Livets Bog, vol. 1
The business world as a refined form of the struggle for valuable goods
75. Thus there will be a level of consciousness in life where material events or manifestations cannot yet be reached by the law or the power of the State, and that is where they appear so masked or disguised that they have not yet been sufficiently perceived by the majority of terrestrial mankind as being at variance with a true right or moral standard. At this level, the life principle of the animal kingdom that "might" is "right" can consequently reach its full and most expanded form of genius. But, as State power has, in fact, reached so far that it combats or guards against the old, primitive, original forms of seizure of goods such as simple physical robbery, plunder and assault, then the above-mentioned manifestation of animal tendencies cannot find adequate release along these lines, and consequently must find other ways, ways which have not yet been experienced sufficiently or understood as immoral, and in the face of this State power is still comparatively helpless. These ways have gradually taken on a fixed, concentrated form which again, under the disguise of "commerce" or "buying and selling", can be released on that side of terrestrial mankind's daily life which we call the "business world" Within this world, it is possible to cloak "robbery" and "plunder" in such refined mental or intellectual forms that to the ignorant masses they simply shine as moral ideals, being authorised and protected by law. Later on, of course, they become exposed when people gradually experience pain and suffering from the true identity of those disguised realities. Thus, the business world actually appears as constituting a refined form of terrestrial mankind's struggle for valuable goods. This is war transferred onto another plane, but the results are the same as those of ordinary war, namely ruin, poverty and oppression for the vanquished, and wealth, luxury and power for the victors. Terrestrial mankind's daily fight for existence has thus gradually taken on the form of commerce.