Let Us Understand Each Other 

The great and noble spirit of the East, as expressed in its literature, in its art, in its philosophies and in its religions, has rapidly spread in the West. It is acting as a ferment and its effects will be profound and far-reaching.

Roberto Assagioli, Doc. #21853 – Assagioli Archives – Florence, First Published in The World Observer Vol. 1 #2, August 1937[i] Edited With Notes and Formatted by Jan Kuniholm[ii]

Abstract: In this essay written before World War II, the author emphasizes the need for understanding and cooperation between America and Europe. He highlights the positive, constructive efforts happening in Europe amidst the prevalent negative news. Assagioli believes that an intercontinental relationship between America and Europe would be fruitful and inspiring. He suggests that instead of superficial sightseeing, individuals should seek reliable information and personal contacts to truly understand and appreciate each other’s cultures. Assagioli calls for a change in the way newspapers are read, urging readers to approach them with mental alertness and discernment. He emphasizes the importance of recognizing the hidden order and guiding principles in the chaos of human life and dedicating efforts to alleviate suffering.

As the ship which carried me across the Atlantic was nearing the American coast, I realized that, in a very small and humble way, I was a messenger from Europe. I felt that while I was going to be greatly en­riched and inspired by my visit to the United States[iii] and would be able to bring back much to Italy, my country, I should also say something about what is happening in Europe and address to you an appeal.

The first point of my message is one of hope and cheer. Two great trends are now predominant in Europe: one which is separative, competitive, combative, and one which is constructive and creative.

I believe that unfortunately you are hearing mostly, if not almost exclusively, about the former, because according to the mistaken notion prevailing among jour­nalists, it is believed to make more interesting, exciting and dramatic news. In reality the constant reports of fights, rebellions, strikes, bombardments, etc. (on both continents), are monstrous enough; their repetition has deprived them of any thrill.

What instead would really make exciting news, if vividly presented, are the constructive efforts which are being made in every country of Europe; the high visions and the struggles against material difficulties; the fierce fight which is going on within each nation between old and new ideals, principles and methods; the strange mixture of noble heroism and of fanaticism, of almost superhuman self-sacrifice and of primitive passions; of glaring mistakes and of amazing achievements.

It is a powerful, fermenting, seething, surging new life. The constructive activities are much more wide­spread and far-reaching than is generally known and they bear the seeds of a great fulfilment. It is true that they are much handicapped, and at times, manacled by the combative tendencies; but up to now these have generally kept each other in check and there are positive reasons (such as the economic difficulties which, in this as in other cases, prove to be a blessing in disguise) which allow us to hope that a fatal collapse, such as might be brought about by a European war, will be avoided.

Up to now the constructive efforts have been almost exclusively intra-national. Each nation has been and is intensely occupied with its internal house-cleaning, with bringing about new economic, social, political, cultural forms, in keeping with the new conditions and with the new urges emerging from the younger generations. But it is becoming more and more evident that such intra-national reconstructions cannot be an end in themselves; that while they are necessary, they must inevitably be followed by some new form of cooperation and recon­struction on a wider basis. This basis is primarily continental. There are specific problems, tensions, coopera­tions among the nations which belong to the same continent. This has been very well emphasized and dem­onstrated by the leaders of your great country at the Pan-American Conference.

The same truth is beginning to be realized in Europe and the meetings and exchanges of visits which are tak­ing place with increasing frequency between responsible leaders and prominent men of the various nations are the outward sign of this growing realization and need.

But the rapidly developing intercommunications and interdependence in all fields—due to both a material and a spiritual cause—are presenting the problems and the necessity of another and wider inter-relation: that among the various continents.

In a general way, and on the cultural and spiritual planes, this has already been happening, for some decades, between East and West.

The great and noble spirit of the East, as expressed in its literature, in its art, in its philosophies and in its religions, has rapidly spread in the West. It is acting as a ferment and its effects will be profound and far- reaching in an incalculable way. This is generally rec­ognized, particularly among broad and spiritually minded people, and I do not need to emphasize it.

* * *

But the question of intercontinental relationships should be considered, in my opinion, also in a more definite way than has generally been the case.

There are specific interplays which can be promoted and rightly directed between one continent and another.

There is a special interrelation, exchange and coop­eration to be promoted between America and Europe, which I deeply believe would prove most fruitful, in­spiring and helpful for both continents. America and Europe are just sufficiently different and sufficiently alike for such a creative interplay.

