{"id":73355,"date":"2026-07-03T11:08:53","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T09:08:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dasgoetheanum.com\/?p=73355"},"modified":"2026-07-03T11:08:57","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T09:08:57","slug":"develop-a-feeling-for-humanity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dasgoetheanum.com\/en\/develop-a-feeling-for-humanity\/","title":{"rendered":"Develop a Feeling for Humanity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Economic health is a reflection of societal health. The World Goetheanum Association (WGA) sees the associative approach as key. But working collaboratively first requires an ability to connect. What are the current trends and challenges for this approach? Friederike Mainz of the WGA spoke with Karin Michael, a specialist in pediatrics and adolescent medicine and co-director of the Medical Section at the Goetheanum.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Friederike Mainz: Can you apply the social threefolding of economy, rights, and culture\/human development to the human physical body?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karin Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0The bodily pole that perceives and thinks is primarily the nerve-sense system. It must be allowed to remain uninfluenced and free. The metabolic-limb system represents the sphere that supplies everything and keeps it in motion\u2014that is, the economy. Love, community, and the truly social aspect is what connects the two poles; this is the cardiovascular system\u2014it supplies and connects everything. Justice must also prevail within it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m speaking here from a medical perspective, which Rudolf Steiner described in his lecture of February 5, 1919 [GA 328] as a \u201cmere game of analogies.\u201d With regard to the social organism, he recommends\u2014if we are to use an analogy at all\u2014looking at it exactly the other way around: \u201cThe social organism must be considered entirely on its own terms if anything fruitful is to happen for its flourishing and its healing.\u201d [ibid.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You place the heart\u2014that is, love\u2014in the social sphere. The social sphere is also the sphere of rights. These are not necessarily equated with love. Is love a heightened form of relationships based on rights?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to relate feelings to ourselves. This initial egoism starts us off with a focus on our own well-being. The next step becomes clear in the beautiful image of mother and child wherein this feeling of self-centeredness expands into the relationship between them. It becomes even more beautiful as we allow this circle to grow ever larger so that we eventually develop a feeling for all humanity, akin to what a mother feels for her child. Steiner described how our egoism can be transformed and developed by expanding it to include all humankind and, ideally, even the Earth\u2014our home. This feeling of care then makes us one with everything that surrounds us. We begin with our own feelings. This way our feelings become authentic and truly permeate our consciousness. From there, we must develop the ability to rise ever further above ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What has been your experience with children and adolescents\u2014your area of expertise?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For healthy development, a child needs this egoistic tendency, this claiming of everything for oneself. When you become a parent for the first time, the love that pours out over a child is simply wonderful. You truly give everything: sleep, nourishment\u2014and the mother literally gives her own physical substance. You physiologically expand yourself to include another human being. This is an archetype of how one can grow into social competence through love. The family is the archetype of the social realm itself. What we receive there as a kind of imprint forms the foundation for all subsequent attachment and social behavior. The family is a nucleus for social competence. The significance of what this care entails becomes tangible in medical care. As doctors, we are faced with a unity: parents and child. Care is most effective when parents are involved in medical processes, even just with very simple things like an external application for earaches or a foot massage to help the child fall asleep. It always works better and more deeply when the parents are included.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is this more effective?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I see anthroposophic medicine as the medicine of warmth. Physical warmth is, of course, important, but there is also social warmth. This plays a significant role when a person receives care and attention. It begins with the initial bonding right after birth. It is beautiful to observe, for example, when a child who is still breathing irregularly and with difficulty is placed on the chest of their mother or father, and the warmth and skin-to-skin contact help regulate the child\u2019s breathing and cardiovascular system. This is always the goal in neonatology: to bring the child into this close human-to-human contact as quickly as possible. Human warmth has such healing power. It is a fundamental principle that we can also clearly observe later on. When a loved one or a familiar person is present, a person experiencing shortness of breath, for example, finds it easier to breathe again and loses their fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens in the physical body?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first studies on oxytocin levels where such phenomena occur have now been published. This is well understood in the context of bonding. Through skin-to-skin contact, not only does the child develop healthy regulation of emotions and a strong bond with the parents, but the parents also release increased levels of oxytocin\u2014the so-called \u201clove hormone.\u201d This has also been observed in people following a heart attack. When a loved one accompanies them during acute treatment, the outcome is better. In such cases, oxytocin levels are higher, which promotes the healing and regeneration of heart muscle cells following damage. Research is currently investigating how this can be harnessed to support the healing of heart muscle cells through oxytocin administration. However, it is even better when an actual person is present alongside the \u201clove hormone\u201d\u2014because that leads to a more comprehensive healing process.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Karin Michael<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

