Theos-Talk Archives (November 2002 Message tt00838)

Morten:

People from any background are welcome, but they should come as fellow
seekers and not as missionaries solely seeking to discredit everything
but their approach in an attempt to seek converts. 

> I also think we will have to be at least a little patient from time to
> time.

True. But sometimes it's difficult to decide when too much time has
passed and problems aren't getting solved. Sometimes things correct
themselves. Other times, intervention may be needed, especially when
many people from all sorts of backgrounds are calling for something to
be done.

The best way to deal with a misunderstanding is to ask someone to
explain what they are saying that we disagree with. Perhaps they did not
mean it the way it sounded. And we can also put in our own words what
someone said, and see if they agree with how we put it.

> My mind tend to think about - the debates in the olden days like the
ones
> between Shankaracharya and other sages

It could start if we write our best and highest ideas and respond
thoughtfully to what others say.

I picture the list as a microcosm of the bigger theosophical community.
It's not a unified group of like-minded disciples of a single guru
dedicated to a particular spiritual path. Rather, it is a meeting of
minds across many different cultures, backgrounds, outlooks, roles in
life, and of different paths. It has the potential of something higher
than the homogeneous unity of a single teacher's disciples; it has the
potential of a form of heterogeneous unity.

> But the need for a kind of 'open' place, where debates can run -
somewhat
> more freely is noted. 
> And that is what Theos-talk is doing in at present.
> If the members were centered more around a teacher, then the attitude
> would
> maybe be different on Theos-talk -
> depending on the kind of leadership of the teacher. Even if he was a
very
> very friendly and democratic one. >:-)

There are two parts to an interchange. First is content and second is
process. The content is philosophical, metaphysical, intellectual,
spiritual inquiry, often with some tie to theosophical ideas, but not
limited to any particular doctrinal outlook. The process involves how we
treat each other and the dynamics of our interchanges. The topics are
intended to be open, although respectful of the others on the list. The
process part, which involves how we interact with each other, is equally
important.

> Sometimes some talk about to many emails are being made - and that
their
> e-mail box get overcrowded or the like.
> What is the policy on that?

I'd say that should not be a problem. It's easy to delete messages that
we don't have time to read. The longer the message, or the more
difficult it is to read, the less likely it is that someone will take
time to read it. People should feel free to write as much as they want,
but if they want comments and feedback, they need to be short and to the
point. 

-- Eldon