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Social and Anti-social Forces in the Human Being
GA 186

12 December 1918, Bern

Translated by Christopher Schaefer

The times themselves speak clearly enough, demanding that we should apply to the conditions and activities of these times those feelings and modes of thinking which we have acquired from our studies of Spiritual Science. Not only do outward circumstances speak clearly, but our conceptions of Spiritual Science also justify us in a certain way, especially in what we have to say today. In many of our basic ways of looking at the world, we have started from one fundamental fact of human evolution, from the fact that this evolution is accomplished by successive stages of which the most important and most related to us began with the great Atlantean Catastrophe, namely this Post-Atlantean Epoch. Four periods of it have passed by, while we are now living in the Fifth Post-Atlantean Period. This period of development, which began in the 15th century of our Christian era, is the one which we can designate as the period of the Spiritual or Consciousness Soul. Other soul forces have been especially evolved in other periods of civilization. In our civilization which has followed the Greco-Latin civilization from the first half of the 15th century, humanity must gradually develop the Spiritual Soul. The preceding period, which commenced in the 8th century B.C. and finished in the 15th century A.D., was pre-eminently the period in which humanity developed the Intellectual or Mind Soul.

Now we need not give a full description of these cultural stages, but we will particularly look at what is a peculiarity of our age—this age which has comparatively few centuries behind it. Each age lasts on average about 2000 years. Therefore much remains to be done in this period of the Spiritual Soul. The task of humanity—of civilized humanity in this age of the Spiritual Soul—will be that of laying hold of the whole human being and making him entirely dependent on himself, of lifting into the full light of consciousness much of that which in earlier periods man felt instinctively and judged instinctively.

Many present difficulties and much that is chaotic around us in our era, become quite explicable when one knows that the task of our era is to raise that which is instinctive to the plane of consciousness. What is instinctive in us happens to a certain degree by itself, but to achieve a conscious result one must make an inward effort, above all, to begin to think truly with one's whole being. Man tries to avoid this, he does not willingly take a conscious part in the shaping of world conditions. Here is a point over which many are indeed deceived today. Men today think the following: Well, today we live in the period of the development of thought. People are proud of the fact that there is more thinking nowadays than in the past. But this is an illusion—one of the many illusions in which humanity lives today. This comprehension on which people pride themselves today is mainly instinctive. Only when the instinctive nature which has appeared in the evolution of humanity and which so proudly speaks of thought—only when this instinctive nature becomes instead an active element, when the intellect does not depend merely on the brain but springs from the whole man, when it is separated from rationalism and is lifted to the plane of Imagination, Inspiration, and Intuition—only then will that gradually emerge which seeks to emerge in the Fifth Post-Atlantean Period, the period of the Spiritual Soul. That which meets man today and which is clearly indicated even in the worldly thought of the present epoch is something which one continuously needs to mention the appearance of the so-called Social Question.

But he who has earnestly studied our anthroposophically oriented Spiritual Science will easily perceive that the essential impulse in the shaping of the social order (whether belonging to the State or not) must come from that which human beings can develop out of themselves, as it is this which regulates the relationship between people. Everything which the human being develops out of himself naturally corresponds to certain impulses which are ultimately found in our soul and spirit life. If one looks at the matter this way, one is able to ask: Must attention not then be directed above all to the social impulses or to the social instincts, movements or forces emerging in human nature? We can, if you like, call these social impulses, social drives; but we must keep in mind that they should not only be thought of as mere unconscious instincts since when we speak of social instincts today, we must take into account that we live in the age of the Consciousness Soul and that these drives seek to press up into consciousness.

Now, if these things are to count for us, then we must find social impulses which seek to become reality. But in so doing we must recognize the terrible one-sidedness of our age, which should not of course be deplored, but which should be looked at calmly because it has to be overcome. Man has such a great inclination in our day to look at things one-sidedly. But a pendulum cannot swing from the central point out to one side without also swinging back to the other. Just as little as a pendulum can swing to one side only, can social impulses of men be expressed by only one side. This is because the social impulses are quite naturally opposed by anti-social impulses in the human being. Precisely because one finds social impulses or drives in human nature, one also finds the opposite. This fact must above all be considered.

The social leaders and agitators, for example, live in the illusion that they need only spread certain ideas or need only appeal to a class of man who is willing and disposed (provided ideas are there) to help forward the social impulse. It is an illusion to act in this way, for in so doing one forgets that if social forces are working, then anti-social forces are also present. What we must be able to do today is to look these things straight in the face without illusion. It is only from the viewpoint of Spiritual Science that they can be looked at straightly without illusion. One is tempted to say that people are sleeping through the most important thing of all in life when they do not begin to look at life from the viewpoint of Spiritual Science.

We must ask ourselves: What is the relation between people with regard to social and anti-social forces? We need to see that the relationship between people is fundamentally a complicated matter. When one person meets another, I would say we must look into the situation radically. Meetings of course point to differences which vary according to specific circumstances; but we must fix our eyes on the common characteristics, we must clearly see the common elements in the meeting, in the confrontation between one person and another. We must ask ourselves: What really happens then, not merely in that which presents itself to the senses, but in the total situation, when one person stands opposite another, when one person meets another? Nothing less than that a certain force works from one person to the other. The meeting of one with another leads to the working of a certain force between them. We cannot confront another person in life with indifference, not even in mere thoughts and feelings, even though we may be separated from them by distance. If we have any kind of relation to other people, or any communication with them, then a force flows between us creating a bond. It is this fact which lies at the basis of social life and which, when broadened, is really the foundation for the social structure of humanity.

One sees this phenomenon most clearly when one thinks of the direct interchange between two people. The impression which one person makes on the other has the effect of lulling the other to sleep. Thus we frequently find in social life that one person gets lulled to sleepiness by the other with whom he has interchange. As a physicist might say: a “latent tendency” is always there for one man to lull another to sleep in social relationships.

Why is this so? Well, we must see that this rests on a very important arrangement of man's total being. It rests on the fact that what we call social impulses, fundamentally speaking are only present in people of our present day consciousness during sleep. You are, in so far as you have not yet attained clairvoyance, really only penetrated by social forces when you are asleep, and only that which continues to work out of sleeping into waking conditions works into ordinary waking consciousness as a social impulse. When you know this, you do not need to be surprised when your social being seeks to lull you to sleep in your relationship with others. In the relationship between people the social impulse ought to develop. Yet it can only develop during sleep. Therefore in the relationship between people a tendency is shown for one person to dull the consciousness of the other so that a social relation may be established between them. This striking fact is evident to one who studies the realities of life. Above all things, our interchange with one another leads to dulling the consciousness of one another, in the interests of a social impulse between people. Of course you cannot go about continually asleep in life. Yet the tendency to establish social impulses consists in, and expresses itself by, an inclination to sleep. That of which I speak goes on subconsciously of course, but it nevertheless actually penetrates our life continuously. Thus there exists a permanent disposition to fall asleep precisely for the building up of the social structure of humanity.

On the other hand, something else is also working. A perpetual struggle and opposition to falling asleep in social relationships is also present. If you meet a person you are continuously standing in a conflict situation in the following way: Because you meet him, the tendency to sleep always develops in you so that you may experience your relationship to him in sleep. But, at the same time, there is aroused in you the counter-force to keep yourself awake. This always happens in the meeting between people—a tendency to fall asleep, a tendency to keep awake. In this situation a tendency to keep awake has an anti-social character, the assertion of one's individuality, of one's personality, in opposition to the social structure of society. Simply because we are human beings, our soul-life swings to and fro between the social and the antisocial. And that which lives in us as these two forces, which may be observed between people communicating, can from an occult perspective be seen to govern our life. When we meet social arrangements and structures in society, even if these arrangements seem far-fetched from the seemingly wise consciousness of the present, they are still a manifestation of this pendulum between social and anti-social forces. The national economist may reflect upon what credit, capital and interest are. Yet even these things which make for regularity in social transactions are only outward swings of the pendulum between social and anti-social forces. The person who seeks to find healing remedies for these times must intelligently and scientifically connect with these facts. For how is it that social demands arise in our time? Well, we live in the age of the Spiritual or Consciousness Soul in which man must become independent. But on what does this depend? It depends on people's ability during our Fifth Post-Atlantean Period to become self-assertive, to not allow themselves to be put to sleep. It is the anti-social forces which require development in this time, for consciousness to be present. It would not be possible for mankind in the present to accomplish its task if just these anti-social forces did not become ever more powerful; they are indeed the pillars on which personal independence rests. At present, humanity has no idea how much more powerful anti-social impulses must become, right on until the 30th century. For men to progress properly, anti-social forces must develop

In earlier periods the development of the anti-social forces was not the spiritual bread of humanity's evolution. There was therefore no need to establish a counter-force. Indeed none was set. In our day, when a person on his own account, for his individual self, must evolve antisocial forces, which are evolving because man is now subjected to this evolution against which nothing will prevail, there must also come about that with which man resists them: a social structure which will balance this anti-social evolutionary tendency. The anti-social forces must work inwardly so that human beings may reach the height of their development. Outwardly, in social life, structures must work so that people do not totally lose their outer connections in life. Hence the social demands of the present. They can in a certain sense be seen as the demand for a justified outer balance to the inward, essentially anti-social evolutionary tendency of humanity in the Fifth Post-Atlantean Epoch.

From this you can see that nothing is accomplished by seeing things in a one-sided way. As men live nowadays, certain words (I will not say ideas or feelings), certain words have certain values. The word “anti-social” arouses a degree of antipathy. It is considered as something evil. Very well; we perhaps need not trouble ourselves whether it is considered good or bad, since it is quite necessary. Be it good or bad, it is connected with the necessary tendencies of evolution in our time. It is simply sheer nonsense to say that the anti-social impulses must be resisted, for they cannot be resisted. One must grasp the essential inner development of mankind in our time, understand the evolutionary tendency. It is not a matter of finding prescriptions for resisting the anti-social forces; but of so shaping, of so arranging the social order, the structure, the organization of that which lies outside of the individual, that a counter-balance is present to that which works as anti-social force within human beings. Therefore it is vital for our time that the individual achieves independence, but that social forms provide a balance to this independence. Otherwise neither the individual nor society can develop properly.

In earlier periods there were tribes and classes. Our age strives against this. Our age is no longer able to divide people into classes but must consider them in their totality and create social structures which take this totality into account. I said yesterday in my public lecture that slavery could exist in the Greco-Latin Period; one was the master, the other the slave. Then men were divided. Today we have as a remnant just that which disturbs the working-man so much, namely that his power to work is sold; in this way something belonging to him is organized from outside. This must go; it is only possible to organize socially what does not integrally belong to the human being, such as his position or the function to which he is appointed, in short, something which is not an inner part of the individual. All this which we acknowledge with regard to the necessary development of social democracy is really so, and must be so understood.

Just as no man can claim to do arithmetic if he has never learned his multiplication tables, so too he cannot claim to discuss social reforms and the like when he has never learned those things which we have just explained: namely, that socialism and anti-socialism exist quite concretely in the way described. People in some of the most important positions in society, when they begin talking about present social demands, often appear to those who know, as individuals who wish to begin building a bridge over a rushing stream without having the most elementary knowledge of mechanics. They may well be able to put up a bridge, but it will collapse at the first opportunity. It seems with social leaders or with those who look after social institutions, that their plans will be shown to be impossible; for the things of reality demand that we work with them, and not against them. It is therefore tremendously important that those things which form the backbone of our anthroposophical thought and consciousness should one day be taken seriously.

One of the impulses which ensoul us in the sphere of our anthroposophical movement is that we, in a sense, carry into the whole of man's life that which most people apply only to youth. We sit on the “school-bench” of life long after we have become grey. This is one of the differences between us and others, who believe that at the age of 25, or sometimes 26, when they have finished lazying about with their education, that they are ready for the rest of life—at most there may still be some amusing additions to one's education.

But when we approach the very nerve of Spiritual Science, we feel that the human being really must continue to learn throughout his whole life if he wishes to tackle the tasks of life. It is vital that we should be permeated with this feeling. If we do not get rid of the belief that people can master everything with the faculties they have developed up to their 20th or 25th year, that then one only has to meet in Parliament or some other forum to decide all affairs—as long as we do not get rid of this view, we shall never be able to establish healthy conditions in the social structure of mankind.

The study of the reciprocal relation between the social and the anti-social is extremely significant for our time. Just this anti-social tendency is of the utmost importance to understand because it must make itself felt and must be developed in us. This anti-social spirit can only be held in balance by the social. But the social must be nursed, must be consciously cared for. And in our day this becomes truly more and more difficult because the anti-social forces are really in accord with our natural development.

The social element is essential; it must be cherished. We shall see that in this Fifth Post-Atlantean Period there is a tendency to take no notice of the social in merely acting naturally. Rather it must be acquired consciously in working with one's soul forces, while formerly it was felt instinctively in man. What is necessary and must be actively acquired is the interest of man in man. This is indeed the backbone of all social life.

It almost sounds paradoxical to say today that no clear conception of the so-called difficult ideas of economics can be gained if the interest of one for another does not increase, if people do not begin to compare the illusions which have sway in social life with present realities. One who really thinks about it recognizes the fact that simply by being a member of society one is in a complicated relation to others. Imagine that you have a $5 note in your pocket, and you make use of this $5 note by going shopping one morning, and you spend the full $5. What does it mean that you go out with a $5 note in your pocket? The $5 note is really an illusion—it is worth nothing in reality (even if it is metal money. At this point I do not want to discuss the theories of the Metalists and the Nominalists with regard to money; but even if it is metal money, it is still an illusion and of no real worth). Money is namely only a ‘go-between’. And only because in our day a certain social order exists, an order belonging purely to the State, therefore this $5 note which you have spent in the morning for different items is nothing else than an equivalent for so many days of labour of so many men. A number of men must have completed so many days of work, so much human labour must have flowed into the social order—must have crystallized itself into merchandise—in order for the apparent worth of the bank note to have any real value, but only at the command of the social order. The bank note only gives you the power to call into your service so much labour, or to put it another way, to command its worth in work. You can picture it in your mind: There I have a bank note, which assigns to me, according to my social position, the power over so many men. If you now see these workmen selling their labour hour by hour, as the equivalent value of that which you have in your purse as the $5 note, then you begin to get a picture of the real facts.

Our relationships have become so complicated that we no longer pay attention to these things, especially if they do not concern us closely. I have an example which easily clarifies this. In the more difficult considerations of economics, in the areas of capital and interest and credit, things are quite complicated; so that even university professors and political economists, whose position should mean possession of adequate insight, really have no knowledge. Thus you can see that it is necessary to look at things correctly in these areas. Of course we cannot immediately take in hand the reform of the national economy, which has been forced into such a helpless condition by what is nowadays taught as political economy. But we can at least ask with respect to national education and other such matters: What must be done so that social life and forms are consciously established in opposition to anti-social forces? What is really required? I said that it would be difficult in our time for people to develop sufficient interest in each other. You do not have sufficient interest if you think that you can buy yourself something with a $5 note and do not remember the fact that this brings about a social relationship with certain other human beings and their labour-power. You only have an adequate interest when in your picture you are able to substitute for each apparent transaction (such as the exchange of goods for a $5 note) the real transaction which is linked with it.

Now, I would say that the mere egoistic, soul-stirring talk of loving our fellow-men and acting upon this love at the first opportunity, that this does not constitute social life. This sort of love is, for the most part, terribly egoistic. Many a man is supported by what he has first gained through robbing his fellow-men in a truly patriarchal fashion, in order to create for himself an object for his self-love, so that he can then feel nice and warm with the thought, “You are doing this, you are doing that” One does not easily discover that a large part of the so-called love of doing good is a masked self-love. Therefore, the main consideration is not merely to think of what lies nearest to hand, thereby enhancing our self-love, but to feel it our duty to look carefully at the many-sided social structures in which we are placed. We must at first lay the foundations for such understanding. Yet few today are disposed to do so.

I would like to discuss one question from the viewpoint of general education, namely: How can we consciously establish social impulses to balance those anti-social forces which are developing naturally within us? How can we cultivate the social element, this interest of man in man, so that it springs up in us—going ever further and deeper, and leaving us no rest? How can we enkindle this interest which has disappeared so pitiably in our age, the age of the Spiritual Soul? In our age true chasms have already been created between people. Men have no idea about the manner in which they pass one another by without in the least comprehending each other. The desire to understand the other in all his or her uniqueness is very weak today. On the one hand, we have the cry for social union; and on the other, the ever-increasing spread of purely anti-social principles. The blindness of people toward each other can be seen in the many clubs and societies which people form. They do not provide any opportunity for people to get to know one another. It is possible for men to meet one another for years and not to know each other better at the end than they did at the beginning. The precise need of the future is that the social shall be brought to meet the antisocial in a systematic way. For this there are various inner soul methods. One is that we frequently attempt to look back over our present incarnation to survey what has happened to us in this life through our relations with others. If we are honest in this, most of us will say: Nowadays we generally regard the entrance of many people into our life in such a way that we see ourselves, our own personalities, as the center of the review. What have we gained from this or that person who has come into our life? This is our natural way of feeling. It is exactly this which we must try to combat. We should try in our souls to think of others, such as teachers, friends, those who have helped us and also those who have injured us (to whom we often owe more than to those who, from a certain point of view, have been of use to us). We should try to allow these pictures to pass before our souls as vividly as possible in order to see what each has done.

We shall see, if we proceed in this way, that by degrees we learn to forget ourselves, that in reality we find that almost everything which forms part of us could not be there at all unless this or that person had affected our lives, helping us on or teaching us something. When we look back on the years in the more distant past to people with whom we are no longer in contact and about whom it is easier to be objective, then we shall see how the soul-substance of our life has been created by the people and circumstances of the past. Our gaze then extends over a multitude of people whom we have known in the course of time. If we try to develop a sense of the debt we owe to this or that person—if we try to see ourselves in the mirror of those who have influenced us in the course of time, and who have been associated with us—then we shall be able to experience the opening-up of a new sense in our souls, a sense which enables us to gain a picture of the people whom we meet even in the present, with whom we stand face to face today. This is because we have practiced developing an objective picture of our indebtedness to people in the past. It is tremendously important that the impulse should awaken in us, not merely to feel sympathy or antipathy towards the people we meet, not merely to hate or love something connected with the person, but to awaken a true picture of the other in us, free from love or hate.

Perhaps you will not feel that what I am saying now is extremely important—but it is. For this ability to picture the other in oneself without love or hate, to allow the other individual to appear again within our soul, this is a faculty which is decreasing week by week in the evolution of humanity. It is something which men are, by degrees, completely losing. They pass one another by without arousing any interest in each other. Yet this ability to develop an imaginative faculty for the other is something that must enter into pedagogy and the education of children. For we can really develop this imaginative faculty in us if, instead of striving after the immediate sensations of life as is often done today, we are not afraid to look back quietly in our soul and see our relationships to other human beings. Then we shall be in a position to relate ourselves imaginatively to those whom we meet in the present. In this way we awaken the social instinct in us against the anti-social which quite unconsciously and of necessity continues to develop. This is one side of the picture.

The other is something that can be linked up with this review of our relations to others. It is when we try to become more and more objective about ourselves. Here we must also go back to our earlier years. Then we can directly, so to speak, go to the facts themselves. Suppose you are 30 or 40 years of age. You think, “How was it with me when I was ten years old? I will imagine myself entirely into the situation of that time. I will picture myself as another boy or girl of ten years old. I will try to forget that I was that; I will really take pains to objectify myself.” This objectifying of oneself, this freeing of oneself in the present from one's own past, this shelling-out of the Ego from its experiences, must be specially striven for in our present time. For the present has the tendency towards linking up the Ego more and more with its experiences.

