Theos-Talk Archives (July 2009 Message tt00460)

Hello All,

Not being a member any longer of the Adyar TS, it is none of my business as to how the internal organizational affairs of that Society are dealt with.  However, as a theosophist, there is the larger question of how we treat one another.

When we were looking at the ES rules and pledge, one thing that came out of that exercise was that we do not publicly disparage one another, especially those who are in roles of leadership.  This type of behavior may be damaging to the leadership, but it is most certainly damaging to the Society as a whole.  If there are problems with the leadership of a Society and with the way leaders are chosen, work to change that.  Identify someone who can be trusted, raise money for that person, send him around the world on a lecture tour so that the membership know him and then find a way to put him on the ballot for the next election.  This way you don't have to criticize those that you perceive to be doing a poor job, you can instead extol the virtues of this new leadership candidate.

Also, theosophical history is vitally important.  However, again, there is no good reason, from my point of view for lambasting those who have worked, sacrificed and died for this Society in the past.  That is the height of ingratitude.  That is not to say that we cannot criticize what they wrote with the object of trying to understand more clearly what they were about.  Certainly, if they wrote something that was not theosophical, there can be arguments made to illustrate that fact.  All this can be done without attacking individuals personally.  There are many theosophists who believe certain past leaders did some pretty silly, dangerous and or vile things.  Marginalize these individuals by looking at what they wrote.  What they have written will reflect who they are.  If certain writings are being withdrawn and destroyed by this or that organization so that they can rewrite history, then locate copies of these writings and republish them and make they available to archives so that as a Movement we do not forget.

Theosophy is a constructive organization created to build one another up.  We should be careful about attacking others, no matter what kind of monsters they might be.  Karma will in the end take care of all of us.  We are not Karma.

Just a few thoughts,

Robert Bruce