Theos-Talk Archives (December 2008 Message tt00313)

Disenfranchisement proposal was meant to give the General Council
authority to choose the President of the TS. By using your logic, one
can question the wisdom of General Council also. 
In the election, Presidential candidates are nominated by the General
Council members. In last election, GC nominated two candidates, both
of whom are old. Ordinary members can not choose the president they
want. Ordinary members can elect only from the candidates which are
nominated by GC members. By nominating two old candidates, GC did not
allow members to choose younger candidate. You can't blame ordinary
members for electing old president, because both the candidates were old. 
Out of two candidates, the defeated candidate sent proposal to
disenfranchise members, soon after his defeat. So many members are
questioning ethical development of this candidate, who was nominated
by the General Council. So, members can doubt the wisdom of General
Council also.
Current General Council represents ordinary members. It is because in
current GC, there is one representative from India, with 13000
membership under him. And many smaller countries with 300 membership
also have one representative in the GC. Because of this enormous
anomaly, current GC does not represent members in just manner.

I am myself disappointed because TS has not created younger
leadership. Nobody knows who is fit for the Presidentship of TS, when
current candidate has to leave the world due to old age. 
Best
Anand Gholap


--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "t_s_theosophist" <THEOSOPHIST@...>
wrote:
>
> 
> --- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, Concerned Member
<amusedwiththis@> wrote:
> >
> > MK
> > 
> > Change is never easy. No one seems to like new things to come down
the pike. I wish you would quit asserting that all is well and good
with Radha. The fact is, she is not well, she is not traveling as is
apparent in her canceled engagements at Krotona and the Inter American
Federation. There is a legitimate concern among some that those
pretend servers, who are entrenched at Adyar, and have been for years,
have their own agenda's and vested interest's are wanting to keep the
status quo, because it is in their favor, and not in the favor of the
Society. Would you have Radha become the Puppet Queen of the TS to do
the bidding of others because she is not fully present in this world?
You proclaim that you are a champion of Theosophy. Why not let the
General Council make decisions that they are more well informed on
than yourself. From my point of view you are misleading people, and
the watchers miss nothing. Better to tell a funny joke to the amusement of
> >  others than to spread half truths and little understood thoughts
that you attribute to others. You my friend are one who looks at the
glass as being half empty, I on the other hand like to think that it
is half full. Who is right?
> > The real test for Radha and the world will be at the General
Council Meeting. Will she be present, or will her proxies be present.
If she is present, will she be all there as in years past? Or will she
be the rapidly dissolving shell of her former self? 
> > 
> > CM
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > ________________________________
> > From: MKR <mkr777@>
> > To: MKR777@
> > Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2008 6:05:19 PM
> > Subject: Theos-World A letter to TS General Council Members
> > 
> > 
> > Dear Brothers & Sisters:
> > 
> > The upcoming meeting of the TS General Council, will be a very
important one
> > due to the critical situation arising out of the events since last
December.
> > The attached letter to the Members of the General Council was sent
> > yesterday. The letter speaks for itself. I am sending it to you
since it may
> > interest you as a committed member. You may want to call your National
> > Secretary/President and communicate your views and suggestions.
> > 
> > A dissentious organization led by leaders who do not command a
high level of
> > trust of the members does not bode well to the future of TS. Let
us hope GC
> > will make wise decisions in the best interests of the TS.
> > 
> > Thanking you
> > 
> > Fraternally yours,
> > 
> > M K Ramadoss
> > 
> > ============ ======
> > December 15, 2008
> > 
> > To: All General Council Members
> > 
> > Dear Brothers and Sisters:
> > 
> > PREAMBLE:
> > 
> > As an ordinary member, looking at the events since last December,
I am very
> > saddened and sometimes I wonder what is in store for the TS and
theosophy in
> > the near future. Now TS is certainly at a very critical juncture
like of
> > which I have not seen in my lifetime.
> > 
> > I am just an ordinary member and do not hold any positions, elected or
> > appointed. I also do not aspire for any positions in the future. I
am trying
> > to present to you all, for your consideration, my view of the
events which
> > will be that of thousands of ordinary members who are in my
situation. This,
> > I hope will provide the GC members a totally different perspective
than seen
> > from the viewpoint of GC members who are too close to day to day
> > administrative involvement with the TS.
> > 
> > Since the upcoming meeting of the GC will be one of the most
important ones
> > in our lifetime and thought I should share my views, in the hope
that they
> > would help the GC members take decisions which are in the real best
> > interests of TS and theosophy. Wrong decisions may cause serious
damage to
> > TS and hurt the spread of theosophy and revival would take a long
time and
> > would be very difficult.
