Theos-Talk Archives (September 2009 Message tt00063)

And is it possible to get officials in the TS whose names we can  pronounce?
 
I think we need to remember two questions before we make the mistake of  
picking people based on what caste they are from.  First, how many Indians  of 
lower caste are even in the Society?  How many of them have the  necessary 
personal skills, education etc, to be able to function in a leadership  
position of any kind?
 
I think one of the fundamental mistakes that is made is the assumption that 
 holding a position of leadership in the TS is anything more than a merely  
administrative matter, who ensures that the lawn is mowed and that the next 
 highway only goes through the least expensive part of the estate, for  
example.  When we make the error of becoming respecters of persons we get  into 
all manner of difficulties about the persons themselves.
 
Chuck the Heretic
 
 
In a message dated 9/11/2009 1:08:37 P.M. Central America Standard T,  
mail@katinkahesselink.net writes:

 
 
 
Hi all,

I've read Preethi's account of relations at Adyar last year  with interest, 
however, I'm not surprised Mary Anderson denies the charges  against Radha. 
After all it's one thing to complain a bit about relations with  one's 
coworkers as they're going on. It's quite another to want them published  on the 
internet for anybody to read. 

Theosophists I meet sometimes  tell me things and then add: don't publish 
that. I guess Mary Anderson should  have said the same to Preethi. Or better 
yet: Preethi should have asked Mary  in advance whether she wanted those 
comments published. In the Internet age  we're all journalists in a sense and 
we have to take the responsibility that  comes with that to only publish 
about other people what is absolutely  essential AND they agree can be 
published. 

It's different when it's  issues of principle. Like when we were all 
protesting the potential change in  how the president is elected. Or when we're 
talking about who the new  president is going to be. But right now all that is 
settled and we need to get  back to the work or running lodges and 
magazines, publishing books and  organizing lectures. 

It's a normal fact of life that people who work  together sometimes get 
along great, and at others don't. Posting such  temporary complaints online a 
year after they happened is of no use to  anybody, aside from the interest 
most of us have in gossip. 

If the TS  is going to move forward into the 21st century in a way that is 
of use to  humanity, we're going to have to face some real issues, instead 
of getting  side tracked into personal complaints. 

Real issues we're  facing:

- how to build community online in a way that is productive and  helps 
people grow spiritually
- how to build community offline: help our  lodges grow and be places of 
real study and a meeting place for people of  diverse cultural and religious 
backgrounds
- how to transform our magazines  into well... magazines. Quest is an 
actual magazine in this sense, though it  might have a higher percentage of in 
depth theosophical content. The  Theosophist and the Dutch magazine Theosofia 
(two of the magazines I know)  aren't magazines in any other sense than that 
they're published in a magazine  format. They don't have a column for 
letters sent in, for instance. Theosofia  doesn't even have a column by the 
editors. 

One issue Preethi is  complaining about is valid though: how important 
should it be whether people  are first, second or third generation theosophists? 
(I'm first btw)  

There's a grey line here. It's natural to trust family more than  others, 
but when a family member turns out to not be very good at the job you  gave 
them, they should be replaced. 

At Adyar another issue is also  pressing: the issue of caste. Can something 
be done about the prevalence of  high caste Indians in positions of power? 
Or on other words: is enough done to  reach out to lower caste (varna, jati 
whatever you want to call it) members of  the TS? Does the Indian section 
even have such members in positions of  influence?

In the West, similarly, are we reaching out to people of  color enough? to 
Muslims? And if we should, how should that be  done?

Those are just a few of the issues I think about when I think  about where 
the TS is headed, or should be headed. I do wonder: what do you  all think 
the real challenges of the TS are?

I will only promise to  read responses to this post, posted here: 
_http://theosophicalhttp://theosophihttp://theohttp://theosophihttp://theosophttp://th
eosop_ 
(http://theosophicalsociety.wordpress.com/2009/09/11/challenges-theosophical-society-adyar/) 

Katinka  Hesselink

_http://www.katinkahhttp://wwhttp_ (http://www.katinkahesselink.net/) 
_http://www.overpeinhttp://ww_ (http://www.overpeinzende.nl/) 
_http://www.allconsihttp://www._ (http://www.allconsidering.com/) 







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