Theos-Talk Archives (March 2005 Message tt00497)

--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "Anand Gholap" <AnandGholap@A...> 
wrote:
So do I 




> 
> Nice and wise piece of writing, Eldon. I appreciated it.
> 
> Anand Gholap
> 
> --- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "Eldon B Tucker" <eldon@t...> 
> wrote:
> > Here's something I posted initially on October 8. It's something 
> that's
> > important to keep in mind, when participating on theos-talk.
> > 
> > -- Eldon Tucker
> > 
> > ----
> > 
> > The theos-talk mailing list is something of an experiment. It's 
not 
> > controlled by any particular theosophical organization with all 
> content 
> > being controlled according to that group's approach. It's not 
> moderated, 
> > with one particular individual or group's outlook being promoted 
to 
> the 
> > exclusion of everything else. It's not intended to be a champion 
of 
> one 
> > specific flavor of Theosophy.
> > 
> > There are many lists and websites dedicated to particular points 
of 
> view 
> > regarding Theosophy. Some maintain that focus by excluding 
> everything else; 
> > others maintain that focus because a majority of participants 
> believe in it 
> > and enforce it through what they continually write, crowding out 
> other 
> > perspectives.
> > 
> > This list is an experiment, in that it attempts to allow people 
> from any 
> > theosophical background to participate, sharing their ideas 
> alongside 
> > others with differing views. Everyone should feel free to express 
> their 
> > ideas and experiences without being attacked or judged by others 
on 
> the 
> > list. Since we're not picking a specific variant of Theosophy and 
> being 
> > dogmatic about it, there are no "right answers" to judge people 
by. 
> Each of 
> > us can share what he or she knows or thinks, but not to tell 
others 
> they're 
> > wrong and they should shut up.
> > 
> > My hope is that we'll all learn something new from each other. On 
> this 
> > list, we have a microcosm of the greater theosophical community 
> throughout 
> > the world, and what we as dozens of participants can work out 
> together 
> > shows us what might happen with thousands and millions of people 
> worldwide.
> > 
> > Each person is free to express his or her own ideas. No one is 
> entitled to 
> > dominate the list. Anyone is entitled to participate, so long as 
> they are 
> > here to share ideas and not merely fishing for converts for 
> something else 
> > or not seeking to disrupt, discourage, and confuse people because 
> they hold 
> > Theosophy in contempt and want to "save" people from it.
> > 
> > If someone says something, it is appropriate to ask them to 
clarify 
> what 
> > they mean. Even if it sounds bad, don't assume that what you read 
> is what 
> > they meant to say. Let the other person explain himself or 
herself. 
> Don't 
> > impose your judgment on the other person's writings and hold them 
> to it as 
> > if you were a lawyer discussing a legally binding contract. This 
is 
> a 
> > mailing list and people are freely expressing themselves. They 
may 
> write 
> > hastily at times, and not everything posted has been carefully 
> edited and 
> > is fit for final publication.
> > 
> > Also, if you want to know something more about what someone 
wrote, 
> it's ok 
> > to write and ask them to expand upon a particular theme. But it's 
> their 
> > decision to continue writing, not yours. It's not appropriate to 
> repeatedly 
> > demand that someone give you answers to some question you have 
> about their 
> > views.
> > 
> > Something is "off topic" if it has absolutely nothing to do with 
> Theosophy 
> > and has a chilling effect on the discussions. It's ok if it might 
> be of 
> > interest to theosophical students.
> > 
> > I don't always have time to carefully read every message going 
out 
> on the 
> > list. So if anyone sees something that may be a problem, I ask 
that 
> they 
> > write theos-talk-owner@yahoogroups.com with their concerns. Don't 
> write 
> > directly to the list telling someone they are "off topic" 
> or "acting bad" 
> > or to complain that "they are mistreating me." When there's a 
> problem, I 
> > will contact people, write something to the list, or take some 
> > administrative action to resolve the situation.
> > 
> > This list provides a unique opportunity to coexist with students 
> and 
> > friends of Theosophy of all the different backgrounds. That is 
> something we 
> > won't find in the typical theosophical group or moderated list. 
> Let's keep 
> > our focus on sharing what we find valuable and work at coexisting 
> better 
> > with people that think differently than we do.
> > 
> > Eldon Tucker