Theos-Talk Archives (January 1997 Message tl00233)

On Thu, 9 Jan 1997, Tom Robertson wrote:
> 
> I infer from this statement a perception by you of a more firm conclusion
> on my part than I have.  But you are right about my not being interested in
> listening.  Especially since I don't particularly care about what happened
> with the Boston Lodge, it takes very little such abusive vitriol to lead me
> to conclude that I have much better ways of educating myself.  My advice to
> JRC is that some people will lay down their lives to oppose arrogant
> bullies.   
> 
I infer from this statement you are calling me an "arrogant bully". Good.
It was my intention to be just that. I had two purposes in my Boston Lodge
posts. The first was to (as I do periodically) raise the issue of the
situation for newcomers to the list. HQ has gotten away with a lot of
things over the last few years by supressing any awareness of their
activities from the general membership. To the extent that I can, I mean
to make sure a light is shined on behaviour that HQ wishes to remain in
the dark.

The second was to reflect your energy back at you as precisely as
possible. Everyone carries around an energy with theem. I know people
that, upon entering a room, merely by their presence seem to harmonize
and uplift. It is more than words, it is general tone. In your case,
regardless of what your opinions are of yourself, from the moment you
entered the list you introduced an energy of divisiveness, had numbers of
people enraged and battling one another, and on numerous occaisions used
well developed rhetorical skills in a manner as viscious as anything I've
seen on this list (and that's really saying something). It was exceedingly
evident with perspective. The list has gone through periods of fighting,
and periods of relative harmony. When you first signed on, it was in one
of its periods of quiet, harmonious discussions - and almost overnight,
within a couple days of your first posts, it was a place of almost violent
conflict. You spoke to people in exceedingly condescending, demeaning and
judgemental terms, on a couple of different occaisions wrote posts clearly
designed to goad people into behaviour that you then critisized them for,
and throughout the situation, responded to every comment that you were
doing so, that you were causing deep dissension in our *community*, with
self-righteousness and further attacks. 

My own particular way of dealing with such situations - the way of the Tao
- is to not only reflect the energy as completely as possible, but to
actually magnify it to levels where it becomes so absurd that even the
originator of it loses the urge to generate it. Call me a bully if you
want - but a few people that were bullied by *you* (regardless of how
innocent you believe yourself to be) are not unhappy to see you receiving
your own energy ... and not at all suprised that you don't like it.

You may wonder why I actually seem to have a bit of credibility on the
list - certainly from your experience I shouldn't. But you must
understand, this list is a *Lodge* of an entirely new sort - IMO almost
closer to the originating idea of TS Lodges than has been possible up to
now - the diversity of opinions, presence of people from all factions and
even a considerable number of different countries and cultures. Those that
have been on it for some time have developed quite complex relationships
with one another ... have witnessed each other's turmoil and growth, have
seen one another in a variety of different moods, and have, perhaps, come
to know a bit of the permanent that lies under the transient. We have
learned one another's sore spots, but also seen one another at our best.
We've seen profound enemies become close friends - seen people who would
never interact thrown into contact with each other, and learn tolerance at
levels few situations give the opportunity to learn ... the work of real,
as opposed to theoretical, spiritual growth. There are people that I think
I haven't agreed with about *anything* that I can honestly say I *love*,
and would be terribly disturbed to see them leave our on-line Lodge. 

And I will continue to reflect your tone. Ordinarily this is not something
I'd bother with, but you have done the one thing that, as bad as fights on
this list have gotten, I have *never* seen done. While many have called
the behaviour or attitudes of others "untheosophical" ... I can't recall
*anyone* having the utter arrogance to say another list member shouldn't
even call themself a Theosophist. You have the right to introduce any
energy you wish into our Lodge. I have the right to answer that energy in
any way I wish. If you approach me with elevated tones, that is how I will
respond. You can blast away at me if you want - I have a *very* thick skin
and you have no ability to damage me, or my credibility in any way - but
any shot you take you will receive back ... raised to the second power and
framed in rhetoric as developed as yours. I'll meet you on any battlefield
*you* determine - but would prefer not to battle at all. It is up to you.
You wanna call me an "arrogant bully" that you will "fight to the death"?
Cool! Would you like me to give you a half dozen quotes from your own
posts that, to everyone but yourself, would be considered those of an
"arrogant bully"? I'd be most happy to ... because the reason I have
credibility is because regardless of what *tone* I speak in in, I do not
make statements without first having evidence to do so. 
							Regards, -JRC