Anton Rozman – Slovenia
Mr. Anton Rozman joined the TS in 1992. At present he is an unattached member of the Canadian Theosophical Association and lives in Koper, Slovenia.
It seems that the road, now in front of the Theosophical Society, presents itself, not as a wide and plain highway but rather as a narrow and steep pathway leading to the top of the mountain. It is not an unfamiliar pathway. We know it well. It was this pathway along which we left the mountain heights in our wish to bring Theosophy to the people. And we were successful. There is practically no place in this world which we left untouched. In one way or another, every human activity was touched by the doctrines we consider Theosophical and by the ideas incorporated within the lofty aims of our Society.
But at the same time something happened. It seems that at the same time something went terribly wrong. Our so cherished doctrines and ideas didn’t find practical application in people’s everyday life. Moreover, it seems that along the way we ourselves have missed to apply them. How is this possible? Is it not because our precious flower can bloom only at the edges of mountain rock walls and that in bringing it down to the plains it slowly withered? Our spiritual food we were carrying down in our rucksacks has transformed itself into fast food for quick consummation.
We, men of the mountain peaks, experienced through the numerous obstacles we had to take, came down to the towns to talk to the people about beauties of Alpine valleys and steeps, about the freshness of Alpine air, about our efforts and struggles, and remained there. Comfort and ease of city life have slowly absorbed us. We forgot that we were destined to become mountain guides, destined to lead people to the mountains, so that they will be able, through their own effort, to experience what we experienced. Yes, our precious flower can bloom only on the mountain heights, theosophy can be lived only through constant individual effort and our aims and ideals can be experienced only through constant collective effort, through solidarity and collaboration.
And this mountain call has reached us again. It is too strong to resist. It tired us out of city life and brought us once again to the familiar slopes. It will take time before we will be able to renounce all baggage we have accumulated through time and be able to reach the mountain top again, “to exclude all dogmas, all social contests, all causes of strife and dissension such as are begotten of questions of sex, color, religion, and fortune, and make altruism, tolerance, peace and brotherliness the cornerstones upon which it (the TS) rests”. Once again, as “It was never even dreamt that we should amass capital as a Society to organize societies of any kind, whether socialistic, religious or commercial,” and “express our collective sympathy with socialistic, temperance, vegetarian, anti-slavery, esoteric, Masonic, political and charitable societies ….”, as put by H. S. Olcott.
But our thoughts can go ahead of us, they can climb the mountain walls without effort, they can meet, collaborate and support each other without obstacles save those in our own heads. In our time their material form can be exchanged almost instantaneously through the internet and in that way they can create inspiring results tracing our future from various individuals and also from formal or informal ideas and efforts from groups.
After all, again, as said by H. S. Olcott, the Theosophical Society’s “aim is to float ideas which are likely to benefit the whole world.”