Theos-Talk Archives (May 2008 Message tt00571)

They hang onto power because it is all that they have left.

Politics is no place for saints, perhaps humanity is no place for saints as they tend to be real bores in person.? John is certainly no saint and the only way to defeat someone who is unscrupulous is to be even more unscrupulous, for as it is said in the Book of Lord Shang (who really did write it) "When you are willing to do that which others are ashamed to do, therein lies an advantage."? TS politics is just that, politics and to expect it to be any other is to live in a dream world.

There is no divinity that doth hedge the President of the Theosophical Society.

Chuck the Heretic


http://www.geocities.com/c_cosimano 


-----Original Message-----
From: kpauljohnson <kpauljohnson@yahoo.com>
To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wed, 14 May 2008 4:17 pm
Subject: Theos-World Marie, thanks so much for your honesty-- more questions






--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, MarieMAJ41@... wrote:
>
> Because, dear PJ, they did not want to. John controls many of the 
General Secretaries already because he is more unscrupulous than 
Radha....IMO. Perhaps she is more able to communicate with the 
culture that is India, and John is more able to communicate with the 
rest. As for ethics, in my opinion, John Algeo's ethics serves only 
himself.
> 
> Marie

Dear Marie,

I find it very difficult to think of what one might say or do in the 
Radha/John election that is both honest and constructive. So let's 
move on to the inevitable next question: neither is likely to survive 
a seven year term on purely statistical grounds and therefore another 
election is more likely that not within that time frame. Assuming 
both John and Radha being out of the picture, is there anyone who 
could be a healing, uniting influence as the first genuinely 21st 
century PTS? I'd like to imagine a future in which a PTS might 
actually treat me-- and other non-ES members-- with a teensy bit of 
respect and even friendliness. It's not coming from either of the 
current candidates, that's for sure. Both appear to be opponents of 
historical honesty and intellectual freedom, in service to 19th/20th 
century heroes/heroines who must be protected from scrutiny at all 
costs. 

Having just retired at 54 and gladly turned over my administrative 
duties to a 36-year-old, I cannot fathom the motivations of 
octogenarians clinging to power-- or trying to grasp more of it-- in 
their final years. What is in it for either of them? Do they fear 
what will happen when a new generation takes over? Why?

I realize these are imponderable questions, but as someone with your 
great experience in the TS I'd appreciate whatever you can share.

Paul

PS-- I always liked your new member letters, thanks!
> 
> 
> And another question: if John Algeo is indeed the kind of person I 
> have experienced him to be, and many other once-bitten twice-shy 
> members or former members have reported, then why could the TS not 
> come up with a single other nominee to succeed Radha? 
> 
> PJ
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: kpauljohnson <kpauljohnson@...>
> To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Wed, 14 May 2008 9:23 am
> Subject: Theos-World Re: TS Membership Trend
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Dear Doss,
> 
> I find it hard to contribute anything constructive to this 
> discussion, and neither theos-l nor theos-talk seem inclined to 
> discuss anything but the upcoming election. So it was probably a 
bad 
> time to resubscribe, and I'll soon take another long hiatus until 
> this is over. But before taking leave, there are some questions I 
> have for anyone who might care to ask, which might be no one. These 
> are elephants in the room that it seems useful for both sides to 
> ignore.
> 
> > the rest of the world had 24,448. Today, according to the 2007 
> Annual
> > Report of the TS, the Indian Section has 12,444 members and the 
rest
> > of the world 16,570."
> > 
> > This shows that in India, the membership has increased by 59%.
> > In rest of the world, it has declined by 32%.
> > 
> Question: how much of that shrinkage is due to national sections 
> losing membership, and how much of it is due to Radha's (high-
handed, 
> arrogant, secretive, unaccountable, IMO) treatment of national 
> sections that were expelled?
> 
> Question two: can anyone testify that John Algeo is any less high-
> handed, arrogant, secretive, and unaccountable in his attitudes 
> toward the TS and its members?
> 
> > population has grown. In addition, with the coming down of Iron 
> Curtain,
> > there is more democracy in East European countries. In spite of 
> this the
> > membership has declined. Why?
> > 
> Question three: how much is the failure to capitalize on new 
> opportunities (MOSTLY RUSSIA) for growth of the TS due to an innate 
> conservatism, arrogance, high-handedness, and unaccountability of 
the 
> leadership? Leadership that could not or would not be bothered to 
> deal with any of the possible changes that an influx of new members 
> might bring.
> 
> > TS, internationally operated on a de-centralized model. The 
National
> > Secretaries, once elected, in spite of the National Board, seem 
to 
> operate like in a fiefdom with board going along whatever the NS 
> wants. 
> 
> A fish rots from the head. Having the OH of the ES as the PTS is so 
> outright dangerous to the health of the organization because it 
sets 
> a standard that the TS is essentially a front organization. The 
> authority of the spiritual leader of the ES corrupts the 
> accountability of the elected leader of the TS. It pervades all the 
> relationships between the PTS and the rest of the organization, as 
> Annie Besant demonstrated remarkably thoroughly.
> 
> > At this rate, by end of this century, TS may disappear around the 
> world except in India.
> 
> Why has the presidency of Radha been so successful in terms of 
Indian 
> membership and so disastrous most everywhere else? Might it have to 
> do with consolidating what she sees as her power base and letting 
> everyone else go hang? What has she done right in India? How could 
> it be used as a model elsewhere?
> > 
> And another question: if John Algeo is indeed the kind of person I 
> have experienced him to be, and many other once-bitten twice-shy 
> members or former members have reported, then why could the TS not 
> come up with a single other nominee to succeed Radha? 
> 
> PJ
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>



 


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