Theos-Talk Archives (March 2012 Message tt00036)

I recall there was a mention of an offer couple of years ago by a
theosophist to donate scanning equipment along with an electric generator
to Adyar so that important documents could be digitized and there was zero
response.

It is not unusual to find unexplainable responses from theosophical
organizations even when well intentioned voluntary support is offered. At
the same time, we hear from time to time comments how it is very difficult
these days to find volunteers.

Three decades ago, the American Section was offered free help by a
theosophist in the audit of the books (which is an expensive recurring
work) which was not acted on by the then leaders. For example, according to
tax information filed by the Section, two years ago, the section spent more
than $100,000 on outside accounting services. If the offer three decades
ago was accepted, enormous amount of money could have been saved and it
could have been used for theosophical works instead of spending on keeping
the accounting books.

Reality is stranger than fiction.

MKR



On Wed, Mar 21, 2012 at 10:40 PM, vimal <vimal_b@zacMWHSeqUUlIgVfGPVxDlDZK3G4s6_9R4jn_MSzESquCtx_vberNcrZWubfIbIjoBlnDIZj_J7GYQ.yahoo.invalid> wrote:

> **
>
>
> This sounds perfectly sane.Its not only natural calamaties but also the
> fact that some precious books and documents lie in Adyar,subject to the
> damp hot and saline atmosphere of the sea coast..All these precious books
> should be digitised and openly available.
>
> Another thing that always puzzles me is why is theosophical knowledge
> spread only among theosophists. How come one never hears of talks in non
> theosophical groups?
>
> Its time an online signature campaign started outlining concrete steps to
> take to make the theosophic knowledge more easily accessible to the world
> at large.
>
> There are many people out there who would greatly benifit from a clear
> understanding of the evolution and what is our role in it.
>
> I think in the process of keeping the 'traditions' of the last century
> alive, the society has become the antithesis of what it set out to destroy
> in the first place-a center of ego-centricity where preserving itself
> became more important than growing and evolving. Hence the decline and
> disillusionment amongst so many truth seekers and people who cn see things
> in context of the world at large.
>
> If evolution is the key,why hasn't the society evolved?
>
> d thc the n In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, MKR <mkr777@...> wrote:
> >
> > Recently, the Albert Einstein archives announced the public access to the
> > scanned archives and should be commended. What the archives has done is a
> > pointer to much of the materials kept by libraries and private
> collections.
> >
> > <http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2401959,00.asp>
> >
> > Firstly, preserving original paper documents from degradation due to the
> > quality of originals as well as degradation due to exposure to wide range
> > of weather conditions. Current digital technology combined with
> world-wide
> > access to Internet offers a cost effective solution to the preservation
> of
> > valuable historical materials. Even if the originals are lost due to
> > natural causes - earthquake, fire, flood, theft etc. digital copies
> > preserve them for the future generations. Even when storage technology
> > changes, keeping up with them is quite easy since the conversion will be
> > automatic computer controlled.
> >
> > Theosophical organizations world-wide have large collection which can
> > benefit future researchers and historians and even theosophical students.
> > This is especially true of historical material during the days of HPB and
> > Olcott and others. There has not been any public information about
> current
> > steps taken to prevent loss of these valuable materials, nor of any plans
> > to preserve them for the future generations in the light of current
> digital
> > technology.
> >
> > Without conversion to digital media, in due course most of the valuable
> > materials can be lost for posterity. In the grapevine there has been talk
> > about the reluctance of individuals who have historical materials to
> donate
> > them to theosophical organizations due to two reasons. First is the long
> > run preservation and secondly access controlled by the whims of leaders
> > with their own fears and agenda.
> >
> > Theosophical organizations are yet to understand and make full use of
> > modern digital and communication advances. These tools need not be feared
> > about. They are indispensable for digital storage and distribution.
> >
> > I hope leaders will open up their eyes and move fast on this question.
> > Failure to move fast cannot help theosophy or theosophical organizations.
> >
> > MKR
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
>
>  
>


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