A Very Subtle Egotism

Rudolf Steiner, June 12, 1921:

"We should accustom ourselves to allowing our personal tasks to be determined by destiny and objectivity.... we should not, as is the case [in the world] today, brood over our own personage--which basically is there only to fill the place which the divine cosmic powers have given to us--but we should attempt to observe signs out of which we recognize where we should be placed. We can do this. Again and again people come with the following soul question: What corresponds to my specific abilities? or How can I bring my abilities to bear in the world? This question is much, much less important than looking around objectively to see what needs to be done. When we get involved with what we notice there, we will see that we have many more abilities than we think. These abilities are not so very specific. As human beings we can do an extraordinary amount; we have quite universal soul qualities, but not so many specific ones. This brooding over our own selves and believing too strongly that we each have our specific abilities or talents that should be cultivated is basically a very subtle egotism. Those who wish to attain the qualities that we are talking about here must overcome this subtle egotism."



Source: First Steps in Christian Religious Renewal, pp. 30-31