The human being, like each type of plant andanimal, represents an idea of creation.
The new thing about the human being was that heconsciously invented tools which were not already a part of hisworld. In the beginning he protected himself from the cold withanimal furs; later he used clothes, tents, houses, fire, etc. Animalshad to eat whatever they found. On the other hand, the human beingdeveloped agriculture, began to tame and breed animals and cultivateplants for his own purposes. We can most succinctly summarize whatman has brought into the world in the following words: Plants andanimals adapt themselves to their environment; man adapts hisenvironment to himself.
However, a different type of environment also inmany cases requires a different type of people! In order to operate acomputer one requires an entirely different kind of intelligence thanis required for following the trail of a wild animal through thejungle. One should always remember that culture is for the people andnot vice versa; therefore, one should guide the development ofculture in such a way that as many people as possible can enjoy aneducation which is in accordance with their talents and desires, andso that each individual can become a useful member of human societyprecisely because of his particular abilities. Even the mostprimitive savages should not be wiped out, as in Brazil, but rathersupplied with room to live where they can do so in accordance withtheir natures, if for no other reason than to give us the opportunityto study humans in their original state, for we must not lose touchwith Nature.
But this must not go so far that cultured peoplesuffer at the expense of the uncultured. We simply must disaccustomourselves to many things which were innate to the Stone Age mentalityand even gave primitive peoples pleasure. War, forinstance!
War is by no means the romantic idyll anymore thatit was proclaimed to be in such war songs as:
"Lightning spears, jubilant cheers,
Men with glittering steel at theirside,
Women standing by with pride,
The enemy will bleed, but our courage willseethe
as the drums announce our victorious deed,etc."
No, war is a total catastrophe, even if it shouldnot lead to the annihilation of all humanity, but even that prospectis no longer an impossibility.
Earlier, when the other threats to mankind such asepidemics, natural catastrophes, etc. did not suffice to keep thenumbers in the tribe to a size which the land could feed, then theywould attack a neighboring tribe. The fight was a matter of honor foreach individual, and it was the strongest, most intelligent, and mostcunning men who survived; they succeeded in killing their enemies andtaking their women. In this way the race evolved, just as animals doin the struggle for survival. When the hordes then banded togetherinto tribes and even into nations, the struggle itself was stillwarranted until well into the Middle Ages. The tribe had the bestprospects of winning a battle
1. if it was large (i.e., if it was not dividedinto small, quarrelsome groups);
2. if its youth thought in terms of comradeshipand were willing to take risks and make sacrifices for theirfellows;
3. if there was a feeling of unity and enthusiasmfor a cause;
4. if the community was capable of instillingenthusiasm in its members with music, stories of heroism, and honors,and if the people had a taste for such things;
5. if the people were not languishing in the goodlife, but rather considered it an honor to have healthy, thoroughlyconditioned bodies and, therefore, held moderation, exercise, andsoldiers in high esteem;
6. if the community had intelligent andexperienced leaders to whom it was self-evident that the people wereof primary importance and that it was a ruler's duty to serve hispeople to the best of his ability;
7. if the people honored their leaders and obeyedthem implicitly.
Today, too, such communities could accomplishgreat things which would benefit the civilized world and promoteculture. Therefore, it is no wonder that also intellectually andmorally prominent people, even philosophers of the caliber of aNietzsche, advocated war.
But today!
No! Anyone who really loves his people will notwish them to suffer injury, pain, hunger, poverty, or want; on thecontrary, he will want their happiness! Therefore, he will sue forpeace and understanding not just in his own country, but throughoutthe world, and he will fight against liars and agitators.
Eternal peace--a utopia! However, it sometimeshelps to remind thinkers who are altogether too "realistic" thatoccasionally it is good to study one's course on a map beforebeginning a journey.
Have you read any books by or about ProfessorHermann Oberth,
the "father of space flight?"
We recommend these books:
Primerfor Those Who Would Govern, by HermannOberth
HermannOberth: The Father of Space Flight, byBoris Rauschenbach
ArnoBreker: Divine Beauty in Art, by B. JohnZavrel
Eumeswil,by Ernst Jünger
TheLife and Death of Yukio Mishima, by HenryScott-Stokes