Theos-Talk Archives (November 2001 Message tt00035)

At 04:00 PM 11/2/01 +1030, you wrote:

> |-----Original Message-----
> |From: Eldon B Tucker [mailto:eldon@theosophy.com]
> |Sent: Friday, 2 November 2001 3:36 PM
> |To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com
> |Subject: RE: Theos-World human rights
> |
> |Even though selected freedoms are disallowed, in
> |balance, I think things are fairly good. Depending
> |upon someone's interests and background, they may
> |or may not agree with me. But I think most people
> |would prefer life here to life in some other large
> |state like China or Russia.
>
> Yes but the fundamental freedom to decide what goes into your body is
> worth more than any otherlaw on the planet.
>
> Have you done a poll on peoples living preferences?
>
> If you are free tomove and to talk to people and have gatherings what
> more do you need?
>
> Fun is in company.
>
> I've read many tales of the great comraderie built up by people in
> countries you see as bad.
>
> Then you see all the hollywood films about the life of the US. It's only
> good for those on high incomes in safe neighbourhoods with good lawyers.
> For the minorites and the thousands in jail for drug offences it's more
> draconian than any orwelliam nightmare.
>
> Rose coloured glasses baby
I'd still expect that every class of society
in America would be better off than in most
if not all other countries. Even those jailed
for drug offenses. Picture what things would
be like in a Turkish prison, or in a country
with a death sentence that comes fairly swiftly
after conviction.

We're comparing two different things here,
I think. There's life in America versus life
in another country. And there's the relative
quality of life in different segments of
American society.

In the first case, we might wonder how other
nations could be helped economically and helped
give their citizens more freedom.

In the second case, we might wonder how we
could increase education and opportunity, and
eliminate unfairness, prejudice, and intolerance
between different segments of American society.

With all this discussion, how do we find a
theosophical connection? I'd say that when
we find ourselves thinking in terms of
traditional political slogans, that we try to
deepen our understanding and tolerance of others,
moving on to use our own, original words, rather
than those we're used to hearing others say.

This comes back to the philosophical importance
of thinking things through freshly every time,
rather than just repeating what we're heard and
said many times before.

The other point which you start to make, which
could be carried a bit further, is that the
mutual love and companionship of friends and
family is a bigger treasure than economic wealth
and political freedom. If lacking, one could lead
a rich, free, but soulless and unloved life. If
present, one could live on a rice farm in China
in total poverty and without a book to read, yet
have a happy life.

-- Eldon