--- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In [email protected], "authfriend" <jstein@> wrote: > > > > --- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > > > --- In [email protected], "Patrick Gillam" <jpgillam@> > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > In skimming the newsletter, I saw reference to > > > > the fences around the "fortune-creating" > > > > homes. The vastuu fences reminded me of > > > > something in a book I just finished, *The Ladies' > > > > No. 1 Detective Agency." Apparently, in Botswana, > > > > it's customary for a home to have a knee-high > > > > fence around it. When visitors approach the home, > > > > they stop at the fence and hail the inhabitants, > > > > rather than walk up to the door and knock. I > > > > detected a similarity between this African fencing > > > > custom and the vastuu fences of Sthapatya-vedic homes. > > > > > > ...the Prince Prospero was happy and dauntless and > > > sagacious. When his dominions were half depopulated, > > > he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light- > > > hearted friends from among the knights and dames of > > > his court, and with these retired to the deep > > > seclusion of one of his castellated abbeys. This was > > > an extensive and magnificent structure, the creation > > > of the prince's own eccentric yet august taste. A > > > strong and lofty wall girdled it in. This wall had > > > gates of iron. The courtiers, having entered, brought > > > furnaces and massy hammers and welded the bolts. They > > > resolved to leave means neither of ingress or egress > > > to the sudden impulses of despair or of frenzy from > > > within. The abbey was amply provisioned. With such > > > precautions the courtiers might bid defiance to > > > contagion. The external world could take care of > > > itself. In the meantime it was folly to grieve, or > > > to think. The prince had provided all the appliances > > > of pleasure. There were buffoons, there were > > > improvisatori, there were ballet-dancers, there > > > were musicians, there was Beauty, there was wine. > > > All these and security were within. Without was > > > the "Red Death." > > > > > > -- from "The Masque of the Red Death," by Edgar Allen Poe > > > > Gosh, that would be devastating, Barry, if > > it weren't for the fact that the fences in > > question are either picket fences about three > > feet high, or posts spaced at intervals with > > only a bar connecting them at the top, and a > > gap in the fence in front of the house's > > entrance that doesn't even have a gate to > > close it. > > > > Oopsie! > > Obviously, Judy is as familiar with Edgar Allen Poe > as do.rflex was not long ago with William Makepeace > Thackeray. :-) > > I posted the quote because of the parallels to the > mentality of people who deal with the problems of > the world by hiding in their houses -- however high > the fences around them, or whether there even *are* > fences. The mentality of hiding from the world to > ensure one's own "prosperity" is what I had in mind.
Uh-huh. And why exactly should we think that people with Vastu homes "hide" in them any more than anyone "hides" in their home? > That, and what *happened* to Prince Prospero and his > "special" followers, safe within their "safe haven," > at the end of Poe's story. > > I think we all understand by now that Judy prefers to > comment on a story or film without ever reading the > book or seeing the film. Um, I was commenting on the posted quote, not on the story. (I imagine if Barry had thought it was required to read the entire story to get the point, he'd just have posted a link to the story.) But speaking of commenting on something without having any idea what one is talking about, Barry could have saved himself some chagrin by checking out the link Bob provided. But if *you* would actually > like to read Poe's story in its entirety to see if > you might see parallels in it to Maharishi hiding in > his room for a decade and communities of TMers hiding > in their SV neighborhoods Again, what's the basis for claiming that communities of TMers "hide" in their SV neighborhoods any more than any other community of people "hides" in their neighborhood? , you may do so, for free, at: > > http://www.online-literature.com/poe/36/ > > The Poe story is only 2435 words long. Judy will > probably write an outraged reply to this post almost > as long. Oopsie again. Took me well under 200 words to dispose of Barry's reply. > You can then choose which you prefer to read -- one > of the world's great authors commenting on the men- > tality of those who create "special communities" for > themselves that are open only to those who share > their beliefs and who follow the rules that the > "special communities" impose upon them, or you can > read her words justifying that mentality. Your call. Hmm, I believe I was questioning Barry's assumptions about TMers having the mentality he describes, not justifying it. As I'm pretty sure most here realize, Barry was having one of his paranoid fantasies, this one about high fences around these houses designed to keep people out. Embarrassed to learn this wasn't the case, he had to dream up a way of attacking me for pointing out that he'd made a fool of himself again. And, as usual, he makes an even greater fool of himself in his response. He should take a lesson from Emily Litella and learn when he makes a dumb mistake just to say, "Oh. Never mind!"