What happens when the opposite occurs, when oxytocin is not released? What inhibits or interrupts this process?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, we see this happen even in the first moments of life. Emergency situations, for example when a mother needs surgery after giving birth, cause separation, which causes difficulties. Separation triggers the release of stress hormones. It impairs breathing and weakens the immune system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the effects of social isolation and loneliness during adolescence and adulthood?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have seen some very stark examples of this since the early days of the Covid time. Social isolation led to increased loneliness, particularly among adolescents, when young people naturally begin to distance themselves from their parents and need to grow into broader social circles, friendships, and peer groups. This process has been significantly disrupted. Children and adolescents were instead pushed into virtual worlds and relationships, thus increasing social isolation. The result was an unbelievable surge in depression, anxiety, and social phobias. Loneliness intensifies depression and anxiety, or can even be their root cause. Relief from fear often comes from being surrounded by people, from being touched, and from feeling secured by a supportive network. Almost anyone would naturally give another person a hug if they realized they were entirely overwhelmed with fear. This closeness, this feeling we experience when being held, remains a fundamental signature of security, just as it does after birth. And this secure network of support that carries us is, at its core, a social network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You worked as lead physician for many years. What trends have you observed among children and adolescents?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Children\u2019s lives have changed dramatically. These days, virtually everyone carries a smartphone like an extension of their body, including parents\u2014many of whom work with digital media professionally. As a result, children rarely experience moments when they receive an adult\u2019s undivided attention. Right after birth in the delivery room, instead of undivided bonding, the first videos and selfies are taken to let the whole world know about the new little miracle. There\u2019s an immediate sense of \u201cdetachment\u201d and an overwhelming circle of people. Parents are immediately distracted and not fully present with and for their child. When a child is born, communication up to that point has only taken place physically between mother and child. The first forms of social connections and relationships\u2014from initial touch to eye contact, reading facial expressions, categorizing sounds, and discovering words\u2014must all now develop. If a child looks into an adult\u2019s face seeking connection through a warm smile, but instead receives no response because the adult is looking at their smartphone and getting annoyed by a text, this is a serious source of confusion for a child\u2019s searching soul! When they repeatedly receive conflicting or unclear messages about something they are just beginning to learn to sense and perceive, it is no wonder that children are less and less able to develop a deeper understanding of others. The breakdown of relationships, the divided attention where one never knows for sure, \u201cAm I being addressed right now or not?\u201d\u2014these things change children. The fact that we\u2019re talking more and more about autism spectrum disorders, I think, is connected to this phenomenon. I don\u2019t see the full picture of early childhood autism any more frequently than before, but I do see relationship and communication disorders. This is because today children face much tougher conditions when it comes to developing the ability to read another person, establish a relationship with them, and make communication work. We also see this in the statistics on language development disorders, the need for speech therapy, and later on, reading and spelling support. Children simply don\u2019t have as favorable conditions in this regard as they did thirty years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If children find it difficult to read and understand others, is this related to their capacity for empathy and their ability to act in the best interests of others?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is how I see it: Through an intensive bonding process with their parents, one that extends far beyond the postnatal phase, children learn to know themselves and others through verbal expressions and even through moods. They begin, more and more, to bring their own soul and spirit into this process of exchange, into resonance, which is what allows us humans to read and understand other people with empathy, both verbally and nonverbally. When additional communication devices and distractions keep creeping in\u2014often the mere sound of a text message is enough to pull our attention away from the conversation\u2014the basic prerequisites for empathy and compassion are missing. Both require undivided, unbroken interpersonal connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Applied to the economy, building a future worth living in means that we no longer ignore the people at the other end of the supply chain, that we care about the planet, and that we find an economy that works for the good of all. Listening to you, we might feel sad or frustrated because we see how the world is systematically working against this very ability. Do you see a connection there?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had an experience with my nephew that was a real eye-opener for me. He is a businessman, and during the Covid time\u2014when many of his client visits were switched to online meetings\u2014he quickly noticed that people weren\u2019t trusting him as easily as before. They were buying much less and signing fewer contracts. Entering into a business relationship is also a matter of human connection and trust. Is the other person trying to pull one over on me, or can I believe them? He said, \u201cI\u2019m actually saying the same things as before; it\u2019s the same products, but they don\u2019t believe me as much anymore because we no longer meet in real space and real time, encountering each other with all of our senses.\u201d Rudolf Steiner might say, \u201cWhat\u2019s missing is the encounter of \u2018I\u2019 with \u2018I\u2019 and the opportunity for the direct activity of the \u2018I\u2019-sense.\u201d How we encounter one another, what conceptions we share, and what real experiences we have in common also make a difference in economic life. Human beings are comprehensive sensory beings. And only the immediacy of an encounter allows us to sense the other person in such a way that we can develop trust and make a decision together\u2014even something as simple as a sales contract. I found it very instructive to see how essential the human element is even in areas where we think it\u2019s all about sober, predictable numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Friederike Mainz<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The connection is clear: The ability to read and understand others is the foundation of trust. The experience of knowing that someone is there who cares about my well-being has a healing effect.