Theos-Talk Archives (October 2000 Message tt00121)

arthra999@yahoo.com wrote:
> I sense Bart that you would be willing to go to the extra trouble
> to seek the truth and would not expect someone to give it to you on a
> silver platter, and that's very commendable.
> 
> I guess I would like to find ways to offer things to be people in
> this
> age that would be available to as many as possible.

Which means that those who believe this and have the money should
support those who don't have the money.

> The past year I've taught Yoga classes at a community center at no
> charge. My thesis has been that offering Yoga instruction to as many
> peopel as possible is a good thing. We had an anniversary
> celebration
> of one year of free classes yesterday and I would estimate about
> forty
> people showed up. We exlored Shiatzu message as well as
> Accupressure,
> practise of saying mantras. I gave a talk on the subtle body or
> psychic anatomy... A TAi Chi instructor present agreed with me about
> not charging for his instruction as well and does all his work pro
> bono. 

At the New York Theosophical Society, most of the teachers, including
myself, turn down any funds. There are some, however, who need the
funds. For many years, the Lodge charged little or nothing for classes.
And it turned out that, in the culture of the United States, or New York
at least, there was a rather strange and unexpected result, based on a
principle that nobody had considered.

If there are two courses on Kabballah, for example, one taught by
Solomon David, which costs $150 for 6 sessions, and another taught by
David Solomon, which costs $25 for 6 sessions, with no other
information, people in our culture will assume the more expensive course
is the superior one. The ones who will attend the less expensive one
will be largely of those for whom money is the primary object. Students
would commonly say, "I missed a session. Can I have a $4 refund?" The
Lodge changed their policy, and, except for courses offered free of
charge, we charged a competitive amount for our classes, and gave
scholarships to those who could not afford the fee. Almost nobody asked
for a scholarship, and class registration went up, with people attending
the courses who were more interested in learning than they were in
saving a dollar or two.

Bart Lidofsky