Nowadays man wants to be instinctively that which his experiences make him. For this reason it is so very difficult to acquire the activity which Spiritual Science gives. The spirit must make a fresh effort each time. According to true occult science, nothing can be done by comfortably remaining in one's position. One forgets things and must always be cultivating them afresh. This is just as it should be because fresh efforts need to continually be made. He who has already made some progress in the realm of Spiritual Science attempts the most elementary things every day; others are ashamed to pay attention to the basics. For Spiritual Science, nothing should depend on remembering, but on man's immediate experience in the present. It is therefore a question of training ourselves in this faculty—through making ourselves objective—that we picture this boy or girl as if he or she were a stranger at an earlier time in our lives; of bestirring ourselves more and more, of getting free of events, and of being less haunted at 30 by the impulses of a 10 year old. Detachment from the past does not mean denial of the past. We gain it in another way again, and that is what is so important. On the one hand, we cultivate the social instinct and impulses in us by looking back upon those who have been connected with us in the past and regarding our souls as the products of these persons. In this way we acquire the imagination for meeting people in the present. On the other hand, through objectifying ourselves we gain possibilities of developing imagination directly. This objectifying of our earlier years is fruitful insofar as it does not work in us unconsciously. Think for a moment: If the 10 year old child works on unconsciously in you, then you are the 30 or 40 year old augmented by the 10 year old. It is just the same with the 11, the 12 year old child and so on. Egoism has tremendous power, but its power is lessened when you separate the earlier years from yourself and when you make them objective. This is the important point on which we must fix our attention.

The following pre-condition for social activity must be made clear to those people who raise social claims in unreasonable and illusory fashion: Understanding about how man can develop himself as a socially creative being must first be present in this period, when anti-social forces are growing ever stronger as part of human evolution.

What will then have been achieved? You will discover the whole meaning of what I have now explained if you consider the following: In 1848 there appeared a social document which continues to work into the present day in radical socialism, and in Bolshevism. It was the Communist Manifesto of Karl Marx, which contains ideas which rule the thoughts and feelings of many working men. Karl Marx was able to dominate the labour world for the simple reason that he wrote and said what the working man thinks and understands, as a working man. This Communist Manifesto the contents of which I do not need to explain to you, appeared in 1848. It was the first document, the first seed in what has now borne fruit, after the recent destruction of opposing movements. This document contains one slogan, one sentence which you will often find quoted today by most socialist writers: “Workers of the world, unite!” It is a sentence which has run through many socialist groups. What does it express? It expresses the most unnatural thing that could possibly be thought today. It expresses an impulse for socializing, for uniting a certain mass of people. On what is this uniting, this union, to be built? Upon its opposite, upon the hatred of all those who are not members of the working class. This associating, this banding together of people is to be brought about through splitting up and separating mankind into classes. You must ponder this, you must think about the reality of this principle which is a genuine illusion, if I can use this expression, and which has been adopted in Russia, now in Germany and the Austrian countries, and which will eat its way further and further into the world. It is so unnatural precisely because, on the one hand, it shows the necessity of socializing, but on the other it builds this socialization out of the anti-social instinct of class hatred, and class opposition.

However, these things need to be considered from a higher perspective, otherwise we shall not get very far; above all, we shall not be able to participate in the healthy development of mankind in the present. Nowadays Spiritual Science is the only means of seeing things truly in their totality; it is the only means for understanding our time. Just as one is adverse to entering into the spirit and soul foundations of man's physical constitution, so one also avoids, out of fear and lack of courage, studying those things in social life which can only be understood out of the Spirit. People are afraid, cover their eyes and put their heads in the sand like ostriches when they are confronted by real and important things. Of what does human interchange in fact consist? As we have seen, it consists of one person trying to put the other to sleep, while the other tries to resist and stay awake. This is the archetypal phenomenon of social science in Goethe's sense. This archetypal phenomenon points to something which mere material thinking cannot grasp; it points to that which can only be understood when one knows that in human life one is not only asleep during sleep—when we slumber along for hours, oblivious to the world—but the same applies to daily waking life, where the same forces which lead to sleep and wakefulness also play into the social and anti-social forces of man. All thinking about social forms can bear no fruit if we do not make the effort to take these things into account.

With this in mind, we must not be blind to the events taking place in the world, but must carefully watch what is coming to pass. What, for example, does the socialist of today think? He thinks that he can invent socialist slogans and call to men from all countries—“Workers of the world, unite!” and by so doing, establish a sort of international Paradise.

This indeed is one of the greatest and most fatal illusions. People are not abstract, but concrete. Fundamentally, the human being is individual. I have tried to make this clear in my Philosophy of Freedom, in contrast to the relativism of Neo-Kantianism and socialism. Men are also different according to their groupings over the world. We will discuss one of these differences so that we may see that it is not possible to simply say:—“You begin in the West, and carry out a certain social system, then you go to the East and then home again, as if taking a world tour.” But the attitude of taking a world journey lives in those who wish to spread socialism over the whole earth. They look upon the earth as a globe on which they, by starting in the West, can eventually arrive in the East. But people on the earth are different—and exactly in this difference dwells an impulse which is the motive force of progress.

You can see how, in this way, provision is made for the Consciousness Soul through birth and heredity. This actually comes to expression in the English-speaking people of today. They are organized for the Consciousness Soul through their blood, their birthright, and their inherited faculties. Because the English-speaking peoples have been especially prepared for the cultivation of the Consciousness Soul they are, in a way, representatives of the fifth Post-Atlantean period. People are thus differentiated according to where they live and how they are constituted.

The Eastern peoples must effect and represent the true development of humanity in another way. Beginning with the Russian people, and passing on to the people of the Asiatic countries—one finds an opposition, a revolt against the instinctive elements natural to the evolution of the Consciousness Soul. The people of the East wish to save the soul treasure of intellectuality of the present age for the future. They do not want it to be mixed with experience, but wish to liberate and preserve it for the next period. During this period, a true union can take place between the human being and the evolved Spirit Self. Thus, if the characteristic force of our present period is in the West, and can indeed be best cultivated as a quality among the English-speaking peoples, the people of the east, out of their national inheritance, seek to prevent the coming-to-pass in their souls of that which is most characteristic of the present period—so that it may develop in them as a germ for the following period, which begins with the 30th century. From this we can see the fact that certain laws prevail in human life, and in human evolution. In the realm of nature people are not surprised that they cannot burn ice, that a regular law underlies this phenomenon. But with the social structures of humanity, people fancy that the same social form, based on the same social principles, can, for example, be made to work in Russia, as in England, Scotland, or America. This is impossible, for the whole world is organized by underlying principles so that one cannot simply create identical forms at will all over the globe. This is a point which we must not forget.

In the Central European countries there is a middle condition of affairs. There, it is as if one were in a balanced condition, between the extremes of the East and the West. Looked at in this way, we see the Earth population divided into three parts. You cannot say: “Workers of the world, unite!” For the workers are of three sorts, are three varieties of people. Let us look at the people of the West again. We find a special disposition, a special mission for all who speak English by nature (single cases may be different)—a disposition for the cultivation of the Consciousness Soul. This disposition expresses itself in not detaching from the soul its characteristic quality of intelligence, but connecting this intelligence naturally, instinctively, with events in the world. To naturally, even instinctively, place oneself in the life of the world as a consciousness soul individual is the task of the English-speaking people. The expanse and greatness of the British Empire rests on this quality. Indeed herein lies the original phenomenon behind the expansion of the British Empire—that which is hidden in the impulses of its people exactly coincided with the inner impulses of the age. In my lectures on the European folk souls, you will find what is essential in this matter. Much is contained in this series of lectures which were given long before the war, but which provide material for judging this war-catastrophe objectively.1Rudolf Steiner The Mission of Folk-Souls. Rudolf Steiner Press, London, 1970.

Now, the very capacities connected with the evolution of the Consciousness Soul give the English-speaking peoples a special genius for political life. One can study how the political art of dividing society and creating social structure has spread from England to those countries where things have remained backward, where the remnants of the fourth Post-Atlantean period have remained. This influence has spread even to the division of Hungarian society, to this Turanian member of the European peoples. It is only from the English heritage that a foundation for the political thinking of the fifth Post-Atlantean period can come. The English are specially suited to the realm of politics. It is of no use to pronounce a judgment on these things, the necessities of the case alone do so. One may feel sympathy or the opposite—that is a private affair. Objective necessity determines the affairs of the world. It is important that these objective necessities shall be clearly placed before us at this time.

Goethe, in his Legend of the Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily, has treated the forces of the human soul as three members, or forces; Power, Appearance, and Knowledge or Wisdom—or, as the Bronze King, the Silver King and the Golden King. Many remarkable things are spoken of in this legend, regarding the governing relationships which are being prepared for the present and which will live into the future. We can point out that what Goethe symbolizes by the Bronze king, the force of Power, is that which spreads over the world through the English-speaking peoples. This is necessary because the culture of the Consciousness Soul coincides with the special qualities of the British and American peoples.

In the Central European countries, which are now in such a state of chaos, there is an unmistakable equilibrium between the Leaning of the intellect toward the Consciousness Soul, and the desire to be free from it; there, sometimes one prevails, sometimes the other. None of the Central European nations is really suited for political life. When they desire to be political, they are disposed to lose contact with reality. Whereas the political thinking of the Anglo-American nations is firmly anchored in the soul, in the Central European countries, it is not, for the second soul force dominates—Semblance and Appearance. However, the people of the Central European countries manifest an intellectuality of special brilliance. Compare anything that the English-speaking people have to say about the nature of thinking—and you will find the thoughts strongly linked to solid earth-realities. But if you take the brilliant feats of the German mind—you will find that they are more an aesthetic shaping of thoughts, even if the aesthetic shaping has a logical form. It is especially noticeable how one thought leads to another so that thoughts of value appear in dialectical form, shaped by an aesthetic will. If one wishes to apply this to solid earth-realities—if one wishes by this means to become a politician—then one easily becomes untrue; one easily falls into a so-called dreamy idealism which seeks to establish united kingdoms, with decade-long calls for unity—but in the end sets up a mighty State by force. Never before has there been such a contrast in political life as the one between the dream of unity in 1848 and that which was really established in 1871.2The reference is to the distinction between the dreams of the German revolution of 1848 and the creation of the German Empire of 1871 by the Prussian State. There you see the swing of the pendulum, the shift from that which really strives for aesthetic form, which can become untrue, an illusion, a dreamy picture when one wishes to apply it to politics. Here, there is simply no disposition for politics. When the Central European people become politicians they either dream or they lie. I should add that these things must not be discussed with sympathy or antipathy in order to accuse or to acquit. Rather, they must be said, because on the one hand they correspond with a need, and on the other with a tragedy. These are things that we must heed.

And if we then look to the East, things are quite different again. We have seen that the German, if he wants to be political, falls into a dreamy idealism or, at its worst, into untruth. The Russian on the other hand becomes ill or actually suffers a death if he desires to be political. This may seem strange, yet a Russian person has a constitution which creates a disposition towards disease, towards death, with intensive political involvement. The Russian Folk Soul has absolutely no affinity with that quality in the English and American Folk Soul which creates a political capacity. But because of this, the East has the task of carrying the intellect separated from its natural connection with the world of sense experience into the future age of the Spirit-Self.

One must therefore know how different abilities are spread among the people of the earth. This becomes visible in many areas. You have, for example, heard about the super-sensible experience called “The Meeting with the Guardian of the Threshold”. There are marked differences in this meeting with the Guardian. Where this meeting, this initiation, is effected entirely independent of nationality, then it is objective and complete. But when this initiation occurs through special groups or societies connected with a particular people or nation, then it is one-sided. The English-speaking peoples are those who, when not guided by higher spiritual leaders but by their own Folk Soul, are especially suited for bringing to the Threshold those spiritual beings who surround and accompany us in this world of Ahrimanic spirits, and whom we take with us when we approach the super-sensible world, if they have developed a certain liking for us. They then lead us primarily to an experience of the power of sickness and death. You will therefore hear it said by the greater number of Anglo-Americans initiated into the super-sensible Mysteries, that the first more important event in their cognition of the super-sensible world is the encounter with those powers expressing sickness and death. They learn to know this as an external, outward experience.

If you turn to the Central European people what will you find, when those who are being initiated are not taken out of their nation and raised to universal humanity, but when the Folk Spirit co-operates with them? Then the first important experience which comes to our notice is a conflict between those spiritual beings who belong to higher worlds, to the other side of the Threshold, and certain other beings who are here in the physical world, on this side of the Threshold but who are invisible to ordinary consciousness. The Central Europeans will first become aware of this conflict. The experience of this conflict makes itself felt to the genuine seeker after truth in the Central European countries as a being penetrated with the powers of doubt. One becomes acquainted with all the powers of “many-sidedness”. In Western countries, there is a stronger inclination to be satisfied with exact truth; whereas in the Central European countries there is a tendency to immediately see the other side of the question. There, in the searching for truth, one trembles in the balance. Everything has two sides. One is regarded as a Philistine in Central Europe if one ventures a one-sided opinion. But this causes tragic suffering when nearing the Threshold. We must pay attention to this struggle which takes place at the Threshold, between spirits which belong only to the spirit world, and those belonging to the world of sense—this struggle which conditions all that calls forth doubt in man, this vacillation with regard to the truth. It is this experience of doubt which creates the European need to be trained in the truth—in philosophy—so as not to fall prey so easily to the generally recognized impulses of truth in society.

When you turn to the Eastern countries—and the Folk Soul acts as sponsor at the initiation—then one primarily experiences the spirits that work upon human egotism. One sees all that gives rise to human selfishness. The Westerner who approaches the Threshold does not see this. Instead, he sees the spirits that permeate the world and humanity with sickness and death in the broadest sense, as injurious, destructive and degrading for humanity. The Neophyte of the East, however, sees all that comes forward to tempt man as selfishness. Therefore, the ideal which proceeds from Western initiation is making men healthy and keeping them healthy, and giving mankind the possibility of healthy development. In the East, on the other hand, there springs up, as instinctive knowledge in connection to a religious orientation toward initiation, a feeling of one's own insignificance when faced with the sublime powers of the spiritual world. The man of the East, when meeting the spiritual world, is shown how selfishness may be cured, and egotism destroyed because of its dangers. This is even expressed in the external character of people from the East. Much of the Eastern character which is inexplicable to people from the West arises precisely from what is expressed at the Threshold of the spiritual world.

So we can see the differences in human qualities when we look at the inner development, the inner shaping of the psycho-spiritual development of humanity. It is important to keep this clearly in mind. In certain occult circles of the English-speaking people who were under the guardianship of the Folk Spirits, prophetic sayings could be found during the second half of the 19th century which referred to the things we have been discussing, things which are happening today. Think of what could have happened if the people of Europe, with the exception of those speaking English, had not stopped up their ears and blindfolded their eyes, so that their attention was directed from the truth of these things. I will tell you of a formula which was frequently repeated during the second half of the 19th century. The following was said:—“The State must be abolished in Russia, so that the Russian people may develop, for in Russia social experiments must be carried out, which could never be done in Western countries”. This might seem unsympathetic to non-English ears, but it contains a high degree of wisdom and insight. And he who can connect himself with these things so that he can believe in their efficacy as impulses in whose realization he can take part, this person is truly of the present age.3Here and in other references to Russia in this lecture, Rudolf Steiner appears to be referring to the political attitudes and behaviour of Germany and Austria toward Russia during the time of the Russian revolution when the actions of the central powers certainly strengthened the hands of the Bolsheviks against more moderate social democratic forces. Those who do not see the reality of these forces set themselves against the time.

These matters must be clearly understood. It was, of course, the inevitable lot of Central and Eastern Europe to block their ears and blindfold their eyes to occult facts; to give no heed to them, to work on lines of mysticism, abstract teaching, and abstract intellectualism. But we are now in a time when this must cease. Pessimism and despair must not be created by such contemplations as these. Rather force, courage, and the will to help is needed. In this sense we should always remember that we do not work against, but rather with the issues of our time—out of the spiritual scientific impulse of the Anthroposophical Movement. Let us see to it that we do not sleep away our opportunities. Spiritual Science can lead us to the conscious cultivation of social faculties. It can, for example, show us the forces at work in the human being when he is free from the body, what he is experiencing between going to sleep and awaking. But more importantly it can give us a direction in conscious waking life for developing social capacities. We of course cultivate the powers most necessary for our age when we are consciously thinking about those things which can only forcefully penetrate into our soul during waking hours. We could not develop, we would be powerless, if we only had to evolve during sleep. It is for our waking life that the following is therefore important.

Two powers are working in the present. One is the power which since the Mystery of Golgotha has worked in different metamorphoses through the ensuing periods of earth evolution as the Christ Impulse. We have often said that just in our age a reappearance of the Etheric Christ will take place. This reappearance of the Christ is indeed not far off. That He is coming again is no cause for pessimism, nor should it give rise to a nebulous longing and a desire for soul-warming, self-seeking, theosophical theories. The Christ Impulse has various forms, but in His present form He wishes to help humanity realize that spiritual wisdom now being revealed by the spiritual world. This wisdom wants to be realized and the Christ Impulse will be a help in this realization. It is on this realization that all depends. At this critical moment humanity is faced with a momentous decision. On the one side stands the Christ Being, calling us of our own free will to do what we have been speaking about today, to consciously and freely receive the social impulses which can heal and help humanity. Freely, to receive them. Therefore, we do not unite ourselves on those levels where hatred forms a foundation for love as in the cry, “Workers of the world, unite!” But we unite by striving to realize the Christ Impulse, by doing those things which are the will of Christ for this age.

Opposed to this will stands the adversary who is called in the Bible “the unrighteous Prince of this World”. He makes his presence known in various ways. One of these ways is to take those forces which allow us as free beings to serve that which we have been talking about today, to take this force of free will and to place it at the service of the physical. This adversary, the Prince of this world, has various instruments; for example, hunger and social chaos. By this means, through external compulsion, and physical measures, the force of free will is subverted to the service of apparent necessity. See how humanity today shows that it will not of its own free will turn to a truly social life, and to a recognition of true progress for mankind. It wishes to be compelled. And yet, this compulsion has not even led people to make the basic distinction between the Spirit of the super-sensible world, the Christ Spirit and the adversary, the unrighteous Prince of this world. Look at this situation and see if this does not explain why in so many places today men oppose and struggle against the acceptance of any true spiritual teaching, against true spiritual deeds, and against Spiritual Science. They are possessed by the unrighteous Prince of this world.

Now think for a moment; think how you of your own free will turn to spiritual life; think humbly of yourselves, but also earnestly and strongly as the missionaries of the Christ-Spirit today, who have to combat the unrighteous Prince of this world, who lays hold of all those who unconsciously allow themselves to use forces out of the future to realize their own aims. If you think of yourselves in this light there is no room for pessimism—indeed it leaves you no time for a pessimistic view of the world. It will of course not shut your eyes and ears to that which has happened, sometimes in a terrible manner—and which is tragic to behold in its true form. But you will preeminently keep the following before your souls—“I am, in any case, called to look at everything without illusion; I must be neither pessimistic nor optimistic, so that forces may awaken in my soul which give me the power to aid the free development of the human being, to contribute to human progress in the place and situation where I am”. Even if the faults and tragedies of the age are very visible to Spiritual Science this should not be an incitement to pessimism or optimism, but rather a call to an inner awakening so that independent work and the cultivation of right thinking will result. For above all things, adequate insight is necessary. If only a sufficient number of people today were motivated to say, “We absolutely must have a better understanding of things”; then everything else would follow. It is just in regard to social questions that there is a need to consciously strive for insight and understanding. The development of the will activity is planned for, it is coming. If we in daily life would only wish to educate ourselves about social issues, and develop new social ideas, then (according to an occult law), each of us would be able to take another human being along. Each one of us can therefore work for two if we have the will. We could achieve much if we had an earnest desire to acquire insight at once. The rest would follow. It is not so bad that not many people can do much about the situation of society today, but it is incredibly sad if people cannot at least make up their minds to become acquainted with the social laws of Spiritual Science. The rest would follow if serious study would take place.

