Theos-Talk Archives (November 1995 Message tl00520)

Following up the discussion of age distribution in the
Theosophical movement:
My first contact was with the Adyar TS in 1978 after which I
encountered the ULT in 1979 and the Pasadena TS in 1980. At
this time I was in my mid-20s and there seemed to be a very
large number of over--45s and a substantial number of people my
age but no one from 30-45. In other words people whose
childhoods were in the 1940s and earlier or the 1960s were
there but no one from the 50s "silent" generation. This
indicates to me that between 1970 and 1980 the average age may
have actually gone down after rising for the previous several
decades.

So perhaps the dearth of Gen-X members and inquirers-- whose
formative years were the late 70s and 80s-- will be succeeded by an influx
of children of the 90s. After all the 50s and 80s were decades
of materialistic complacency whereas the 40s 60s early 70s and 90s
were marked by cultural ferment and idealism.

Maybe a vain hope; maybe there's something to it.