Theos-Talk Archives (December 1995 Message tl00273)

Some thoughts and comments from several posts:

In a message dated 95-12-14 224352 EST you write:

>Because of the evident failure of the Adyar TS to keep its
>membership properly informed and involved in decisions affecting
>member's and Lodge's rights I think this electronic forum is a
>godsend and may have the eventual effect of making a more
>democratic organization out of it.

No doubt.

< if we create a new board
<every time a subject of limited popularity arises we will soon
<have our one forum fragmenting into more and more little ones.

I can understand this. However the politics and by-laws issues seem to have
more than limited interest. And because of the importance of the topic and
the sweeping effects that this type of communication could have on the TS a
board list dedicated to announcements changes votes officers isssues
basically a forum for the TS membership still seems like a good idea. There
are rumblings that the Internet poses a threat to some ULT associates and
there are no "election" issues. I can only imagine the threat it poses to
certain members of the TS and whenever something is threatening a change of
some sort is imminent.

< 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?

They paid tremendous attention to the formation and operation of the TS in
the beginning to get it started give it some inertia and get it on the right
track. This was required. However HPB said sorry no reference available
to the effect that she would shake off the TS like dust from her feet if it
should stray from the original program. To the extent that the TS is an
organization attempting to live up to the highest ideals of Theosophy it is
worthy of support. To the extent that the organization its "leaders"
really no longer exemplify the ideals of Brotherhood and Selflessness
displaying clear unbiased judgement dump it. Our allegiance to an
organization need be no greater than our personal convictions dictate
regardless of sentimentality for the founders. ULT associates are "loyal to
the founders of the Theosophical Movement" and in effect abandoned the TS
because it had strayed from the original lines laid down. So like the
United States there is a rebeliousness against autocratic or dictatorial
leadership

< this wonderful list may very well turn into the forum from which the
necessary
<reformation of the TSA is hashed out and launched.

Hopefully it will be. My proposal was not to take it off the Internet all
together but because of its importance eloquently argued in the post from
which this was taken I recommended a space of its own where these important
idealogical democratic issues could be addressed specifically and at length
without getting entangled in discussions of the eroticism of seeing one's
husband up to his elbows in soap suds at the kitchen sink.

If anything I propose getting more organized. Distribute the TS information
updates editorials voter issues etc. in a more formal matter making sure
that as many members as possible are aware that a forum specifically created
for the dissemination of this information has been established. My delete
key works just fine but there may be those people who do not want to wade
through the other stuff but would rather go straight to a place where this
information existed with someone in charge of the completeness timeliness
and accuracy of the information.

If this has no appeal by all means please stay.