This is what I have desired to communicate to you today regarding the importance of knowing and recognizing certain things about the social situation of the present, and how such a recognition can lead to a life impulse for the future. I hope we will again have the opportunity of speaking together about the more intimate aspects of Spiritual Science.

Siebenter Vortrag

Die Zeit selbst spricht wohl deutlich genug sich dahin aus, daß wir gerade diejenigen Empfindungen und Betrachtungen, die wir aus unserer geisteswissenschaftlichen Vertiefung gewinnen, auch auf die Verhältnisse dieser Zeit, auf das Leben in dieser Zeit anwenden. Und nicht nur die äußeren Zeitverhältnisse sprechen heute eine deutliche Sprache, sondern auch unsere geisteswissenschaftlichen Anschauungen selbst rechtfertigen ja in einer gewissen Weise diese Sprache. Wir sind ja in so vielen unserer Betrachtungen von einer Grundtatsache der menschlichen Entwickelung ausgegangen: von der Tatsache, daß sich diese Entwickelung in aufeinanderfolgenden Etappen vollzieht, deren zunächst bedeutsame, uns jetzt vorzugsweise angehende, wie wir wissen, mit der großen atlantischen Katastrophe begonnen haben. Von den nachatlantischen Epochen sind vier verflossen, während wir jetzt in der fünften nachatlantischen Etappe der Entwickelung leben. Und diese Entwickelungsetappe, die im fünfzehnten Jahrhundert unserer christlichen Zeitrechnung begonnen hat, ist diejenige, die wir nennen können die der Bewußtseinsseele. Andere menschliche Seelenkräfte sind insbesondere ausgebildet worden in den anderen Kulturzeiträumen. In unserem Kulturzeitraum, der eben auf den griechisch-lateinischen Zeitraum gefolgt ist in der ersten Hälfte des fünfzehnten Jahrhunderts, soll die Menschheit nach und nach ausbilden die Bewußtseinsseele. In dem vorhergehenden Zeitraum, der im achten vorchristlichen Jahrhundert begonnen hat und im fünfzehnten nachchristlichen Jahrhundert vollendet war, hat die Menschheit vorzugsweise kulturmäßig ausgebildet die Verstandes- oder Gemütsseele.

Nun, wir brauchen uns auf die Charakterisierung dieser Etappen nicht einzulassen, aber wir wollen besonders ins Auge fassen, was das Eigentümliche unseres Zeitalters ist, dieses Zeitalters, das ja erst verhältnismäßig wenig Jahrhunderte hinter sich hat. Denn ein solches Zeitalter dauert ja durchschnittlich etwas über zweitausend Jahre. Es ist also noch viel zu absolvieren übrig in diesem Zeitraum der Bewußtseinsseele. In diesem Zeitalter der Bewußtseinsseele wird die Aufgabe der zivilisierten Menschheit die sein, das ganze menschliche Wesen zu erfassen und es auf sich selbst zu stellen, vieles, außerordentlich vieles von dem, was der Mensch in früheren Zeiträumen instinktmäßig gefühlt, instinktmäßig beurteilt hat, ins volle Licht des Bewußtseins heraufzuheben.

Nicht wahr, viele Schwierigkeiten und vieles Chaotische, das in unserem Zeitraume sich um uns herum und mit uns abspielt, wird einem eigentlich sofort erklärlich, wenn man weiß, daß dies die Aufgabe unseres Zeitalters ist: Instinktives ins Bewußtsein heraufzuheben. Denn das Instinktive geschieht gewissermaßen von selbst; aber was bewußt geschehen soll, das erfordert, daß der Mensch sich innerlich anstrengt, daß er vor allen Dingen beginnt, wirklich aus seinem ganzen Wesen heraus zu denken. Und das scheut der Mensch. Das ist etwas, was der Mensch nicht gern tut: bewußt Anteil nehmen an der Gestaltung der Weltverhältnisse. Außerdem liegt hier ein Punkt, über den sich heute die Menschen noch viel täuschen. Die Menschen heute denken: Nun ja, wir leben ja gerade im Zeitalter der Gedankenentwickelung. Die Menschen sind stolz darauf, daß heute mehr gedacht wird als früher. Aber zunächst ist dies eine Täuschung, eine Illusion, eine der vielen Illusionen, von denen heute die Menschheit lebt. Das, was die Menschen so stolz macht, dieses Fassen von Gedanken, das ist vielfach instinktiv. Erst wenn das Instinktive, das heraufgekommen ist in der Menschheitsentwickelung und das sich heute im Stolzsein auf das Denken äuBert, aktiv wird, wenn wirklich das Intellektuelle nicht bloß aus dem Gehirn, sondern aus dem ganzen Menschen entspringt, wenn das Intellektuelle selbst nur ein Teil wird des ganzen geistigen Lebens, wenn es vom Rationalistischen hinweggehoben und ins Imaginative, Inspirierte, Intuitive heraufgehoben wird, erst dann wird dasjenige, was herauswill in diesem fünften nachatlantischen Bewußtseinsseelenzeitraum, nach und nach herauskommen. Was dem Menschen heute entgegentritt - was ihn schon hinweisen kann darauf, daß ihn gewissermaßen selbst die alltäglichsten Gedanken auf seine besonderen Eigentümlichkeiten in diesem Zeitalter hinweisen —, das ist, was man immer wieder erwähnen muß: das Auftauchen der sogenannten sozialen Frage.

Aber es wird derjenige, der ernsthaftig sich in unsere anthroposophisch orientierte Geisteswissenschaft vertieft hat, sehr leicht zu der Empfindung kommen können, daß doch das Wesentliche in der Gestaltung einer gesellschaftlichen Ordnung, ob man sie nun staatlich oder sonstwie nennt, ausgehen muß von dem, was der Mensch aus sich heraus entwickelt, was er aus sich heraus entwickeln kann mit der Aufgabe, zu regeln den Verkehr von Mensch zu Mensch. Alles, was der Mensch aus sich heraus entwickelt, entspricht natürlich gewissen Impulsen, die zuletzt doch in unserem seelisch-geistigen Leben liegen. Wenn man die Sache so anschaut, wird man fragen können: Ja, muß denn nicht vor allen Dingen die Aufmerksamkeit gerichtet werden auf die sozialen Impulse, auf dasjenige, was aus der Menschennatur herauswill als soziale Impulse? Nennen wir, wobei wir aber nicht an etwas bloß Animalisches denken, diese sozialen Impulse meinetwillen soziale Triebe, wobei wir aber schon bedacht sind darauf, daß der Trieb nicht bloß unbewußt oder instinktiv gedacht werden soll, sondern daß, wenn wir von sozialen Trieben sprechen, wir meinen: Wir stehen im Bewußtseinszeitalter, und der Trieb will eben ins Bewußtsein herauf.

Wenn nun so etwas geltend gemacht wird: Es gibt soziale Triebe, sie wollen sich verwirklichen — da setzt gerade in unserem Zeitalter gleich wiederum die furchtbare Einseitigkeit ein, die nicht beklagt werden soll, die ruhig angeschaut werden soll, weil sie überwunden werden muß. Der Mensch in unserer Zeit ist so sehr geneigt, alle Dinge einseitig zu betrachten! Das ist immer so, als wenn man nur gelten lassen wollte den Ausschlag eines Pendels nach der einen Seite, und niemals bedenken würde, daß das Pendel ja vom Mittelpunkt nach der einen Seite gar nicht ausschlagen kann, ohne daß es auch nach der anderen Seite ausschlägt. Ebensowenig wie ein Pendel nur nach der einen Seite ausschlagen kann, ebensowenig können sich äußern im Menschen die sozialen Triebe nur nach der einen Seite. Den sozialen Trieben stehen in der Menschennatur einfach selbstverständlich, wegen dieser Menschennatur, die antisozialen Triebe gegenüber. Und genau ebenso, wie in der Menschennatur es soziale Triebe gibt, gibt es antisoziale Triebe. Das muß vor allen Dingen berücksichtigt werden. Denn die sozialen Führer und Agitatoren, die geben sich der großen Illusion hin, daß sie nur irgendwelche Anschauungen und dergleichen zu verbreiten brauchen, oder irgendeine Menschenklasse aufzurufen brauchen, welche willig oder geneigt ist, die sozialen Triebe, wenn es Anschauungen sind, zu pflegen. Ja, das ist eben eine Illusion, so zu verfahren, denn da rechnet man nicht damit, daß ebenso, wie die sozialen Triebe da sind, sich die antisozialen Triebe immer geltend machen. Das, worum es sich heute handelt, ist, diesen Dingen ohne Illusionen ins Gesicht sehen zu können. Man kann ihnen nur ohne Illusionen ins Gesicht sehen vom Gesichtspunkte einer geisteswissenschaftlichen Betrachtung. Man möchte sagen: Die Menschen verschlafen das Allerwichtigste im Leben, wenn sie dieses Leben nicht vom Gesichtspunkte der geisteswissenschaftlichen Betrachtung ins Auge fassen.

Wir müssen uns fragen: Wie steht es eigentlich mit dem Verkehr des Menschen zum Menschen mit Bezug auf die sozialen und antisozialen Triebe? — Sehen Sie, ein Gegenüberstehen von Mensch und Mensch ist seiner Wirklichkeit nach im Grunde etwas recht Kompliziertes! Wir müssen natürlich den Fall, ich möchte sagen, radikal ins Auge fassen. Wohl ist das Gegenüberstehen ein verschiedenes, differenziert sich nach den verschiedenen Verhältnissen, aber wir müssen das gemeinsame Merkmal im Gegenüberstehen eines Menschen zum andern Menschen ins Auge fassen, müssen uns fragen: Was geschieht da eigentlich in der Gesamtwirklichkeit — nicht bloß in dem, was den äußeren Sinnesanschauungen sich darbietet -, was geschieht in der Gesamtwirklichkeit, wenn ein Mensch dem andern gegenübersteht? — Da geschieht nichts Geringeres, als daß eine gewisse Kraft wirkt von Mensch zu Mensch hinüber. Das Gegenüberstehen von Mensch zu Mensch bedeutet einfach, daß eine gewisse Kraft wirkt von Mensch zu Mensch. Wir können bei dem, was wir tun von Mensch zu Mensch, nicht gleichgültig einander im Leben gegenüberstehen, nicht einmal in bloßen Gedanken und Empfindungen, sogar wenn wir dem Raume nach entfernt voneinander sind. Wenn wir irgendwie zu sorgen haben für den anderen Menschen, wenn wir irgendeine Verkehrsmöglichkeit zu schaffen haben, so wirkt eine Kraft von dem einen Menschen zu dem anderen hinüber. Das ist ja dasjenige, was dem sozialen Leben zugrunde liegt. Das ist dasjenige, was, wenn es sich verzweigt, verstrickt, eigentlich die soziale Struktur der Menschen begründet. Man bekommt natürlich das Phänomen am reinsten, wenn man an den unmittelbaren Verkehr von Mensch zu Mensch denkt: da besteht das Bestreben, durch den Eindruck, den der eine Mensch auf den andern macht, daß der Mensch eingeschläfert wird. Also das ist etwas Durchgehendes im sozialen Leben, daß der eine Mensch durch den anderen, mit dem er im Verkehr steht, eingeschläfert wird. Fortwährend ist — der Physiker würde sagen — die latente Tendenz da, daß im sozialen Verkehr ein Mensch den andern einschläfert.

Warum ist denn das so? Ja, sehen Sie, das beruht auf einer sehr wichtigen Einrichtung in der Gesamtwesenheit der Menschen. Es beruht darauf, daß im Grunde genommen dasjenige, was wir soziale Triebe nennen, eigentlich überhaupt nur beim gewöhnlichen gegenwärtigen Bewußtsein sich so recht aus der Seele des Menschen heraus entwickelt, wenn der Mensch schläft. Sie sind, insofern Sie nicht zur Hellsichtigkeit aufsteigen, eigentlich nur von sozialen Trieben durchsetzt, wenn Sie schlafen. Und nur das, was fortwirkt aus dem Schlaf in das Wachen herein, wirkt herein im Wachen als sozialer Trieb. Wenn Sie aber dieses wissen, so brauchen Sie sich nicht zu verwundern darüber, daß das soziale Wesen Sie einschläfern will durch das Verhältnis von Mensch zu Mensch. Im Verhältnis von Mensch zu Mensch soll sich entwickeln der soziale Trieb. Er kann sich nur entwickeln im Schlafe. Daher entwickelt sich im Verkehr von Mensch zu Mensch die Tendenz, daß der eine Mensch den andern behufs Herstellung eines sozialen Verhältnisses einschläfert. Das ist eine Tatsache, die frappierend ist, die sich aber dem Betrachter der Wirklichkeit des Lebens eben sogleich darbietet. Unser Verkehr von Mensch zu Mensch besteht darinnen, daß vor allen Dingen unser Vorstellungsvermögen in diesem Verkehre eingeschläfert wird, behufs der Herstellung der sozialen Triebe von Mensch zu Mensch.

Aber Sie können natürlich nicht fortwährend schlafend im Leben herumgehen. Die Tendenz, soziale Triebe herzustellen, besteht schon darinnen und drückt sich darinnen aus, daß Sie eigentlich fortwährend Neigung haben sollten zum Schlafen. Die Dinge, die ich bespreche, gehen natürlich alle unterbewußt vor sich, aber sie gehen nicht weniger wirklich und nicht weniger unser Leben durchsetzend fortwährend vor sich. Also es besteht gerade zur Herstellung der sozialen Menschheitsstruktur eine fortwährende Neigung, einzuschlafen.

Dagegen wirkt noch etwas anderes. Es wirkt das fortwährende Sichsträuben, das fortwährende Aufbäumen der Menschen gegen diese Tendenz, wenn sie eben nicht schlafen. So daß Sie, wenn Sie einem Menschen gegenüberstehen, immer in folgenden Konflikten drinnenstehen: Dadurch, daß Sie ihm gegenüberstehen, entwickelt sich in Ihnen immer die Tendenz, zu schlafen, das Verhältnis im Schlafe zu ihm zu erleben; dadurch, daß Sie nicht aufgehen dürfen im Schlafen, daß Sie nicht versinken dürfen im Schlafen, regt sich in Ihnen die Gegenkraft, sich wachzuhalten. Das spielt sich immer ab im Verkehr von Mensch zu Mensch: Tendenz zum Einschlafen, Tendenz, sich wachzuhalten. Tendenz, sich wachzuhalten, ist aber antisozial in diesem Fall, Behauptung der eigenen Individualität, der eigenen Persönlichkeit gegenüber der sozialen Struktur in der Gesellschaft. Einfach indem wir Mensch unter Menschen sind, pendelt unser inneres Seelenleben zwischen Sozialem und Antisozialem hin und her. Und dasjenige, was so als diese zwei Triebe in uns lebt, was zu beobachten ist zwischen Mensch und Mensch, wenn man Mensch und Mensch einander gegenüberstehen sieht und sie okkult beobachtet, das beherrscht unser Leben. Wenn wir Einrichtungen treffen - und entfernen sich diese Einrichtungen noch so sehr für das heutige sehr gescheite Bewußtsein von der Wirklichkeit -, sie sind doch ein Ausdruck dieses Pendelverhältnisses zwischen sozialen und antisozialen Trieben. Die Nationalökonomen mögen darüber nachdenken, was Kredit ist, Kapital ist, Rente ist und so weiter; diese Dinge, die im sozialen Verkehr Gesetzmäßigkeit ausmachen, sind nur Ausschläge des Pendels dieser beiden Triebe, des sozialen und des antisozialen Triebes.

Sehen Sie, an diese Dinge müßte heute derjenige verständig anknüpfen, real wissenschaftlich anknüpfen, der daran denkt, die Heilmittel in dieser Zeit zu finden. Denn woher kommt es denn, daß in unserer Zeit die soziale Forderung sich erhebt? Nun, wir leben im Zeitalter der Bewußtseinsseele, wo der Mensch auf sich selbst sich stellen muß. Worauf ist er da angewiesen? Er ist darauf angewiesen, _ um seine Aufgabe, seine Mission in unserem fünften nachatlantischen Zeitraum zu erreichen, sich zu behaupten, sich nicht einschläfern zu lassen. Er ist gerade für seine Stellung in der Zeit angewiesen, die antisozialen Triebe zu entwickeln. Und es würde nicht die Aufgabe unseres Zeitraums vom Menschen erreicht werden können, wenn nicht gerade die antisozialen Triebe, durch die der Mensch sich auf die Spitze seiner eigenen Persönlichkeit stellt, immer mächtigere und mächtigere werden. Die Menschheit hat heute noch gar keine Ahnung davon, wie mächtig immerwährend bis ins dritte Jahrtausend hinein die antisozialen Triebe sich entwickeln müssen. Gerade damit der Mensch sich richtig auswächst, müssen die antisozialen Triebe sich entwickeln.

In früheren Zeitaltern war die Entwickelung der antisozialen Triebe nicht das geistige Lebensbrot der Menschheitsentwickelung. Daher brauchte man ihnen kein Gegengewicht entgegenzusetzen und setzte ihnen auch kein solches entgegen. In unserer Zeit, wo der Mensch um seiner selbst willen, um seines einzelnen Selbstes willen die antisozialen Triebe ausbilden muß - die sich schon ausbilden, weil der Mensch eben der Entwickelung unterworfen ist, gegen die sich nichts machen läßt -, da muß dasjenige kommen, was der Mensch den antisozialen Trieben nun entgegensetzt: eine solche soziale Struktur, durch die das Gleichgewicht dieser Entwickelungstendenz gehalten wird. Innen müssen die antisozialen Triebe wirken, damit der Mensch die Höhe seiner Entwickelung erreicht; außen im gesellschaftlichen Leben muß, damit der Mensch nicht den Menschen verliert im Zusammenhange des Lebens, die soziale Struktur wirken. Daher die soziale Forderung in unserer Zeit. Die soziale Forderung in unserer Zeit ist gewissermaßen nichts anderes als das notwendige Gegengewicht gegen die innere Entwickelungstendenz der Menschheit.

Sie sehen daraus zugleich, daß mit einseitiger Betrachtung überhaupt nichts getan ist. Denn denken Sie einmal, daß, so wie die Menschen nun einmal leben, gewisse Worte — ich will gar nicht sprechen von Ideen oder Empfindungen -, gewisse Worte «Wertigkeit», bestimmte Valeurs bekommen. Nun ja, «antisozial», das bekommt so etwas, was einen antipathisch anmutet, man betrachtet das als etwas Böses. Schön, nur kann man sich nicht viel darum kümmern, ob das als etwas Böses betrachtet wird oder nicht, da es etwas Notwendiges ist, da es — sei es bös, sei es gut - eben in unserem Zeitraum gerade mit den notwendigen Entwickelungstendenzen des Menschen zusammenhängt. Und wenn jemand dann auftritt und sagt, die antisozialen Triebe sollen bekämpft werden, so ist das ein ganz gewöhnlicher Unsinn, denn sie können nicht bekämpft werden. Sie müssen, nach der ganz gewöhnlichen Entwickelungstendenz der Menschheit, gerade das Innere des Menschen in unserer Zeit ergreifen. Nicht darum handelt es sich, Rezepte zu finden, um die antisozialen Triebe zu bekämpfen, sondern darauf kommt es an, die gesellschaftlichen Einrichtungen, die Struktur, die Organisation desjenigen, was außerhalb des menschlichen Individuums liegt, was das menschliche Individuum nicht umfaßt, so zu gestalten, so einzurichten, daß ein Gegengewicht da ist für dasjenige, was im Innern des Menschen als antisozialer Trieb wirkt. Daher ist es so notwendig, daß der Mensch in diesem Zeitraum mit seinem ganzen Wesen ausgegliedert wird von der sozialen Ordnung. Sonst kann das eine und das andere nicht rein sein.

