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This is http://www.essayz.com/a9303101.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.} ========================================================== %OPPOSITE EXTREME COMPLEMENTARY 930310 Salvation is to be found in a way, not at a destination. Believing that salvation is to be found at a destination misleads us. If we believe that salvation is to be found at a destination keeps us from finding salvation in any way. The way in which salvation may be found is a narrow way between contrasting extremes which often seem to be opposites to each other and in conflict with each other. The contrasting extremes often seem to us to be cliffs on either side of the valley of the shadow of death, and salvation seems to be on the top of the plateau on either side of the valley of the shadow of death. We seek to get to the top of either plateau as the essence of salvation at the right destination. In so seeking we fail to find salvation in the way which goes through the narrow valley of the shadow of death. Many people seek salvation through threats of excommunication as punishment for failure to: (1) Do what is required to achieve salvation, or, (2) Avoid doing what is prohibited and must be avoided if one is to achieve salvation. Such people seek salvation as a destination, which it is not. In seeking salvation as a destination they attempt to use the technologies of: punishments, threats, violence, excommunication, alienation, estrangement, dishonesty, deception, confusion, ambiguity, control, authority, laws, rules, regulations, morality, ethics, systematics, judgements, rejections, condemnations, and similar means as tools to reach salvation as a destination. Because salvation is not a destination, no set of tools can be used in any technological way to reach the destination. The kinds of tools which people are prone to use as means to salvation, in reality create the high cliffs on each side of the narrow valley of the shadow of death, and make the way of salvation exceedingly narrow--- as people perceive the plateaus on each side of the way as the desirable places to reach; the destinations of the trip to salvation. People choose contrasting destinations and are in conflict with each other over the contrasting ideals and values which they believe will lead them to the contrasting destinations which are mirages of the way of salvation. Thus people fail to see the way of salvation for what it is; and try to climb out of the way of salvation in order to get to the coveted destination. Salvation may be enjoyed in the way of salvation which lies in the narrow valley of the shadow of death which seems to lie between the high plateaus where people feel that they have arrived at salvation; and engage in unresolved conflicts with contrasting people of the opposite plateau. As fundamentalists they heighten the contrasts between their opposing plateaus to make their own plateau appear the better in their own eyes, and the opposite plateau to appear more lowly. They seek to avoid any conflict resolution which would lower the contrasts and bring both plateaus down to the level of the valley of the shadow of death from which they seek to escape. The way of salvation lies in the narrow valley of the shadow of death which lies between the high plateaus of principled conflicts between fundamentalists who seek to build their plateau on the highest principles, values, and ideals which they can find in their traditions. They pick principles, values, and ideals which will heighten the contrast between themselves and the people on the opposite plateau; in an effort to prove that they have reached the plateau of salvation. They live in endless conflict which must be maintained to sustain the illusions which their games of mutual self deception create. The way of salvation does not lead to any particular destination which is the essence of salvation. The way of salvation does not lead to any particular kind of conformity which is the essence of salvation. Salvation does not lie at any particular destination or in any particular kind of conformity. Salvation may be enjoyed in the narrow valley of the shadow of death which lies between opposing cliffs at the edges of the high plateaus of the high principles, ideals, values which are regarded as the means to salvation known as a particular destination; and as the means to the knowledge of the difference between good people and evil people. Those high principles, ideals and values when they are used as the means to salvation create the narrow valley of the shadow of death wherein salvation may be enjoyed as the way to liberty. (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy) ==========================================================