Theos-Talk Archives (March 1998 Message tt00089)

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Thank you Brenda for sharing your experience with the discussion group
you left.  It so beautifully illustrates what I'm trying to get at
here.  By having the patience to listen and learn (as opposed to taking
up bandwidth with protests of  intolerance to their viewpoint), broadens
all of us, and indeed helps us to appreciate the "intricacies of their
minds,"  thus teaching us more about our own.
jhe

Brenda S. Tucker wrote:

>  Sig says:
>
>> > I want it to be completely clear that I am not in favour of
>> > splitting up
>> > the Theos-talk list into specialised and narrow paths.  The work
>> > must be on
>> > broad lines, forward moving and open minded.  We must be able to
>> > discuss
>> > all that we feel important for our purposes.  It is quality that
>> > counts,
>> > not quantity.
>>
> Jerry says:
>
>> Yes, and this Gupta Vidya (See the Secret Doctrine) grows and wanes
>> among the people of the world as tolerance for the free exchange of
>> ideas grows and wanes, which leads me back to the point of my last
>> post on this subject.  Rather than making a judgment of what are
>> high or low minded posts, let us recognize the spiritual pilgrim
>> that is behind each of them and learn to perceive the truths that
>> each have to offer.  Otherwise, if we cannot tolerate the truths of
>> others because we do not recognize their path, then let us indeed
>> split theos-l into those specialized and narrow paths until we can
>> learn to see beyond our own.
>
> I am really enjoying this dialog and would just like to comment upon
> my own experience. When I left a discussion group because I couldn't
> tolerate what they were doing, it was because I thought that what they
> were doing was wrong. I was so happy to find a new list, a split off
> of sorts because some of the same people were on the new list, where I
> could comfortably voice my theosophical thoughts and be joined by
> other theosophists who were doing the same. It's funny, but when we
> know people's likes and dislikes and we begin to know the intricacies
> of their minds, we can sometimes adjust, make allowances, and give to
> them the "gift of freedom" because we respect that so much when it is
> given to us.
>
> As much as I believe that love can profit from wholeness and I don't
> know of any love that is without a sense of wholeness, I also believe
> that this wholeness must be sacred purity and if there is wrongdoing
> present, this wrongdoing has to be fought against, loudly proclaimed,
> and if necessary action taken against it. Our ability to act here is
> limited to words that we can speak and associations we can make or
> break. Many times an action is possible and appreciated because by
> strong actions we can better know the people we are working with and
> their abilities and "handicaps" of sorts. I appreciate so much that a
> list doesn't have to exist "on wholeness" alone.
>
> So again, as Estrella was saying, there is a time, a place, and a
> purpose for all discussions. We can't keep our personalities out of
> the lists because we are learning how to operate with the lower
> selves, how to make them bend and change. As long as we are allowed to
> break free, we can protest wrongdoing. No place is safe. Even here
> where I have found comfort and pleasure, things could change and
> tomorrow there might be no more association with people for some
> reason. I like life to be spontaneous, changing, and unexpected. It
> keeps us on our toes.
>
> theos-talk-request@theosophy.com.