FilmReview:TheChallengesofRudolfSteiner

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Filmedin2011,thistwo-partdocumentarybyveteranfilm-makerJonathanStedalltellsthestoryofphilosopherRudolfSteiner’sremarkablelife(1861-1925)andexplorestheinfluenceofhisideasandinsightsonawholerangeofcontemporaryactivities–education,agriculture,medicine,socialandfinancialissues,andthearts.Stedallstartswitharatherontologicalquestion“Wheredowecomefrom,whatarewe,wherearewegoing?”andacknowledgesthatthevisionaryRudolfSteiner,whoplantedinagenerallybackwardenvironmentseedsforthefuture,hasgivenhimsofarthemostprofoundanswers.StedallfollowsSteiner’sbiographyinpartoneandstartsatthemarginsoftheAustrian-HungarianempireinwhatisnowCroatiainordertoelaborateonthemainstationsinhistransformativelife:PötschachinLowerAustria,Vienna,Weimar,BerlinandfinallyDornachinSwitzerland.ThebiographicalaccountwhichisalsoaninterestingdocumentofculturalevolutionduringbeforeandafterWWIinCentralEuropeisblendedwithseveralinterviewsofpeoplewhohavestudiedandpracticeSteiner’steachings.Weareintroducedtothebasicconceptsofhiseducationaltheorylike“unlearningwhatwehavelearnedsofar”orthatphysicaldexterityinearlychildhoodtranslatestodexterityofmindandthoughtinlatechildhoodandadolescence.

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The philosophical foundation of the Waldorf approach, anthroposophy, underpins its primary pedagogical goals: to provide an education that enables children to become free human beings, and to help children to incarnate their "unfolding spiritual identity," carried from the preceding spiritual existence, as beings of body, soul, and spirit in this lifetime.

FilmReview:TheChallengesofRudolfSteiner

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WelearnthatSteinerinventedeurhythmy,adancelikeperformanceart,becauseherealizedearlyonthatharmoniousmovementisinmodernsocietiesrathertheexceptionthantherule.Eurhythmy,whichcanalsobeappliedasaformofpsychotherapyhealsthroughmovementbyovercomingtheheavinessoftheearththroughrhythm.Aninterviewedteacherexplainshowthesenaturalrhythmsaretiedtoouremotions:Laughingisbreathingout,cryingisaboutbreathingin.IrecallanaturedocumentationwhichIwatchedlastyearaboutthepairingdanceofbirds,inwhichthespeakersaid:witheachsynchronizedmovementgrowsmutualtrustconfirmingthatthereismuchmoreaboutcommunicationthanwordsintheentireanimalkingdomincludingus.Biodynamicagriculture,aforebodeofpermacultureandmuchofwhatisnowsummarizedundertheumbrellatermorganicagriculture,wasSteiner’slatebrainchild.Hereinstatedancientfarmingcalendars,whichobservedandunderstoodthebasicprinciplesofnatureatatimewhenmodernfarmingtechniquesareonlyabouttotakeholdoftheindustry.Steinerunderstoodagricultureasaprocesstohealtheearth.Hewasbyanymeansfaraheadofhistimeandwouldhaveprobablyburntatthestakeduringthemedievalinquisitionforproposingtofarmerstoapplystrangelypreparedfertilizingmixturescalled500and501.Heconceivedthemasmedicinefortheearth.WeareintroducedtotheCamphillMovement,whichwasfoundedinEnglandduringWWIIbyoneofSteiner’sdisciples,thephysicianKarlKönig.Itisbasedontheanthroposophicalprinciplethatalllifehasvalueandthereforeestablishesincontrasttotheholocaustaninclusiveapproachtoeducationandwork.Mentallyandphysicallyhandicappedareembracedandmadeanintegralpartofsociety.Westarttosuspectthatitisactuallyusnormalfolks,whoreceivehealingthroughvulnerabilityandinnocence.FelixKoguzki,aVienneseherbalistwhotransferredanoverviewofthetraditionalcentralEuropeanplantknowledgetohisfriendSteiner,isshownatthebrinkofWWIasadyingspecies:hunter&gatherergeneralistswhohadawideknowledgeofthelocalecosystem.Itsamazingtorealizethatthisknowledgestartedtodisappearalreadymorethanacenturyagoandthatslowscience–takingfiveminutestolookataplant–issomethingthatneedstobekindledineverychildinordertoinstillandmaintainaweforthenaturalworld.Howdifficulthasthisbecomeinourtimeswhenthenaturalworldcompeteswiththedopamineaddictiongeneratesbythecyberphysicalspace.WeareleftinpartonewiththeimpressionthatSteinerwasanaturalscientistlikehis18thcenturyforefathersAlexandervonHumboldtandWolfgangvonGoethewhowasmoreoverblessedandcursedwithamysticalperceptionofthespiritualworld.Hetriedtomergescienceandspiritualismandrecognizedearlyonthattheincreasinglydualistworldviewof

FilmReview:TheChallengesofRudolfSteiner

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modernistsocietiesconditionsustodisregardthewondersofthephenomenalworldandthemiracleswhichhidebeyondit.

