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42 Resolution really means …
Article 39 contrasted two quite different paths toward
problem solving: a scientific approach and a popular or cultural
approach. Does it matter which a person chooses? Some people are
amenable to either path and others are deeply steeped in one or
the other. The second half of the article (the four steps to
resolution) taught how to deal with the discomforts that our
differences bring. Article 40 showed how expectations boost or
hinder our satisfaction with the process. Then
article 41 called for thoughtful resolution. It was
meant to rule out hasty authoritarian regulation of human
behavior. That blog series went far enough for the popular
press.
This more intense online course can deal
with some painful specifics such as questions of blood
transfusion, gender, and abortion. Let us begin by quoting the
fourth step in
article 39: “Among the original choices, we do not designate
right or wrong.” In these medical questions it is possible but
not mandatory for scientific and religious approaches to differ,
and this blog will not end that debate.
Because time marches consequentially on,
an individual medical question calls for decision. The four steps
of resolution and other teachings here are not final answers;
they concentrate on how we approach decisions. Here we
cultivate methods to improve human relationships.
The examination step, contrasting
science with arbitrary choice and cultural conditioning, sorts
out how much science knows and compares it to the value of
cultural and religious rules. This thought is expanded in
article 41, “Think first!”
The mellowing step discourages
force that leaves no one the wiser. Why we do is as
important as what we do.
The fairness step affords equal
dignity to all parties. Fairness is reasonably required;
however, strict neutrality by itself does not end
differences.
The higher ground requires
personal growth. By respecting each other, parties to the
decision become more understanding human beings. They also
appreciate their own limitations.
Article 21 taught that my being needed does not include
or justify my making decisions for you. I must not want
control, whether the decision is to eat dogs (article
39) or to answer one of the medical questions raised in this
article.
Today’s example issues deeply affect
lives. After decisions are carried out, one or more parties may
feel severely injured. The ability to grow beyond (and forgive if
that is called for) is an essential part of maturing. Our
progress speeds up when we set our minds on surviving everything
dealt us and constructing the higher ground in every case.
Whether or not a given transfusion, marriage, or abortion ever
takes place, all the parties are required by life itself to grow
past hard feelings and to achieve mutual love. The Ernstraudian
Way,
article 38, describes the path including “proceed at your own
pace.” We extend patience to each other.
Being For Others Blog copyright © 2020 Kent Busse
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