Theos-Talk Archives (February 1998 Message tl00242)

Dear Robert, Dallas, Cayce students, theos-l participants:

This morning's mail brought two examples, on two different lists,
of a particular kind of post that I find very unproductive.  It's
a kind that puts down what a large number of people on the list
are finding engaging, interesting, worthy of discussion, and says
in essence "Since *I personally* am uninterested in this subject
I request/propose/demand that *all* of you drop it whether or not
your interest in it is exhausted."  I could apply many adjectives
to the attitude implicit in such a demand/request/proposal but
will limit myself to two: selfish and nonconstructive.

An unselfish and constructive way to do the same thing would be
to actually *do* yourselves what you are proposing that everyone
else do.  *Submit* a post on "the spiritual meaning of real life"
that excludes real life of shipwreck victims/survivors.  *Submit*
a post on the doctrinal aspects of Theosophy that makes no
reference to the politics of the Theosophical Society.  Putting
down others for what they post while posting nothing yourself of
the sort of thing you say *ought* to be posted is hardly helpful.

"Light a candle, or curse the darkness?"

According to Robert E. Stephens:
>
> My God!!! What is so important about the movie or the disaster that we
> expound, expand, extoll, explicate (is there such a word), examine,
> explore and ex- and ex- and ex, ad infinitum about what is to me a
> meaningless subject.  Let us get back to the spiritual meaning of real
> life.

All those posts you've been deleting might have provided some
evidence as to why it's important.  I've given all my reasons so
won't list them again.
>
> Robert
>
> P.S. Not aimed at you Ann in particular, but to us all.  I delete every
> message for the last week which mentions Titanic or is Titantic.

I delete a whole lot of messages but have never felt the need to
condemn them.  This is not aimed at you Robert, or you Dallas in
particular, but to all who feel called to post messages that
either angrily or loftily condemn the conversation of others
without providing anything constructive as a change of pace.  I've
seen it on a great many lists and newsgroups.

Best wishes,
Paul