVIORS;
e.g.,   reverence,   honesty,   openness,   authenticity,
kindness,  gentleness, civility, hospitality, generosity,
personal-integrity, communal-integrity, tolerance, etc.

    4.  Patterns  of  demanding  conformity  to  external
standards associated with intolerance toward creative and
gracious  people who dance to a different-drummer  and/or
dance to different-music in graceful  ways  which are not
governed by rules of conformity.

    5.  Patterns  of demanding loyalty to the  goals  and
purposes defined by particular domineering  leaders,  and
NOT-TOLERATING     ANY-TOLERANCE towards   creative   and
gracious departures from such conformity.

    6.  Patterns   of  symbolic-rituals  which  are   not
connected in any coherent way to the natural-consequences
of  behaving  in  ways  which  are  governed-by   purely-
symbolic-rituals  and patterns-of-avoidance of  symbolic-
pollution.

    7.  Overt  and/or  tacit threats of  excommunication,
shunning, exclusion,  reductions-of-powers,  etc.  of ALL
non-conformists --- to motivate conformity on the part of
the vast majority of the members of the community.

    Domineering-people often pretend that they are living
according  to "high-standards"  during the time that they
are dominating-vulnerable people.    Such pretense can be
used  non-violently against them by RESISTANCE  WHICH  IS
NOT  VIOLENT.    Honest-victims who demonstrate  personal
integrity can help  other  honest victims who demonstrate
personal  and  communal  integrity  ---   to  unmask  the
pretense  of domineering-people who are pretending to  be
responsible ---  and therby  rob  them of the power which
they  have  acquired  pretentiously.    That is the  non-
violent-way  of:   Jesus,  Gandhi,  M.L.   King,   Nelson
Mandella, etc. --- where more-than-half of those involved
benefit through cooperation.   In violent  confrontations
at-least-half of  those involved lose;   all-those-on-the
losing-side of the conflict ---  plus many on the winning
side  of the conflict ---  to varying degrees.    Only  a
small fraction of the citizens on the winning side of any
conflict truly come-out-ahead of where thy would had been
if there had been non-violent conflict resolution through
carful planning and training.

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