Can Anthroposophy Rock-and-Roll? A 2008 Review.

Can Anthroposophy Rock and Roll? – A Review

Recent communication with old anthroposophical friends Richard Chomko and Mark McCalister wherein they both recalled me posing the title question decades ago, has prompted me to think some things through once again.
Any foray like this on my part must, however, be prefaced with the fact that I have had no contact with the Anhroposophical Society or any of it’s offshoots since approximately 1985! Please keep my ignorance of any recent developments within the society in mind and I will do the same when endeavouring to review the original question. (Apart from seeing the occasional ‘Waldorf’ bumper sticker [I had to laugh], ironically my only other sighting of anything Anthroposophical in recent decades came by way of a notable but little seen Canadian film called ‘A Stone’s Throw’ where one of the main characters is, in fact, a Waldorf teacher!)
The real and latent question in the subtext of my original merry question was and is obviously: ‘Can anthroposophy be a vital and dynamic force in the frantic, super-charged modern [now ‘post-modern’] world?’
I must state immediately that this very tainted world needs powerful ‘antidotes’ and in that regard, Anthroposophy and other sincere spiritual pursuits are unquestionably valid – despite any tendencies to the pedantic.
For me, the aspect that still comes to mind firstly – is the electric one. Or rather – Steiner’s supposition that any art which is transmitted through electronic means is at best questionable and at worst damaging. (Forgive me – if I’m oversimplifying or happened to miss 2 or 3 hundred other lectures where he expanded upon this! It’s pretty hard to keep accurate account of an output that is purported to include some 2,000 published works!)
I have a love / hate relationship with the electronic media – which has, of course, become more electric than ever in recent decades. One day I loathe it and am overwhelmed under it’s weight and the next day I am fascinated and enamoured at it’s wondrous communations potential! Steiner would no doubt offer a ‘quality over quantity’ argument at this point. Something I could not deny. We communicate more but certainly not necessarily better!
I sometimes have wondered exactly how Rudolf Steiner would have reacted viscerally to the media barrage we all normally sit under on any given day. (Given the onslaught, if Steiner’s ‘charge’ is valid – then we must all be truly doomed!)
A few years ago – I had a chance to experience something possibly akin to ‘taking uncle Rudolf to the movies.’. I invited the late, controversial but unquestionably prolific and sincere Jewish-Christian apostle and author, Arthur Katz from Brooklyn to my local Cineplex. Katz had not been to a movie in decades. After the screening of a reasonably intelligent film wherein the 80-plus year old Katz remained completely silent, I wasn’t at all surprised to find THAT HE WAS HORRIFED. His stated reaction had less to do with the film itself – but had more to do with his perceptions of the chaotic, spiritually anarchic and destructive ‘arcade’-like atmosphere of the facility and the ‘medium’ itself. O well.
Rock-and-Roll and cinema in particular are children of electricity – and would not exist without it. They are
Inseparable. (Let me define my terms: by ‘rock-and-roll’ I refer to most of the popular ‘music of the folk’ that has been produced since the turn of the 20th century. Any music that relied primarily upon electronic instruments for it’s performance and/or electronic media for it’s transmission or production.) Cinema is obvious. Without electricity we would not be sitting in those dark chambers having our imaginations touched by the flickering light on the screen.
So, for me, it comes down to a matter of taste, discernment and discipline. Having been a ‘rock-and-roller’ for most of my life, I am more aware than anyone of how the volume and intensity of the music can be harmful. It’s imperative that I rest my entire being after any time period where I’ve been active in ‘the music’.
One needs to approach these things with great discretion.
There’s so much awful stuff – but the baby need not be thrown out with the bath water. Through the lp’s (remember those), the CD’s and now the MP3’s, etc., etc. – I am able to hear and ‘sample’ music and artist’s works that I would otherwise NEVER have been exposed to. The same goes for cinema. For this – I am supremely grateful to the electronic powers that be. The moral content of the music and the films will always remain a matter of disernment. The fact that I am exposed to views and opinions radically different than mine is not a matter for offense but stimulates thought and discussion.
On a ‘Waldorf’ note for a moment: When I am asked by the uninitiated to explain ‘Waldorf’ education – my immediate response is usually: ‘Nothing before it’s time.’ I invite my ‘argument’ to be gleefully chucked out of the nearest window when the subject comes down to that of young children. I would probably agree most heartily with almost anything Herr Steiner had to say when it comes to the nurturing of these tender shoots. I am terribly bothered by the irresponsible way most ‘modern’ parents allow their children free reign in their ingesting of TV, videogames and the complete lack of discernment in what movies they allow their children to see, etc., etc.
If we thought our souls were being ‘branded’ irreparably in the 1950’s and 1960’s – what is happening to the inner state of children and young people today!?!
At this juncture – it then comes down to a matter of faith. Do we have enough faith to believe that Godly, spiritual forces are grander and more powerful than anything man, Lucifer or ahriman can throw against the human race? Because the onslaught is so vicious, random and unrelenting – I have no choice but to assume this kind of faithful attitude. Each one of us must follow our own conscience and try as we may to disentangle truth from the tangled mess that is presented to us every day. Electricity touches everyone.

Bob Bryden, July 23, 2008