Theos-Talk Archives (March 1998 Message tt00163)

Jerry Schueler wrote:=20
    Yes, it is to be taken literally.
            Thanks, that's simple enough.   Do you take it literally, =
Jerry?    Does this teaching become practice in your daily life, if you =
don't mind my asking?    I wonder how many of us can actually _practice_ =
it in the mundane world.=20
    Yes I take it litterally. Yes, it is practical. In fact, it is =
impossible to do anything else.
     =20
    >The idea is that we defend others first, and ourselves second.=20
   =20
        That's clear, but not quite.   Does that mean one Theosophist =
should be ready to die for one other person just like him or her?   (I =
realize that this is a bit off the original  question, okay....)=20
   =20
    No. There is never any need to die for a cause, an organization, or =
a person, unless
    you want to. Its a personal choice, not a theosophical one.
   =20
        If a Theosophist were on board a boat with just one other =
person, would it matter whom he or she tries to help first --the own =
self or  the other person-- because neither is more important than the =
other(unless one is president of the country)?   On the other hand, if =
the Theosophist were say, a crew member aboard the Titanic, the ideal =
thing to do will be to stay on the ship and save MANY MORE lives (not =
just one), which will be worth more than his own.   I think that we =
should put the MAJORITY first, not the minority.   I don't think it's =
right to sacrifice ourselves just for one other person.=20
   =20
    This shows the problems of mental gymnastics that we can get into =
with ethics.
    First be compassionate, and then ethics will always take care of =
itself.
   =20
        Jerry, do you think it is GdeP's ideal to give one's life to =
save a stranger who is just like us?   Or should we do so only for many =
lives, worth more than one of ours?  Just when do we put others before =
ourselves, and how many are those "others"?   As few as one?=20
     =20
    Anytime you want to give your life for a stranger, just go to any US =
city at night.
    The ethics involved are situational.

    Jerry S.