Sehen Sie, in früheren Zeitaltern hatte man Stände, hatte man Klassen. Unser Zeitalter strebt über die Stände, strebt über die Klassen hinaus. Unser Zeitalter kann nicht mehr die Menschen in Klassen einteilen, sondern es muß den Menschen in seiner Gesamtheit gelten lassen und in eine solche soziale Struktur hineinstellen, daß nur das von ihm Abgesonderte sozial gegliedert ist. Deshalb sagte ich gestern im öffentlichen Vortrag: Im griechisch-lateinischen Zeitalter konnte noch das Sklaventum herrschen, da war der eine der Herr, der andere der Sklave, da waren die Menschen eingeteilt. Heute haben wir als Rest gerade dasjenige, was den Proletarier in solche Aufregung versetzt: daß seine Arbeitskraft Ware ist, daß also etwas, was in ihm ist, noch äußerlich organisiert ist. Das muß weg. Und nur dasjenige kann sozial gegliedert werden, was nicht am Menschen hängt: seine Position, der Ort, an den er hingestellt ist; nicht etwas, was in ihm selbst ist.

Das alles, was man in dieser Weise erkennt mit Bezug auf die notwendige Entwickelung des sozialen Lebens, das muß man wirklich heute so auffassen, daß so wie zum Beispiel der Mensch keinen Anspruch hat, rechnen zu können, wenn er nie das Einmaleins gelernt hat, er ebensowenig einen Anspruch darauf hat, in bezug auf Sozialreformen und dergleichen mitzureden, wenn er niemals solche Dinge gelernt hat, wie wir sie zum Beispiel jetzt auseinandersetzen: daß es Sozialismus und Antisozialismus gibt in der Weise, wie wir es jetzt konkret charakterisierten. Die Menschen, die heute oftmals an den wichtigsten Stellen unserer staatlichen oder sozialen Organisationen anfangen, von sozialen Forderungen zu reden, die kommen dem Wissenden vor wie Leute, die anfangen wollen, eine Brücke über einen reißenden Strom zu bauen, und die niemals auch nur gelernt haben den Satz von dem Parallelogramm der Kräfte oder dergleichen! Sie mögen ja eine Brücke bauen, diese Leute, aber sie wird bei der ersten Gelegenheit einstürzen. Und so kommen einem die sozialen Führer, oder auch jene, die andere soziale Einrichtungen heute pflegen, vor: ihre Einrichtungen werden bei der nächsten Gelegenheit sich als unmöglich erweisen, denn die Dinge erfordern, daß wir mit der Wirklichkeit arbeiten und nicht gegen sie. Das ist so unendlich wichtig, daß endlich einmal ernst gemacht wird mit dem, was ja, ich möchte sagen, der Grundnerv unserer anthroposophisch orientierten Geistesartung ist.

Einer von den Impulsen, die uns beseelen auf dem Gebiete unserer anthroposophischen Bewegung, ist doch der, daß wir gewissermaßen das, was die meisten Menschen nur für die erste Jugend gelten lassen, ins ganze Menschenleben hineintragen: Wir setzen uns, wenn wir vielleicht sogar längst grau geworden sind, noch auf die Schulbank, auf die Schulbank des Lebens allerdings. Das ist auch einer der Unterschiede, den wir machen gegenüber jenen Menschen draußen, welche glauben, daß sie, wenn sie bis zum fünfundzwanzigsten, sechsundzwanzigsten Jahre gebummelt und gebummelt - nein, ich will sagen, Kollegs belegt, nein, Kollegs studiert haben -, dann für das ganze Leben fertig seien! Dann gibt es ja höchstens noch ein höheres Selbstamusement, nicht wahr, und dergleichen, durch das man sich das eine oder das andere noch aneignet. Aber das ist dasjenige, was uns gründlich als Empfindung vor die Seele tritt, indem wir uns dem Nerv der geisteswissenschaftlichen Bewegung nähern: daß der Mensch wirklich sein ganzes Leben hindurch zu lernen hat, wenn er den Aufgaben dieses Lebens gewachsen sein will. Das ist so sehr wichtig, daß wir auch mit dieser Empfindung uns durchdringen. Wenn nicht gebrochen wird mit dem Glauben, daß man durch die Anlagen, die man entwickelt bis zum zwanzigsten oder fünfundzwanzigsten Jahre, schon alles beherrschen kann, daß man dann nur zusammenzukommen braucht in den Parlamenten oder sonstwo, und über alles entscheiden kann, solange nicht gebrochen wird mit dieser Anschauung, mit dieser Empfindung, solange kann nicht irgend etwas Heilsames in der sozialen Struktur der Menschen zustandekommen.

Das Wechselverhältnis von Sozialem und Antisozialem zu studieren, das ist gerade für unsere Tage außerordentlich bedeutsam. Das Antisoziale können wir aber bloß studieren, denn es liegt, wie ich auseinandergesetzt habe, in der Entwickelung unseres Zeitraums, daß dieses Antisoziale gerade zum Wichtigsten gehört, was sich Geltung verschaffen soll, und sich in uns selber zu entwickeln hat. Dieses Antisoziale kann nur in einem gewissen Gleichgewicht gehalten werden durch das Soziale; aber das Soziale muß gepflegt werden, muß bewußt gepflegt werden. Und das wird in unserem Zeitalter in der Tat immer schwieriger und schwieriger, weil das andere, das Antisoziale, eigentlich das Natürliche ist. Das Soziale ist das Notwendige, das muß gepflegt werden. Und man wird sehen, daß in diesem fünften nachatlantischen Zeitraum eine Tendenz vorhanden ist, das Soziale gerade außer acht zu lassen, wenn man sich bloß sich selbst überläßt, wenn man nicht aktiv eingreift, wenn man nicht mittut in Seelentätigkeit. Was notwendig ist und was sehr bewußt erworben werden muß, während es früher instinktiv sich im Menschen geltend machte, das ist gerade das Interesse von Mensch zu Mensch. Der Grundnerv allen sozialen Lebens ist das Interesse von Mensch zu Mensch.

Es erscheint heute noch fast paradox, wenn man sagt: Die Menschen werden über die sogenannten schwierigen nationalökonomischen Begriffe keinen Aufschluß gewinnen, wenn nicht das Interesse von Mensch zu Mensch wächst, wenn nicht die Menschen anfangen, die Scheingebilde, welche im sozialen Leben herrschen, mit den Wirklichkeiten zu verbinden. Sehen Sie, wer denkt so ohne weiteres daran, daß einfach durch die Gliedlichkeit, in der er in der sozialen Ordnung drinnensteht, er eigentlich immer in einem komplizierten Verhältnis von Mensch zu Mensch ist? Nehmen Sie an, Sie haben eine Hundertfranken-Note in der Tasche und Sie verwenden diese HundertfrankenNote, indem Sie an einem Vormittag gehen und einkaufen, soviel einkaufen, daß Sie diese Hundertfranken-Note ausgeben. Ja, was bedeutet das, daß Sie mit einer Hundertfranken-Note in der Tasche ausgehen? Die Hundertfranken-Note ist eigentlich ein Scheingebilde, ist in Wirklichkeit gar nichts wert und wäre es auch nicht, selbst wenn es Metallgeld wäre. Ich will heute nicht von den Metallisten und Nominalisten auf dem Gebiete der Geldtheorie sprechen; aber selbst wenn es ein Metallgeld ist, ist es eigentlich ein Scheingebilde, eigentlich gar nichts wert. Geld schaltet sich nämlich ein zwischen zwei anderen Dingen, und nur dadurch, daß eine gewisse soziale Ordnung, in unserer Zeit eben eine rein staatliche Ordnung besteht, dadurch ist diese Hundertfranken-Note, die Sie haben, und die Sie am Vormittag ausgeben für die verschiedensten Dinge, nichts anderes als der Äquivalenzwert für soundso viele Arbeitstage soundso vieler Menschen. Soundso viele Menschen müssen soundso viele Arbeitstage absolvieren, soundso viel menschliche Arbeit muß einfließen in die menschliche soziale Ordnung, sich kristallisieren in Ware, damit überhaupt der Scheinwert einer Banknote zu einem wirklichen Wert wird — aber nur per Befehl der sozialen Ordnung. Die Banknote gibt Ihnen nur die Macht, soundso viel Arbeit in Ihren Dienst zu stellen, respektive über soundso viel Arbeit zu gebieten. Wenn Sie im Geiste das Bild vor sich haben: Da habe ich die Banknote, sie überträgt mir kraft der sozialen Position, in der ich drinnenstehe, die Macht über soundso viel Arbeiter, und wenn Sie jetzt sehen: Stunde für Stunde im Tag verkaufen andere die Arbeit dieser Arbeiter als Äquivalenzwert, als realen Äquivalenzwert dessen, was Sie in Ihrer Geldbörse als Hundertfranken-Note haben: dann haben Sie erst das Bild des Wirklichen.

So kompliziert sind unsere Verhältnisse geworden, daß wir ja auf diese Dinge gar nicht mehr achten, insbesondere wenn sie nicht so naheliegen. Ich habe ein naheliegendes Beispiel, wo die Sache leicht ist, ins Auge gefaßt. Bei dem schwierigeren Nationalökonomischen von Kapital und Rente und Kredit, wo die Sache ganz kompliziert liegt, da wissen nicht einmal die Universitätsprofessoren Bescheid, die Nationalökonomen meine ich, deren Amt es wäre, Bescheid zu wissen. Daraus können Sie schon entnehmen, wie in diesen Dingen gar wohl notwendig ist, daß die Dinge nun richtig angeschaut werden. Wir können uns natürlich nicht gleich heute damit befassen, die Nationalökonomie, die in einen hilflosen Zustand hineingetrieben ist durch das, was man heute lernt als Student der Nationalökonomie, zu reformieren. Aber wir können uns wenigstens fragen in bezug auf Volkspädagogik und dergleichen: Was ist vonnöten, damit das soziale Leben bewußt dem innerlichen antisozialen Leben entgegengestellt werden könne? Was ist da vonnöten? Ich sagte, es sei schwierig in unserer Zeit, das rechte Interesse von Mensch zu Mensch zu finden. Sie haben nicht das rechte Interesse, wenn Sie glauben, Sie können sich für eine Hundertfranken-Note etwas kaufen, und denken nicht daran, daß dies ein soziales Verhältnis bedingt zu soundso vielen Menschen und ihren Arbeitskräften. Erst dann haben Sie das rechte Interesse, wenn Sie jede solche Scheinhandlung, wie das Eintauschen von Waren für eine Hundertfranken-Note, durch die wirkliche Handlung, die mit ihr verbunden ist, ersetzen können in Ihrem Bilde.

Sehen Sie, die bloßen, ich möchte sagen, egoistischen, das Herz erwärmenden Redereien davon, daß wir unsere Mitmenschen lieben und diese Liebe ausführen, wenn wir gerade die allernächste Gelegenheit dazu haben, die machen das soziale Leben nicht aus. Diese Liebe ist zumeist eine furchtbar egoistische Liebe. Gar mancher unterstützt von dem, was er erst, man kann sagen erbeutet, in patriarchalischer Weise seine Mitmenschen, um sich dadurch ein Objekt zu schaffen für seine Selbstliebe, weil er sich da recht innerlich wärmen kann in dem Gedanken: Du tust das, du tust das. Man kommt nicht darauf, wie ein großer Teil der sogenannten Wohltätigkeitsliebe maskierte Selbstliebe ist.

Darum handelt es sich nicht, daß man bloß dieses Allernächste, eigentlich unserer Eigenliebe Frönende ins Auge faßt, sondern darum handelt es sich, daß man sich verpflichtet fühlt, den Blick hinzulenken auf die mannigfaltig verästelte soziale Struktur, in der wir drinnenstehen. Dazu müssen wir wenigstens die Grundlagen schaffen. Diese Grundlagen zu schaffen, sind heute sogar die wenigsten Menschen geneigt.

Ich möchte wenigstens vom Standpunkte der Volkspädagogik einen Satz besprechen, und das ist der: Wie können wir überhaupt den sich auf naturgemäße Weise entwickelnden antisozialen Trieben die sozialen Triebe entgegenstellen, bewußt entgegenstellen? Wie können wir sie so kultivieren, daß sich wirklich in uns anspinnt und immer weiter- und weitergeht und uns keine Ruhe läßt, wenn es nicht weitergeht, das Interesse von Mensch zu Mensch, das gerade in unserem Zeitalter der Bewußtseinsseele furchtbar geschwunden ist? Es sind ja Abgründe in unserem Zeitalter schon aufgerissen zwischen Mensch und Mensch! In einer Weise, wie es die Menschen gar nicht ahnen, gehen sie heute aneinander vorbei, ohne sich im geringsten zu verstehen. Die Sehnsucht, wirklich einzugehen auf den anderen Menschen, auf seine besondere Eigentümlichkeit, die ist heute eine sehr geringe. Wir haben auf der einen Seite den Schrei der Sozialität und auf der anderen Seite immer mehr und mehr das Einreißen des reinen antisozialen Triebes. Wie blind heute die Menschen aneinander vorbeigehen, das sieht man dann, wenn diese Menschen in den mannigfaltigsten Gesellschaften und Sozietäten sich vereinigen. Die sind heute oftmals für die Menschen durchaus nicht eine Gelegenheit, Menschenkenntnis sich zu erwerben. Die Menschen können heute jahrelang mit anderen Menschen zusammensein und sie nicht genauer kennen als sie sie kannten, als sie mit ihnen bekannt geworden sind. Gerade das ist notwendig, daß man, ich möchte sagen, in systematischer Weise in Zukunft zu dem Antisozialen das Soziale bringt. Innerlich-seelisch gibt es dafür verschiedene Mittel, unter anderem, wenn wir versuchen, öfter einmal im Leben auf unser eigenes diesmaliges Leben, auf die diesmalige Inkarnation zurückzublicken, wenn wir zu überschauen versuchen dasjenige, was sich abgespielt hat in unserem Leben zwischen uns und anderen Menschen, die in dieses Leben hereingetreten sind. Wenn wir da ehrlich sind heute, werden wir uns, wenigstens die meisten Menschen, sagen: Dieses Hereintreten von vielen Menschen in unser Leben, das betrachten wir heute doch zumeist so, daß wir unsere eigene Person auch in den Mittelpunkt unserer Lebensrückschau stellen. Was haben wir gehabt von dieser oder jener Person, die in unser Leben eingetreten ist? Das fragen wir uns ganz empfindungsgemäß. Das ist gerade etwas, was wir bekämpfen sollten. Wir sollten versuchen, im Bilde auftauchen zu lassen vor unserer Seele die Personen, die als Lehrer, Freunde, sonstige Förderer in unser Leben eingriffen, oder solche Personen, die uns geschädigt haben und denen wir von gewissen Gesichtspunkten aus manchmal mehr verdanken als jenen, die uns genützt haben. Diese Bilder sollten wir vor unserer Seele vorüberziehen lassen, uns ganz lebendig vorstellen, was jeder an unserer Seite für uns getan hat. Und wir werden sehen, wenn wir auf diese Weise verfahren, daß wir allmählich uns selber vergessen lernen, daß wir finden, wie eigentlich fast alles, was an uns ist, gar nicht da sein könnte, wenn nicht diese oder jene Personen fördernd oder lehrend, oder sonst irgendwie in unser Leben eingegriffen hätten. Dann erst, namentlich wenn wir zurückschauen auf länger vergangene Jahre und auf die Personen, mit denen wir vielleicht nicht mehr in Beziehung stehen, denen gegenüber wir leichter zur Objektivität kommen, wird sich uns zeigen, wie die seelische Substanz unseres Lebens aufgesogen wird von dem, was auf uns Einfluß genommen hat. Unser Blick erweitert sich über eine Schar, die im Laufe der Zeit an uns vorübergegangen ist. Wenn wir versuchen, Sinn dafür zu entwickeln, wieviel wir zu danken haben der einen oder der anderen Person, versuchen, in dieser Weise uns selber im Spiegel derjenigen zu sehen, die im Laufe der Zeit auf uns gewirkt haben und mit uns zusammen waren, dann löst sich allmählich — wir werden das erfahren können - ein Sinn von uns los, der im folgenden besteht: Weil wir uns geübt haben, Bilder von in der Vergangenheit mit uns zusammenhängenden Persönlichkeiten zu finden, so löst sich von unserer Seele ein Sinn los, nun auch dem Menschen gegenüber zu einem Bilde zu kommen, dem wir in der Gegenwart gegenübertreten, dem wir dann von Angesicht zu Angesicht in der Gegenwart gegenüberstehen. Und das ist das ungeheuer Wichtige, daß in uns der Trieb erwacht, nicht bloß den Menschen, wenn wir ihm gegenüberstehen, nach Sympathien und Antipathien zu empfinden, nicht bloß in uns den Trieb erwachen zu lassen, irgend etwas am Menschen zu lieben oder zu hassen, sondern ein liebe- und haßfreies Bild, wie der Mensch ist, in uns zu erwecken. Sie werden vielleicht nicht empfinden, daß das, was ich jetzt sage, etwas ungeheuer Wichtiges ist. Es ist etwas Wichtiges. Denn diese Fähigkeit, ohne Haß und Liebe ein Bild des anderen Menschen in sich gegenwärtig zu machen, den anderen Menschen seelisch in sich auferstehen zu lassen, das ist eine Eigenschaft, die mit jeder Woche in der Entwickelung der Menschen, ich möchte sagen, mehr oder weniger dahinschwindet, das ist etwas, was die Menschen nach und nach ganz verlieren. Sie gehen aneinander vorbei, ohne daß der Trieb in ihnen erwacht, den anderen Menschen in sich auferwachen zu lassen. Das ist aber etwas, was bewußt gepflegt werden muß. Das ist etwas, was auch in die Kinder- und Schulpädagogik einziehen muß: diese Fähigkeit, am Menschen das imaginative Vermögen zu entwickeln. Denn am Menschen können wir zunächst wirklich das imaginative Vermögen entwickeln, wenn wir uns nicht scheuen, statt dessen, was heute in den Sensationen des Lebens angestrebt wird, still in uns selbst jene Rückschau zu machen, die uns die vergangenen Beziehungen zu den Menschen vor die Seele stellt. Dann werden wir auch in die Lage kommen, imaginativ uns zu verhalten zu den Menschen, die in der Gegenwart uns gegenübertreten. Dann stellen wir den sozialen Trieb dem entgegen, was sich ganz notwendig und unbewußt immer mehr entwickelt: dem antisozialen Trieb. Das ist das eine.

