The role of disciples in bringing about social change and stimulating goodwill, inclusiveness, and non-separateness is not necessarily clear. On the one hand, The Tibetan has said about the New Group of World Servers:
The members of the New Group of World Servers belong to no party or religion and yet belong to all parties and religions; they assume no attitude or position either for or against any existing government, religion, or social order. They engage in no political activity of any kind, and attack no existing order. They are neither for nor against a government or a Church, and spend no money, organize no campaign, and send out no literature that could be interpreted as attacking or defending any organization of a political, religious, social, or economic nature. They say nothing and write no word that could feed the fires of hatred, or tend to separate individual from individual, or nation from nation. Yet these members will be found in every political party and every world religion. They represent an attitude of mind. (EP2:643)
On the other hand, the Tibetan has been highly critical of those who do not engage actively in confronting evil and destructive cleavages. “I tell you that your prayers and your wishes are unavailing when divorced from right and potent action” (EXT:233). He has admonished us that the “work has been greatly hindered by the sweet sentimentality of the unthinking Christian and by the well-meaning, but oft unintelligent, pacifist” (EXT:476). He reminds us that “the Hierarchy is not neutral. It is one with the right element in every nation and set against all separative, isolationist and materialistic attitudes. Such attitudes prevent the apprehension of the true spiritual values and hinder human development” (DN:65).
In terms of focus, “it is not peace for which the people of goodwill are working, but for the growth of the spirit of understanding and cooperation; this alone will be strong enough to break down racial barriers, heal the wounds of war, and build a new world structure adequate to the intelligent demands of the masses” (EXT:366). And we are reminded, in terms of our own work on changing attitudes, that “focused, determined, enlightened public opinion is the most potent force in the world. It has no equal but has been little used” (EXT:379).
Alice Bailey has written: “There are esotericists, however, who hold that to be an esotericist means that one holds oneself aloof from mundane affairs and that esoteric students should take no part in the affairs of humanity as a whole; they should be active in spiritual and mental realms. If the physical plane and its affairs lie outside the sphere of influence of spiritual livingness, then there is something basically wrong with our interpretation of truth. If the goal of the spiritual effort is to establish the Kingdom of God on Earth, then all physical plane events become the concern of all spiritual people everywhere” (UA:292-293).
We know that the dual life involves both an inner meditative practice and an outer engagement in service. We are told: “Esoteric knowledge is not intended to drive your spiritual life into greater and increasing subjectivity; the goal is not a more inward life and a training that will make of you a true introspective and consequently a mystic. Exactly the reverse is intended; all that the disciple essentially is upon the inner planes has to become objective; thus spiritual livingness becomes an everyday affair” (DINA2:185). And we are cautioned that “one of the first lessons…is that difficult dual attitude that permits right personality activity and real interest in personality affairs and yet at the same time permits nothing personal to interfere with the subjective spiritual life” (DINA1:99).
How will we choose to play our part in addressing social injustices, knowing that “…the will-to-good…is of more importance to this world cycle than the will-to-peace” (EA:572)?