Lecture XVII

It is extremely interesting to take a look at the details of this phenomenon with one's spiritual perception. For instance, when Fichte's individuality descends into its physical body in that tiny village one sees how the boy grows. One sees that hindrances which are slightly greater than normal are mixed into his growth a little at a time; it's really very little, but it's there. So this little boy Fichte gets bigger and bigger, but he could have grown faster if something wasn't continuously holding back his growth very slightly. Fichte's particular philosophical talent was connected with this inhibition of his growth; he remained small throughout his lifetime. Here the spiritual becomes active within the physical so that one has to look upon degradation in a sympathetic way and not just in an antipathetic one. One can comfort oneself about degradation in a loving way, for hindrances to growing, sprouting life must exist.