Theos-Talk Archives (May 1996 Message tl00013)

Rich,
This is one I may be responsible for without intending it.  I have been
called a heretic by lots of people since I was in grad school and found
myself involved (laughter is permitted) with a group of what we called Jesus
Freaks. (The girls were cute and no one was on drugs, which in the early 70's
was a matter of some importance.)  Well, being me, I naturally got into a
fight with the elders and came up with the Ministry of the Heretic.
Blasphemy is another word that causes a certain amount of mirth because of my
upbringing.  So when I saw those words I just sort of naturally started
laughing because they are two concepts that by my very nature I cannot take
seriously.  On the contrary, I consider them to be signs of independence,
qualities that one should aspire to.
Unfortunately, my friend Alex does take them very seriously and so words that
I consider to be social archaisms he took as personal insults.  And believe
it or not, I find the acrimony that all this has led to to be quite
distressing.  It is very difficult to talk about brotherhood (or my personal
choice, siblinghood) while we are verbally trying to do each other in.
The Gang of Five thing is fun, because it has a lot of truth to it.  We do
act like a gang at times, even though we fight among ourselves as much as we
fight everyone else. My friend Alex, for example, takes a great deal of
pleasure in tweaking me.  And Alan, who is supposed to be my friend, mind
you, just nominated me as the biggest asshole in the TS, but then possibly he
has never heard Horatio Costa, so I can forgive him.
What I am getting at is that we all have our idiosyncracies and even outright
idiocies and often they will come out on this list.  We all bring our
backgrounds to this field of honor and we all grate on each other.   You are
getting picked on for your PhD because most of us know people with one and
it's just sort of a natural thing we lesser beings do.
 And there is the matter of personal contact.  For example, I have met quite
a few people on this list and have talked to a few of them on the phone if I
have not met them.  Hell, I was at Eldon's wedding.  So I bring a personal
knowledge to this list that others may not have and that will influence my
behavior.  When I read Alex's comments, for example, I hear the inflection in
his voice, so things that may seem terribly insulting just by the words are
actually amusing.  And the same is true for some of the things I write to
him.  These things make a difference.  And there are a couple of people on
this list that I would not wish to be in the same room with, because I have
had that misfortune.   Some of us are thinner skinned, some, like me, have
the hide of a rhinosceros.  But all of us are of value, to this list and to
the theosophical world and it is important to remember that, no matter how
mad we may get at times.

Peace

Chuck the Barbarian MTI, FTSA, M G of 5
Heretic
Troublemaker