> > 
> > BACKGROUND TO CURRENT CRISIS:
> > 
> > The first inkling of the election issue came to many members when we
> > received a letter from our GS informing us that Radha Burnier is
mentally
> > and physically sick and hence we should vote for her opponent.
Members hold
> > their GSs in very high regard and have a high level of trust in
them. After
> > all the keynote of TS is "Brotherhood" and the motto is THERE IS
NO RELIGION
> > HIGHER THAN TRUTH.
> > 
> > Lo and behold, shortly thereafter, thanks to the Internet, we
learnt that
> > two well-known and highly reputed physicians who had examined Radhaji,
> > certified her to be fit, both mentally and physically. This was
followed by
> > a third physician from Europe (who also happened to be a General
Secretary)
> > independently came to the conclusion that Radhaji is fit, mentally and
> > physically. We place high confidence in the professional evaluation of
> > physicians when health matters are concerned. This new information
> > certifying Radhaji's fitness was known only to those who have
access to
> > Internet. Those who did not have access to Internet were under the
mistaken
> > view that Radhaji is sick. So, we expected that the GSs would take the
> > trouble to inform all the members about this new professional
information.
> > We expect theosophists, above all, the leaders to be up-front and
have a
> > duty to provide accurate, timely and full information to members
so that
> > members can make up their own minds and decide whom they want to
vote for.
> > Also brotherhood and justice demands that all actions be
evenhanded and also
> > seen to be evenhanded. This did not happen and the GS's did not
pass on the
> > physicians' certification information to the members, thus tilting the
> > election process. Is this brotherhood in action? The consequence
of this
> > (in)action to inform members, is that when members found out what
the GS's
> > have done, they lost trust in their leaders. No leader can lead an
> > organization whose members have a very low level of trust in their
leaders.
> > 
> > POST ELECTION EVENTS:
> > 
> > In spite of the above attempts by some GC members to defeat
Radhaji, members
> > worldwide elected her with overwhelming majority. Members thought
that the
> > matter was settled and we expected everyone to move forward to address
> > various problems facing the TS.
> > 
> > But members were in for a surprise and shock. The same group of GC
members
> > who sought to defeat Radhaji sent to GC, a clever and shocking plan to
> > disenfranchise members worldwide and seize the presidency and make the
> > president a puppet. No one was told about the disenfranchisement
and rule
> > change to seize control of the presidency. The plan was super
secret, known
> > only to the GC members. The hardworking members at Adyar and
Olcott woke up
> > one day and found out about it not from the leaders, but from
Internet. A
> > few brave souls who saw the secret plan, and its far-reaching
consequences,
> > had the wisdom and courage to let the members know what is going on.
> > 
> > The intent of the plan was to be taken up speedily by the GC at
its December
> > meeting and get it approved. It would have been a done deal, but for
> > Internet. General membership around the world would have been
surprised and
> > shocked by the coup.
> > 
> > If this was a done deal, the only recourse for members is to take
legal
> > action against TS by filing a lawsuit. Litigation is very
expensive and time
> > consuming and members do not have resources to do it. TS will it
fight it
> > out using the money in the Treasury.
> > 
> > TS was very lucky because Internet helped to break the story and
make it
> > known worldwide and members are discussing it. Moreover, this
surreptitious
> > move by some GC members further damaged the trust members had in their
> > leaders. The trust level in the leaders is lowest many of us have
seen in
> > our lifetime.
> > 
> > MEMBERSHIP GROWTH AND RETENTION
> > 
> > Theosophy is for everybody, not for a privileged few. All the leaders,
> > starting with the Founders, HSO & HPB, worked very hard to spread
theosophy
> > worldwide by opening new branches and thus increasing the
membership. Let us
> > look at the current situation.
> > 
> > The membership around the world presents a dismal and shocking
picture.
> > Except in India, the numbers have been going down for years. For
example, in
> > the USA, which has the largest membership next to India, the
recent Annual
> > Report states:
> > 
> > "In spite of our many efforts on behalf of building membership, it has
> > remained more or less the same as the last several years,
currently, 3,899,
> > a disconcerting drop of 172. Lest we get discouraged, it is
helpful to look
> > at past statistics. At the end of 1933, the TS in America reported
4,544
> > members. Since then, membership has generally ranged from 4,000 to
6,000,
> > with a great deal of turnover." This statement needs to be viewed
from the
> > angle of the growth of population in the USA. The population in
1933 was
> > 125,578,763 and in 2008 it is estimated to be 305,800,376. So in
75 years,
> > the population has grown by 244%. If TSA has kept up with the
population
> > growth, we would have 11,087 members today. In the past, members
have raised
> > this issue with the leadership. In 1998, a member asked: the TSA
> > President/NS, "From 8000 members in 1980 when I joined, to less
than 4000
> > today, how could you let this happen?" There was no response till
today.