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And children are eager to trust. They also lack real-life interactions that help them develop a sense of boundaries. Whereas in the past we might have received an immediate reaction to a boundary violation, today we often operate in virtual space. But direct social exploration is important. Receiving only text or emojis in response, rather than seeing the other person\u2019s face, makes a difference. Are they hurt? Are they happy? How does what I say affect them? Especially when social relationships and early romantic relationships first begin to develop, young people are becoming more and more scarred in regard to social trust and the necessary processes of soul development today. During Covid time we noticed just how much young people in particular were longing for social connections and relationships, for spaces where they were simply allowed to be themselves, to explore through encounters and physical contact. The von Tessin Center for Health and Education [von-Tessin-Zentrum f\u00fcr Gesundheit und P\u00e4dagogik<\/em>], which I co-founded, is a center that collects and researches best-practice examples for a sustainable approach to education. How should child development be shaped today so that we can even begin to navigate this cultural revolution with the parallel worlds in which children now find themselves? Collaboration between therapy and education has become necessary at all levels, whether the focus is on movement-based prevention, healthy nutrition, or soul well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does the task need to be so comprehensive? In other words, does it have to encompass physical, soul, and social health?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes. When you look at the statistics on obesity, and then consider the lack of physical activity and the general health education and habits of children and adolescents, you have to admit: we\u2019re not doing well in many areas. The quality of our diet is declining, as is our eating rhythm\u2014which I consider extraordinarily beneficial to health, just like any rhythm\u2014and the amount of physical activity in our daily lives. Look at how much sedentary activity there is in schools! And who out there is still regularly nurturing community and conversation over warm meals? When we eat in front of screens, we actually eat alone; we delay the realization of feeling full, and we end up eating about ten percent more. Something has to change so that children can better connect with their bodies and their physiology. This requires initiatives like the ones we\u2019re trying to launch at the von Tessin Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also tied to the dominant economic narrative regarding how food is produced, how we get around, and what and how we teach in schools. Do you have any wishes for the economic community with regard to the well-being of society and public health?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Absolutely. Right now, we can see the incredible amounts of money being poured into the buildup of the military and preparedness for disasters. In Germany, I\u2019m seeing what I find to be a disappointing, false sense of necessity to become \u201cwar-ready\u201d instead of taking actions that promote peace and health. I would much rather see those funds allocated to children and young people. I would invest them in intercultural projects. How do I learn to trust that what is different can also be good? I am firmly convinced that having this kind of enriching experience is true peace work. The second thing for me is a restructuring of our education system. I very much wish that children would be given more opportunities for real-world experiences; that learning would take place much more outdoors and in movement, in a more creative and artistic way; and that it would be more strongly based on small-group work, personal encounter, and the gathering of practical experience. This real, multisensory experience, this formal immersion in the world\u2014this is all becoming increasingly difficult for children. A horticulture teacher told me that children are more often reluctant to put their hands in the dirt. This shying away from life pains me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s already happening that enterprises are saying, \u201cWe need a lot more people who are creative, diverse, and flexible.\u201d Is what you\u2019re saying also a call to action for the economic community?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank you, dear Karin, for this interview.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Event<\/strong>
World Goetheanum Association Forum<\/a>, Association and Disassociation: Economic health as a reflection of societal health and vice versa, September 25\u201426, 2026, Dornach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Translation <\/strong>Joshua Kelberman<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Economic health is a reflection of societal health. The World Goetheanum Association (WGA) sees the associative approach as key. But working collaboratively first requires an ability to connect. What are the current trends and challenges for this approach? Friederike Mainz of the WGA spoke with Karin Michael, a specialist in pediatrics and adolescent medicine and co-director of the Medical Section at the Goetheanum. Friederike Mainz: Can you apply the social threefolding of economy, rights, and culture\/human development to the human […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12089,"featured_media":73001,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8797,8805],"tags":[11813,8798],"class_list":["post-73355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conversation-en","category-medicine","tag-ausgabe-24-2026-en","tag-deepening"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dasgoetheanum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dasgoetheanum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dasgoetheanum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dasgoetheanum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12089"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dasgoetheanum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73355"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dasgoetheanum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73355\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73387,"href":"https:\/\/dasgoetheanum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73355\/revisions\/73387"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dasgoetheanum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dasgoetheanum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dasgoetheanum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dasgoetheanum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}