Das andere ist etwas, was mit dieser Rückschau der Beziehungen zu Personen verknüpft werden kann: daß wir versuchen, uns selber immer objektiver zu werden. Da müssen wir wiederum in frühere Zeiten zurückgehen. Da können wir aber, ich möchte sagen, direkt losgehen auf die Tatsachen selbst, zum Beispiel darüber nachdenken, wenn Sie, sagen wir, dreißig, vierzig Jahre alt sind: Ja, wie war es denn damals, als ich zehn Jahre alt war? Ich will mich zuerst einmal so ganz in der Situation drinnen vorstellen, ich will mich so vorstellen, wie wenn ich einen anderen zehnjährigen Jungen oder ein zehnjähriges Mädchen mir vorstelle; ich will einmal vergessen, daß ich das gewesen bin, ich will mich wirklich bemühen, mich zu verobjektivieren. Dieses Sich-Verobjektivieren, dieses sich in der Gegenwart loslösen von seiner Vergangenheit, dieses Herausschälen des Ich aus seinen Erlebnissen, das müssen wir in der Gegenwart besonders anstreben; denn die Gegenwart hat die Tendenz, das Ich immer mehr und mehr zu verknüpfen mit den Erlebnissen. Heute will der Mensch ganz instinktiv das sein, was ihm seine Erlebnisse geben. Deshalb ist es ja so schwer, die Aktivität zu erlangen, welche die Geisteswissenschaft gibt. Da muß man jedesmal neu den Geist anstrengen, da kann man sich nicht aufs Behalten verlegen. — Sie werden ja auch wirklich bemerken: mit dem Behalten, mit dem bequemen Behalten läßt sich in der wahren Geisteswissenschaft nichts machen. Man vergißt die Dinge, muß sie immer wieder pflegen; das ist aber gerade gut, das ist gerade das Richtige, daß man sich immer von neuem anstrengen muß. Derjenige nämlich, der recht fortgeschritten ist gerade in bezug auf das geisteswissenschaftliche Gebiet, der versucht jeden Tag, die allerelementarsten Dinge sich vor Augen zu führen; die andern schämen sich, dies zu tun. In der Geisteswissenschaft soll nichts davon abhängen, daß man sich die Sache gedächtnismäßig merkt, weil ja alles darauf ankommt, daß man es im unmittelbaren Erleben der Gegenwart anfaßt. Und so handelt es sich darum, daß wir uns gerade zu dieser Fähigkeit hinordnen dadurch, daß wir uns verobjektivieren, daß wir uns diesen Kerl oder diese Kerlin so vorstellen, als wenn es ein uns fremdes Wesen in früheren Lebensaltern wäre, uns immer mehr bemühen, loszukommen von den Erlebnissen, immer weniger und weniger als Dreißigjähriger noch so zu sein, daß eigentlich nur die Impulse des Zehnjährigen noch nachspuken. Uns loslösen von unserer Vergangenheit, das ist nicht etwas, was unsere Vergangenheit verleugnen heißt -— wir gewinnen sie auf andere Weise wiederum zurück; aber das ist etwas, was ungeheuer wichtig ist. Also auf der einen Seite pflegen wir bewußt den sozialen Trieb, den sozialen Impuls, indem wir uns die Imaginationen für den Menschen der Gegenwart verschaffen dadurch, daß wir auf die Menschen, die in der Vergangenheit in Beziehung mit uns gewesen sind, hinsehen und uns selber seelisch wie das Produkt dieser Menschen ansehen. Auf der anderen Seite gewinnen wir durch unsere Verobjektivierung die Möglichkeit, direkt die Imagination von uns selbst zu entwickeln. Diese Verobjektivierung in frühere Zeiten nützt uns dann, wenn sie nicht unbewußt in uns wirkt. Denken Sie nur: Wenn unbewußt der zehnjährige Kerl oder die zehnjährige Kerlin in Ihnen weiterwirkt, so sind Sie, der Dreißigjährige oder Vierzigjährige, vermehrt um den Zehnjährigen; aber Sie sind auch vermehrt um den EIf-, Zwölfjährigen und so weiter. Der Egoismus ist ungeheuer potenziert. Er wird immer geringer und geringer, wenn Sie das Frühere von sich absondern, wenn Sie es verobjektivieren, wenn es mehr Gegenstand wird. Das ist das, was bedeutungsvoll ist, was wir ins Auge fassen müssen.

Und so wird Grundvoraussetzung sein — das sollte heute eigentlich dem Volke, das unverständig, in illusionistischer Weise soziale Forderungen erhebt, immer klarer und klarer gemacht werden -: Es sollte Einsicht herrschen, wie der Mensch erst sich selber zum sozial wirkenden Wesen macht in dem Zeitalter, in dem gerade die antisozialen Triebe zur Erhöhung der Menschennatur herauskommen müssen.

Was wird dann geschaffen? Die ganze Bedeutung dessen, was ich jetzt auseinandergesetzt habe, finden Sie, wenn Sie folgendes bedenken. Sehen Sie, 1848, da erschien die erste gewissermaßen wirksame Schrift, die heute nachwirkt selbst im radikalsten Sozialismus, im Bolschewismus: «Das Kommunistische Manifest» von Karl Marx, worin zusammengefaßt war dasjenige, was in den Köpfen und auch in den Herzen des Proletariers vielfach herrscht. Karl Marx hat die proletarische Welt zu erobern vermocht aus dem einfachen Grunde, weil er das gesagt hat, was der Proletarier versteht, was er dadurch, daß er proletarisch ist, denkt. 1848 ist dieses «Kommunistische Manifest», dessen Inhalt ich Ihnen nicht auseinanderzusetzen brauche, erschienen. Es war das erste Dokument, die erste Aussaat zu dem, was jetzt, nachdem andere widerstrebende Dinge zerstört worden sind, eben als Frucht aufgeht. Ein Wort enthält dieses Dokument, einen Satz, den Sie heute fast in jeder sozialistischen Schrift zitiert finden: «Proletarier aller Länder, vereinigt euch!» Das ist ein Satz, der durch alle möglichen sozialistischen Vereinigungen ging: «Proletarier aller Länder, vereinigt euch!» Was drückt er denn aus? Er drückt aus das Allerallerunnatürlichste, das man sich für unser Zeitalter denken kann. Er drückt aus einen Impuls für die Sozialisierung, für die Vereinigung einer gewissen Menschenmasse. Worauf soll diese Vereinigung, diese Sozialisierung gebaut werden? Auf den Gegensatz, auf den Haß gegen diejenigen, die nicht Proletarier sind. Die Sozialisierung, das Zusammensein der Menschen, soll gebaut werden auf dem Auseinandersein! Sie müssen das nur bedenken, und Sie müssen die Realität dieses Prinzips verfolgen in dem, was heute als reale Illusion — wenn ich den Ausdruck gebrauchen darf, Sie werden ihn verstehen - zuerst in Rußland aufgetreten ist, jetzt auch in Deutschland, in den österreichischen Ländern, und immer weiter- und weiterfressen wird. Deshalb ist es das Unnatürlichste, weil es auf der einen Seite ausdrückt die Notwendigkeit der Sozialisierung und auf der andern Seite diese Sozialisierung gerade gebaut wird auf dem antisozialsten Instinkt, nämlich dem Klassenhaß, dem Klassengegensatz.

Solche Dinge muß man aber eben nur im höheren Lichte betrachten, sonst kommt man nicht weit; sonst kommt man vor allen Dingen nicht zu einem heilsamen Eingreifen in den Gang der Menschheitsentwickelung an dem Platze, an dem man steht. Und es gibt heute kein Mittel außer der Geisteswissenschaft, diese Dinge wirklich im umfassenden Sinne zu sehen, das heißt, seine Zeit zu verstehen. Geradeso wie man sich davor scheut, einzugehen auf das, was als Geist und Seele dem physischen Menschen zugrunde liegt, so scheut man sich, so will man auch — weil man Furcht hat, mutlos ist — nicht eingehen auf dasjenige, was man im sozialen Leben nur mit dem Geist erfassen kann. Die Leute fürchten sich davor, machen sich Binden vor die Augen, stecken, wie der Vogel Strauß, den Kopf in den Sand vor solchen allerdings sehr realen, bedeutungsvollen Dingen: daß wenn Mensch dem Menschen gegenübersteht, der eine Mensch immer einzuschläfern bemüht ist, und der andere Mensch sich immerfort aufrecht erhalten will. Das ist aber, um im Goetheschen Sinne zu sprechen, das Urphänomen der Sozialwissenschaft. Aber es greift hinaus über dasjenige, was ein bloß materialistisches Denken zu wissen vermag, es greift hinein in dasjenige, was nur erfaßt werden kann, wenn man weiß, daß man im menschlichen Leben nicht nur schläft, wenn man auf der faulen Haut liegt und grobklotzig schläft, stundenlang schläft, sondern daß auch in das sogenannte wache Leben fortwährend die Tendenz des Schlafens hineinspielt, daß eigentlich dieselben Kräfte, die uns morgens aufwachen und abends einschlafen lassen, fortwährend im alleralltäglichsten Leben spielen und in ihrem Spiele mitverwirklichen das Soziale und Antisoziale. Es kann nichts werden aus allem Denken über menschliche soziale Ordnung, es kann nichts werden aus der einzelnsten Einrichtung, wenn man sich nicht bemüht, diese Dinge wirklich ins Auge zu fassen.

Von diesem Gesichtspunkte ausgehend ist es notwendig, auch vor den sich über die Erde verbreitenden Tatsachen den Blick nicht blind zu machen für diese Tatsache, sondern hinzuschauen auf dasjenige, was über die Erde zieht. Der Sozialist von heute, was denkt er? Er denkt, er kann soziale Maximen, sozialistische Maximen ausdenken, oder die Menschen über alle Länder der Erde aufrufen: «Proletarier aller Länder, vereinigt euch!», und dann muß es möglich sein, über die ganze Erde international, wie man heute sagt, so eine Art Paradies herzustellen.

Nun, das ist eine der größten Illusionen, und eine der verderblichsten, die es geben kann! Die Menschen sind nicht nur der abstrakte Mensch, sondern sie sind konkrete Menschen. Dasjenige, was zugrunde liegt, ist, daß jeder Mensch eine Individualität ist. Das versuchte ich geltend zu machen in meiner «Philosophie der Freiheit» gegenüber dem nivellierenden Kantianismus und Sozialismus. Aber die Menschen sind auch nach Gruppen über die Erde hin differenziert. Und eine dieser Differenzierungen wollen wir besprechen, damit wir sehen können, daß man nicht einfach sagen kann: Du fängst im Westen an und führst durch den Osten und über die ganze Erde hin eine gewisse soziale Ordnung durch, bis du wieder zurückkommst. Wie man eine Weltreise gemacht hat in früheren Zeiten, so möchte man den Sozialismus heute über die ganze Erde verbreiten und man betrachtet die Erde als eine Kugel, wo man, wenn man im Westen anfängt, im Osten ankommt. Die Menschen sind über die Erde hin differenziert, und in der Differenzierung lebt gerade wiederum ein Impuls, wenn ich den Ausdruck gebrauchen darf, ein Motor des Fortschritts. In dieser Weise sehen Sie es veranlagt, daß gerade ganz besonders die Bewußtseinsseele zum Ausdruck kommen muß in unserem Zeitalter. Ich möchte sagen: Durch ihr Blut, durch ihre Geburtsanlagen, durch ihre Vererbungsanlagen darauf eingerichtet, daß der Menschheit die Bewußtseinsseele eingeprägt wird, sind eigentlich nur die Menschen der englisch sprechenden Bevölkerung in unserer Zeit. So ist einmal die Menschheit differenziert. Die Menschen der englisch sprechenden Bevölkerung sind heute dafür besonders veranlagt, die Bewußtseinsseele auszubilden, so daß sie in einer gewissen Weise die repräsentativen Menschen für diese fünfte nachatlantische Zeit sind; sie sind dafür ausgebildet.

Die Menschen des Ostens müssen in anderer Weise die richtige Entwickelung der Menschheit repräsentieren, bewirken. Bei den Menschen des Ostens, schon beginnend bei der russischen Bevölkerung, dann mit dem ganzen asiatischen Hintervolke, das nur die Nachschübe bilden wird, ist es so, daß nun gerade ein Anstürmen, ein Sich-Sträuben gegen dieses Instinktiv-Selbstverständliche in der Entwickelung der Bewußtseinsseele stattfindet. Die Menschen des Ostens wollen dasjenige, was das hauptsächlichste Seelenvermögen in unserer Zeit ist, den Intellekt, nicht mit Erlebnissen vermischen; das wollen sie loslösen und es aufsparen für das folgende Zeitalter, für den sechsten nachatlantischen Zeitraum, wo dann ein Zusammenschluß stattfinden soll, nun nicht mit dem Menschen, wie er heute ist, sondern mit dem dann entwickelten Geistselbst. Also während die charakteristische Kraft unseres Zeitraumes wegen der Zeitentwickelung gerade vom Westen aus da ist, und zwar von der englisch sprechenden Bevölkerung besonders kultiviert werden kann, sind wiederum die Menschen des Ostens als Volkstum - der Einzelne ist damit nicht gemeint, er ragt als eine Individualität immer aus seinem Volkstum heraus, es handelt sich ums Volkstum - dazu da, gerade das nicht aufkommen zu lassen in ihren Seelenkräften, was das Charakteristische des Zeitraums ist, damit sich keimhaft in ihnen dasjenige entwickeln kann, was erst für den folgenden Zeitraum, der im vierten Jahrtausend beginnen wird, das ganz besonders Maßgebende ist. So ist das einmal, daß im Menschenleben und Menschenwesen Gesetzmäßigkeit ist. In bezug auf die Natur wundern sich die Menschen heute nicht, daß sie, sagen wir, Eis nicht anzünden können, daß da alles einer Gesetzmäßigkeit unterliegt. Aber in bezug auf die soziale Struktur der Menschheit, da glauben die Menschen, daß man in Rußland zum Beispiel nach denselben sozialen Grundsätzen eine soziale Struktur bewirken kann wie in England oder Schottland oder gar in Amerika. Das kann man nicht; denn die Welt ist gesetzmäßig organisiert, und nicht so, daß man willkürlich überall alles tun kann. Das : ist dasjenige, was ins Auge zu fassen ist.

Und in den Mittelländern ist nun eben gerade der mittlere Zustand. Da ist es so, daß man, wie man sagen könnte, in einem labilen Gleichgewichte ist nach der einen und nach der anderen Seite hin. So daß Sie die Bevölkerung über die Erde hin dreigegliedert haben. Sie können nicht sagen: «Proletarier aller Länder, vereinigt euch! », denn diese Proletarier sind auch dreigliedrig differenziert. Dreigliedrig ist die Bevölkerung. Sehen wir noch einmal die Bevölkerung des Westens an, so finden wir für alle, die englisch sprechen - als Volkstum, der Einzelne kann sich sehr herausheben -, eine besondere Begabung, eine besondere Veranlagung, eine besondere Mission, diese Bewußtseinsseele auszubilden, das heißt, im Zeitalter der Bewußtseinsseele die charakteristischen Eigenschaften in dem Seelenglied nicht loszureißen, sondern die Ausbildung der Intelligenz, die besondere Eigenheit der Intelligenz mit den Erlebnissen zu verbinden. Selbstverständlich, instinktiv, möchte ich sagen, triebmäßig sich in die Welt hineinzustellen als Bewußtseinsseelenmensch, darauf beruht die ganze Größe in der Ausbreitung des Britischen Reiches! Darinnen liegt das Urphänomen in der Ausbreitung des Britischen Reiches, daß dasjenige, was in der Anlage seiner Menschen beruht, gerade zusammenfällt mit dem innersten Impuls dieses Zeitalters. Sie wissen, das Wesentliche über das alles finden Sie schon in meinem Vortragszyklus über die europäischen Völkerseelen, da ist ja alles dieses schon enthalten, in jenem Vortragszyklus, der lange vor dem Kriege gehalten worden ist, und der eigentlich das wesentlichste Material zur objektiven Beurteilung dieser kriegerischen Katastrophe bietet.

Nun bedingt gerade diese Veranlagung, die mit der Entwickelung der Bewußtseinsseele zusammenhängt, daß bei der englisch sprechenden Bevölkerung vorliegt die besondere Geeignetheit für das politische Leben. Man kann studieren, wie die politische Art, Gesellschaften, Strukturen einzuteilen, sich von England aus überall hin verbreitet hat, wo aus dem älteren vierten nachatlantischen Zeitraum die Dinge geblieben sind - die sind, so wie sie da sind, zurückgeblieben — bis in die ungarische Komitateneinteilung mit dem Obergespan an der Spitze; also bis in diese turanischen Volksglieder Europas hinein hat sich verbreitet dieses politische Denken Englands, weil eben nur aus diesem Blute heraus dieses politische Denken des fünften nachatlantischen Zeitraums kommen kann. Für Politik sind diese Leute besonders veranlagt. Es hilft nicht, heute ein Urteil zu fällen über diese Dinge — da entscheiden nur Notwendigkeiten. Es kann einem sympathisch oder antipathisch sein, das ist Privatangelegenheit. Für die Angelegenheiten der Welt aber entscheiden objektive Notwendigkeiten. Es ist wichtig, sich diese objektiven Notwendigkeiten gerade heute im Zeitalter der Bewußtseinsseele vor Augen zu führen.

Goethe hat in seinem «Märchen von der grünen Schlange und der schönen Lilie» die Kräfte, die in der menschlichen Seele sind, als drei Glieder angeführt: Gewalt, Schein oder Erscheinung, Erkenntnis und Weisheit — der eherne König, der silberne König, der goldene König. In diesem Märchen ist, wenn man von Herrschaftsverhältnissen spricht, vieles in einer sonderbaren Weise ausgesprochen, was sich heute vorbereitet und immer weiter- und weitergehen wird. So muß man eben darauf hinweisen, daß dasjenige, was Goethe symbolisiert mit dem ehernen König, dem Impuls der Gewalt, sich über die Erde hin ausbreitet von der englisch sprechenden Bevölkerung aus. Das ist wegen des Zusammenfallens der Bewußtseinsseelenkultur mit der besonderen Anlage des Britentums und des Amerikanertums eine Notwendigkeit.

Sehen Sie, in den Mittelländern, die jetzt schon in das Chaos mit hineingerissen sind, da ist ein labiles Gleichgewicht zwischen dem Hinneigen des Intellekts zu der Bewußtseinsseele und dem sich Losreißenwollen, und daher überwiegt einmal das eine, dann das andere. Da ist eine ganz andere Tendenz. Die Mittelländer sind alle nicht zur Politik veranlagt. Wenn sie politisch sein wollen, sind sie sehr dazu veranlagt, aus der Realität herauszufallen, die immer da ist, wenn das politische Denken in der anglo-amerikanischen Bevölkerung erdfest dasteht, verankert in der Seele. In den Mittelländern ist die zweite der Seelenkräfte herrschend: Schein, Erscheinung. Diese Mittelländer bringen auch die Intellektualität mit besonderem Glanz in Erscheinung. Vergleichen Sie damit irgend etwas, was von der englisch sprechenden Bevölkerung ausgeht in bezug auf Gedanken: diese Gedanken sind fest zusammenhängend mit der erdfesten Realität. Nehmen Sie die glänzenden Leistungen gerade des deutschen Geistes, so finden Sie, es ist mehr eine ästhetische Gestaltung der Gedanken, wenn diese ästhetische Gestaltung auch die logische Form annimmt. Da ist besonders hervorragend, wie man einen Gedanken zum andern hinüberleitet, weil dann das, was besondere Veranlagungen hat, in Dialektik, in ästhetischer Durcharbeitung der Gedanken erscheint. Will man das auf die erdfeste Realität anwenden, will man gar Politiker damit werden, so kann man leicht unwahr werden, kann man leicht auf diese Weise in den sogenannten träumerischen Idealismus hineinkommen, wo man Einheitsreiche begründen will, wo man schwärmt für Einheitsreiche durch Jahrzehnte, und nachher Gewaltreiche begründet, von dem einen ins andere verfällt. Es ist niemals irgendwo das politische Leben so in zwei Kontrasten zusammengestoßen wie die deutschen Einheitsträume von 1848 mit dem, was dann begründet wurde 1871. Da sehen Sie das Schwanken, das Hin- und Herpendeln dessen, was eigentlich nach der ästhetischen Gestaltung strebt, und was unwahr werden, Scheingebilde, Traumgebilde werden kann, wenn es sich auf den Boden der Politik stellen will. Denn da ist keine Anlage zur Politik; wenn politisiert wird, wird geträumt oder gelogen. — Das sind Dinge, die durchaus nicht mit Sympathie oder Antipathie gesagt werden dürfen, auch nicht gesagt werden dürfen, um anzuklagen oder freizusprechen, sondern die gerade gesagt werden, weil sie entsprechen auf der einen Seite der Notwendigkeit, auf der andern Seite der Tragik. Das sind Dinge, die man eben ins Auge fassen muß.

