Theos-Talk Archives (June 1995 Message tl00066)

Dear Alan,

No, I don't think the people who were slaughtered by the Nazis
"deserved it".  But let me tell you there's something about some
Jews that puts them on the defensive.  For centuries, they were
accused of doing horrible things because they were different, and
their ways were misunderstood by the Christians in Europe, just
for instance.  They were thought of as sinners, for 1 thing,
because they refused baptism.  Hundreds of years of saying "No,
I'm not.", "No, I didn't do that", and getting to believe
yourself that maybe you are that horrible thing anyway, since
everyone says you are, can really make you be continually on the
defensive, & thus give off vibes that attract that others to
making you their scapegoat.  Just for instance, I was brought up
to be very quiet & sedate, & dress very simply, so I would fit in
with the others, & not be identified as a loud Jew.  Jews are
supposed to be very loud.  Do you see what the interaction is
there? That's the Karma the Jews have.  I know it well, & I think
that, with Harry's help, I got rid of a good chunk of it.

But the other point is, while everyone thinks that the Nazis were
horrible creatures, which is true, everyone is so outraged that
they forget that these too were human beings.  Not all of them
were as depraved as Hitler & his inner circle.  They must've gone
through hell too.  No one can kill & torture that wantonly & not
be adversely affected by it.  I agree with you that it would be a
good thing for everyone to see the Bergen Belsen movies.  But if
that would somehow be made to lead to breaking this cycle of
raising sadists & masochists, I'd feel a lot better.

To come down to personal experience of breeding sadists &
masochists, I know of a kid in my neighborhood who's highly
intelligent & ambitious, and his father beats him, but not just
slightly, he gets drunk & beats him.  What's going to happen to
that kid when he gets to be an adult.  All the grown-ups who have
an influence over him are trying to smoothe the path for him, &
so far so good.  He's a great kid.  But I wonder what getting
beat up every now & so often by his father is going to do to him.
Maybe he'll turn into a sadistic Nazi.  I think, I strongly
believe that our Theosophical job is to lift up people wherever &
whenever we can.  With our neighbors, we can make a difference, &
if enough of us make a difference with our neighbors, maybe we
can stoop the cycle sooner or later.

Shanti

Liesel