Firstly, we need to consider the root of this accusation within the BKWSU and I can give you specific evidence of where it has arisen from and why. Here I am not saying that Vasanti Patel is the actual source of the question, but that she is typical of the inner circle of the BKWSU who sets thoughts for the rest of the cult to follow, "talking to someone who is anonymous. In most places any complaints made by anonymous people are ignored - they have no real value".
Now, firstly, she is very, very wrong. There are now laws to protect whistleblowers and protecting their anonymity is central to them. Many companies and organizations have "anonymous" complaint or suggest boxes where individuals can post their concerns without any fear of reprisals from abusive individuals. Ombudspersons (ombudsman services) will accept complaints/concerns and handled them anonymously for the individual in question. I could give many other examples.
- And, let's not fool ourselves nor allow the Brahma Kumaris to fool the world ... within the Brahma Kumari movement, there are nasty, imbalanced and abusive individuals that will pick on individuals or individual's families to get at them.
Secondly, you are being fool if you believe the Brahma Kumaris will respond in any other way *if* you were to post in your own name. They won't. All they are doing here is trying to find any weakness to exploit to discredit accurate revelations about their cult. It's just a distraction.
Would I post in my own name if I thought it would make the BKs change? Probably. Do I think they will change if I do? Not one bit. Consequently, I see no benefit to appeasing them and every benefit in individuals getting up their nose.
I also reject that we should in any way allow them to set the agenda, control and modify our behaviour here. Why on earth should we allow them to tell us how we should act? Do they listen to us?
We offer individuals the right to post anonymously because they are coming out of a very destructive and manipulative cult. They are often in a vulnerable state, unsure and insecure. I have no desire to turn them into targets for the Brahma Kumaris machine. For example, say someone was on the verge of exiting and posted here ... you can rest assured that within 24 hours they would have a special invitation to meet Dadi, be offered some treat or privileges. I know this to be true because they even tried it on me!
The BKs want to know who is who so they can work out ways of discrediting those individuals, think up accusations against them, use some dirt they know against them, pressurise them via their families and so on. To spread nasty gossip. I am sorry to say this but there are some real idiots in the BKWSU and, for all their claims of divinity, they love gossip ... (the rest of their life is so uninspiring and they lack intellectual satisfaction).
That is why they were even willing to spend probably thousands of dollars on lawyers to crack open our privacy here.
Thirdly, my defence of our privacy is that I still believe in the virtues of altruism and egoless. I have never sought thanks, credit or status for the work I have done and I don't want it. I am not a BK. I don't want to be a guru on the "world stage" and "worshipped" or have "servants". I am not so full of myself. I would prefer to be unnamed, unknown and invisible.
I don't believe "being spiritual" means it's OK to have a Mercedes like the BKs (who appear to have a Rolls Royce now)! It's a joke because the Murlis used to teach against "name and fame" ... well, what the hell are the BKs playing at!?! They teach that is OK to chase "name and fame" and big houses in the country ... but just to be detached from it.
OK, on the other hand ... what is the benefit to being "visible", and where? Answers please.
So three, four, five of us puts our face on the website ... what does it achieve? Honest question. My feeling is absolutely nothing ... except a load of BKs sneering, accusing or hating you.
Lastly, let me just repeat. This is just a discussion forum. That is all. When it started there was no intention (mens rea) "to be anonymous" (the act or 'actus reus'). Therefore there is no guilt. Actus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea ... "an act does not make a person guilty unless their mind is also guilty".
It's just what everyone does when they join a discussion forum ... they uses a short nickname or handle. It's no big deal. The BKs use cover names for all their leaders. Try researching their real names!
If I am going to write a formal letter to some figure of authority then, of course, I will put my name on etc ... but if I am just having a chat with my friends, they are going to call me by my nickname, and why not? I've had many nicknames at different ages of my life.
Therefore to conclude. I am not against the idea but I would have to understand why and what benefit there would be. To take the discussion to a deeper level, what I would see *more* benefit in is establishing a form NGO to take responsibility of the website and act on its and the victims of the BKs behalf. That is what we were setting up when the BKs legally attacked us, and the problems they caused did delay it.
BK Vasanti Patel wrote:Om Shanti,
Agree with Simon, but also one other major things is to do with talking to someone who is anonymous. In most places any complaints made by anonymous people are ignored - they have no real value and so we want to make thing real and work with real people.
But even putting this aside, our next response, if there is going to be one, has to make it clear that we are not interested in anything else except a personal meeting. As we can see on the forum they are having masses of discussion about this. They want us to continue with emails if not forum - but we cannot play ball with that one I don’t think.
Anyway, just some thoughts from me.
IBY
BK Vasanti Patel - 7 August 2007
to: Jayanti Kirpalani, Simon Blandford <simon@bkinfo.net>, Alka Patel <Alka.Patel@uk.BKWSU.org>
cc: Miami Brahma Kumaris <Miami@us.BKWSU.org>, Maureen Goodman <Maureen.Goodman@uk.BKWSU.org>, Neville Hodgkinson <neville.hodgkinson@uk.BKWSU.org>, judyrodgers@gmail.com, Gayatri@us.BKWSU.org