Theos-Talk Archives (July 1996 Message tl00063)

At one level, I am appalled by the level of confrontational
rhetoric and mutual mistrust that has often prevailed on
theos-l.  But at another level, it seems that the microcosm
must reflect the macrocosm, and these commodities have never
been in short supply in the history of the Theosophical
movement.  Most of the original founders flew the coop rather
quickly.  There was deep suspicion and distrust between Olcott
and HPB; then between Olcott on one side and Judge and Besant
on the other; then Besant changed sides; then it was Olcott and
Besant vs. Leadbeater; then Besant changed her mind about CWL
and lost of bunch of prominent members... ad nauseum.  The ES
seems to have been center stage in almost all of the
confrontations and explosions of mistrust.

What would it take to heal such a deep-seated pathology?  It's
easy to say, "Disband the ES, pass the Theosophical Bill of
Rights" and so on.  But that is saying what "They" would have
to do to heal it.  When the question is "What can *I* do to
bring healing?" the immediate and obvious answer is "Not a damn
thing, so forget it."  Why pour any more energy and time into
the bottomless pit of Theosophical conflict?  But if theos-l is
a microcosm, then perhaps sending some healing energy into this
particular vortex of pathology can reverberate outside it?  And
how would we go about doing that?

Just wondering.