One might be tempted to add an eighth value: that of integrity. Don't misunderstand us, it will be demanded of those who come. If one thinks that it is acceptable for us to teach falsehoods to the honorable (however misguided they may or may not be), or to deal with them under false pretenses, then one had best not come, because such attitudes will not see a gentle or tolerant response. But, this is very much implied, by the preceding discussion, and falls under the category of "honor".

I feel that we have now made it clear, ethically, what it is, that we expect of those who come, and by implication, what the visitor can hope to count on not having to deal with, while here, and what he should expect of this setting, in return. We'd term it a sort of tranquil and productive chaos, where a gentle eccentricity is embraced, but only to the extent that it stays gentle. If one is seeking a recent historical precedent, think of the life of an enlightened campus town around 1980, before the twin blights of social conservatism and political correctness hit, but after drug use had dropped off. Perhaps our point of departure from the norms of that era, would lie in our stronger embrace of tradition and in our emphasis on the extended family, and the building of a cohesive community, because unlike the people of that era, we have seen how easily these things may be lost, if people don't fight to preserve them. But let us remember that it is a very liberal tradition that we speak of.

We've spoken of universal moral truths, and of the atmosphere we wish to create. The next natural question is, what sort of personal qualities do we expect of those that come?

1. Emotional stability would be high on the list. It's one thing to blow off a little steam from time to time. It's quite another to go into a dark funk, because people are arguing points that one doesn't care for, and to be a disruptive presence until one gets what one wants. Compassion for an unhappy individual is a good thing, but it has to have limits, because past a certain point, it begins to come strongly at the expense of others. If we take it far enough, we ultimately are allowing the insane to drag us down to their own level. It's OK to have a few issues. We all do. It's quite another to expect the shrine to restructure itself into a psychological encounter group, and discard its dedication to freedom of expression, in the attempt to help one deal with those issues.

2. Intelligence and a good level of education are obvious expectations, given the page. You should either be college educated or be on your way to becoming so. (Yes, undergrads are welcome).

3. An appreciation of the finer things in life, including beauty, culture, and the value of having a good time, and occasionally loosening up. It's OK to be a little uptight, as long as you're willing to work past that. But there has to be the possibility, that you're going to be fun to be with, given the chance to become so.

The post-modern are invited to stay away, with good reason.

4. Assertiveness within reason. As we've argued elsewhere on this site, there must be such a thing, as a moral duty to oneself, and we don't welcome martyrs, willing slaves, or doormats, here, or respect them. The same goes for tyrants. One has to expect it of oneself, that one would be willing to respect the rights an needs of others, but one also has to be equally insistent on this consideration being returned.

5. A straightforwardness, and lack of pretense. One sees MacBeth, and avoids the Dukes of Hazzard, because the former is enjoyable, and the latter is painful, not because one wants to be able to look down on the boys down at the tractor pull.

Let's put it this way. At the University of Chicago, when the good humor truck would enter the central quad, it is noted that one would get to watch the freshmen practically get run down by the Nobel laureates running out of the Physics Department, eager to get their push-ups. The most dignified among us are willing to be a little childlike, because they have nothing to prove.

6. A lack of vindictiveness. That doesn't mean that you don't ever hold a grudge, but rather that your inclination, when angry, is to avoid the other person, not to try to hurt him. If the other person has gone so far as to deserve a little pain, one gives it in a measured fashion, within societal constraints. For example, if your neighbor kept you up with his stereo, and refused to turn it down, call the police. Take him to court. But don't, say, try to spread rumors to try to break up his marraige, or sneak in, and burn the last photos he has of his deceased grandmother.

There are some things that you just don't do, no matter how much of a right you have to be mad. We're not Satanists. We don't endorse, or even accept, the concept of going for blood, unless one has been cornered into it. Too many hearts get broken.

7. A willingness to invest some time, here. We're tired of knowing people we see but twice a year. As fashionable as that tenuous sort of relationship has become, it did a lot to make the 90s the empty experience that they were. We owe ourselves better than this, as a society, and as individuals. Life is to be lived in the here and now, not looking forward to some nebulously defined tomorrow that never comes.

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