Theos-Talk Archives (August 2006 Message tt00163)

Dear Adelasie,

Thank you for your very inspiring and life-affirming posting. I 
think you have said it all and I will just add some points. The 
Hindu Shastras declare that although Kali Yuga is an age of strife, 
conflict and darkness, it is also, surprisingly, the age in which 
progress towards Truth is faster than in any other age. My own take 
of this teaching is that the energies operating in Kali Yuga tend to 
make karmic responses swifter; in other words, they accelerate the 
process of self-confrontation. This is exaclty what is happening in 
the world today. The western civilization and its technological 
wonders, presented as offerings to the god of progress, are 
destroying the earth's ecosystems at an appalling rate and causing 
displacement and disruption to the lives of millions of people. This 
destruction is not being caused by an outside agent; we are doing it 
on a daily basis. The amount of money to keep the lifestyle of an 
affluent kid in the first world could feed five families in some 
poor countries. Please tell me what, in the name of Truth and 
Charity, can justify the project of a proposed manned mission to 
Mars, costing $100 billion dollars, when many millions are starving, 
without shelter, medicine and care? I am not against science nor 
against affluence, but can't we have reasonable and decent 
priorities?

I think this list has an immense potential for good in order to 
bring people together, of all backgrounds, and share their 
understanding of Theosophy and their concern for humanity and 
nature. We have been told by a very reliable source that 'Theosophy 
must be made practical' and that it should be disemcumbered 
of 'useless discussion'. For Theosophy is Altruism, a word which 
means, in its Latin origin, 'other'. Perhaps Theosophy, in its 
deepest sense, implies this life-altering meeting with the 'other', 
who is not only those we still don't know but also the 
greater 'other' which is humanity as a whole. And we have also been 
told that if this is a dream it is at least a noble one for 
humanity. While travelling around the world, I have checked messages 
on theos-talk at airports, cafes, even in tiny Internet parlours in 
Sri Lanka. It is like a continuous dialogue. So perhaps theos-talk 
in itself could help in making Theosophy more widely known, and be a 
beacon in the dark night of Kali Yuga.

With hope and best wishes,

Pedro 


--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "adelasie" <adelasie@...> wrote:
>
> Dear Pedro,
> 
> Your thoughts on the pervasiveness of corruption are all too much 
to 
> the point. We live in Kali Yuga, a real dark age, chained to a 
> materialistic ethic that has gone so far now as to threaten our 
very 
> habitat, to say nothing of our ability to endure. It is helpful to 
> remember that it is not a question of "them" and "us." "We" are 
> "them." Karma brings everyone his or her just desserts. We have 
> earned the plight we find ourselves in, individually and 
> collectively. But the bright side of that is that we also are the 
> only ones who can transmute the forces now weighing so heavily on 
the 
> spirit of humanity, through making informed choices in our own 
daily 
> lives. After all, if the present is the result of the past, it is 
> also the creator of the future. I don't know how to make Theosophy 
> more widely known, but maybe that is what we are doing here on 
this 
> list. I do hope so. It certainly isn't new. In one way it is all 
> there is to know. Everything is a permutation of the ancient 
wisdom, 
> a spark of the mind of God, or the Absolute. I do know that 
comments 
> such as yours, thoughtful, kind, restrained, and informed, are 
> immensely helpful to other seekers. Someone has to be point man. I 
> think HPB showed us how in this cycle. We just have to keep trying 
> and never give up. Everything is changing every moment. There are 
no 
> little things. Every good thought counts toward the sum total of 
> Light. Everything that comes to us is another opportunity to 
choose 
> on the side of Light. 
> 
> All the best,
> 
> Adelasie
> 
> On 3 Aug 2006 at 20:39, pedro oliveira wrote:
> 
> > Dear Adelasie,
> > 
> > Thank you very much for your comments. My recent South-East Asia 
> > tour has helped me to revise my understanding of the 
> > expression 'organised religions', which is so much used in 
> > theosophical jargon. You mentioned corruption and yet we know 
that 
> > corruption is a universal malady in human life. How many 
thousands 
> > of lives, for example, were affected by the schemes of Enron's 
> > bosses? I am not trying to say that there is no corruption in 
> > religion. I was made aware of it even in countries like Sri 
Lanka, 
> > which has a Buddhist majority, and where Hindus and Christians 
are 
> > perceived to be second class citizens. My point is that, for 
> > thousands of people, their faith helps them to be better persons 
and 
> > therefore to contribute to peace in the world. The problems are 
> > started by religious leaders blinded by hatred and who utilise 
the 
> > platform of religion to advance their own ideology of domination 
and 
> > fear. I would respectfully suggest that even the US is not free 
from 
> > this malady. And I would like to underline your words: 
compassion 
> > can be practiced anytime, anywhere. How do we get out of this 
> > deadlock - faith-centred individuals dominated by bigoted 
religious 
> > leaders? A first step would be, imho, to make Theosophy more 
widely 
> > known. 
> > 
> > Warm good wishes,
> > Pedro
>