Theos-Talk Archives (September 1995 Message tl01130)

>Since the issue of youth vs (middle) age has been raised by
>Jerry and Rich, I'd like to throw my 2 cents worth in and ask
>for comment from others of you who have been Theosophists for a
>while. Some free associations:
>
>At 26, I was overwhelmingly impressed with the vast panorama of
>knowledge available in HPB's writings. At 41, I'm
>overwhelmingly impressed by the vast extent of the unknown.

As someone who's about the same age as Rich (24), I'd like to respond
to this. I agree with some of both of what both Rich and Paul have
said in regard to age, but I tend to side with Paul. While, IMO,
Rich is justified in not wanting to be stuck in a box because of his
age (especially since he's been actively studying theosophy for 10
years), I think it greatly eases the life process if we realize the
kinds of attitudes people of different ages are likely to hold. We
in our mid-twenties do seem to think that the world can learn a whole
lot from us; we have the key to solving society's problems if they'd
only listen. But by noticing this, we can consciously move away from
that attitude and become more open-minded and look to our elders for
the wisdom that can only come from years of experience. This is how
to prevent age from becoming destiny (like anatomy??). So Rich, if you
don't want to be labeled as a young-un, don't act like one. Respecting
the experience of someone who has lived longer than you, as well as
acknowledging the impossibility in this world of ever really grasping
Truth, makes one seem a lot wiser and much more easy to get along with.
Look at Eldon; you'll never see him get flamed, because he has a very
kind and respectful attitude towards other people's views and a humble
one toward his own (correct me if I'm wrong, Eldon).

Thom
Thom Nelson *The Plant Plant* >> Specializing in Herbs
thomn@bev.net *Christiansburg, VA* >> and Perennials