Theos-Talk Archives (March 1998 Message tt00153)

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Jerry Schueler wrote:

> Yes, it is to be taken literally.

    Thanks, that's simple enough.   Do you take it literally, Jerry?
Does this teaching become practice in your daily life, if you don't mind
my asking?    I wonder how many of us can actually _practice_ it in the
mundane world.

>The idea is that we defend others first, and ourselves second.

    That's clear, but not quite.   Does that mean one Theosophist should
be ready to die for one other person just like him or her?   (I realize
that this is a bit off the original  question, okay....)

    If a Theosophist were on board a boat with just one other person,
would it matter whom he or she tries to help first --the own self or
the other person-- because neither is more important than the
other(unless one is president of the country)?   On the other hand, if
the Theosophist were say, a crew member aboard the Titanic, the ideal
thing to do will be to stay on the ship and save MANY MORE lives (not
just one), which will be worth more than his own.   I think that we
should put the MAJORITY first, not the minority.   I don't think it's
right to sacrifice ourselves just for one other person.

    Jerry, do you think it is GdeP's ideal to give one's life to save a
stranger who is just like us?   Or should we do so only for many lives,
worth more than one of ours?  Just when do we put others before
ourselves, and how many are those "others"?   As few as one?

   Yours,

    Pat F.

--
There is no opinion higher than truth.