Theos-Talk Archives (October 2000 Message tt00129)

> 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


I think Bart this is a sad commentary on American culture... I don't 
disagree with your view. I've seen Mental Health professionals and 
social workers rationalize the same way that since our culture values 
money over all that we the professionals should do the same... The
sad 
result is a futile attempt to place a monetary value on truth and it 
never really works out to any ones satisfaction... The professionals 
become mercenaries. As in the Oath of Hippocrates is the provision 
that physicians should treat anyone regardless of their economic
means 
turns into modern American fee scales and HMO's... with the sad
result 
that millions are not covered by insurance and many peoples needs are 
unmet as in the case of the Mental Health movement which started on a 
different premise years ago. I think we can do better than standard 
American cultural values of monetary value.

We can offer truth to anyone without asking for coin. 

- Art


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