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Virtue and Vice

The healthy social life is found
When in the mirror of each human being
The whole community finds its reflection
And when in the community
The virtue of each one is living.

– Rudolf Steiner

Rudolf Steiner formulated what he called “The Cosmic Law of Work” (CLW) in 1905. Basically, his law states an exponentially higher return, physically and spiritually, happens when we work together for the benefit of all. Individuals seeking personal gain as testament to their own accomplishments achieve less on spiritual, physical and material levels. When, together, we contribute to the well-being and success of our community, our needs are met at degrees exponentially higher than what we achieve as individuals – not through our own efforts, but through the unified efforts of the whole.

Steiner’s CLW is reflected in religions and philosophies world-wide. Ideals like service to others is the highest path really ask you to put your money where your mouth is when it comes to social reform. Underlying Steiner’s CLW is the pivotal question: Is one’s work benefiting the larger society? Going a step further, Steiner felt it was critical to understand that for humanity to thrive, work and income needed to be completely separated. What? How do we put CLW into practice especially now when survival mode is so prevalent?