21. The Struggle
So far, there is no evidence of a sharp confrontation between two world views. Struggle is therefore an ill-chosen expression for what is actually happening between the intellectuals and the serious seekers of the Truth. Everything that has taken place so far has consisted of one-sided attacks by the intellectuals, which must appear to any calm observer to be strikingly unfounded and often ridiculous. Against all those who in a purely spiritual way search for higher development lies readily mockery, hostility and even persecution of the most serious kind, even if they maintain quiet restraint. There are always some who, with ridicule or violence, try to pull back such aspirants and drag them down into the dull doze or hypocrisy of the masses. Many had to become actual martyrs in the process, because not only the great multitude, but also the earthly power, was on the side of the intellectuals. What these can give is already clear in the word “intellect”. That is: narrowed limitation of the conceptual faculty to the purely earthly, that is, the tiniest part of actual being.
It is easy to understand that this cannot bring anything perfect, nothing good at all, for a humanity whose existence mainly runs through such parts that the intellectuals themselves have closed off. Especially when one considers that just one tiny earthly life has to become a significant turning point for the whole being, and entails drastic interventions in the other parts which are completely incomprehensible to men of intellect. The responsibility of the already lowly intellect grows enormous, it will contribute as a powerful pressure to press them faster and faster towards the goal of their choice, so that they will finally have to enjoy the fruits of that which they have advocated with tenacity and arrogance.
The term “intellectuals” refers to those who unconditionally submitted to their own intellect. Strangely enough, for thousands of years they believed they had an unconditional right to impose their limited convictions by law and force on those who wanted to live by other convictions. This completely illogical presumption is again only due to the narrow conceptual capacity of the intellectuals, who are not able to soar higher. It is precisely this limitation that brings them to a so-called pinnacle of understanding, through which such arrogations must arise in the imagination, because they believe that they really stand on the ultimate height. For themselves, it is also like that, because then comes the limit which they cannot cross.
Their attacks against the seekers of the Truth, however, in the so often incomprehensible spitefulness, clearly show, on closer examination, the whip of the darkness that is brandished behind them. Rarely is there a trait of honest intention in these hostilities that could to some extent excuse the often outrageous manner of proceeding. In most cases, it is a blind rampage that lacks any real logic. Take a quiet look at the attacks. How rare it is to find an article whose content shows an attempt to respond in a truly factual way to the speeches or essays of a truth-seeker.
The insubstantial inferiority of the attacks is always noticeable in the fact that they are never purely factual! They are always hidden or open insults to the person of the seeker of the Truth. This is only done by someone who is unable to counter anything factually. A Truth-seeker or Truth-bringer does not give himself personally, but brings what he says.
The word must be examined, not the person! That one always seeks to shed light on the person first and then considers whether one can listen to his words is a custom of the intellectuals. These, in their narrow limitation of the faculty of comprehension, need such external support because they must cling to externals in order not to become confused. This is precisely the hollow structure they erect, which is inadequate for human beings, a great obstacle to progress. If they had a firm inner hold, they would simply let things speak against things and eliminate the persons in the process. But they are not able to do that. They also deliberately avoid it because they feel or partly know that in an orderly tournament they would quickly fall out of the saddle. The often used ironic reference to “lay preachers” or “lay interpretation” shows something so ridiculously pretentious that every serious person immediately senses: “Here a shield is used to convulsively hide hollowness. Covering up one’s own emptiness with a cheap signboard!”
A clumsy strategy that cannot last long. Its purpose is to place Truth-seekers, who can become uncomfortable, on a “subordinate” level in the eyes of their fellow human beings, if not on a ridiculous one, or at least in the class of “botchers”, so that they are not taken seriously. The aim of such a procedure is to avoid anyone taking the words seriously at all. The reason for this approach, however, is not the concern that fellow human beings will be hindered in their inner ascent by erroneous teachings, but it is a vague fear of losing influence and thus being forced to penetrate deeper than before, and to have to change many things that must so far were supposed to be untouchable and were comfortable.
It is precisely this frequent reference to the “layman”, this strange looking down on those who, through their heightened and more influenced intuition, are much closer to the Truth, who do not build walls for themselves through rigid forms of understanding, that exposes a weakness whose dangers cannot escape any thinking person. Whoever pays homage to such views is excluded from the outset from being an uninfluenced teacher and leader; for he stands thereby much further away from God and His work than anyone else. The knowledge of religious developments with all their errors and mistakes does not bring people closer to their God, nor does the intellectual interpretation of the Bible or other valuable writings of the various religions. Intellect is and remains bound to space and time, i.e. earth-bound, whereas the Godhead and therefore also the knowledge of God and His Will is above space and time and above everything transient, and can therefore never be grasped by the narrowly limited intellect. For this simple reason, the intellect is also not called upon to bring enlightenment in eternal values. It would contradict itself. And anyone who therefore insists on university qualifications in these matters, who wants to look down on uninfluenced people, thereby expresses his own incapacity and limitation. Thinking people will immediately sense the one-sidedness and exercise caution against him who warns for caution in such a way!
Only those who are called can be true teachers. Called Ones are those who carry the ability within themselves. These abilities, however, do not ask for higher education, but for the vibrations of a refined intuitive faculty that is able to rise above space and time, that is, above the conceptual limits of earthly understanding.
Moreover, every inwardly free person will always judge a thing or doctrine according to what it brings, not who brings it. The latter is an indictment of the examiner that cannot be greater. Gold is gold, whether it is in the hand of a prince or a beggar.
This irrefutable fact, however, is stubbornly sought to be overlooked and changed, especially in the most valuable things of the spiritual human being. Of course with just as little success as with gold. For those who really earnestly seek will not be influenced by such distractions to examine the matter for themselves. But those who are influenced by them are not yet ready to receive the Truth, it is not for them.
But the hour is not far away when a struggle that has been lacking up to now must begin. The one-sidedness will cease, a sharp confrontation will follow which will destroy all false presumption.
