Theos-Talk Archives (March 1998 Message tl00023)

I received the ACTivist Newsletter today. I am very glad to see a lot of
members taking interest in the future of TSA.

As we are approaching the next Millennium, I am yet to see both at the
International as well as the National level any long term mission/vision
articulated.

Once the vision/mission is articulated then only it is possible to develop
programs and strategies at all levels -- down to the individual so that all
the creative ideas and energies of everyone can contribute to work towards
the vision/mission.

What is most productive is the intelligent and enthusiastic cooperation of
everybody to achieve the vision/mission. What we see is the secrecy
shrouding the issues, the thinking and the plans at the top.

A glaring example is seen in the most recent issue of Quest. There is an
article on the visit of the National President to Adyar last December.
While there are a lot of trivial details (which have nothing to do about
either the present or the future of the TS/TSA) about his visit, all that
was mentioned about the all day meeting of the General Council was just a
casual mention and nothing else.

General Council is the top Council at the International level where all the
National Presidents(Secretaries) are represented and which deals with major
policy issues.

Today's intelligent, enthusiastic and interested membership expect to be
taken into full confidence and be informed of the policy issues and
problems facing the TS as it enters the next millennium and the general
thinking about how to address them.

An open and free top down and bottom up communication cannot but help TS
and TSA. Secrecy and membership being treated like "mushrooms" (kept in the
dark) may have been ok in the days of Initiate Kings but not in today's
democratic form of organization which TS is supposed to be. This is all the
more important as we see the continuous downward trend of the membership
with no light at the end of the tunnel.

I am very hopeful that with the increased interest of large numbe of
Concerned Theosophists, we can move TSA forward with Godspeed to a more
open and less secret administration as we embark upon the next millennium.

mkr