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Re: Theos-World Theosophist, June 1936, p. 242 on Hitler

Feb 23, 2005 07:31 PM
by Jerry Hejka-Ekins


John,

I might comment based on my small 5 years of exposure to Television. I was Floor Director and Host Camera for 11 Shows twice monthly for 5 years at our Community Channel here. My observation of the Hosts for these shows goes like this: they have a breifing 15 -30 minutes prior to the Show where they chat with the Guest asking questions and clearing the routine for the show. going in they are almost always entirely vacant of personal knowledge of the guests field and afterwards they forget it entirely and go on to the next Show.

Wow. Our community channel doesn't even bother with the 15-30 minute briefing! Yes, television is a lot about ego. My family originally moved to California around 1915 in order to get work in the then new movie industry. My brother is the last one who stayed with it. I remember going to his house for parties where he was entertaining various actors and actricess. The conversations were so narcissic and vacuious of meaningful content (about operations and facelifts etc.) that I looked for opportunities to leave the room.

When we went into Iraq I taped a contract Host for "F__" attempting to appear like he was informing us all out here in the public and he says "Saudi Arabia doesn't even have an Army" my mouth dropped open in amazement. I thought "oh really? well then why did they purchase all those M1 Abrams A-2 Model Main Battle Tanks when Chrysler couldn't effect a purchase order from the Pentagon a few years ago?"
There is a great book out which you might enjoy. It is called: House of Bush, House of Saud the secret Relationship between the world's two most powerful dynasties. by Craig Ungar. The relationship isn't so secret. I have been following these connections in the Wall Street Journal for years, but most people don't read newspapers and the TV news doesn't talk about these things. Instead people get immersed in non-news like the Scott Peterson trial. What is great about the book is that it follows the money, names the corporations, banks and politicians who are involved in the buying and selling of oil contracts, weapons to Iraq and Iran etc. Among other things, it documents about $1.4 billion that moved from the Saud family to the Bush family. All of the documentation is checkable. Most of it is buried in newspaper accounts that few people read and even less understand for what they are.
Jerry, I would be interested if you might list for us what in particular you consider important today in 2005 and how you think each item can be used widely and publically.

Basically, the philosophy Blavatsky was trying to promote is a kind of universal perennialism--ie all religions are branches of a common tree. That makes Theosophy the trunk. She also had the notion of the universe emenating from a single source, and humanity with a common heritage. If these notions were commonly held by all humanity, I believe the world would be vastly different and more pleasent. So did HPB. The ideas have implications concerning human responsibilities to other humans, social activism and social justice. She develops these ideas into doable activities for individuals and groups, and tried to model some of this activism in the early days of the TS. But after she died, the TS took a very different turn and her approach forgotten in favor of the expectation of a new age Christ. Look in the index in the Key to Theosophy under words like

"Altruism," "Brotherhood," "Cant," "Charity," "Ethics," Ideals" (relating to efforts of TS members),"Justice," "Karma (in terms of personal responsibility)," "Suffering"


All of these key words will lead to discussions which point out human responsibilities and ways for their fulfillment in such a manner to benefit all of humanity. HPB never pinned her teachings upon the expectation of this or that savior, but upon humanity to pull itself out of the mud. These types of discussions are all through her writings, but nicely summarized in the Key. For a chat board, I would love to see one dedicated exclusively to these ideas. Alexandria West does this and I would like to find and work with other activist groups who are applying them.



As to War it is easy to accept a generality that seems to have easy acceptance is the primary reason that promulgates a War but historians often find analytic reasons that are significantly different than what aroused groups do and say.
Yes, absolutely. And those reasons usually boil down to economics and/or the opportunity for a small hand-full of already privledged families to increase their already enormous wealth and power. Even with idealological wars like Vietnam, huge amounts of money moved up to the upper 4%. When I was teaching composition courses, I talked to a lot of freshman at the University here. Most of them admire the upper 4% and want to be like them. They have this wild idea that they will be joining them when they get their MBA. They've been brainwashed into believing that they can rise far above their economic roots to the top of the hill. In reality, even a move of just one step up the social latter is very rare, and to get to the top requires family connections. Selfishness and greed combined with naivete and ignorance wins out every time.
Jerry







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