They both are fields of activity of the same race; they have in common a general racial cultural background, they use more or less the same languages. But on the other hand, what profound differences!

First, the telluric,[iv] climatic and other material influ­ences. which have definite physiological, psychological and social effects. Then, the diverse traditions, emotional reactions and intellectual trends: the unlike ways of living and, most interesting, the different ways in which the same spirit of the New Age, the new emerging forces and qualities are understood, fell, reacted to, and incip­iently expressed.

I know several cases in which both Europeans in America and Americans in Europe have been most fa­vorably stimulated—and I should almost say, fecundated—by the impact of such differences.

I believe that such cases could and should be multi­plied so as to establish a growing interchange, a vivid sparking between the American and European poles. Of course, in order to achieve this creative interplay it is not sufficient merely to travel back and forth, to rush through Europe “doing” it strenuously in a short time according to a fixed schedule. Such aggressive sight­seeing gives often only a sense of weariness and of con­fusion. Pictures of churches, monuments, nature scenes, operas, restaurants and so-called “local curiosities” make a jumble in the heads of the unfortunate victims of a plan organized by tourist agents, while the oc­casional impressions of superficial contacts with the peo­ple of the various nations are apt to lead to quite one-­sided and mistaken conclusions.

Even before leaving one’s country, one should try to acquire reliable information about the other continent, through appropriate reading and. better still, when pos­sible through personal contacts with broad-minded and unbiased people.

There is a great mass of misconceptions to be cleared away, of prejudices and false notions to be done with. Let us, Americans and Europeans both, animated by sincere good will, come together, cooperate and help each other in every possible way. Let us study, under­stand and appreciate each other. Let us share more and more our facts, our visions, our ideas, our books, our art and our music. Above all let us carry to each other, across the ocean, the living message of and the loving gift of what we are, the distilled essence of our inner and outer struggles, of our life experiences, of our spir­itual realizations.

I am sure that we shall not lose by so doing. The great law of compensation will give due reward for all the cooperation offered in the name of our common world ideal and purpose, to each other, groaning under the stress of our efforts toward our salvation and regen­eration.

* * *

“We must change our way of reading newspapers. In­stead of looking upon it as an opportunity for rest and passive receptivity, we should take up the newspapers in an attitude of mental alertness, of careful discrimina­tion and sympathetic understanding.

“We should resist the temptation to read from idle curi­osity, to dwell on lengthy descriptions and futile dis­cussions, on the reports of trivial happenings. We should resist all suggestions from the currents of prevailing ideas and collective passions, and avoid the ordinary personal way of regarding and reacting to events.

“We should observe all the confusion and perturbation of this picture of human life from a higher standpoint and with a serene mind, seeking to discover the hidden order in it. its significance and its guiding principles, and the laws by which its course is regulated.

“Through all the sad and sordid facts which throw dark shadows of warning on the glittering surface of our civilization, we should realize how great is the sum of human suffering, and feel in the depths of our being the noble impulse that steadily urges us to give all our efforts and dedicate ourselves to the work of lessening the ocean of misery.’’[v]

[i] The World Observer was an American magazine created and edited by Alice and Foster Bailey, which ran for ten issues from July 1937 to April 1938. Roberto Assagioli was listed as an Associate of the magazine, which published articles from a wide variety of writers. This essay was the only contribution to the magazine by Assagioli. At this time in Europe and elsewhere, war was widely anticipated by people on all sides. In the final issue of the Observer, in 1938, the editor clearly affirmed that the victorious Allies of the First World War were directly responsible for the creation of the dictatorships that now menaced them and for maintaining the “folly” that was gaining momentum at that time. The Observer held out hope and presented essays in support of universal human welfare rather than partisan or political positions. —Ed.

[ii] The pauses indicated by * * * are as they appear in the original published essay. No words have been omitted in this version, which has only reformatted the original for easier reading. —Ed.

[iii] It is not known whether this essay marked the occasion of Assagioli’s first visit to the United States. He did come across the Atlantic on more than one occasion after the war. —Ed.

[iv] Telluric: “of  or relating to the earth: terrestrial.”

[v] In these final four paragraphs, Assagioli quotes from an article he himself wrote, titled “Indirect Suggestion,” which is found as Doc.#21887 in the Assagioli Archives. —Ed.