Und dann blicken Sie nach dem Osten, auf das, was sich da vorbereitet. Da geht die Sache so weit, daß man, wenn man etwas radikal spricht, sagen kann: Nun, der Deutsche, wenn er politisch werden will, so verfällt er ins Träumen, in den Idealismus; wenn es gut wird, in den schönen Idealismus, wenn es schlimm wird, in die Unwahrhaftigkeit. Der Russe, wenn er politisch werden will, wird überhaupt krank, oder stirbt daran, am Politischwerden. Er ist so gar nicht veranlagt dafür, daß er daran krank wird, daß er daran stirbt. Das ist nur etwas deutlich, radikal ausgesprochen, aber die Erscheinung ist diese. Es ist gar nichts in der russischen Volksseele, was innerlich verwandt ist mit dem Gründlichen dieses Politischen der englischen oder amerikanischen Volksseele. Dafür ist eben dieser Osten veranlagt, hinüberzutragen den Intellekt, den er loslöst von dem selbstverständlichen Verknüpftsein mit den Erlebnissen, in das künftige Zeitalter des Geistselbstes.

So muß man kennen, wie die Anlagen der Menschen über die Erde hin differenziert sind. Und das drückt sich aus bis in die bedeutsamsten Erlebnisse hinein. Sie alle kennen aus den verschiedensten Besprechungen, die gepflogen worden sind, dasjenige, was man nennt im höheren übersinnlichen Erleben die Begegnung mit dem Hüter der Schwelle. Auch die Begegnung mit dem Hüter der Schwelle hat Differenzierungen. Natürlich, wenn die Einweihung, die Initiation völlig unabhängig erfolgt von jedem Volkstum, da ist die Begegnung mit dem Hüter der Schwelle auch allseitig. Wird aber von einseitigen Menschen oder Gesellschaften eine Einweihung besorgt, und geschieht sie volkstümlich, so differenziert sich auch das Erlebnis mit dem Hüter. Es ist der Mensch, welcher der englisch sprechenden Bevölkerung angehört, wenn er nicht von höheren Geistern, die ja führend sind, sondern vom Volksgeist initiiert wird, vorzugsweise dafür veranlagt, zur Schwelle diejenigen geistigen Wesenheiten mit hinzubringen, die uns als ahrimanische Geister fortwährend in der Welt hier umgeben, die uns begleiten, wenn wir zur Schwelle nach der übersinnlichen Welt hingehen, und die wir dann mitnehmen können, wenn sie gewissermaßen eine Neigung für uns entwickeln. Sie führen uns vor allen Dingen zum Anblick der Mächte von Krankheit und Tod. So daß Sie von den weitaus meisten in anglo-amerikanischen Ländern in die übersinnlichen Geheimnisse Eingeweihten, die an die Schwelle getreten sind, hören werden, daß sie als dem wichtigsten Erlebnisse einer Erkenntnis der übersinnlichen Welt zuerst begegnet sind denjenigen Mächten, die Krankheit und Tod aussprechen. Sie lernen das als etwas außer ihnen Stehendes kennen.

Gehen Sie in die Mittelländer, und wirkt da der Volksgeist mit bei der Initiation, hebt man den zu Initiierenden nicht heraus aus dem Volkstum zum Allmenschlichen, sondern wirkt der Volksgeist mit, so ist da das erste, das bedeutendste Ereignis, daß man aufmerksam wird auf jene Kämpfe, welche stattfinden zwischen gewissen Wesenheiten, die nur der geistigen Welt angehören, die jenseits des Stromes stehen, und gewissen Wesenheiten, die hier in der physischen Welt stehen, diesseits des Stromes, aber unsichtbar für das gewöhnliche Bewußtsein. Da findet ein fortwährender Kampf statt. Auf diesen Kampf wird man in den Mittelländern zunächst aufmerksam. Dieser Kampf, auf den man da aufmerksam wird, pulsiert an der Schwelle dadurch herauf, daß man in den Mittelländern, wenn man ein ernster Wahrheitssucher ist, namentlich durchtränkt ist von den Mächten des Zweifels. Man wird bekannt mit all dem, was die Mächte des Zweifels sind, was die Mächte der Vielseitigkeit sind. Man ist in westlichen Gebieten viel mehr geneigt, sich mit einer geraden Wahrheit zufriedenzugeben; in den Mittelländern fällt einem sogleich die andere Seite der Sache ein. Man schwebt eben da auch in bezug auf das Wahrheitssuchen im Labilen: Jedes Ding hat zwei Seiten. Man ist ein Philister, wenn man in den Mittelländern überhaupt einer geraden, einseitigen Behauptung sich hingibt. Das muß man aber auch tragisch erleiden, wenn man an die Schwelle kommt. Man muß da aufmerksam darauf werden, wie dieser Kampf, der an der Schwelle stattfindet zwischen den Geistern, die nur dem Geistleben, und denen, die nur der sinnlichen Welt angehören, alles das bedingt, was im Innern des Menschen den Zweifel hervorruft, das Schwanken in bezug auf die Wahrheit, die Notwendigkeit, sich zu der Wahrheit erst erziehen zu lassen, nichts auf die anerkannten Impulse der Wahrheit zu geben.

Gehen Sie nach den Ostländern und fragen, und es steht da der Volksgeist Pate bei dem zu Initiierenden, wenn da der Mensch also an die Schwelle geführt wird unter Patenschaft des Volksgeistes, dann sieht derjenige, der diesen östlichen Völkerschaften angehört, vor allen Dingen alle die Geister, welche auf die menschliche Selbstsucht wirken. All das sieht er, was Veranlassung geben kann zur menschlichen Selbstsucht. Das sieht zum Beispiel der Westländer, der an die Schwelle tritt, nicht als erstes. Er sieht die Geister, welche als Krankheit und Tod im weitesten Sinne, als lähmende, als zerstörende, nach abwärts führende Kräfte in die Welt und Menschheit eindringen. Derjenige, der im Osten initiiert wird, sieht zuerst an der Schwelle all das, was an den Menschen herantritt, um ihn zur Selbstsucht zu verleiten.

Daher ist das Ideal, welches vor allen Dingen im Westen aus der Initiation hervorgeht: Gesund zu machen, die Menschen gesund zu erhalten, zu bewirken, daß für alle Menschen äußere gesundheitliche Entwickelungsmöglichkeit da sei. Im Osten geht vor allen Dingen, selbst aus dem instinktiven Bekanntsein, dem nur religiösen Bekanntsein mit dem Initiationstum, der Drang hervor, sich klein zu fühlen dem Erhabenen der geistigen Welt gegenüber. Denn es sind die Mächte, die einem zuerst aus der geistigen Welt entgegenkommen. Auf das Erhabene wird der Mensch des Ostens der geistigen Welt gegenüber zunächst hingewiesen, darauf, die Selbstsucht zu kurieren, auszutreiben die Selbstsucht, weil er auf ihre Gefahren verwiesen wird. Selbst im äußeren Volkscharakter drückt sich das im Osten aus. Und manches, was dem Westländer unsympathisch ist an dem östlichen Volkscharakter, das rührt davon her, was sich gerade an der Schwelle zeigt.

So differenzieren sich gerade dann die menschlichen Eigenschaften, wenn wir auf die innere Entwickelung, auf die innere Gestaltung des Geistig-Seelischen am Menschen sehen. Das ist wichtig, daß man von diesen Dingen den Blick nicht abwendet. Sie konnten in gewissen okkulten Kreisen der englisch sprechenden Bevölkerung, dort, wo man mit diesen Dingen bekannt ist - wenn auch gerade unter Patenschaft des Volksgeistes -, in der ganzen zweiten Hälfte des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts prophetisch hingewiesen finden auf Dinge, die sich heute vollziehen. Denken Sie, was es geheißen hätte, wenn die Menschen des übrigen Europa, außer der englisch sprechenden Bevölkerung, sich nicht beide Ohren zugestopft und beide Augen verbunden hätten vor dem Aufmerksammachen auf diese Dinge! Ich will Ihnen eine Formel sagen, die immer wiederum in der zweiten Hälfte des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts da ausgesprochen worden ist, es ist diese: In Rußland muß, damit das russische Volk sich entwickeln kann, der russische Staat verschwinden, denn in Rußland müssen sozialistische Experimente vollführt werden, die niemals in westlichen Ländern vollführt werden können. — Dies ist eine für den Nichtengländer vielleicht unsympathische, aber große, durchgreifende Weisheit, Gescheitheit im höchsten Maße. Und derjenige, der diese Dinge so in sich hat, daß er daran glauben kann als den Impulsen, an deren Verwirklichung er sich beteiligt, der steht eben in seinem Zeitalter wirklich drinnen, während der andere sich heraussetzt.

Diese Dinge müssen ins Auge gefaßt werden. Es war natürlich das berechtigte Los von Mittel- und Osteuropa, sich beide Ohren zu verstopfen und beide Augen blind zu machen vor den okkulten Tatsachen, nicht hinzuhören auf sie, abstrakte Mystik zu treiben, abstrakten Intellektualismus zu treiben, abstrakte Dialektik zu treiben. Aber jetzt beginnt das Zeitalter, wo es so nicht weiter geht! Es ist aus solchen Betrachtungen ja nicht Pessimismus zu holen, nicht Trostlosigkeit zu holen. Nein, Kraft, Mut, Sinn für Bekanntwerden mit dem, was nottut, das ist dasjenige, was wir daraus ersehen. Und in diesem Sinne sollen wir eingedenk sein, daß wir wahrhaftig nicht gegen die Aufgabe des Zeitalters, sondern mit den Aufgaben des Zeitalters uns innerhalb dieser anthroposophisch orientierten geisteswissenschaftlichen Bewegung zu betätigen haben. Seien wir uns klar darüber, was wir sonst verschlafen. Auch zur Ausbildung der sozialen Triebe führt uns wachend und bewußt jene Geisteswissenschaft, die dem Bewußtsein zeigt, was sich sonst dem Bewußtsein verbirgt, die uns zeigt, welche Kräfte der Mensch entwickelt, wenn er frei vom Leibe ist, wie er es von dem Einschlafen bis zum Aufwachen ist. Seien wir uns klar: Wir pflegen die dem Zeitalter notwendigsten Kräfte, wenn wir wachend denken über dasjenige, was unsere Seele doch nur kraftvoll durchdringen kann, wenn wir wachend darüber denken. Sonst werden wir machtlos, wenn wir es nur schlafend entwickeln müssen.

Zwei Mächte wirken in der Gegenwart. Die eine ist die Macht, die in den verschiedenen Metamorphosen des Christus-Impulses seit dem Mysterium von Golgatha durch alle folgenden Zeiten der Erdenentwickelung hindurchgeht. Wir haben öfter davon gesprochen, daß gerade in unseren Jahrhunderten eine Art Wiedererscheinung, nun des ätherischen Christus, stattfinden soll. Gar nicht weit hin ist es zu dieser Wiedererscheinung Christi. Daß er erscheint, ist wiederum etwas, was wahrhaftig nicht Veranlassung zu irgendeinem Pessimismus geben kann, was aber auch nicht Veranlassung geben soll zu einer Sehnsucht, nebulos nur dahinzuleben und sich nur nach sozusagen egoistisch-seelenwärmenden theosophischen Theorien zu erkundigen. Dieser Christus-Impuls in seinen verschiedensten Gestaltungen, er wird auch in der Gestalt, die er jetzt hat, wo er der Menschheit dasjenige verkündigen will, was sich aus der geistigen Welt heraus offenbaren will als spirituelle Weisheit für unser Zeitalter, helfen, daß sich das verwirklichen kann. Es wird sich verwirklichen wollen, und es wird der Christus-Impuls Hilfe sein für diese Verwirklichung. Diese Verwirklichung, sie wird dasjenige sein, worauf es ankommt. Und vor einer wichtigen Entscheidung steht die Menschheit in diesem kritischen Augenblicke. Auf der einen Seite steht der Christus-Impuls, der uns aufruft, aus freiem Seelenentschlusse heraus uns zu dem hinzuwenden, von dem heute gesprochen worden ist, bewußt aufzunehmen die sozialen Impulse, alles das, was der Menschheit heilsam ist und helfen kann, frei aus der Seele heraus aufzunehmen. Deshalb vereinigen wir uns nicht unter solchen Gesichtspunkten, um uns der Liebe, welcher Haß zugrunde liegt, wie in dem Ruf: «Proletarier aller Länder, vereinigt euch!», hinzugeben; sondern wir vereinigen uns, indem wir anstreben, den Christus-Impuls zu verwirklichen und dasjenige zu tun, was der Christus für unsere Zeit will.

Dem steht gegenüber der Widersacher, dasjenige, was die Bibel den widerrechtlichen Fürsten dieser Welt nennt. In den verschiedensten Gestalten macht er sich geltend. Eine dieser Gestalten ist diese: die Kräfte, die uns als Menschen zur Verfügung stehen, um aus freiem Entschluß heraus uns zu solchem zu wenden, wie das ist, von dem heute gesprochen worden ist, diese Kräfte, die in den freien Entschluß gestellt werden sollen, in den Dienst der Körperlichkeit zu stellen. Verschiedene Werkzeuge hat der Widersacher, der widerrechtliche Fürst dieser Welt. Er hat als solche zum Beispiel auch Hunger und soziales Chaos. Da’ wird durch physische Mittel, durch Zwang dann diejenige Kraft verwendet, die in den Dienst des freien Menschen gestellt werden sollte. Sehen Sie nur hin, wie heute die Menschheit Ihnen auf Schritt und Tritt zeigt: Sie will nicht aus freiem Entschlusse sich zum sozialen Leben und zu der Erkenntnis des wahren Menschenfortschrittes hinwenden, sie will sich zwingen lassen. Sehen Sie, wie dieser Zwang noch nicht einmal so weit geführt hat, daß die Menschen schon irgendwie unterscheiden zwischen dem Geiste der übersinnlichen Welt, zwischen dem Christus-Geiste und dem Widersacher-Geiste, dem widerrechtlichen Fürsten dieser Welt! Da sehen Sie dieses Verhältnis, und Sie können sich sagen, wie es einem ja erklärt, daß heute an vielen Orten die Menschen stehen und sich dagegen sträuben, irgend etwas von geistiger Verkündigung und geistigen Wahrheiten und geistiger Wissenschaft aufnehmen zu wollen: sie sind eben besessen von dem widerrechtlichen Fürsten dieser Welt.

Betrachten Sie sich, indem Sie aus innerstem freien Entschlusse sich dem geistigen Leben zuwenden, einmal im bescheidensten, aber auch im ernstesten und kraftvollsten Sinne als die Missionare für den Christus-Geist in unserer Zeit, als diejenigen, die zu bekämpfen haben den widerrechtlichen Fürsten dieser Welt, der besessen macht alle jene, die nicht aus dem Bewußtsein heraus, sondern aus anderen Kräften heraus sich zwingen lassen wollen, irgend etwas zu verwirklichen, was die Menschheit der Zukunft entgegenführt. Solche Gesinnung führt Sie dann nicht zum Pessimismus, solche Gesinnung läßt Ihnen keine Zeit, die Welt bloß pessimistisch zu betrachten. Sie wird Ihnen nicht die Augen und Ohren davor verschließen, das zum Teil Starke, auch furchtbar Tragische, was geschehen ist, in seiner wahren Gestalt zu sehen. Aber sie wird Ihnen vor allen Dingen das so vor das Seelenauge führen, daß Sie sich sagen: Ich bin jedenfalls dazu berufen, alles ohne Illusionen zu sehen; aber ich habe nicht Pessimismus oder Optimismus zu haben, sondern alles daran zu setzen, damit in meiner eigenen Seele die Kraft erwache, mitzuarbeiten an der freien Entwickelung der Menschen, an dem Fortschritt, auf jenem Platz, an dem ich eben stehe. — Und nicht zum Pessimismus oder Optimismus soll angeregt werden, auch wenn man von geisteswissenschaftlichem Standpunkte aus ohnedies scharf auf Schäden oder Trägheit der Zeit hinweist, sondern es soll dazu angeregt werden, daß der Mensch auf sich stehe, gerade in sich erwache, um zu arbeiten und die richtigen Gedanken zu pflegen. Denn Einsicht ist vor allen Dingen notwendig. Hätten nur genügend Menschen heute den Trieb, sich zu sagen: Wir müssen vor allen Dingen in solche Dinge Einsicht haben, das andere wird kommen! — Und wenn man gerade Einsicht in soziale Dinge haben will, so kommt es darauf an, daß wir für das wache Leben vor allen Dingen den Willen haben, uns Erkenntnisse anzueignen. Die Anspornung des Willens — dafür ist ja gesorgt -, die kommt schon, denn die entwickelt sich. Wenn wir im wachen Leben uns nur ausbilden wollen, uns Vorstellungen machen wollen für das soziale Leben, dann werden wir nach und nach dazu kommen, und zwar nach einem okkulten Gesetze so, daß jeder, der für sich selbst diese Erkenntnisse sucht, sogar immer noch einen anderen mitnehmen kann. Es kann jeder, dem Willen nach, für zwei sorgen. Wir können viel bewirken, wenn wir nur den ernstlichen Willen haben, uns zunächst Einsicht zu verschaffen. Das Fernere würde dann schon kommen. Schlimm ist nicht so sehr, daß heute noch viele Menschen nichts tun können; unendlich schlimm ist es aber, wenn die Menschen sich nicht entschließen können, die sozialen Gesetze geisteswissenschaftlich wenigstens kennenzulernen, sie zu studieren. Das andere wird kommen, wenn sie studiert werden.

Das ist dasjenige, was ich Ihnen mit Bezug auf wichtiges, für die Gegenwart wichtiges Wissen und Erkennen heute mitteilen wollte, und auch mit Bezug auf die Art, wie dieses Erkennen Lebensimpuls werden soll. Hoffentlich können wir in dieser oder jener nicht zu fern liegenden Zeit wiederum einmal über intimere Dinge unserer Geisteswissenschaft sprechen. Hoffentlich auf Wiedersehen!

Seventh Lecture

Time itself speaks clearly enough that we should apply the feelings and observations we gain from our spiritual scientific study to the conditions of this time, to life in this time. And it is not only the external conditions of the time that speak clearly today, but also our spiritual scientific views themselves justify this language in a certain way. In so many of our reflections, we have started from a fundamental fact of human development: the fact that this development takes place in successive stages, the first significant ones of which, as we know, began with the great Atlantean catastrophe and are now primarily relevant to us. Four post-Atlantean epochs have passed, and we are now living in the fifth post-Atlantean stage of development. And this stage of development, which began in the fifteenth century of our Christian era, is what we can call the stage of the consciousness soul. Other human soul forces have been developed in particular during the other cultural epochs. In our cultural period, which followed the Greek-Latin period in the first half of the fifteenth century, humanity is gradually developing the consciousness soul. In the previous period, which began in the eighth century BC and ended in the fifteenth century AD, humanity developed primarily the intellectual or emotional soul through culture.

Now, we need not go into the characterization of these stages, but we want to focus particularly on what is peculiar to our age, this age, which has only relatively few centuries behind it. For such an age lasts on average a little over two thousand years. So there is still much to be accomplished in this period of the consciousness soul. In this age of the consciousness soul, the task of civilized humanity will be to grasp the whole human being and to bring it to bear upon itself, to lift into the full light of consciousness much, very much of what human beings in earlier periods felt instinctively and judged instinctively.

