In February 1923, shortly after the destruction of the first Goetheanum, Rudolf Steiner urged the anthroposophical community in Dornach to continue to uphold spiritual truth through positive work. He explains in the following lecture that progress cannot be made through discussion with the opposition. We must put our spiritual impulses in action. We must each individually bring living forces into "dead culture." That is what we aim to do here at the Rudolf Steiner Archive.
"We are faced here with the great misfortune of the loss of our Goetheanum. We know full well that, no matter what might be possible in terms of reconstruction, that old Goetheanum can never be restored to us, that it can remain only a memory, and that it is a truly immense pain to have to say to ourselves: With this Goetheanum, an attempt was made to find the artistic style that corresponds to the new spirituality, and this artistic style—which was intended to have an inspiring effect—has, in fact, vanished from the face of the earth along with the Goetheanum. One need only state this fact to feel the immense pain inherent in the destruction of the Goetheanum.
It is usually the case that, in the face of misfortune, even opponents refrain from using irreverent and scornful language. Yet in the face of the misfortune of the Goetheanum fire, the opponents find it right and appropriate to express their opposition in an even more mocking and abusive manner. That is precisely what is so peculiar. And that is something that follows on from the other in a dignified, yet actually undignified, manner.
The anthroposophical movement began as a purely positive force. No one was attacked, no one was criticized, and no agitation was carried out other than stating what could be investigated in the anthroposophical way. We waited patiently until those souls who are now present in the here and now would be drawn here by the impulses of their own souls to gain an understanding of what is to be conveyed from the spiritual world. The entire anthroposophical endeavor was structured accordingly: not to agitate recklessly, not to draw up programs, but simply to state what is, based on research into the spiritual world, and to wait and see in which souls the longing for knowledge of this reality is present.
Today, there are many people who oppose anthroposophy without even knowing why; they simply follow along with others who lead them. But there are at least some who know very well why they oppose anthroposophy. They know it because they see that truths emerge from anthroposophical thought that demand precisely that jolt I just described. And that is what they do not want. They do not want this for a wide variety of reasons, because they have always wanted to keep such truths confined to narrow circles, so that, by possessing them, they might stand out from the rest of humanity as a kind of small, spiritual, aristocratic group. That is why they particularly hate the one who, in contrast to what is simply in the spirit of the times, brings the truth from the spiritual world to all people. But at the same time, these opponents—I mean the leading opponents—know that nothing can be done against the truth as such, that it finds its way even through the narrowest crevices in the rock, no matter what obstacles may stand in its way. Therefore, they usually do not choose to fight against these truths; for then these truths would find their own ways and means to defeat the opponent. Look at the opposition—and it would be good if, in anthroposophical circles, people were to take a close look at the opposition—and you will see that, rather than combating the truths, the main emphasis is placed on personal attacks, personal suspicions, personal insults, and personal slander. They believe they cannot harm the truth itself, but they want to eliminate it; therefore, they believe they can eliminate it through personal denigration. This is something that, in the nature of the struggle, clearly indicates just how well the leading opponents know how to proceed in order to achieve a temporary victory.
But this is something that should be understood, especially among anthroposophists; for anthroposophists still believe that one can achieve something through an ordinary discussion with an opponent. After all, nothing can harm us more than succeeding in presenting our truth in discussions, for we are not hated because we speak untruths, but because we speak the truth. And the more we succeed in showing that we speak the truth, the more this will be the case.
Of course, this cannot prevent one from standing up for the truth. But it can prevent one from clinging to the naïve belief that progress is made through discussion. Progress is made only through positive work. One makes progress only by upholding the truth as strongly as possible, so that as many predestined souls as possible—who are present in far greater numbers than one might think—may come to find in it the spiritual nourishment that is necessary if, for the future of humanity, we are to pursue construction rather than destruction, if upward development, rather than downward development, is to take place.
There is no material way out of the chaos of the present. The only way out of the chaos of the present is through the spiritual path. But one can only embark on the spiritual path if one chooses the spirit as one’s guide. And to choose the spirit as one’s guide in the true sense—to understand how to choose it—that is what anthroposophists must recognize and comprehend in the deepest sense."
Read more: Rudolf Steiner, Earthly Knowledge and Heavenly Insight, Lecture 9, GA 221, 18 February 1923, Dornach.