Theos-Talk Archives (July 2008 Message tt00110)

The issue of the possibility of Rukmini being TS President was a very real problem, if not a serious threat when Radha took over, as Rukmini was regarded as being insane.? Radha is not actually pleasant company in person.? She is not a mean person, in fact she tries very hard not to be, but she has never gotten the handle on dealing with Americans and we sort of frighten her.? And thus people tend to be uncomfortable around her.? Now you must understand that I have only encountered her in American settings and perhaps in her own surroundings she might be a totally different person.

Betty is Bland.? There has never been a more suitable name for a person.? She is nice and she is, well, kind of dumb.? It is hard not to like her but she was never regarded as a person noted for wit and intelligence.? In fact we used to make a lot of jokes about her, some of them very unkind indeed.? But genius is not a requirement for being President of the American Section.

It would be safe to say that John Algeo has effectively run the American section since Dora Kunz retired in 1987.? During the presidency of Dorothy Abbenhouse and now Betty he was and is something of the Gray Emminence, the real brains behind everything, for good or ill.? My personal dealings with him were always friendly, even when were on opposite sides and I still do?a very good imitation of his voice.

In any event Radha still lives, and reigns.

Chuck the Heretic


http://www.geocities.com/c_cosimano 


-----Original Message-----
From: kpauljohnson <kpauljohnson@yahoo.com>
To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Fri, 11 Jul 2008 2:38 pm
Subject: Re: Theos-World Dynasty subverting Democracy






Chuck,

I've been thinking about this and decided Radha was as fated by 
heredity to be in her position as any monarch, and that is not an 
enviable hand to have been dealt in one's life. Yes, she could have 
chosen not to run in 1980, but with Krishnamurti telling you to run 
and if you're seriously worried about the direction Aunt Rukmini will 
take the TS, what would you do?

It's unfair to talk about arrogance on Radha's part without having 
met her and having heard people say she can be very pleasant 
company. But there is an inherent arrogance about thinking you're in 
a position for life because of tradition. Likewise, Charles Thomas 
Cayce is a very nice and good man who got dragged into a role by 
heredity that he didn't have a whole lot of choice about accepting. 
But he managed to end the Cayce dynasty without dying, which is very 
much to his credit. I hope he is enjoying his retirement.

Paul

--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, Drpsionic@... wrote:
>
> Dynasties ultimately end because they die off.? The problem with 
the TS is that because Theosophists live for so damned long it takes 
a while for it to happen.
> 
> Chuck the Heretic
> 
> 
> http://www.geocities.com/c_cosimano 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: kpauljohnson <kpauljohnson@...>
> To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Fri, 11 Jul 2008 6:42 am
> Subject: Theos-World Dynasty subverting Democracy
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hey,
> 
> One passage in Betty's article really strikes me as worth 
discussing 
> here. "Other longtime friends and supporters of Radha urged her to 
> step down, but she expressed her wish to stay in office for life. 
> Although lifetime service in the office of president has been in 
our 
> history, it is not necessarily a healthy practice, as it allows the 
> possibility of an autocratic leadership instead of a transparent 
> democracy."
> 
> The only edit I'd suggest is to replace "allows the possibility" 
> to "ensures the inevitability"-- but then I can trash the entire 
> leadership history of the TS with no qualms, whereas in Betty's 
> position I can see a need for a certain evasiveness :) But at least 
> she gestures in the general direction of the elephant in the room.
> 
> I started the primary season without any strong feelings 
for/against 
> any of the Democratic candidates, but almost daily had reason to 
move 
> towards an "anyone but Clinton" position. Why? Mainly because Bill 
> Clinton constantly made it evident that he saw a Hillary nomination 
> as a restoration of a dynasty-- while also giving people reason to 
> dread such a development. Needless to add, hope I never live to see 
> another Bush darken the doorway of the White House and the history 
of 
> the world. An idiot like Dubya would never have had a chance if his 
> last name had been Smith. But India has had the same problem, an 
> ostensible democracy where people repeatedly installed the 
> Nehru/Gandhi dynasty because the popular imagination was still 
stuck 
> in the era of the maharajas. And the TS dynastic corruption of 
> democracy is arguably worse than either of the above examples, as 
for 
> 50 the last 57 years the presidency is in hands of a father and 
> daughter. I'd like to think the overwhelming Indian vote for Radha 
> was about rejecting Algeo, but surely it is all about blindly 
> supporting dynasty.
> 
> So now we know that Radha basically feels entitled by TS history to 
a 
> lifetime tenure regardless of her health or the effect on the 
> Society. (Assuming the Betty is correct, and she said something 
> along these lines the only time we had a personal conversation, in 
> Maryland in 1999.) But what evidence is there that John Algeo is 
any 
> less arrogant or entitled-feeling, or wouldn't hang on to the age 
of 
> 110 if given the chance? None AFAIK.
> 
> BTW, the ARE finally moved away from dynasty, after leadership 
> passing from Edgar to Hugh Lynn to Charles Thomas over a 70 year 
> span. There is finally a non-Cayce in charge, and no Cayce heir 
> apparent in sight looking for a restoration. Are there any young 
> Shastrys or Algeos waiting in the wings to run the TS throughout 
this 
> century? I gather not, so perhaps the curse of dynastic corruption 
> of [ALLEGED] TS democracy will be lifted within our lifetimes.
> 
> PJ 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>



 


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