Theos-Talk Archives (July 1996 Message tl00308)

To continue where I left off:

If discourse is to be theosophical, that is to be informed by
the spirit of divine wisdom, it must be distinguished by a
bedrock mutual respect for one another as spiritual pilgrims.
That requires a recognition of the fragility of what any of us
calls "my knowledge" and an appreciation for the many levels of
meaning at which any proposition may be either true or false.
Communicating with subtlety and depth requires a willingness to
go beyond a win/lose paradigm to a win/win model which allows
us to learn even from those with whom we disagree.  

It seems that the win/lose approach leads to denigrating Theosophists with
whom we have disagreements.  The result is ultimately a
lose/lose situation in which the entire movement is unable to
conduct discourse a way that reflects our stated values and
objectives.