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#20 Response to David's Response to WSJ

-----Original Message-----
From: Begley, Sharon [mailto:Sharon.Begley@wsj.com]
Sent: Monday, April 21, 2003 4:18 AM
To: 'David Boulton'
Subject: RE: Real Self-Esteem Builds on Achievement, Not Praise for Slackers

Thanks very much, Mr. Boulton. I will indeed read the dialogue---thanks again.

Sharon Begley

Science columnist
The Wall Street Journal
200 Liberty Street
NY NY 10281-1003
212-416-3268

-----Original Message-----

From: JV2work@aol.com [mailto:JV2work@aol.com]
Sent: Friday, June 13, 2003 3:35 AM
Subject: MAHALO, DAVID/Real Self-Esteem Builds on Achievement, Not Praise for Slackers

CATCHING UP HERE -

Don Nathanson, author of "Shame and Pride", sent me a copy of a Wall Street

Journal article on Self-Esteem. The message below is my response to the

article.

I APPRECIATE YOUR RESPONDING, DAVID, TO THIS NON-SENSE!

- DID THE JOURNAL HAVE THE INTEGRITY TO EVER PUBLISH YOUR TRUTH-TELLING?

-----Original Message-----

From: David Boulton [mailto:dboulton@implicity.org]
Sent: Sunday, April 20, 2003 9:29 AM
To: 'sciencejournal@wsj.com'
Subject: Re: Real Self-Esteem Builds on Achievement, Not Praise for Slackers

Dear Editors,

Regarding the Friday April 18th 2003 article: Real Self-Esteem Builds on Achievement, Not Praise for Slackers, I understand and agree that artificially boosting self-esteem has been  misleading and perhaps in some cases harmful.

YES, BARELY . . . .

However, I think to be balanced -

THAT IS A STANDARD THE JOURNAL HAS NEVER HONORED, DAVID.

- an article such as this one should acknowledge the great benefit of the self-esteem movement.

PROBABLY ESPECIALLY BECAUSE PERSONS WITH HEALTHY SELF ESTEEM COULDN'T BE SO

WEDDED TO WEALTH & PROPOERTY FOR THEIR IDENTITY AS ARE THE FOLKS WHO MAKE UP

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.

The movement put 'inner psychological well being' on the political map.

THAT IT HAS ACCOMPLISHED -

- MUCH TO THE CHAGRIN (FOR IT UTTERLY CHALLENGES THEIR SENSE OF THEMSELVES,

THEIR IDENTITY) OF THE NAY-SAYING CYNICS . . .

It proposed that many of our society's behavioral problems are related to if not caused by unhealthy psychological structures.

THESE SICK FOLKS WOULD MUCH RATHER PERPETUATE THE SICKNESS . . .

It connected the dots: how a child learns to be her or his self, effects their ability to be effective participants in everything they do in school and  later in life.

AND THEY'D LIKE ALL BUT CYNICS LIKE THEMSELVES TO DO POORLY -

- BOTH SO THAT THEIR CYNICAL VIEWS AREN'T CHALLENGED, CAN SUSTAIN;

- + BECAUSE SUCH DEFICIENT FOLKS HUNGER FOR FULFILLMENT VIA THEIR PECULIAR

BRAND OF MATERIALISM (CF NORMAN O. BROWN'S 'LIFE AGAINST DEATH.')

What the self-esteem movement did was direct our attention to what is developing on the inside of our children -

DAVID - YOU'VE GOT TO BEAR IN MIND THAT FOR THESE FOLKS, NOTHING HAS

DEVELOPED INSIDE, THEY HAVE NO EXPERIENCE OF THAT DIMENSION OF THEMSELVES, AND OF LIFE

ITSELF!

- not just because it was a profoundly good thing to do, but also because the economic cost of the behaviors of psychologically unhealthy persons is so staggering.

THAT'S A COST THAT SUSTAINS THEIR PROSPERITY . . . .

The underlying fulcrum equation is solid: if we spend x dollars helping children develop more healthy selves, we will get it back many times over in social expense savings.

THEY THRIVE OFF OUR BANKRUPTING OURSELVES VIA SUCH SOCIAL EXPENSES . . . .

The question was how to do it.

AH, DAVID, YOU HAVE IT SO CORRECT!

I think we went wrong when we formulated self-esteem as something to build up.

AMEN!

I think what we -

SADLY, DAVID, TRAGICALLY, ONLY SOME OF US - SO FAR - - -

- have learned is that, quite the contrary, self-esteem is a lack of building  up. It is not about boosting the accumulation of positive feelings, self-imagery or self-concepts, it's about minimizing the accumulation of negative feelings, self-imagery and self-concepts.

AMEN!

More and more we are coming to see that we human beings would naturally gravitate to healthy psychological well being if we didn't learn otherwise.

DAVID, YOU TRULY ARE A VISIONARY, YOU TRULY RECOGNIZE THE TRUTH REGARDING,

AND WITHIN, OURSELVES!

The following link leads to a dialogue on self-esteem in which California Senator John Vasconcellos (the original architect/leader of the self-esteem legislation that started it all in California) myself and a number of other thoughtful and diversely talented people further flesh out this conversation: MAHALO, DEAR DAVID - - - -

http://www.implicity.org/selfesteem/index.htm

PS. Please forward this email to Sharon Begley - thank you.

AND I'M WILLING TO BET YOU NEVER HEARD A WORD IN RESPONSE, DAVID, RIGHT?

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