Theos-Talk Archives (October 2008 Message tt00183)

Dear Warwick,

Thank you for posting in this group your position. Still your position is not clear. At least for me. Saying it is time for change, without defining what kind of changes, is very vague. It is not a matter of attachments but of good sense. At least me along with others here, who are clearly against the proposed changes to rule 10, are relying not in attachments but into preserving a right of the members that should not be violated. The right to vote for international president. This is a very serious matter. 

The Theosophical Society is not a political arena. Political parties within the IC cannot be created. So to say one group of the council members will present a candidate and the other group  other candidate for president and we will vote for political groups within the T.S. Or they would just choose between them the next President? Leaving it as a surprise for the members?  They would chose the President accordingly to their own personal perspectives and agreements and elect a leader that maybe would not be the one  members would like to have as an international president.

Furthermore when members vote for the international president, they feel they are given a contribution and participating actively in the international Society, they feel engaged. in the international scenery.

A theosophical leader must be able to inspire, to touch the heart of the members and to keep the spiritual flame alive. Currently there is not any leader able of doing that except Radha Burnier, which still with her advanced age, is very much capable of doing so.

All this does not eliminate the fact that some revisions in international by-law can be done in  the future .But if the worst happens and  members lose their rights to vote for international president, this will be reverted again by future theosophists who shall enter the council.  

Concentrating into producing literature that can inspire and strenght the work is our duty, and this must be centred in the teachings, in the production of material, books, folders, in supporting weak sections and groups that are facing difficults. Many have no material. Many have no good speakers.

Preparation of good speakers and books is a must. It is a fallacy to belive that  changing the by-laws will solve the current problems in the T.S. , and this is only a way to justify the current absence of leaders able to inspire and produce literature. Every section of the T.S. has full liberty and freedom to create their programs and work. If the General Secretary of a Section cannot cover the gaps present in his/her section, can he try to cover any gap in the International Theosophical Society? One must settle a sample at their  local work, and if is not able of doing so, will be even less able to try to do something in an international level.

To blame the by-laws to any current lack of success in the T.S. is non-sense. Sure improvements can be done. I do not deny it. But there is a right time for everything, and sure a time of divisions and conflicts is not the right one.

Erica


--- On Tue, 10/7/08, Warwick Keys <keyteach@xtra.co.nz> wrote:

From: Warwick Keys <keyteach@xtra.co.nz>
Subject: Theos-World Future of TS
To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com
Date: Tuesday, October 7, 2008, 6:50 PM






This is a copy of an e-mail sent to TS Sections. It will be of 
interest to some site subscribers.

Dear Friends

I am attaching some comments on the future of TS from my perspective. 
They are taken directly out of my annual report which I am finalising 
at the moment for our national convention in New Zealand.

The comments refer to the New Zealand Section and also to the 
International Society. These comments reflect a majority thinking 
here in New Zealand. A new 'Fire in The Spirit' is igniting within a 
number of members here who are able to objectively view the present 
situation and clearly see a positive and uncluttered road ahead if 
the TS is prepared to step out boldly into the future. The Founders 
stepped out boldly and well outside their comfort zone. Our present 
comfort zones are a major hindrance to positive progress.

With fraternal greetings

Warwick Keys
National President
Theosophical Society in New Zealand

The Future:
We live in exciting ? turbulent ? challenging times. The way forward 
in almost every aspect of life is testing. We are offered multiple 
choices and we cannot always see where they lead. The decisions we 
make as a race, as communities, as groups and as individuals about 
our future direction have never been more important than they are at 
this time. I am sure that we are all aware of this on both a personal 
level and at a group level.
As individuals and as institutions and established groups we are at a 
crucial point in our history. The Theosophical Society both in New 
Zealand and internationally are not exempt from the gathering winds 
of change. We are facing rapidly changing and challenging conditions. 
In my talks with branches this last year I have said that we are 
barely treading water, nationally and internationally, and are in 
fact slowly sinking. I make no apology for saying this so starkly. 
It is time for the Society to start swimming. 
Change is not comfortable, particularly to those who are contented 
with the "way things have been done for many years." However, to bury 
our heads in the sand is not an option, particularly when the sand is 
shifting and reforming as the wind blows.
I am very aware that some members oppose the signals for change that 
the National Council is working with. At an International level the 
resistance to change is even more evident and entrenched. However, 
the status quo is no longer an option. It is a one-way ticket to 
extinction. If that sounds harsh it is meant to. 
At least in the Theosophical Society in New Zealand we have a 
democratic and participatory system of governance and administration. 
This is completely lacking at the international level and is the root 
cause of the present unrest in many Sections of the society 
worldwide. This and the determined resistance to change from those 
entrenched in the present system. 
As I have said so often around the country a key word for the Society 
at this time is `attachment. ' We need to be able to step away from 
attachment to things, to structures and to methodologies that bind. I 
repeat yet again the words of the great Christian reformer Martin 
Luther long ago, "What ever your heart clings to and relies on is 
your god." He is talking about attachment to things, to places, to 
ideas, and to ways of doing things that cling to the past. 
Martin Luther's clear recognition of the `god' of attachment changed 
the course of Christian and Western history. The TS Founders were 
free from attachment. The `Fire in the Spirit' ? the `Fiery Heart' ? 
guided them and they knew and trusted in the process. A key question 
is ? Can the Theosophical Society in the twenty-first century as an 
organisation, nationally and Internationally, view itself with 
objective discernment and recognise the "god" of attachment for what 
it is? 
Can we put aside attachments to the past and move into the future 
with confidence, and with trust? The Founders did so.
Are we willing to become spiritual citizens of the twenty-first 
century, once again leading the way at the cutting edge of the new 
spiritual revolution now gathering form and momentum and ready to 
burst upon the world galvanising new visions of society, of 
spirituality, of personal self realisation and empowerment, and a new 
revelation of the Old Truths, the Ancient Wisdom? 


Warwick Keys

 













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