> > 
> > There is also the shocking revelation that in the Dutch Section, not a
> > single new lodge has been chartered in 50 years, setting a new
world record.
> > It has also been reported that in most sections outside India, the
retention
> > rate is very low. Members come in and stay for a year or two and
leave.
> > 
> > From the above, it is very clear that decline in membership is the
most
> > urgent and critical issue for the future survival of the TS.
> > 
> > TRANSPARENCY:
> > 
> > Much of the present problems in the GC, while caused by the Karma
of the
> > members - how else can we explain all this - could have been
avoided if
> > there is transparency of the activities of the GC.
> > 
> > In the early days of TS, there was full transparency of the
activities of
> > the General Council. But in the last several decades, everything
related to
> > the GC and its activities are shrouded in greatest secrecy.
Members know
> > nothing about the issues considered and decisions taken. Also,
members have
> > no way of knowing why decisions are made and who are the
proponents so that
> > the real and stated reasons can be seen by the membership.
> > 
> > For example, it is reported that in 2006 some changes were made to
the rules
> > and members do not know what they are and why and who are behind
them. Many
> > members feel that the current crisis has its roots in the lack of
> > transparency of the GC and its decisions. Even if we are able to
solve the
> > current crisis, the lack of transparency only increases the
likelihood of
> > more serious crisis showing up in the future. All of us have a
> > responsibility to prevent such an eventuality, because a future
crisis may
> > deal a deathblow to the TS.
> > 
> > Master KH, in his 1900 letter stated:
> > 
> > "MISLEADING SECRECY HAS GIVEN THE DEATH BLOW TO NUMEROUS
ORGANIZATIONS. "
> > 
> > I do not see why TS should be an exception. So it behooves on all
of us to
> > heed to the advice and act on it before it is too late.
> > 
> > As a start, the agenda and details of the proposals in all stages
should be
> > made public. Details of items that deal with contract,
legal/litigation or
> > employee evaluation can be part of the executive session. When
matters of
> > importance are discussed in open forum and members can know who
presented
> > what and who were for and who were against will have a salutary effect
> > because it is then the GC member will have stand up openly and be
counted.
> > This may hurt their public images when they take stands injurious
to the
> > members and beneficial to themselves and this fear of having to
stand up
> > openly will make them think what the repercussions would be on unwise
> > stands. It will also give members a clearer picture of any
manipulation
> > going on. It is also one of the reasons why all democratic debates and
> > voting are done not behind closed doors, but in open sessions. I
am yet to
> > see a single GC member coming out and call for transparency of the
> > proceedings of GC. Why? It looks like for GC members, non-transparency
> > allows them to play all political games behind the scenes while
presenting a
> > saintly, public face to its members hiding all their behind the scenes
> > maneuverings and the votings on the issues that comes before the GC.
> > Continued secrecy also allows the GC to possibly mislead the
members of
> > their behind the scenes activities.
> > 
> > CHANGING THE RULES:
> > 
> > On the heels of the election, some GC members have attempted to
make the
> > governance issue a priority and important one and the need to
quickly and
> > urgently and secretly change the rules. It is a simple fallacy
because rule
> > changes would do nothing to help the membership increase and
membership
> > retention, because of the autonomous setup of the TS at the
section and
> > lodge levels. Due to the timing, personalities and the great secrecy
> > involved, many ordinary members who have followed the events
preceding and
> > following the election see this issue as a tactic by some of the
GC members
> > disgruntled by the defeat of their candidate. Also, ordinary
members see
> > this as an audacious attempt by a few GC members to seize control
of the
> > presidency and make the president a puppet. I am sure that this is
obvious
> > to many GC members as well.
> > 
> > INFLUENCE OF DUGPAS AND SHAMMARS:
> > 
> > This is a very sensitive subject with many traditional
theosophists and no
> > one wants to talk about it. TS is facing a serious crisis not seen
during
> > last several decades. After considerable thought, I decided to
address it. A
> > comprehensive understanding of the current situation is needed
before a
> > right future course can be charted by the GC.
