Theos-Talk Archives (January 2005 Message tt00033)

zakk wrote, in part:

<<If one was to introduce a new term to
represent a dual gender. and utilize it, 
there would be resistance to the change. 
I personally feel the change would be an
improvement and could be used to express 
what other words can not, making a truer 
and more expressive communication.>.

But surely we all have ways of getting 
around words that we might not feel 
particularly comfortable with as a 
mainstay for whatever reason ... If, for 
whatever reason, eg, the word 
"brotherhood" doesn't seem quite 
applicable to one in a particular 
instance, surely there are combinations 
of words (if not always individual 
words) that one can use that might be 
seen, by oneself as well as others, as 
amounting to an "intendend meaning" (at 
least) that one might be somewhat more 
comfortable with for whatever reason ... 
Also, in a pinch, (if one can imagine 
oneself going that far ...), couldn't 
one offer a quoted version of 
"brotherhood," to imply that one might 
not be 100% comfortable with the use of 
that word because of one's "more modern" 
or "more specific" ideas ... Not that a 
liberal or "selective/eclectic" use of 
quotes (especially in Thesophical 
writings ...) in reference to other 
possible interpretations in contrast to 
one's "intented meaning" might not be 
seen as a slippery slope, especially 
where "reading between the lines" is 
seen as crucial ... Also, why bring the 
gender issue inferentially, 
inadvertently, unavoidably, colloquilly 
or even traditionally into a topic if 
that topic (as in the case of Theosophy 
...) is seen to essentially transcend 
gender (especially if one is living in 
the 21st century where one might tend to 
find that word-usages in general have 
changed somewhat or somewhat 
significantly, in some respects) ... Not 
that the word "brotherhood" cannot be 
interpreted in some commendable light, 
(obviously enough ...), in theory, in 
any century, but where considerations 
about general applicability might 
surface from time to time, (presumably 
there might occasionally be somewhat 
21st-century newbies on these lists, eg, 
---or newbies, or "newbies," with 
somewhat 21th century tastes, at any 
rate, possibly ...), I suspect that 
possible issues about wording might be 
addressed occasionally, one way or 
another, whether or not the "possible 
issues" are publically discussed. And, 
as we all know, I suspect, there were 
certain differences in the English 
language as it was used in the 19th 
century, in compartison to how it's used 
in the 21st century. On the other hand, 
for all I know, there may be a feeling 
among most or many students of Thesophy 
that the 19th century ethos as it's 
found expressed or translated in 
Theosophical literature is or might be 
somehow representative of some essential 
facet of Theosophy, (especially where 
there might be a tendency for certain 
rather literal interpretive tendencies, 
possibly ...). And not that the 
Esoteric/Wisdom Tradition cannot, in 
theory, be seen to transcend various 
written mannerisms of any age.

Speculatively,
Mauri