I think that it is very important to improve our abilities for seeing the highest “I” of another person, beyond of his (her) world outlooks. Then our “I AM” can meet and we meet within the Truth.

Hi Olga,

 Much thanks for directing me to your post More than identity...? More than free spirits..? that was grand to read and of course I agree with you 100%.  Anthroposophists can become so conceited if they are not careful, thinking they have all the answers and no one else.  I have met so many wonderful people in my life who have nothing to do with anthroposophy and are living a righteous and wonderful life, kind and considerate to others, and really living out of divine wisdom and love in their inner natures.  I could tell some wonderful stories about different people I have met who have amazed me with their generosity of spirit.  Oh OK, I will share one story. 

While living in New York and studying art I use to love to go to the opera and theater, but not having much money I was always looking for student prices.   Once I was going to see a play and at the last minute my friend was not able to go, so I was standing in line for Student Tickets by myself. (This play was a big hit, a drama by a well known playwright that everyone wanted to see.)  As I was standing in the middle of the line a Catholic Priest walked up to me and asked did I need a ticket.  I said yes, and he said his friend could not come and would I like the spare ticket he had.  I looked at the ticket and it was in the orchestra, so I informed him I could not afford that ticket, and he informed me with a big smile that he would sell it to me for the student price, so I said thank you and took the ticket and he disappeared into the theater. This ticket was a 5th row aisle seat in the orchestra (my favorite place to sit), and I stood at the entrance looking at the back of the Priest already seated, and the aisle seat next to him thinking Oh My God is this Priest trying to pick me up (he was in his 30s and had a quiet nice demeanor)?   Needless to say I was afraid to take my seat and waited until the lights were going down until I walked down the aisle to sit beside him.  Well he seemed harmless enough and at intermission we had coffee together and a good talk.  WELL, turned out he loved the theater, spoke of it as a ritual similar to the Mass.  He was so smart and had such a command of theater history and history in general.  After the show, we went for a soda and talked all about the play together.  He walked me home to my apartment (which was a nice long walk on a beautiful evening).  When I asked him why he had chosen me to give the ticket to, he said I looked like a person who really loved theater and he would like talking about the play with afterwards (he would always discuss the play and all its details with his friend who was not there),   So - many wonderful people in the world in all areas of life.  And some anthroposophists who are not very nice people at all, but many who are.

Love,
Patri

Thank you for the posts here so far. Creating relationships one to another in the truth of our spiritual IAM is certainly one of the challenges that we all face. It occurs to me that this may be one reason why Rudolf Steiner did not confront his audiences with answers to questions that had found no place in their souls.

Many have noticed that Steiner would mostly bring new initiatives only after receiving a direct question, or if an issue arose out of world events. Perhaps this is a useful guideline for us all to consider. If a question does not live in the other, do not offer an answer. This demands patience and forbearance. The IAM will cultivate the ground for a question to arise at the most appropriate time.

It may be possible to perceive a true question in the other that has not yet come to their notice...

Today I will make a contribution in a local meeting about communicating anthroposophy. With the help of this website I can represent some views from across the world. Thank you!

Another detail has arisen to sigificance in my thoughts. It seems a good idea to distinguish in one's communications whether the source is one's own insight, or that of another, such as Steiner. Some folk get in a pickle over this one. If I have read Steiner and can say something about reincarnation that goes beyond my personal experience, then I try to remember to reference the source of the insight, even if it has been through the mill of my own thinking. If I speak out of experience - which is my preference at all times - then I say so. The authority of truthfulness remains the judgement of the listener or reader. It is no good bashing on about objective truth if a person does not accept that such a truth is possible e.g. that was not karma, he just got lucky.