Theos-Talk Archives (September 1995 Message tl01058)

According to Eldon B. Tucker:
>
> >> 5. What can we know about the motives of TS leaders in general
> >> if their behavior may be determined by ES
> >> loyalties?
>
> I don't think that the E.S. sends out instructions regarding the
> operation of the T.S., how to vote, or how to conduct affairs --
> at least in the Adyar T.S.
>
> >>For example, if no TS member has to obey the TS
> >>President, but every ES member has to obey the OH and only ES
> >>members become national officers... the implication is that our
> >>democracy is a sham.
>
> Obey? We don't have to obey the T.S. President either. The job of
> the President is to maintain the organization of the Society, and
> to actively promote Theosophy in the world. This does not include
> giving orders to members.

But my point is, that if the same person wears both hats, she
can put on the ES hat to give orders to an ES member who also
happens to be a TS official. And those orders being secret,
like everything else in the ES, leaves non-ES members wondering
how much the TS may be influenced.
>
> >> 6. To what extent is TS opposition to historical research a
> >> manifestation of its domination by a secret inner group? Many
> >> have been turned away from the Adyar archives, and one wonders
> >> why there is such a secretive atmosphere.
>
> There's no conspiracy here. The reason for the opposition is simple,
> I'd think. People don't want to have their basic beliefs questioned.

That'd explain why Tillett and I were denied access. (Although
in Tillett's case it's very weird in that John Coats gave
instructions to the entire staff to give him free access to all
information, and RB simply refused to comply-- being
archivist/librarian at the time. This according to Tillett.)
But I know of at least two others with no such controversial
subject matter who have also been refused access.

> >> These are questions I ask myself about this vexing question.
>
> It's not a problem. The problem is with the stubborn resistance to
> change that is found in human nature, including in Theosophists, where
> the status quo is perferred over change as a general policy.

You may be right about the root cause, but it seems to me that
change in the TS is made less feasible by the power of the ES
than it otherwise might be.

Thanks for sharing your insights, Eldon.
PJ
>