Isn't it true that many difficulties and much chaos that are happening around us and within us in our time become immediately understandable when we know that this is the task of our age: to raise the instinctive into consciousness? For the instinctive happens, as it were, by itself; but what is to happen consciously requires that man make an inner effort, that he begin, above all, to think truly out of his whole being. And this is something man shies away from. It is something man does not like to do: consciously participate in the shaping of world conditions. Moreover, there is a point here about which people today are still very much mistaken. People today think: Well, we are living in an age of intellectual development. People are proud that more thought is given to things today than in the past. But first of all, this is a delusion, an illusion, one of the many illusions on which humanity lives today. What makes people so proud, this grasping of thoughts, is often instinctive. Only when the instinctive, which has emerged in human development and is expressed today in pride in thinking, becomes active, when the intellectual really springs not merely from the brain but from the whole human being, when the intellectual itself becomes only a part of the whole spiritual life, when it is lifted out of rationalism and raised up into the imaginative, inspired, intuitive realm, only then will that which wants to come out in this fifth post-Atlantean period of consciousness gradually come out. What confronts human beings today — what can already point them to the fact that even their most everyday thoughts point to their particular characteristics in this age — is something that must be mentioned again and again: the emergence of the so-called social question.

But anyone who has seriously immersed themselves in our anthroposophically oriented spiritual science will very easily come to the conclusion that the essential element in the formation of a social order, whether it be called a state or something else, must come from what human beings develop from within themselves, what they can develop from within themselves with the task of regulating human interaction. Everything that human beings develop from within themselves naturally corresponds to certain impulses that ultimately lie in our soul and spiritual life. Looking at it this way, one might ask: Yes, but shouldn't attention be focused above all on social impulses, on what wants to emerge from human nature as social impulses? Let us call these social impulses social instincts, without thinking of anything merely animalistic, but bearing in mind that instinct should not be thought of as merely unconscious or instinctive, but that when we speak of social instincts, we mean that we are in the age of consciousness and that instinct wants to rise into consciousness.

When something like this is asserted: There are social instincts, they want to realize themselves — then, especially in our age, the terrible one-sidedness sets in again, which should not be lamented, but calmly observed, because it must be overcome. People in our time are so inclined to view all things one-sidedly! It is always like wanting to accept only the swing of a pendulum to one side and never considering that the pendulum cannot swing from the center to one side without also swinging to the other side. Just as a pendulum cannot swing to one side only, so too can social instincts in human beings not express themselves to one side only. Social instincts are simply a natural part of human nature, and because of this human nature, they are opposed by antisocial instincts. And just as there are social instincts in human nature, there are also antisocial instincts. This must be taken into account above all else. For social leaders and agitators indulge in the great illusion that they need only spread certain ideas and the like, or call upon a class of people who are willing or inclined to cultivate social instincts, if these are ideas. Yes, it is an illusion to proceed in this way, because one does not take into account that just as social instincts exist, anti-social instincts always assert themselves. What is important today is to be able to face these things without illusions. One can only face them without illusions from the standpoint of spiritual science. One might say: People are missing out on the most important thing in life if they do not view this life from the standpoint of spiritual science.

We must ask ourselves: What is the actual state of human relations with regard to social and antisocial instincts? — You see, the relationship between one human being and another is, in reality, something quite complicated! We must, of course, look at the case, I would say, radically. The confrontation is certainly different and varies according to different circumstances, but we must consider the common feature in the confrontation of one human being with another and ask ourselves: What actually happens in the total reality — not just in what is presented to the outer senses — what happens in the total reality when one human being confronts another? Nothing less happens than that a certain force acts from one person to another. The confrontation between people simply means that a certain force acts from one person to another. In what we do from person to person, we cannot stand indifferently opposite each other in life, not even in mere thoughts and feelings, even if we are physically distant from each other. When we have to care for another person in some way, when we have to create some means of communication, a force acts from one person to another. That is what lies at the basis of social life. That is what, when it branches out and becomes entangled, actually forms the social structure of human beings. Of course, you see this phenomenon most clearly when you think of direct contact between people: there is a tendency for one person to lull another to sleep through the impression they make on them. So this is something that runs through social life, that one person is lulled to sleep by another with whom they are in contact. There is a constant latent tendency, as a physicist would say, for one person to lull another to sleep in social interaction.

Why is that so? Well, you see, it is based on a very important institution in the overall nature of human beings. It is based on the fact that, basically, what we call social instincts only really develop out of the human soul in the ordinary present consciousness when the person is asleep. Insofar as you have not attained clairvoyance, you are actually only permeated by social instincts when you are asleep. And only what continues to work from sleep into wakefulness has an effect in wakefulness as a social instinct. But if you know this, you need not be surprised that the social being wants to put you to sleep through the relationship between human beings. The social impulse is supposed to develop in the relationship between human beings. It can only develop in sleep. Therefore, in human interaction, there is a tendency for one person to put another to sleep in order to establish a social relationship. This is a striking fact, but one that immediately presents itself to anyone who observes the reality of life. Our interaction with one another consists above all in the fact that our powers of imagination are put to sleep in this interaction for the purpose of establishing social instincts between human beings.

But of course you cannot go through life constantly asleep. The tendency to establish social instincts already exists and is expressed in the fact that you should actually have a constant inclination to sleep. The things I am discussing are, of course, all happening subconsciously, but they are no less real and no less pervasive in our lives. So there is a constant tendency to fall asleep precisely in order to create the social structure of humanity.

However, something else is at work here. There is a constant resistance, a constant struggle against this tendency when people are awake. So that when you stand face to face with another person, you are always caught up in the following conflicts: by standing face to face with them, you always develop a tendency to sleep, to experience your relationship with them in sleep; but because you are not allowed to lose yourself in sleep, because you are not allowed to sink into sleep, a counterforce stirs within you to keep you awake. This always happens in human interaction: the tendency to fall asleep, the tendency to stay awake. However, the tendency to stay awake is antisocial in this case, an assertion of one's own individuality, one's own personality against the social structure in society. Simply by being human among other humans, our inner soul life oscillates between the social and the antisocial. And what lives within us as these two drives, what can be observed between people when you see people facing each other and observe them occultly, is what dominates our lives. When we encounter institutions—and no matter how far these institutions may be removed from today's very clever awareness of reality—they are still an expression of this pendulum relationship between social and antisocial drives. Economists may ponder what credit is, what capital is, what rent is, and so on; these things, which constitute the laws of social interaction, are only swings of the pendulum between these two drives, the social and the antisocial.

You see, anyone who wants to find the remedies in this age must start from these things in a sensible, truly scientific way. For where does the social demand arise in our time? Well, we live in the age of the consciousness soul, where human beings must stand on their own two feet. What do they need to do this? In order to fulfill their task, their mission in our fifth post-Atlantean epoch, they must assert themselves and not allow themselves to be lulled to sleep. Precisely because of their position in time, they need to develop their antisocial impulses. And the task of our period could not be accomplished by human beings if it were not precisely the antisocial instincts, through which human beings place themselves at the peak of their own personality, that become ever more powerful. Humanity today has no idea how powerful the antisocial instincts must become, continuing into the third millennium. It is precisely so that man can grow properly that the antisocial instincts must develop.

In earlier ages, the development of antisocial instincts was not the spiritual bread of life for human development. Therefore, there was no need to counterbalance them, and no such counterbalance was applied. In our time, when human beings must develop their antisocial instincts for their own sake, for the sake of their individual selves—instincts that are already developing because human beings are subject to development, against which nothing can be done—there must come that which human beings now oppose to their antisocial instincts: a social structure that maintains the balance of this developmental tendency. The antisocial instincts must work internally so that man can reach the height of his development; externally, in social life, the social structure must work so that man does not lose himself in the context of life. Hence the social demand of our time. The social demand of our time is, in a sense, nothing other than the necessary counterweight to the inner tendency of humanity toward development.

You can see from this that a one-sided view achieves nothing at all. For just think how, given the way people live, certain words — I am not even talking about ideas or feelings — certain words such as “value” take on certain meanings. Well, “anti-social” takes on something that seems unpleasant; we regard it as something evil. Fine, but we cannot concern ourselves much with whether it is regarded as evil or not, because it is something necessary, because — whether evil or good — it is connected with the necessary tendencies of human development in our time. And when someone comes along and says that antisocial impulses should be combated, that is complete nonsense, because they cannot be combated. According to the normal developmental tendencies of humanity, they must take hold of the inner being of human beings in our time. It is not a question of finding recipes to combat anti-social impulses, but rather of shaping and organizing the social institutions, the structure, that which lies outside the human individual, that which the human individual does not encompass, in such a way that there is a counterweight to that which acts as an anti-social impulse within the human being. That is why it is so necessary that human beings, with their whole being, be separated from the social order during this period. Otherwise, neither one nor the other can be pure.

You see, in earlier ages there were estates, there were classes. Our age strives beyond estates, strives beyond classes. Our age can no longer divide people into classes, but must accept people in their entirety and place them in a social structure in which only that which is separated from them is socially structured. That is why I said yesterday in my public lecture: In the Greek-Latin age, slavery could still prevail; there was one who was the master and the other who was the slave; people were divided. Today, we have as a remnant precisely that which causes the proletarian such agitation: that his labor power is a commodity, that something which is within him is still organized externally. That must go. And only that which is not attached to the individual can be socially structured: his position, the place where he is placed; not something that is within him.

Everything that is recognized in this way with regard to the necessary development of social life must really be understood today in such a way that, for example, just as a person has no right to to be able to do arithmetic if he has never learned the multiplication table, he has just as little right to have a say in social reforms and the like if he has never learned such things as we are now discussing, for example: that there is socialism and anti-socialism in the way we have now characterized them concretely. The people who today often begin to talk about social demands in the most important positions of our state or social organizations appear to those who are knowledgeable as people who want to start building a bridge over a raging river and who have never even learned the theorem of the parallelogram of forces or anything like that! These people may well build a bridge, but it will collapse at the first opportunity. And that is how social leaders, or those who maintain other social institutions today, appear to us: their institutions will prove impossible at the next opportunity, because things require us to work with reality and not against it. It is so infinitely important that we finally take seriously what I would call the fundamental nerve of our anthroposophically oriented way of thinking.

One of the impulses that inspires us in our anthroposophical movement is that we carry into our entire lives what most people consider to be only for their early youth: even when we have long since turned gray, we still sit down at the school desk, the school desk of life, that is. This is also one of the differences between us and those people out there who believe that if they have dawdled and dawdled until they are twenty-five or twenty-six—no, I mean, if they have attended college, no, studied at college—then they are ready for life! Then there is at most a higher form of self-amusement, isn't there, and the like, through which one acquires one thing or another. But this is what strikes us deeply as we approach the spirit of the spiritual scientific movement: that human beings really have to learn throughout their entire lives if they want to be equal to the tasks of this life. This is so important that we must also imbue ourselves with this feeling. If we do not break with the belief that we can already master everything through the aptitudes we develop by the age of twenty or twenty-five, that we then only need to come together in parliaments or elsewhere and decide on everything, as long as we do not break with this view, with this feeling, nothing beneficial can come about in the social structure of human beings.

Studying the interrelationship between the social and the antisocial is extremely important, especially in our day. However, we can only study the antisocial, because, as I have explained, it is inherent in the development of our era that this antisocial element is one of the most important things that must assert itself and develop within us. This antisocial element can only be kept in balance by the social element; but the social element must be cultivated, consciously cultivated. And this is indeed becoming increasingly difficult in our age, because the other element, the antisocial element, is actually the natural element. The social element is the necessary element, and it must be cultivated. And we will see that in this fifth post-Atlantean period there is a tendency to disregard the social, if we leave ourselves to our own devices, if we do not actively intervene, if we do not participate in soul activity. What is necessary and must be acquired very consciously, whereas in earlier times it asserted itself instinctively in human beings, is precisely the interest of one human being in another. The fundamental nerve of all social life is the interest of one human being in another.

It still seems almost paradoxical today to say that people will not gain insight into the so-called difficult concepts of national economy unless the interest of one human being in another grows, unless people begin to connect the illusory structures that prevail in social life with reality. See, who thinks without further ado that simply by virtue of their place in the social order, they are actually always in a complicated relationship with other people? Suppose you have a hundred-dollar bill in your pocket and you use this hundred-dollar bill by going shopping one morning and buying enough to spend this hundred-dollar bill. Yes, what does it mean that you go out with a hundred-dollar bill in your pocket? The hundred-franc note is actually a figment of the imagination, it is worth nothing in reality and would be worth nothing even if it were metal money. I don't want to talk today about metallists and nominalists in the field of monetary theory, but even if it is metal money, it is actually a figment of the imagination, worth nothing at all. Money intervenes between two other things, and it is only because a certain social order exists, in our time a purely state order, that this hundred-franc note you have, which you spend in the morning on all sorts of things, is nothing more than the equivalent value of so many working days of so many people. So many people have to work so many days, so much human labor has to flow into the human social order and crystallize into goods before the apparent value of a banknote becomes real value—but only by command of the social order. The banknote only gives you the power to put so much labor at your service or to command so much labor. If you have the following image in your mind: I have the banknote, which, by virtue of the social position I occupy, gives me power over a certain number of workers, and if you now see that hour after hour, day after day, others sell the labor of these workers as an equivalent value, as the real equivalent value of what you have in your wallet as a hundred-dollar bill, then you have the picture of reality.

Our circumstances have become so complicated that we no longer pay attention to these things, especially when they are not so obvious. I have an obvious example where the matter is easy to grasp. When it comes to the more difficult economics of capital, rent, and credit, where things are very complicated, not even university professors know what they are talking about—I mean economists, whose job it is to know. From this you can already see how necessary it is in these matters to look at things correctly. Of course, we cannot deal with reforming economics today, which has been driven into a helpless state by what is taught to students of economics today. But we can at least ask ourselves, with regard to public education and the like: What is necessary so that social life can be consciously opposed to inner anti-social life? What is necessary here? I said that it is difficult in our time to find the right interest between people. You do not have the right interest if you believe that you can buy something for a hundred-dollar bill and do not think about the fact that this involves a social relationship with so many people and their labor. Only then do you have the right interest if you can replace every such apparent action, such as exchanging goods for a hundred-dollar bill, with the real action associated with it in your mind.

You see, the mere, I would say selfish, heartwarming talk about loving our fellow human beings and expressing this love when we have the very next opportunity to do so does not constitute social life. This love is mostly a terribly selfish love. Many people, supported by what they have first, one might say, captured, exploit their fellow human beings in a patriarchal manner in order to create an object for their self-love, because they can warm themselves up inside with the thought: You are doing this, you are doing that. It does not occur to them how much of so-called charitable love is masked self-love.

It is not a question of merely focusing on what is closest to us, what actually indulges our self-love, but rather of feeling obliged to turn our gaze to the manifold ramifications of the social structure in which we find ourselves. To do this, we must at least lay the foundations. Today, very few people are inclined to lay these foundations.

I would like to discuss at least one statement from the point of view of popular education, and that is this: How can we consciously counteract the antisocial instincts that develop naturally with social instincts? How can we cultivate them in such a way that they really take root in us and continue to grow and grow and give us no rest if they do not continue, the interest in other people, which has dwindled terribly in our age of the conscious soul? There are already chasms between people in our age! In a way that people do not even suspect, they pass each other by today without understanding each other in the slightest. The longing to really respond to other people, to their particular characteristics, is very weak today. On the one hand, we have the cry for sociality, and on the other, more and more the breakdown of pure antisocial instincts. How blindly people pass each other by today can be seen when these people come together in the most diverse societies and communities. Today, these are often not an opportunity for people to gain knowledge of human nature. People today can spend years with other people and not know them any better than they did when they first met them. It is precisely this that is necessary, I would say, to bring the social into the antisocial in a systematic way in the future. There are various inner, spiritual means of doing this, including trying to look back more often in our lives on our present life, on our present incarnation, trying to survey what has happened in our lives between ourselves and other people who have entered this life. If we are honest today, most of us will say: When we look at the many people who have entered our lives, we tend to place ourselves at the center of our life review. What did we gain from this or that person who entered our lives? We ask ourselves this question intuitively. This is precisely something we should fight against. We should try to conjure up images in our minds of the people who entered our lives as teachers, friends, or other supporters, or of those who harmed us and to whom, from certain points of view, we sometimes owe more than to those who benefited us. We should let these images pass before our mind's eye and imagine vividly what each person has done for us. And we will see, if we proceed in this way, that we gradually learn to forget ourselves, that we discover how almost everything that is part of us could not be there if this or that person had not encouraged or taught us, or otherwise intervened in our lives. Only then, especially when we look back on years long past and on people with whom we may no longer have any connection, toward whom we can more easily be objective, will we see how the spiritual substance of our lives has been absorbed by those who have influenced us. Our gaze expands to include a crowd of people who have passed us by over the course of time. When we try to develop a sense of how much we have to thank one person or another, when we try to see ourselves in the mirror of those who have influenced us over time and been with us, then gradually—we will be able to experience this—a sense emerges that consists of the following: Because we have trained ourselves to find images of personalities connected with us in the past, a sense emerges from our soul that we can now also form an image of the people we encounter in the present, whom we then face face to face in the present. And this is the tremendously important thing, that the urge awakens in us not merely to feel sympathy or antipathy toward people when we stand before them, not merely to allow the urge to love or hate something in people to awaken in us, but to awaken in us a love- and hate-free image of what people are like. You may not feel that what I am saying now is something tremendously important. It is important. For this ability to form an image of another person within oneself without hatred or love, to let another person arise spiritually within oneself, is a quality that, with each week of human development, I would say more or less disappears; it is something that people gradually lose completely. They pass each other by without the impulse in them being awakened to let the other person arise within themselves. But this is something that must be consciously cultivated. This is something that must also be incorporated into child and school education: this ability to develop the imaginative faculty in human beings. For it is in human beings that we can truly develop the imaginative faculty, if we are not afraid, instead of striving for what is sought today in the sensations of life, to quietly look back within ourselves and bring to mind our past relationships with other people. Then we will also be able to behave imaginatively toward the people we encounter in the present. Then we will counteract the social instinct with what is developing more and more, quite necessarily and unconsciously: the antisocial instinct. That is one thing.

The other thing is something that can be linked to this review of our relationships with people: that we try to become more and more objective about ourselves. Here we must again go back to earlier times. But here, I would say, we can go straight to the facts themselves, for example by thinking about when you were, say, thirty or forty years old: Yes, what was it like back then when I was ten years old? First of all, I want to imagine myself completely in that situation, I want to imagine myself as if I were imagining another ten-year-old boy or girl; I want to forget that I was that child, I want to really try to objectify myself. This objectification of oneself, this detachment from one's past in the present, this extraction of the self from one's experiences, is something we must strive for in the present; for the present has a tendency to link the self more and more with experiences. Today, people instinctively want to be what their experiences give them. That is why it is so difficult to attain the activity that spiritual science provides. You have to make a new effort of the mind every time; you cannot rely on retention. You will indeed notice that with retention, with comfortable retention, nothing can be achieved in true spiritual science. You forget things and have to keep cultivating them again and again; but that is just as it should be, it is just right that you have to make a new effort every time. For those who are well advanced in the spiritual science field try every day to bring the most elementary things before their eyes; the others are ashamed to do so. In spiritual science, nothing should depend on memorizing things, because everything depends on grasping them in the immediate experience of the present. And so it is that we develop this ability by objectifying ourselves, by imagining this fellow or this girl as if they were a stranger to us in earlier stages of life, by striving more and more to detach ourselves from our experiences, less and less of being thirty-year-olds, so that only the impulses of ten-year-olds remain. Detaching ourselves from our past is not something that means denying our past—we regain it in a different way; but it is something that is immensely important. So, on the one hand, we consciously cultivate the social instinct, the social impulse, by acquiring the imagination for the people of the present by looking at the people who have been related to us in the past and seeing ourselves spiritually as the product of these people. On the other hand, through our objectification, we gain the possibility of directly developing the imagination of ourselves. This objectification of earlier times is useful to us when it does not work unconsciously within us. Just think: if the ten-year-old boy or girl in you continues to work unconsciously, then you, the thirty- or forty-year-old, are increased by the ten-year-old; but you are also increased by the five-year-old, the twelve-year-old, and so on. Egoism is enormously potentiated. It becomes less and less as you separate the past from yourself, as you objectify it, as it becomes more of an object. That is what is important, what we must focus on.

