Theos-Talk Archives (December 1999 Message tl00078)

>  In understanding and accepting this aspect of ourselves, can we also
pledge to
> practise "the golden rule?"  Although there are many versions of this
rule, I
> like (but am not attached to) the version of Confucious- " Do unto
another what
> you would have him do unto you, and do not do unto another what you
would not
> have him do unto you.  Thou needed this law alone.  It is the
foundation of all
> the rest."

Ah! I beg to differ. Heartily. In fact, what I'd love is for people to
once and for all get beyond the utter childishness of the "Golden Rule".
It's a fantasy - drilled into our heads as a "good" since the moment we
are born. It is a "law" that has *NEVER* been followed, by anyone, in
any life. *Including* those many people that so eloquently try to state
the law. Including Confucious. And Jesus "I'll whip your butts if you
don't stop selling stuff in the temple" Christ, and Koot "the western
world is composed of unevolved cretins" Hoomi, and hosts of others. Life
doesn't happen in utopias - and in fact, everytime someone *has* tried
to enforce an ideal - either personally or at the collective level -
that has never been seen on earth, the inevitable consequence is that it
turns into its polar opposite. Thus does "niceness" turn into
passive-aggressiveness, and sophisticated rhetorical tricks that very
"politely" demean and take shots at others. Thus did the ideal of
communism turn into the brutality of the Soviet regime. And this reaches
a most delightful peak in the TS - whose history is full of decades of
leaderships condescending to its memberships, Byzantine corridors of
power, egotistical leaders who travel the world on member's dues and
scheme to hold power ... and who primarily use, as their most effective
defense against anyone that dares criticize them, the notion that the
critics are being "unbrotherly", "untheosophical".

Instead of continually preaching the "golden rule" (as we have
completely unsuccessfully for several thousand years - the one thing we
can count on, happy campers, is that we are *not* a race given to
following *other* people's rules), maybe its about time we all just grew
up. Instead of telling*others* to follow what you consider to be some
standard of niceness, or politeness, or gentile behavior of some sort,
why not instead look to *yourself* - why does conflict bother you?
Someone attacks personally? SO WHAT?

This is, in the most fundamental theosophical sense, *personality level*
fun. You will *not* have reached the final point of evolution when the
slightest word, the barest of insults, the idle banter, the verbal
thrust and parry of something as superficial as an bloody internet
discussion list (for goodness sake) is capable of upsetting you ... but
rather, when such utterly illusive and meaningless mists pass through
you without finding anything they are capable of touching. When you get
attacked, and - with a huge grin on your face - blast back ... engaging
others fully on the ground upon which they walk ... but never forgetting
that its all but lines spoken on the Big Stage, and that when we engage
like that its just the horseplay of spirits - making hand-shadows
pretend to bump into each other on the wall ... at the spiritual level
we are bear cubs rolling around in the spring grass - and those we
*appear* to be fighting with are really only those we are playing with -
as bear cubs play - and (as with the cubs) in that play strengthening
our hearts and minds and spirits.

This is a *Theosophical* discussion list. Of *course* there is often
conflict - most of those here are attempting to *grow*. Which is *not* a
matter of sterile intellectual understanding, but rather a
transformation of the entire energy system. Often the people that
positively *nail* one another at a seemingly very personal level are
single-handedly doing *more* for one another's *growth* than 20 friends
with whom they always agree. Its precisely *at* the personal level where
this happens. People can study the books for lifetimes, and see barely a
wit of change in the size, or depth, or development of their souls. And
one life of laying oneself bare to everything, risking everything,
diving into what is feared most, avoiding nothing ... can provide
immense fuel to the maturation of the spirit.

*My* suggestion to you? Don't stay on the list because there will be
times of no conflict, when nice, polite, calm discussion of esoteric
minutiae takes place in controlled tones ... but rather, stay on it
precisely *because* it will often upset you, even make you mad,
uncomfortable, because you'll find all sorts of people acting in ways
you'd prefer they didn't. You won't get peace here. But you might find a
strange sort of growth. There's not all that many places that you can
tumble around on the grass, in quite this way, with other bear cubs.

Stomp the Terra (-:), -JRC