Hey,
People obsess over the oddest things, while blithely ignoring real
dangers. This new book addresses something I find hard not to obsess
about-- the possibility that we face the coming of a new Dark Age
for Western civilization and humanity as a whole. As recently as the
mid-90s, progress seemed to be an unquestionable reality; now
pessimistic notions like the Kali Yuga seem all too plausible. Less
than two weeks away is an event that will have a huge impact on the
direction of the planet for decades to come. Here is no place to
argue about that, but I will share some of Jacobs's ideas, which
apply to the decline of the Theosophical movement as well as to the
possible decline of the USA and Western civilization:
Cultural xenophobia is a frequent sequel to a society's decline from
cultural vigor. Someone has aptly called self-imposed isolation a
fortress mentality. Armstrong describes it as a shift from faith in
logos, reason, with its future-oriented spirit, "always... seeking to
know more and to extend...areas of competence and control of the
environment," to mythos, meaning conservatism that looks backward to
fundamentalist beliefs for guidance and a worldview."(p. 17)
Jacobs, author of the acclaimed The Death and Life of Great American
Cities, evaluates serious signs of decay in five pillars of our
society: community and family, higher education, science and
technology, governmental representation, and self-regulation of the
learned professions.
I find it astonishing that anyone could be obsessed with how a ten
year old book he had never read was guilty of spiritual lese-majeste
for asking the questions it did, for which the author was deserving
of eternal damnation, doled out in regular doses of abuse. But that
is far less astonishing than the fact that someone could be obsessed
with how thoroughly an author replied in 1997 to criticisms made in
1996 of books published in 1994 and 1995, criticisms reposted here
frequently throughout 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and now
2004. The fate of humanity hangs in the balance, and you're worrying
about bosh and piffle like this?
Seeing those obsessions expressed in bullying and cyberstalking ways
on a regular basis here is reason enough to vacate theos-talk for
good. But the majority of active posters seem uninterested in the
obsessions of the resident fanatics, and are enjoyable and
interesting people to discuss spiritual matters with.
So my policy henceforth will be to post only about new nonfiction
books-- which I have privileged access to thanks to my job-- that
have theosophical or Theosophical implications. Those who obsess
over ten year old books or hundred and ten year old books will keep
reposting the same stale material, and those who don't like fresh air
will welcome it. But from time to time I will open a window and let
some fresh air in, in the form of information about new books that
may be of interest to theos-talkers.
So, could a Dark Age be ahead, as Jacobs argues?
Paul
Yahoo! Groups Links
