Theos-Talk Archives (November 1998 Message tt00057)

Dallas wrote:

>Nov 5th 1998
>
>Dear Frank:
>
>I was glad to read your posting on theos-talk in this matter.
>
>Most "histories" offer opinions.  Opinions are individual.  They
>approach the area of fiction when the opinions of a writer, and
>what he attempts to reconstruct as possible motives, are offered
>as "facts."  Unsuspecting readers who are rarely ready to
>duplicate basic research into historical documents, and the
>events and facts they reflect, are quite likely to escape their
>attention.  It is easier for the lazy (and most of us are in
>various ways) to accept as "authoritative" the opinionated and
>fictionalized history so offered.  Thus traditions arise.
>
>In my youth I was educated in four countries, and therefore could
>see at first hand the effect of partisan and politicized
>histories when the same event was described.  Documents are
>safer.


[SNIP]

Dear Dallas, I was glad to help a little bit with my limited English to
defend that Great One of whom HPB said in 1888: "My only friend" and from
whom she as the only one required a pledge as "he gave it thirteen years to
the same individual which is my Master". Reading such accusations as we
discuss here based merely on arbitrary selections of the historical data
misinterpreted in a pure exoterical brain-minded "scientific" way makes it
once again clear to me that HPB's esoteric co-worker suffered much. And if
you remind that and how he lived nevertheless  the theosophical life,
suffering in silence about the intrigues of people he trusted so much and
remained friendly and had compassion with his enemies (Elsie Benjamin told
once the whole story in our Lodge, her father was a direct witness of the
sad affair, he told that Judge had great compassion with AB and did made the
prediction that one day the whole truth will come to light and AB in turn
will have to suffer the more for her "sins" because thousands will stand up
against her) one came only to the conclusion that he was one, who has
achieved.

I have too my own experiences who "history" is written as I grew up in
cold-war Berlin. There is no business with more lies than this. Each
government lies. Each government "makes" its own history, whether it is
called democratic, socialistic or national-socialistic. With the lazy masses
you can do anything, because the most people do not really think. In my high
school  days some pupils thought that the Berlin wall was erected by the USA
and from our teacher we learned that the Comecon was the only democratic
system and the living standard in East Europe was very much higher than in
the West. But from personnel knowledge on my relatives I knew that even in
the GDR - ever described as the best developed socialistic country - the
people haven't had the simplest things as needles, fruits etc., and waiting
20-30 years for "luxury" things like a phone or a plastic car... Or take for
example the stories about WWII, most are rather political "facts" than hard
*historical* facts. To discuss or inform about the Holocaust is verboten,
because if you are interesting in this field and you are not an historian
who is installed and controlled by the government you MUST be a Nazi. It's
logically, because only Nazis are interested in those strange matters. There
is one old saying: If you will know who really rules a country you have just
to look to that was is verboten and you will know who rules.
For me there are only to ways to escape if one can think for himself: 1. to
become crazy, not recommended, or 2. to trust that only Theosophy has the
power to enlighten mankind...

Last but not least I would like to express that our study in theos. history
must lead us not to the false conclusion that all Theosophists must have the
same view on it and so create a dogma. We all must strengthen our efforts
for a better information exchange and co-operation. The Internet gives us a
good tool to make that real. Co-operation depends not on the similarity of
opinions but on the common search for the truth. And friendly fights are a
good way to it.

Frank

Frank