Theos-Talk Archives (September 2009 Message tt00064)

I wonder why we even need leaders in the first place.
 
Chuck the Heretic
 
 
In a message dated 9/11/2009 2:39:08 P.M. Central America Standard T,  
mkr777@gmail.com writes:

 
 
 
Let me add a few of my brief comments on issues related to TS.

While  the election is over more than a year ago, we all saw the actions of
many  of the section leaders and we are yet to see any action to bridge  the
cleavage demonstrated in the last meeting of the general council. Some  get
the feeling that everyone is hiding behind the silence (possibly  planning
next surprise move) and we have not seen any demonstration of any  
leadership
to get going.

The continued lack of transparency and the  loss of trust engendered by the
ultra secret effort to disenfranchise all  of us and the lack of recognition
of the error and need to openly eat crow  and apologize leaves many to
believe that unless some very bold and  creative dramatic steps are taken,
the cleavage will continue to linger on  and we have to wait for the next
generation of young creative imaginative  men and women takes over the
organization in all parts of the  world.

While street smartness can come with age, when has world  seen
septuagenarians and octogenarians responsible for coming up with new  and
creative ideas to contribute to growth of any enterprise. Let us all  hope
that we soon find young leaders around the world to take us to the  future.
Elders and old men and women cannot do it.

MKR

On  Fri, Sep 11, 2009 at 1:07 PM, katinka_hesselink <
_mail@katinkahesselimail@k_ (mailto:mail@katinkahesselink.net) >  wrote:

>
>
> 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://theosop_ 
(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/) 
>
>  
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been  removed]







[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]