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<blockquote data-quote="Naofumi" data-source="post: 47445" data-attributes="member: 39">This uncertainty is grounded exclusively in the sense of guilt that eachindividual feels for having permitted this tragedy of degradation. Thatfeeling paralyzes every effort at making a firm decision to act. Becausethey vacillate, these people are timid and half-hearted in putting into effecteven the measures that are indispensable for self-preservation.When the individual is no longer burdened by his own sense of guilt,then and only then will he have that inner strength and outer force toruthlessly cut out the parasite growth, and to root out the weeds.But because the Austrian State had almost no sense of social· rights orsocial legislation, its inability to combat these evil tumors was obvious.2.8 LACK OF &#039;NATIONAL PRIDE&#039;I don&#039;t know what appalled me more at that time: the economic miseryof those who were then my companions, their crude customs and morals,or the low level of their intellectual development.Our bourgeoisie often rise up in moral indignation upon hearing fromthe mouth of some pitiable tramp that it is all the same to him whether hebe a German or not, and that he will find himself at home wherever he canget enough to keep himself together.They protest sternly against such a lack of &#039;national pride,&#039; and stronglyexpress their horror at such sentiments.But how many people really ask themselves, why it is that their ownsentiments are better?How many of them understand that their natural pride in beingmembers of a favored nation arises from the many occasions they haveencountered that remind them of the greatness of the Fatherland, and of thenation in all spheres of artistic and cultural life?How many of them realize that pride in the Fatherland is largelydependent on knowledge of its greatness in all those spheres?Do our bourgeois circles ever think what a ridiculously meager share&#039;the people&#039; have in that knowledge that is a necessary prerequisite for thefeeling of pride in one&#039;s fatherland?It cannot be objected here that in other countries similar conditions exist,and that nevertheless the working classes in those countries have remainedpatriotic. Even if that were so, it would be no excuse for our negligentattitude. But it is not so. What we call &#039;chauvinistic&#039; education-in the caseof the French people, for example-is only the extreme emphasis on the</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Naofumi, post: 47445, member: 39"] This uncertainty is grounded exclusively in the sense of guilt that each individual feels for having permitted this tragedy of degradation. That feeling paralyzes every effort at making a firm decision to act. Because they vacillate, these people are timid and half-hearted in putting into effect even the measures that are indispensable for self-preservation. When the individual is no longer burdened by his own sense of guilt, then and only then will he have that inner strength and outer force to ruthlessly cut out the parasite growth, and to root out the weeds. But because the Austrian State had almost no sense of social· rights or social legislation, its inability to combat these evil tumors was obvious. 2.8 LACK OF 'NATIONAL PRIDE' I don't know what appalled me more at that time: the economic misery of those who were then my companions, their crude customs and morals, or the low level of their intellectual development. Our bourgeoisie often rise up in moral indignation upon hearing from the mouth of some pitiable tramp that it is all the same to him whether he be a German or not, and that he will find himself at home wherever he can get enough to keep himself together. They protest sternly against such a lack of 'national pride,' and strongly express their horror at such sentiments. But how many people really ask themselves, why it is that their own sentiments are better? How many of them understand that their natural pride in being members of a favored nation arises from the many occasions they have encountered that remind them of the greatness of the Fatherland, and of the nation in all spheres of artistic and cultural life? How many of them realize that pride in the Fatherland is largely dependent on knowledge of its greatness in all those spheres? Do our bourgeois circles ever think what a ridiculously meager share 'the people' have in that knowledge that is a necessary prerequisite for the feeling of pride in one's fatherland? It cannot be objected here that in other countries similar conditions exist, and that nevertheless the working classes in those countries have remained patriotic. Even if that were so, it would be no excuse for our negligent attitude. But it is not so. What we call 'chauvinistic' education-in the case of the French people, for example-is only the extreme emphasis on the [/QUOTE]

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