Theos-Talk Archives (October 1995 Message tl00028)

Rich wrote:

>Eldon gets flamed all the time, and funny -- he expresses a lot of the same
>thoughts I do (not all).

I wouldn't say all the time; he definitely doesn't inspire the kind of anger
that you often do, and when he gets "flamed" it usually isn't because of the
tone
of his message, it's the content.

>
>There is a very hard time avoiding the discussion of people and their
>personalities, and there is a hard time focusing on the issues and the
>philosophy of Theosophy. Why just today, I've read comments on my sex life,
>my age, and my immaturity. And what does this have to do with the price of
>tea in China?
>
>More importantly, what do such discussions yield us as far as fruits in the
>study of Theosophy? I would venture -- very little.

Yes, these discussions won't yield any direct fruit in the way of Theosophical
knowledge, but they do help us to lay some ground rules on how we communicate on
theos-l. Proselytizing (sp?), condescending, and argumentative posts have no
place in any theosophical forum -- I'm as guilty as anyone in this respect. My
use of Eldon as an example was somewhat of a mistake, since none of us are
perfect, but I usually find the tone of his posts to be respectful, whereas
yours
usually aren't, unless you're agreeing with someone. But I also think that
others saying "Oh, Rich, so young and so..." is condescending and also isn't
appropriate.

We have to discuss these personal issues if we want to get down to real
business,
IMO.

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