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Salamah Pope - After Fifty Years: What I think is Needed

Maybe It’s Time. From Jonathan Koontz, July 15, 2007. Time 18:39

In the first World Congress after Bapak died, through a strange series of circumstances I became co-chairman with Salamah of a committee considering where Subud should go. It became the most popular working group at the Congress, in Australia. We were visited by many of the people who would be guiding the direction Subud would be taking everywhere in the world.

Many of the ideas in Salamah’s article, and, indeed in many of the other submissions, were discussed in this committee many years ago. Take advertising, for instance. There were many who were pro and many who were con. It was clear to me that there could be no one answer that was right for everyone in Subud.

Advertising was right and badly needed, in the United States, a little less needed in England, and not needed at all in Colombia, where even thinking about advertising was sending shock waves through the membership. I remember giving a hearty Subud greeting to a brother from Colombia who had thought he would be chastised for not wanting to advertise.

Another memorable group was from New Zealand. They were convinced it was God’s Will that Subud should kick out all Indonesian words, and embrace Christianity. They were sure that if we did this, an Arch Bishop would openly embrace Subud and thousands of new members would join in short order. This early attempt to solve the fading membership problem found few supporters from other countries. Very few of us at that time wanted to consider changing the name as Patrick Morgan suggests here.

I have resurrected these memories from long ago because I wanted everyone reading Subud Vision to know that the wonderful, new, and fresh ideas discussed here did not spring, full-blown, from nothing. All things in life arise in orderly fashion from the things which preceded them, yet each new thing is fresh and unique, and altogether lovely. God, with all the resources at his command requires months to produce an apple, and years to produce the apple tree.

Everything tells me that mankind has reached a time of quickening, a time we can actually do the things we thought about doing long ago. Maybe it’s time to stop dreaming about ripe, red apples and do something with them. Does anyone know how to make apple pie?

From Stefan, January 3, 2008. Time 18:47

Hi Jonathan,

I agree about the apple pie

As you point out, we've had a recipe for years but most people didn't feel any need to move on from the first course. Time, experience, and an ageing Subud membership has pointed up the question of dessert ...

Now I guess we need to find the collective will to bake that pie, and the hardest thing will be clearing off the used dishes (I'm talking about ideas, not people!) which are spread out all over the table.

The current ISC & WSA teams not only say they want to support useful change, but that it may involve a radical questioning of the way we have done things. AND specifically that they want to integrate the views and understandings that are being expressed on the Subud Vision website. This is quite a courageous statement from a "mainstream" body seen to be at the heart of our organisation.

Meanwhile there are - it seems - many people at the grassroots who now want to eat pie and quite a few who want to help make it. Can we do it? (I want the slice with the cherry)

Stefan

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