Theos-Talk Archives (April 1994 Message tl00052)

Thank you for a well-considered and heartfelt contribution.
One thing this makes me think about is a point Nancy Coker
mentioned about the Krotona event.  Afterwards, some folks said
that Theosophists had done well in the last decade at getting
together and being harmonious about the things we agree on.
But why not try to be harmonious while talking about our points
of disagreement?  Some such event was supposed to be in the
works but I don't know if anything came of it.

Another thought-- I personally am much more able to be tolerant
of things outside the realm of Theosophy that strike me as
nutty, than those elements within the movement that do.  When I
ask myself why, it's not easy to answer.  Has something to do
with feeling it's a betrayal of HPB to put her on the same
plane as (fill in the blank).  Anyway, this speaks to our group
karma.  We are chosen, if you will, to be a channel of
religious reconciliation-- and yet amongst ourselves are a
microcosm of the sectarian hostilities in the world.  How could
it be otherwise?

What I have found is that we tend to be avoidant of points of
conflict because we want to avoid the negative emotions they
invoke.  But I think we need the courage to deal with those
points while struggling against the negative emotions.  Quite a
challenge, though, requiring a gradual desensitization.