Theos-Talk Archives (March 1997 Message tl00088)

The recent online publication of ML to APS by TUP is a great landmark.

All publishing outfits have a vested interest in *not* publishing anything
on line, because of the fear that it would cut into their printed versions.
TUP having taken the decision is remarkable in that it simply shows that the
driving force behind the decision is to make the Theosophical classic
accessible to everyone in the world. This at a time and place (USA) where
one thinks of charging a fee (called a fee or price or a suggested donation
or whatever) is all the more telling. Usually you see $ signs everwhere. One
only has to wonder what would have happened to TS if HPB had a suggested
donation or fee for anyone who dropped in to her home (which was open to
anyone interested) in NY to join discussions in the early days of TS.

        Another thing to be noticed is that Internet is a great leveller. It
puts a small organization/association of persons with no formal funding on
par with others with lots of money in the bank -- compare TI with TSA for
example.

        With copyrights of all the Theosophical classics having expired, the
arrival of Internet is timely. Soon we will see all the classics available
on Internet for free to anyone rich and poor being treated on equal footing.

        I suppose it is in the plans of Those behind the Theosophical
Movement to make the invaluable knowledge accessible to more people around
the world for free. Soon there will come a time when lodges, centers etc may
not at all be  critical for the spreading of Theosophy and in turn ordinary
human beings using its message of philanthropy for helping fellow human
beings, which is after all fundamental driving objective when the Real
Founders chartered TS.

My 2 cents worth. Your mileage and direction may vary.


MKR