Theos-Talk Archives (September 2005 Message tt00001)

If you permit me to add. 

In France the wave of racism is growing and colour people are the last two weeks victms of constant attacks. Racists are putting fire in the houses and buildings, and such attacks are happening constantly the last two weeks. Day before yesterday six more colour people died burned, during their sleep and many more were injured. People went to the streets protesting.

The question you raised is of fundamental importance, and I ask myself many times, how theosophy could bring a relief to all these injustices and trajedies going on. We can't forget that early theosophists were also great activists. 

Olcott left as a great sample in the work he developed in Sri Lanka. Besant left us also another great sample as an activist in India. Blavatsky open the doors for a deeper understanding of the ancient traditions and their unity. 

The Mahachohan in his letter mentions the great need for Universal Brotherhood be taking in action and the popularization of theosophy. I would put the question in another way. Can theosophy have a stronger impact in the world? 

What I have witnessed in the theosophical circles, and forgive me if I am wrong, because I might be. It is an alienation from the present world situation. Would be this one of the reasons why there are but little fellows connected to theosophical organizations? 

Maybe are we missing the great flame of love, compassion and Universal Brotherhood which must be expressed and reflected in every work? Can this compassion, love, brotherhood be blind to the present reality of the world today? Of course not, for if it is, it will be something else but not theosophy.

Best,

Erica


prmoliveira <prmoliveira@yahoo.com> wrote:
The community of Beslan, south Russia, decided to commemorate the first 
anniversary of the siege to School No. 1, in which more than 300 
children and some adults were killed, by erecting a memorial in the 
form of a tree - "The Tree of Sorrow" - which has wooden statues of 
children as its branches. The grief in that community, one year on, is 
still all-pervading, deep and almost unexplainable.

The devastation produced by hurricane Katrina in the Gulf area of the 
US is also almost beyond comprehension. There are estimates of more 
than a 1,000 deaths in New Orleans alone, with several hundreds of 
thousands homeless. The suffering is compounded by dead bodies in the 
water and the difficulties in rescuing all those still trapped in their 
own buildings. There were scenes of grief and despair on television 
news programmes showing survivors who lost not only their homes but 
more importantly their loved ones.

In Iraq, an stampede in Baghdad caused the death of more than a 1,000 
people, apparently triggered by panic created by a potential terrorist 
attack. Unlike Russia and the US, suffering and tragedy come on a daily 
basis in Iraq. 

In the period of a few days the world has been engulfed in deep sorrow, 
inexplicable suffering and despair. 

How do we respond to suffering? Are we content in explain it away 
philosophically or religiously and therefore alow ourselves to become 
numbed, desensitized to what is happening to our fellow-human beings?

If the tradition is to be believed, it only took one look at a wayside 
beggar to create in the young Siddartha Gautama an unconquerable 
resolve to find the cause of suffering. If another tradition is to be 
believed, there was a similar response on the part of a man called 
Jesus whenever he encountered suffering. Their responses, if those 
traditions are to be believed, came from a depth in themselves which 
lied far beyond anything the mind can touch.

Can Theosophy help us to respond unreservedly to suffering? If not, can 
it really be Theosophy?


pedro 







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