Re:Theos World - "Golden Precepts" of GdeP
Mar 18, 1998 05:42 PM
by Jerry Schueler
Jerry Schueler wrote:=20
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.=20
Yes I take it litterally. Yes, it is practical. In fact, it is =
impossible to do anything else.
=20
>The idea is that we defend others first, and ourselves second.=20
=20
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....)=20
=20
No. There is never any need to die for a cause, an organization, or =
a person, unless
you want to. Its a personal choice, not a theosophical one.
=20
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.=20
=20
This shows the problems of mental gymnastics that we can get into =
with ethics.
First be compassionate, and then ethics will always take care of =
itself.
=20
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?=20
=20
Anytime you want to give your life for a stranger, just go to any US =
city at night.
The ethics involved are situational.
Jerry S.
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