ParttwozoomsinonWaldorfeducationandbiodynamicagriculture.Wearebeingtoldthatchildrenneedtobegiventimetodevelopproperlyandthateducationisnotaboutimpartingknowledgebutaboutawakeningandnurturingwhatchildrenalreadyknow.WelearnthatSteiner’smeta-philosophywasoneofconsciousnessevolutionandthatkarmaandreincarnationcanmakeusrememberthetruepurposeofwhywearehere.ThepresidentoftheUSanthroposophicalsocietysummarizesthechallengesofcontemporaryeducationsystemswhenhesaysthatthegreatcrimeofourtimeisthattheintellectualadultconsciousnessispressedonthechildinthenameofperformanceandacademicachievement.Itisacrimebecausewedenytheinnatequalitiesofchildhoodatthattime.Weshouldbealarmed,becauseatwhathedescribesoftheAmericaneducationsystemismeanwhiletrueallaroundtheglobe:ThepressureonchildrenthroughtestingwhichstartedduringtheBusheraandcontinuedthroughouttheObamaeragivesnospacetoWaldorfeducationandthusnospacetounfoldtheirspiritualidentity.IrecallascenewithmyeldestniecewhograduatedtwoyearsagofromhighschoolinsmallAustriancitynotfarfromViennaandnotatallfarfromwhereSteinerspenthisyouth.Duringthemonthsofpreparationforthehighschoolgraduation,soshetoldme,oneof

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0-7: physical development

7-14: emotional development

14 – 21: intellectual development

21- : self – development

Observation: Industrial education pushes the 3rd phase into the 1st

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theirteacherstriedadisturbingmethodofgettingherpupilsmotivated.MostlikelyinfluencedbytheresultsofrecentPISAtests,whichput14/15yearoldsintoaglobalizedandindustrializedformatofskillandcompetenceassessment,sheexplainedthemthatiftheywouldnotworkhardtheirjobswillbetakenbyChineseofthesameage.

Oureducationsystems–nomatterinwhichcountry–aretoalargeextenttheresultofcompetingknowledgeeconomies.Asystemstheoryperspectiverevealsthatthiscompetitionistranslatedfromtheregimespherewhichisdominatedbythemodernscience-technology-powercomplextoministriesofeducation,fromtheretomunicipaleducationbureaus,fromtheretoschoolprincipals,fromtheretoteachersandfromthemdirectlyintoourchildren.Insteadofgrantingourchildren,whomwelovebeyondmeasure,alearningenvironmentwhichenablesthemtounfoldtheirinnatenature,weputthemintosystemwhichforcefeedthemandturnthemintoautomatons,whointurnbecomeunhappyadults,obedientnationstatecitizensandloyalconsumers.Waldorfeducationhelpschildrentothinkoutofthebox.ItsthusnosurprisethatSteiner’sphilosophyisinconflictwithexistingpowerstructures.Waldorfeducationdealswithwhatthechildrenarebyinstillingasenseoftrustintoone’sownintuitionthroughloveandasenseoftrustintosocietyatlargethroughcollaboration.Traditionaleducationsystemsdealwithexternaldemandsofsocietyandinstillintoour

OsmoticModellingØ IndividualSphereØ FamilySphereØOrganizationSphereØEducationSphereØEconomicSphereØRegimeSphereØ SocialSphereØTechnologicalSphere

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FilmReview:TheChallengesofRudolfSteiner

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childrencompetitionandfear.RudolfSteiner’sfundamentallegacyisthathesawtheworldasitcouldbeandnotasitwas.Hispathwasthenalonelyone,butwehavearrivedatacrossroadwhichmakesitnecessarythatwelistentohismessageandactuponit.Forthesakeofourselvesandforthesakeofthosewhomwelovemost:ourchildren.Officialfilmsynopsis:http://rudolfsteinerfilm.squarespace.com/synopsis/