Theos-Talk Archives (December 1995 Message tl00250)

Rich ...

>Does the ULT have its share of politics? Of course it
>does--people are involved. But the method of operation
>minimizes the unfortunate events which plague the TS and divert
>its attention from its mission. Witness the current "lengthy"
>discussion of political events on this List taking up time and
>space better utilized by the discussion of the ideas and
>teaching of Theosophy.

But its not a zero sum game. The potential space on the list has
no limits obviously no post was rejected by the listserver
because there were already too many other posts ... and clearly
the people who have chosen to spend the time in political
discussions believe that at this point in time their time is
better utilized by contributing to a discussion of institutional
matters than talking about the seven rounds - or they would have
written about the seven rounds.

>I propose all discussion of the TS's and any other
>organization's politics by-laws officers internal squabbles
>gossip etc. be moved to a separate board.
>
>Does anyone else agree?

I would disagree with moving the discussion ... the simplest
reason being the one Jerry's already mentioned - that we can't
really start creating new boards for every discussion that lasts
more than a few days; besides at least up to now the subject
lines on the posts dealing with TSA politics have been quite
obvious enough to permit the use of the delete key by those
uninterested in the thread.

I think however that there is a more important reason grounded
in theosophy itself for not considering organizational politics
to be somehow less valuable a topic than purely philosophical
discussions are.

Throughout the centuries humanity has hatched a great number of
fine elevated religious and philosophical schools and
traditions. And if ideas were all that mattered we would have
all long ago reached enlightenment. The devil has always been in
the details. If there is any single and profound problem that we
humans must whether now or millenia from now face it is the
problem of making the *expression* of our religious and
philosophical ideas in day to day life personal and
institutional remain in harmony with their intellectual and
spiritual beauty. It is also the problem that takes the greatest
spiritual courage for members of traditions to face ... because
it is so damned uncomfortable distasteful and especially in
juxtaposition with elevated philosophical thought is capable of
producing an almost instinctual revulsion. But every light shined
on humanity must inevitably produce a shadow and the type and
intensity of the light determines the size and type of the shadow
.. and I cannot think of a single historical example of a
religious or philosophical tradtion that has yet *fully taken
responsibility for its shadow* ... and thus could Christian
philosophers discuss the finer points of God's love at the same
time as the inquisition was slaughtering people; thus can
Catholics and Protestants shed one another's blood on the streets
of Ireland; thus could the framers of the US Constitution be
slave owners; the list could go on endlessly.
Theosophy as inspired in its latest incarnation by the
likes of Morya Koothoomi DK and formulated into an exoteric
organization by HPB IMO had as one of its features a
startling concept: That to those serious about occult science and
spiritual growth the comfortable line between the light and the
shadow between the pristine beauty of the thought and the
sometimes distasteful messiness of personality life not only
does not but *can not* be permitted to exist. In fact I believe
the chief thing that differentiates between exoteric and esoteric
organizations may possibly boil down to that single concept.
To accept theosophy as one's principle philosophical
tradtion means one cannot simply go to confession every
to church every and on the days inbetween have an affair
with one's secretary female *or* male -: screw one's business
partner out of money engage in greed deceit ingenuine
manipulations slap around one's children and ignore the problems
in one's community. It is a committment to *erase* the inner line
that in much of humanity still enables a *seperation* between
the "spiritual" and the "normal day to day" aspects of one's
life.
The goal may be the highest it is possible to conceive of:
An elevated philosophy reified *totally* into every moment of
one's day and referenced as the guide for every intention every
action in even the most seemingly mundane components of life.
Understanding of the philosophy through intellectual discussions
lectures reading and meditating certainly is a part of this but
is only half and perhaps not even the most difficult half of
the picture. While none of us would say that we had perfected the
expression of the philosophy any more than we'd claim to have
mastered its intellectual components I would claim that
discussion and in depth analysis of that expression in both our
personal lives as well as in the organizations purporting to
represent Theosophy is not only not unimportant but is in fact
fully *equally* as important as discussions and analysis of the
ideas themselves.
And this is not simply an arbitrarily devised belief but
comes from my own reading of "source" literature. The glimpses
we get of the Masters are of people that were not isolated
philosophers who spent most of their time in philosophical
discussions ... both they and HPB did study did meditate but
also travelled widely and spent considerable attention on
seemingly "trivial" matters. The Masters we get hints lead
organizations were at least titular heads of monestaries & etc.
Even further it is clear from the ML that their *time and
attention* were considered by themselves and by their Chief as
being a very rare and valuable commodity that was never lightly
allocated or unthinkingly spent and it is IMO a significant
statement from *them* about what they considered a relevent
"utilization of time" that throughout the ML they spend a not
inconsiderable amount of time talking to Sinnet and others
about some of the most seemingly mundane charateristics of the
personalities involved in the TS took a personal interest even
in particular issues of the magazines in particular meetings
who should hold what office even in the financial aspects of the
organization. In short much as we'd like to ignore the
organization and focus only on ideas the Masters themselves as
well as HPB took the *organization itself* to be a *spiritual
project* important enough to claim their immensely valuable time
and energy.
How can we then ignore it? How can we claim to follow the
"teachings" but ignore a large part of the message? How can we
permit whoever has control of the organization to simply do
whatever they wish unquestioned even when their behaviour
becomes increasingly disturbing? In the last few years the TSA
has lost a *fifth* of its membership - a cursory glance at the
report on the Theosophical Investment Trust Funds in the AT and
there are several people now determined to look in far greater
depth at the financial situation at HQ shows that between
3/31/94 and 3/31/95 *one year* they seems to have lost between
$90000 and $1000000 - something approaching a fifth - of their
value. And the same people responsible for this situation are
those now attempting to re-write bylaws in such a dashion as to
give them greater institutional and financial *control* over the
members and Lodges across the country.
The TSA is in *trouble* - and perhaps many of us that were
and are members bear some responsibility - the responsibility
that comes from not paying attention from keeping our uneasiness
and complaints silent within ourselves ... from not *taking the
organization as seriously as the Masters and HPB did* and
instead contenting ourselves with the delights of the philosophy
alone.

It is just my opinion but I definately do *not* think
discussions of Theosophical politics are inappropriate on this
list - especially because the members forum which is what the AT
was *promised* to be when it was split from the Quest has been
almost completely stolen from the membership and turned into
something often resembling an ideological platform; because HQ is
increasingly refusing people access to the information needed to
distribute any views opposing its own ... even if the opposition
is willing to fully bear the expense; this wonderful list may
very well turn into the forum from which the necessary
reformation of the TSA is hashed out and launched. How wonderful
it is that no one can control the discussion here well John
Mead could but doesn't - *THANK YOU JOHN* - and how unfortunate
that this may be the only national Theosophical space in which
the independence of thought and freedom of expression ....
qualities prized by everyone from the Buddha to HPB .... is
actually able to be expressed in all its fullness.
-JRC
[PS. Its time.]
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