Theos-Talk Archives (March 2005 Message tt00283)

Dear Adelasie,

Thanks. I "went" to 18th century North Carolina, a nice place to 
visit but...

You asked:
I always wonder why 
> we "theosophists etc" feel so drawn to beating the same dead horse 
> over and over again instead of getting on with the work outlined 
so clearly in the literature? Is it perhaps because we feel 
deserted? Or do we find it just too difficult? I realize that I have 
a sort or unusual situation, living in a community devoted to 
manifesting the principles of occultism in daily life, so get a lot 
of support, but this also tends to exacerbate the level of "testing" 
that goes on. Any ideas? Or maybe all this 
anachronistic "discussion" serves some purpose that escapes me?
> 
> All the best and looking forward to you inimitable pov,
> Adelasie

Here's a link on memetics:
http://www.susanblackmore.co.uk/SciAm00.html

which provides some background for what I will suggest in response 
to your question. If we grant for the sake of argument the notion 
of memes, that is replicable ideas/behaviors/styles etc., then some 
memes are more powerful than others. That is, they propagate more 
readily because they "stick" in people's memories and get repeated. 
As to why the topic of CWL keeps coming around (not just any CWL 
topic, but the deception/molestation issues) when we might be 
discussing something more uplifting and immediately relevant, I 
suggest that it involves the most powerful memes. Which, according 
to articles I've read, include sex, danger, crisis, heresy, as well 
as security, belonging, tradition.

The CWL mess can be summarized in terms of powerful memes. DANGER!! 
CRISIS!! SEX HERESY!! will always get and keep people's attention, 
for evolutionary reasons according to the memetics authors. Bush 
used the gay marriage amendment in 2004 as a skillful way to push 
these very buttons because it's a surefire way to get and keep 
attention (and distract attention from other issues.) Nothing in 
the *tone* or *approach* of Dr. Tillett's treatment of CWL is 
sensationalistic or denunciatory in tone, but the *facts themselves* 
are both. What Tillett-bashers like Radha B. *really* hate are the 
*undisputed* facts about CWL, but they choose to blame the messenger 
instead of the perpetrator.

The counter memes of Adyar loyalists are along the lines of "feel 
secure in belonging to an unbroken tradition" and those don't hold a 
candle to the danger-sex-heresy memes about CWL. Perhaps in 
unwitting acknowledgment that theirs is a losing hand, they turn to 
juicier fare along the lines of "vile lies and innuendo emanating 
from wicked persons out to undermine Theosophy." (There's a 
parallel here somewhere, hmmm.)

I would dispute the implication that revisiting historical issues 
precludes pursuing practical work in the present. Multiple lines of 
discussion can occur simultaneously. Ann, Anand, Dallas and you 
deploring ongoing discussion of CWL only feeds the fire (because 
being told they shouldn't be interested in a subject is a guaranteed 
way to make folks more interested in it), whereas initiating a more 
positive discussion of another topic would perhaps dampen it 
somewhat.

Some stray thoughts,

Paul