The Defeat of Bull — Victor Safonkin
Daily Archives: January 23, 2008
Showing Up For The Bull Fight
What do we love? Why? How much? What attachments do we have? To what? Are our attachments in contradiction? For me at least I discover competing attachments, contradicting loves. I want to follow Jesus but I also like my stuff. What do I do? How do I let go of what I no longer need when I still want it?
These are ethical and spiritual questions that face us all.
I return time after time to Parker J Palmer’s book, The Promise of Paradox: A Celebration of Contradictions in the Christian Life. Palmer points out that neither ignoring nor avoiding our contradictions is life-giving. What we must do is embrace the cross/pain of the contradiction by admitting to God and to a trusted person the exact nature of our stuckness. The pain of truth telling will pull our shell of denial apart and grace will drip inside. Such a posture promotes healing and growth.
Ruthless honesty and relentless kindness is the imperative. Are the weapons of choice for the bull fighter.
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The Dogma — Victor Safonkin
Ethical Principles
—Examples of Virtues or Values:
Autonomy: the duty to maximize the individual’s right to make his or her own decisions.
Beneficence: the duty to do good both individually and for all.
Confidentiality: the duty to respect privacy of information and action.
Equality: the duty to view all people as moral equals.
Finality: the duty to take action that may override the demands of law, religion, and social customs.
Justice: the duty to treat all fairly, distributing the risks and benefits equally.
Nonmaleficence: the duty to cause no harm, both individually and for all.
Understanding/Tolerance: the duty to understand and to accept other viewpoints if reason dictates doing so is warranted.
Publicity: the duty to take actions based on ethical standards that must be known and recognized by all who are involved.
Respect for persons: the duty to honor others, their rights, and their responsibilities. Showing respect others implies that we do not treat them as a mere means to our end.
Universality: the duty to take actions that hold for everyone, regardless of time, place, or people involved. This concept is similar to the Categorical Imperative.
Veracity: the duty to tell the truth.
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Wade Schuman — Passages Rowing Man