And so the basic prerequisite will be—and this should be made clearer and clearer to the people, who are ignorant and make social demands in an illusory manner—that there should be an understanding of how human beings first make themselves socially active beings in an age in which the antisocial instincts must emerge in order to elevate human nature.

What will then be created? You will find the whole meaning of what I have now explained if you consider the following. You see, in 1848 the first truly effective writing appeared, which continues to have an impact today even in the most radical socialism, in Bolshevism: Karl Marx's “Communist Manifesto,” which summarized what was prevalent in the minds and hearts of the proletariat. Karl Marx was able to conquer the proletarian world for the simple reason that he said what the proletarian understands, what he thinks because he is a proletarian. In 1848, this Communist Manifesto, whose contents I do not need to analyze for you, appeared. It was the first document, the first seed of what is now, after other opposing forces have been destroyed, coming to fruition. This document contains one word, one sentence that you will find quoted in almost every socialist writing today: “Proletarians of all countries, unite!” This is a sentence that has been repeated by all kinds of socialist associations: “Proletarians of all countries, unite!” What does it express? It expresses the most unnatural thing imaginable in our age. It expresses an impulse toward socialization, toward the unification of a certain mass of people. On what should this unification, this socialization, be built? On opposition, on hatred toward those who are not proletarians. Socialization, the coming together of people, is to be built on division! You only have to consider this, and you must follow the reality of this principle in what today appears as a real illusion—if I may use the expression, you will understand it—first in Russia, now also in Germany, in the Austrian provinces, and it will continue to eat away further and further. That is why it is so unnatural, because on the one hand it expresses the necessity of socialization, and on the other hand this socialization is built precisely on the most antisocial instinct, namely class hatred, class antagonism.

But such things must be viewed in a higher light, otherwise one will not get very far; above all, one will not be able to intervene beneficially in the course of human development at the place where one stands. And today there is no means other than spiritual science to see these things in a truly comprehensive sense, that is, to understand one's time. Just as one shies away from entering into what underlies the physical human being as spirit and soul, so one shies away, because one is afraid and discouraged, from entering into what can only be grasped with the spirit in social life. People are afraid of this, they blindfold themselves, they bury their heads in the sand like ostriches when faced with such very real and significant things: that when one human being stands opposite another, one always tries to put the other to sleep, while the other always wants to maintain himself. But this is, to use Goethe's words, the fundamental phenomenon of social science. But it goes beyond what a purely materialistic mind is capable of knowing; it reaches into that which can only be grasped if one knows that in human life one does not only sleep when one lies on one's lazy skin and sleeps soundly, sleeps for hours, but that even in so-called waking life there is a constant tendency to sleep, that the same forces that wake us up in the morning and put us to sleep at night are constantly at work in our everyday lives, and in their work they bring about both the social and the antisocial. Nothing can come of all thinking about human social order, nothing can come of the most individual institution, if we do not make an effort to really take these things into account.

From this point of view, it is necessary not to close our eyes to the facts spreading across the earth, but to look at what is happening. What does the socialist of today think? He thinks he can devise social maxims, socialist maxims, or call upon the people of all countries of the world: “Proletarians of all countries, unite!” And then it must be possible to establish a kind of paradise over the whole earth, internationally, as they say today.

Well, that is one of the greatest illusions, and one of the most pernicious, that can exist! People are not just abstract human beings, they are concrete human beings. What underlies this is that every human being is an individual. I tried to assert this in my Philosophy of Freedom in opposition to the leveling Kantianism and socialism. But human beings are also differentiated into groups across the earth. And we want to discuss one of these differentiations so that we can see that one cannot simply say: You start in the West and carry out a certain social order through the East and across the whole earth until you come back again. Just as people used to travel around the world in earlier times, today they want to spread socialism across the entire earth, and they view the earth as a sphere where, if you start in the West, you arrive in the East. People are differentiated across the earth, and it is precisely in this differentiation that there is an impulse, if I may use the expression, a motor of progress. In this way, you see it as inherent that the consciousness soul must find expression in our age. I would say that it is only the English-speaking population of our time that is predisposed through its blood, its birth, and its heredity to have the consciousness soul imprinted upon it. This is how humanity is differentiated. The English-speaking population today is particularly predisposed to develop the consciousness soul, so that in a certain sense they are the representative people of this fifth post-Atlantean epoch; they are trained for this.

The people of the East must represent and bring about the right development of humanity in a different way. Among the people of the East, beginning with the Russian population and then with the entire Asian hinterland, which will only form the reserves, there is now a rush, a resistance against this instinctive self-evidence in the development of the consciousness soul. The people of the East do not want to mix what is the most important soul faculty in our time, the intellect, with experiences; they want to detach it and save it for the following age, for the sixth post-Atlantean period, when a union is to take place, not with human beings as they are today, but with the then developed spiritual self. So while the characteristic force of our period, due to the development of time, comes from the West and can be cultivated particularly by the English-speaking population, the people of the East, as a people — I do not mean the individual, who always stands out from his people as an individuality; I am talking about the people as a whole — are there precisely to prevent this from arising in their soul forces, which is characteristic of this period, so that what is particularly decisive for the following period, which will begin in the fourth millennium, can develop in a germinal form within them. This is how it is in human life and in the human being: there is lawfulness. With regard to nature, people today are not surprised that they cannot, say, set fire to ice, that everything is subject to a lawfulness. But with regard to the social structure of humanity, people believe that in Russia, for example, the same social principles can be used to bring about a social structure as in England or Scotland or even in America. This is not possible, because the world is organized according to laws and not in such a way that one can do anything arbitrarily everywhere. This is what must be taken into account.

And in the middle countries, it is precisely the middle state that prevails. There, one could say that there is an unstable equilibrium between one side and the other. So you have divided the population across the earth into three groups. You cannot say, “Proletarians of all countries, unite!” because these proletarians are also divided into three groups. The population is threefold. If we look again at the population of the West, we find that all those who speak English—as a people, the individual can stand out very much—have a special gift, a special predisposition, a special mission to develop this consciousness soul, that is, in the age of the consciousness soul, not to tear away the characteristic qualities in the soul member, but to combine the development of intelligence, the special peculiarity of intelligence, with experience. Of course, instinctively, I would say, it is a natural impulse to place oneself in the world as a conscious soul human being; this is the basis of all the greatness in the expansion of the British Empire! Therein lies the fundamental phenomenon in the expansion of the British Empire, that what is inherent in the nature of its people coincides precisely with the innermost impulse of this age. You know, you can find the essentials of all this in my lecture cycle on the European national souls; everything is already contained in that lecture cycle, which was given long before the war and which actually provides the most essential material for an objective assessment of this war catastrophe.

Now it is precisely this predisposition, which is connected with the development of the consciousness soul, that makes the English-speaking population particularly suited to political life. One can study how the political way of dividing societies and structures spread from England to all places where things remained as they were in the older fourth post-Atlantean period — where they remained behind, just as they were — right down to the Hungarian county division with the obergespan at the top; thus, this political thinking of England spread into these Turanian peoples of Europe, because it is only from this blood that this political thinking of the fifth post-Atlantean period can come. These people are particularly predisposed to politics. It is no use passing judgment on these things today—only necessities decide. One may find it sympathetic or unsympathetic; that is a private matter. But objective necessities decide the affairs of the world. It is important to keep these objective necessities in mind, especially today in the age of the consciousness soul.

In his “Fairy Tale of the Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily,” Goethe described the forces within the human soul as three elements: violence, appearance or manifestation, knowledge and wisdom — the bronze king, the silver king, the golden king. In this fairy tale, when speaking of power relations, many things are expressed in a strange way that are being prepared today and will continue further and further. It must be pointed out that what Goethe symbolizes with the iron king, the impulse of violence, is spreading across the earth from the English-speaking population. This is a necessity because of the coincidence of the culture of the consciousness soul with the special disposition of the British and American peoples.

You see, in the middle countries, which are already being drawn into the chaos, there is an unstable balance between the intellect's inclination toward the consciousness soul and the desire to break away, and therefore one prevails at one time and the other at another. There is a completely different tendency. The middle countries are not predisposed to politics. If they want to be political, they are very inclined to fall out of reality, which is always there when political thinking is firmly grounded in the Anglo-American population, anchored in the soul. In the Middle Lands, the second of the soul forces prevails: appearance, semblance. These Middle Lands also bring intellectuality to the fore with particular brilliance. Compare this with anything that comes from the English-speaking population in terms of thought: these thoughts are firmly connected to earthbound reality. Take the brilliant achievements of the German spirit, for example, and you will find that it is more an aesthetic shaping of thoughts, even when this aesthetic shaping takes on a logical form. What is particularly outstanding here is how one thought is led over to another, because then what has special predispositions appears in dialectic, in the aesthetic elaboration of thoughts. If one wants to apply this to down-to-earth reality, if one wants to become a politician, one can easily become untruthful, one can easily fall into so-called dreamy idealism, where one wants to establish unified empires, where one raves about unified empires for decades, and then establishes violent empires, falling from one extreme to the other. Nowhere has political life ever collided in such contrasts as the German dreams of unity in 1848 and what was then established in 1871. Here you see the vacillation, the oscillation between what actually strives for aesthetic form and what can become untrue, illusory, dreamlike when it wants to stand on the ground of politics. For there is no predisposition to politics; when people politicize, they dream or lie. These are things that must not be said with sympathy or antipathy, nor must they be said to accuse or acquit, but they must be said precisely because they correspond, on the one hand, to necessity and, on the other, to tragedy. These are things that must be faced.

And then look to the East, at what is preparing there. There, things have gone so far that, if one speaks radically, one can say: Well, when Germans want to become political, they fall into dreaming, into idealism; if things go well, into beautiful idealism, if things go badly, into untruthfulness. When Russians want to become political, they become ill or die from it. They are not predisposed to becoming ill or dying from it. That is just a clear, radical way of putting it, but that is how it appears. There is nothing in the Russian national character that is inwardly related to the thoroughness of the English or American political spirit. The East, on the other hand, is predisposed to carry over the intellect, which it detaches from its natural connection with experience, into the future age of the spirit itself.

So one must understand how human dispositions are differentiated across the earth. And this is expressed in even the most significant experiences. You all know from various discussions that have taken place what is called, in higher supersensible experience, the encounter with the guardian of the threshold. The encounter with the guardian of the threshold also has differentiations. Of course, when the initiation takes place completely independently of any folk culture, the encounter with the guardian of the threshold is also universal. But if an initiation is carried out by one-sided individuals or societies, and if it takes place in a folk manner, then the experience with the guardian also differentiates. It is the individual who belongs to the English-speaking population who, if he is initiated not by higher spirits, who are indeed guiding, but by the folk spirit, is preferably predisposed to bring those spiritual beings to the threshold which surround us here in the world as Ahrimanic spirits, accompany us when we go to the threshold of the supersensible world, and which we can then take with us if they develop a certain inclination toward us. Above all, they lead us to see the forces of illness and death. So you will hear from the vast majority of those initiated into the supersensible mysteries in Anglo-American countries who have crossed the threshold that their first experience of the supersensible world was with the forces that bring about illness and death. They come to know this as something outside themselves.

Go to the middle lands, and if the folk spirit is involved in the initiation, if the initiate is not lifted out of the folk culture into the universal human, but the folk spirit is involved, then the first and most significant event is that one becomes aware of those struggles which take place between certain beings that belong only to the spiritual world, which stand beyond the stream, and certain beings that stand here in the physical world, on this side of the stream, but invisible to ordinary consciousness. A constant struggle is taking place there. In the Middle Lands, one first becomes aware of this struggle. This struggle, which one becomes aware of, pulsates at the threshold because in the middle regions, if one is a serious seeker of truth, one is particularly imbued with the powers of doubt. One becomes familiar with all that the powers of doubt are, with all that the powers of diversity are. In Western countries, people are much more inclined to be satisfied with a straightforward truth; in the Middle Lands, the other side of the matter immediately comes to mind. There, one also hovers in a state of instability with regard to the search for truth: every thing has two sides. One is a philistine if one indulges in straightforward, one-sided assertions in the Middle Lands. But one must also suffer tragically when one reaches the threshold. One must become aware of how this struggle, which takes place at the threshold between the spirits that belong only to the spiritual life and those that belong only to the sensual world, determines everything that causes doubt within the human being, the vacillation with regard to the truth, the necessity of first allowing oneself to be educated to the truth, of not giving anything to the recognized impulses of truth.

Go to the Eastern countries and ask, and you will find that the spirit of the people stands as godfather to the initiate. When a person is led to the threshold under the godfatherhood of the spirit of the people, then the person who belongs to these Eastern peoples sees above all the spirits that work upon human selfishness. He sees everything that can give rise to human selfishness. This is not the first thing that the Westerner who steps onto the threshold sees. He sees the spirits that penetrate the world and humanity as sickness and death in the broadest sense, as paralyzing, destructive forces leading downward. Those who are initiated in the East first see at the threshold everything that approaches human beings to tempt them into selfishness.

Therefore, the ideal that emerges from initiation, especially in the West, is to make people healthy, to keep them healthy, to ensure that all people have the opportunity to develop their health externally. In the East, even from instinctive knowledge, from purely religious knowledge of initiation, there arises above all the urge to feel small in the face of the sublime spiritual world. For it is the powers of the spiritual world that first come to meet us. The people of the East are first pointed to the sublime in the spiritual world, to cure selfishness, to drive out selfishness, because they are made aware of its dangers. This is expressed even in the outward character of the people in the East. And much of what Westerners find unsympathetic in the character of Eastern peoples stems from what is revealed at this threshold.

This is precisely when human characteristics differentiate themselves, when we look at the inner development, at the inner formation of the spiritual and soul aspects of human beings. It is important not to avert one's gaze from these things. In certain occult circles of the English-speaking population, where these things are familiar — albeit under the auspices of the national spirit — prophetic references to things that are happening today can be found throughout the second half of the nineteenth century. Think what it would have meant if the people of the rest of Europe, apart from the English-speaking population, had not covered their ears and blindfolded themselves to these things! I will give you a formula that was repeatedly expressed in the second half of the nineteenth century: In Russia, in order for the Russian people to develop, the Russian state must disappear, because socialist experiments must be carried out in Russia that can never be carried out in Western countries. This is perhaps unsympathetic to non-English speakers, but it is great, profound wisdom and intelligence of the highest order. And those who have these things within them, who can believe in them as impulses that they are helping to realize, are truly in tune with their times, while the others are out of touch.

These things must be taken into account. It was, of course, the justified fate of Central and Eastern Europe to block both ears and blind both eyes to the occult facts, not to listen to them, to engage in abstract mysticism, abstract intellectualism, abstract dialectics. But now the age is beginning when things cannot go on like this! Such considerations do not lead to pessimism or despair. No, strength, courage, a sense of becoming acquainted with what is necessary—that is what we see in this. And in this sense, we should remember that we truly do not have to work against the task of the age, but rather with the tasks of the age within this anthroposophically oriented spiritual scientific movement. Let us be clear about what we would otherwise miss. Spiritual science, which shows consciousness what is otherwise hidden from it, which shows us what forces human beings develop when they are free from the body, as they are from the moment they fall asleep until they wake up, also leads us, alert and conscious, to the development of social instincts. Let us be clear: we cultivate the forces most necessary for our age when we think awake about that which our soul can only penetrate powerfully when we think about it awake. Otherwise, we become powerless if we have to develop it only while asleep.

Two forces are at work in the present. One is the force that has passed through all the subsequent periods of Earth's development in the various metamorphoses of the Christ impulse since the Mystery of Golgotha. We have often spoken of the fact that in our centuries, a kind of reappearance, now of the etheric Christ, is to take place. This reappearance of Christ is not far off. That he will appear is something that truly gives no cause for pessimism, but neither should it give cause for a longing to live in a nebulous state and to inquire only into egoistic, soul-warming theosophical theories. This Christ impulse in its various forms, even in the form it now has, where it wants to proclaim to humanity what wants to reveal itself from the spiritual world as spiritual wisdom for our age, will help this to be realized. It will want to be realized, and the Christ impulse will be a help for this realization. This realization will be what matters. And humanity stands before an important decision at this critical moment. On the one hand, there is the Christ impulse, which calls us to turn, out of a free decision of the soul, to what has been spoken of today, to consciously take in the social impulses, everything that is healing and can help humanity, to take it in freely out of the soul. That is why we do not unite under such slogans in order to surrender ourselves to the love that is based on hatred, as in the cry: “Proletarians of all countries, unite!” Instead, we unite by striving to realize the Christ impulse and to do what Christ wants for our time.

Opposed to this stands the adversary, what the Bible calls the unlawful princes of this world. He asserts himself in the most diverse forms. One of these forms is this: the forces that are available to us as human beings to turn, out of free decision, to what has been spoken of today, these forces that are to be placed in the service of physicality. The adversary, the unlawful prince of this world, has various tools at his disposal. For example, he also has hunger and social chaos. Through physical means, through coercion, the power that should be placed at the service of free human beings is then used. Just look at how humanity today shows you at every turn: it does not want to turn to social life and the recognition of true human progress out of free decision; it wants to be forced. See how this coercion has not even led to people somehow distinguishing between the spirit of the supersensible world, between the Christ spirit and the adversary spirit, the unlawful prince of this world! You see this relationship, and you can tell yourself how it explains why people in many places today stand and resist accepting anything of spiritual proclamation, spiritual truths, and spiritual science: they are possessed by the unlawful prince of this world.

Consider yourselves, as you turn to spiritual life out of your innermost free decision, in the most modest but also in the most serious and powerful sense as missionaries for the Christ Spirit in our time, as those who have to fight the unlawful prince of this world, who possesses all those who, not out of consciousness but out of other forces, allow themselves to be compelled to realize something that leads humanity away from the future. Such an attitude will not lead you to pessimism; such an attitude will not allow you to view the world pessimistically. It will not close your eyes and ears to seeing the true nature of what has happened, some of it powerful, some of it terribly tragic. But above all, it will bring this before the eye of your soul, so that you say to yourself: I am in any case called upon to see everything without illusions; but I must not be pessimistic or optimistic, but must do everything in my power to awaken in my own soul the strength to cooperate in the free development of humanity, in progress, in the place where I happen to stand. — And it is not pessimism or optimism that should be encouraged, even if, from a spiritual scientific point of view, one points sharply to the damage or inertia of the times, but rather that people should be encouraged to stand on their own two feet, to awaken within themselves to work and to cultivate the right thoughts. For insight is necessary above all else. If only enough people today had the urge to say to themselves: We must above all have insight into such things, the rest will follow! — And if we want to have insight into social matters, it is essential that we have the will to acquire knowledge for our conscious life. The stimulation of the will — that is already taken care of — will come, because it develops. If we want to educate ourselves in our conscious life, if we want to form ideas for social life, then we will gradually achieve this, according to an occult law, in such a way that everyone who seeks this knowledge for themselves can even take someone else with them. Everyone can, if they want to, provide for two. We can achieve a great deal if we only have the sincere will to gain insight in the first instance. The rest will then follow. It is not so bad that many people today are unable to do anything; but it is infinitely worse when people cannot bring themselves to at least learn about the social laws through spiritual science and study them. The rest will come when they are studied.

That is what I wanted to share with you today with regard to important knowledge and insight that is important for the present, and also with regard to the way in which this insight should become a life impulse. Hopefully, in the not too distant future, we will be able to talk again about more intimate matters of our spiritual science. I hope to see you again!