Theos-Talk Archives (January 1997 Message tl00919)

At 02:19 AM 1/30/97 -0500, you wrote:
>I ran across the following quote from one of HPB's articles, entitled
>"What Are the Theosophists?" in the first "Theosophist," published in
>October, 1879: 
>
>"Unconcerned about politics; hostile to the insane dreams of Socialism
>and of Communism, which it abhors--as both are but disguised
>conspiracies of brutal force and sluggishness against honest labour;
>the Society cares but little about the outward human management of the
>material world. The whole of its aspirations are directed towards the
>occult truths of the visible and invisible worlds. Whether the
>physical man be under the rule of an empire or a republic, concerns
>only the man of matter. His body may be enslaved; as to his soul, he
>has the right to give to his rulers the proud answer of Socrates to
>his judges. They have no sway over the inner man." 
>
>Although I agree with her conclusion that Socialism and Communism are
>evil (due to their being extremes, not due to their not having
>anything good about them), I find the first two phrases hard to
>reconcile.  In the very same sentence, she says that the Theosophical
>Society is unconcerned with politics and hostile to what I have always
>considered to be political philosophies.  The rest of the quote makes
>its lack of concern for politics clear, but how else would Communism
>and Socialism be categorized? 
>

>From the beginning, TS as an organization has always kept itself out of
politics all over the world.

HPB has repeatedly said (I am quoting from memory) that real change can be
accomplished only by changing the attitudes and ideas of man/woman from
within. Any change externally is not going to solve the basic human problem.
>From that point of view neither communism nor socialism is a solution.

Just by 2 cents. Your mileage and direction may vary.

MKR