53. Theosophy and Modern Life

At this point in the last essay, the importance of attitude from the point of view of Theosophy was pointed out. If we look at the present-day cultural life with an understanding of this point of view, it cannot be doubted that many things in it are opposed to the development of such an attitude. The rush and bustle to which modern industrialism has led people makes it difficult for them to reflect on themselves. For many of us, every moment of the day is a strict taskmaster that makes demands if a person is to get by in life. And these tasks are such that anyone who has fallen prey to them can devote little of their inner life to times of rest. In these times, they will be primarily concerned with their physical recovery. Many will lack all interest in purely spiritual considerations because everything that constantly surrounds them and that they deal with is far removed from such interest. And even social life will offer little opportunity for spiritual upliftment. People bring their purely material interests into this socializing. And even if their social conversations occasionally deal with higher things, the tone that emerges is such that it does not reach the depths of the human soul any more than the things of everyday life do. How rarely do we find the tone of seriousness and dignity in relation to the great questions of existence among our modern educated people. A certain indifference prevails. One speaks of the soul and the spirit as one speaks of a new machine in the field of technology. The sensational, which is the decisive factor in a modern newspaper, also prevails when speaking of the phenomena of the higher spiritual life.

It would not be fitting for the Theosophist to play the role of accuser in the face of such phenomena. His task is to understand, not to judge. And he who sees an eternal necessity in the course of things must also do so in regard to the phenomena of modern cultural life. But it must be pointed out that in view of the externalization which this culture imposes on man, he must work all the more intensively on his internalization. And it is precisely in this direction that the theosophist should promote culture. Without in the least detracting from the duties of modern life, he should at every opportunity encourage the cultivation of self-contemplation, of reflection on the deeper questions of existence. For there is no life that does not offer time for this. The attentive observer cannot fail to notice how much time is wasted even by the overworked. And it is this wasting of time that stands out as a significant feature of our socializing. There is so much that is said in this socializing that goes in at one ear and out at the other. Enormous mental energy is wasted in such purposeless conversation. For every thought in man is a power. The life of thought is the innermost core of the human being. As a person thinks, so he is. He who persistently devotes himself to noble thoughts impresses the character of the noble on his whole being. He who allows only superficial thoughts to pass through his soul also makes his life superficial. — If we heat a locomotive and then leave it standing, the heat flows out uselessly in all directions. It is important that we do not waste the heat, but convert it into propulsive power. As in nature, so it is in human life. When man thinks, he can convert his thought power into something meaningful or into something insubstantial. He who wastes his thoughts on superficial, vain things lives without purpose; he who converts them into something meaningful works on developing and ennobling his life.

When man recognizes this, he will let this knowledge permeate his being and make it the guiding principle of his life. He will soon be convinced that he does not have to withdraw from his duties for a moment in order to live according to such a guiding principle. It is not a matter of creating time to cultivate the higher life, but of giving the right content to the time one has. To the eye, to appearances, nothing need be noticeable in the life of one who has attained a theosophical attitude; the tone, the direction of his thinking and with it his whole nature will change. When one considers this, one recognizes how deeply 'theosophy can penetrate into everyday life without, as unfortunately so many believe, becoming a troublemaker of modern cultural life.