Crows or Swans?

[Guest guest]

On Fri, 9 Apr 99, Samba wrote:

>Come on Srila Prabhu, it was a pun. No one was specificaly mentioned. I

>agree with Janesvara prabhu that one of the refreshing things about this

>conference is the ability of the devotees on it to be humorous, and not on

some kind of pedestal.

 

a) I think it's intended referent was quite clear.

b) What classifies simply as humor rather than a faux-pas becomes a fine line.

That is the tacky nature of humor. My point is we have to draw the line

somewhere, and I felt obliged to call it.

 

>Varnasrama is for all.

>We are brought up in western culture, so some of our innuendo (or whatever)

may be a little gross. What can we do!

 

So we should all continue to act like less-than-sudras? Perpetuate Western

culture forever? Where does varnasram fit in that kind of philosophy?

 

Varnasrama is not some kind of stick-in-the-mud, laid-back form of hill-billy

complacency. Human life means to get serious about our real business -

spiritual advancement -- and organizing a society that systematically

facilitates it. We need to exemplify VAD right here and now or it will go

nowhere.

 

"Progressive advancement at every step" must be our motto for

living. *Civilized* means "acting like a gentleman". I think the ladies are

already "there" (gentle) and us manfolk need to catch up with them, if we are

to judge a person by his/her actions.)

 

> I think it is far worse to directly criticise an older devotee, and brandish

misunderstood philosophy, than to indirectly poo poo a foolish new person, who

cant take a hint.

 

That's a separate issue. We should also deal with that and resolve this

uncouth form of interminable debate. This conference will otherwise become

more like a place of pilgrimage for crows rather than swans.

 

>It is very difficult to communicate fully on this medium.

>The trouble with cyberspace is that these personal dealings are absent, and

so stark text can often be misread.

 

So let's not give in to our lower impulses and belch out whatever comes to

mind! No more of those "stark" texts, O thoughtful men!

 

>A humble person, especialy a person with only a few short years of

>association under his belt, should be prepared to stand down when faced

>with almost unanimous dissaproval of his conduct. Instead of blustering on

>accusing other more senior people of misunderstanding.

 

Amen. He shouldn't have attacked the other members in the way he did in the

first place. He talks about respect for authority, but where is his decorum?

(Are you listening, Virender?)

 

> He needs to understand when it is time to halt the argument, and listen and

try to learn from the other perspectives.

 

Or pursue a more humble or indirect tack (like when sailing into the wind).

 

>I apologise to Virender if he feels we have been too harsh, but it would

>also be good to hear a little humility from his side.

 

You can apologize even when there was no need or call. Therefore, you are

a *gentleman*, Samba Prabhu. This conference needs to hear more from the likes

of civil folk like yourself.

 

Prabhupada said that we will know who is actually his disciple in that they

are a "perfect gentleman." Let's come to the standard and not settle for any

post-modern, cyber-space, American substitute.

 

Srila dasa