> > 
> > C Jinarajadasa, the 4th International President wrote:
> > 
> > "We know from the letters of the two Masters, M. and K. H., that their
> > action in initiating the Theosophical Movement was challenged by
those "dark
> > powers", called Dugpas in Tibet, who are ever on the watch to
hinder the
> > progress of Humanity. The true originators of the Madras attack on the
> > Society were not the Coulombs or the Madras missionaries, but
these dark
> > powers who used them (of course unknown to themselves) as
cat's-paws and
> > agents."
> > 
> > What we have today is the most serious crisis TS has seen in the
recent
> > decades. How Coulombs and Missionaries were used as cat's paws and
agents
> > (unknown to themselves) gives some idea of how the dark powers
operate.
> > Since they operate on principles opposed to Truth, Honesty, moral
courage,
> > transparency etc. you can see their using deception, misinformation,
> > secrecy, "end justifies the means" principle, and above all
cunningness and
> > cleverness. They stay behind the scene and let their unsuspecting
agents to
> > do their destructive job. They also use multiple levels of agents
just as
> > they did in Coulomb Crisis.
> > 
> > Looking at the current crisis, in my opinion, one sees the hand of
Dugpas
> > and Shammars. We need to act taking this important factor into
account.
> > 
> > MOST CRITICAL ISSUE - MEMBERSHIP:
> > 
> > As discussed earlier, decline in membership and low retention rate
outside
> > India seems to be the most important and urgent issue key to the
growth and
> > survival of TS. "No members and No TS." TS is organized on the
basis of full
> > autonomy at Section and Lodge levels. The President gets involved
when there
> > is a serious problem between Sections or within a Section. Hence the
> > membership issue is a local issue. Membership recruitment and
retention
> > cannot happen without the dedicated and hard workers at the lodge
level. No
> > amount of tinkering with the rules is going to bring-in new members or
> > retain existing members. So we all need to address it and try to find
> > solutions to it before all other issues.
> > 
> > I have also addressed the transparency issue and it is one of the
easiest to
> > address and fix. All democratic institutions have found ways to
have all
> > their important decisions deliberated and taken in open forums and
the few
> > issues that need to be addressed in executive session are done so.
> > Transparency acts as a firewall against preventing backdoor moves
and horse
> > trading to the detriment of the members and the TS and the TS
movement.
> > 
> > It is hoped that wisdom will dawn on the GC members to see the
criticality
> > of membership growth and retention for the long-term survival and
growth of
> > TS and spread of theosophy and will try to address it in the next
meeting.
> > Tinkering with the rules is not going to help membership issue.
> > 
> > Fraternally yours,
> > 
> > M. K. Ramadoss, Member, TS, San Antonio, Texas, USA
> > 
> > THERE IS NO RELIGION HIGHER THAN TRUTH
> > 
> > Copy to: Brothers & Sisters
> > 
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> > 
> >     
> > 
> > 
> >       
> > 
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> 
> 
> 
> A REPLY TO "CONCERNED MEMBERS" COMMENTS.....
> 
> 
> Dear Concerned member; 
> 
> 
> Thank You for you feedback, it is always good to engage in
RESPECTFUL DIALOGUE. 
> 
> 
> Although we may dis-agree on certain points, it is more productive
to keep the discussions at a rational  Non-Emotional level. This is my
challenge to you. 
> 
> 
> Has it occurred to you that the reason Radha is not appearing at the
conferences in Krotona or the Inter-American Federation because of the
current Non-Harmonious climate there?  That she does not want to
become polarized in the 
> hostile political atmosphere?  
> 
> 
> Please refrain from jumping to conclusions about her health, when
you have no solid documented evidence for such assumptions. 
> 
> 
> Yes, we agree a lot will come to light at the General Convention,
lets' wait to see what happens, and THEN we have solid evidence 
> 
> 
> It is our only intention to keep the members fully informed of what
is actually happening. IF the membes have FULL & Unbiased information
then they will be in a position to make intelligent choices.  
> 
> 
> You cannot make intelligent choices if you are not FULLY informed
with correct information. 
> 
> Would You rather that everyone be kept in the dark and fed political
propaganda to the advantage of some special interests? 
> 
> 
> Looking forward to remaining in Respectful Dialogue with You. 
> 
> 
> Cordially & Fraternally; 
> 
> William Delahunt 
> Orlando, Florida 
> Theosophist@... 
> 
> 
> ========================  =======================
>