Georgy Lvov

“ The highest possible tension of the spiritual forces of mankind will put an end to the horrors of war, will bring the strife to a victorious close. And if the end of the great struggle lies outside the sphere of war, if it is rooted deep in the consciousness of man, then the responsibility for it must be borne not by the external forces, but by the conscience of every one of us. We must all strain to the utmost all our spiritual powers, and direct them towards the creation of a new consciousness, a new conscience, a new life. ”

“ Is it possible that men are fighting simply for the sake of fighting, for the sake of destruction, demolition, with complete prostration as the end? Is it possible that this incredible exertion of all the powers of the civilized Western world, that all these incalculable sacrifices are nothing but an act of suicide on the part of humanity? Is it possible that the world is straining its utmost powers merely in order to become exhausted and desolate? Is it possible that there is no supreme creative power behind this dreadful tension? ”

“ As with a heavy curtain, the War has separated the old life from the new. Whenever and however it end, it is certain that the old order of things has come to an end, and that a new order is coming in. ”

“ Timid, lowly souls tremble before the awful mirage of the future upheavals, in which they behold the destruction of their personal prosperity. But the bankruptcy of their sordid materialism will be as nothing compared with the changes that will take place in the human soul. ”

“ Only now is it becoming clear that the War may last as long as it has already lasted; that it may stop, and begin again, but it cannot end with the mere victory of one set of destructive forces over another, or with their exhaustion. It can be brought to a close only by bringing to their highest tension the creative spiritual forces which alone are capable of solving the problems that beset the nations of the West. ”

“ Is not the atmosphere about us charged with the energy of new life? We are bothered by the black spots upon the cinematographic ribbon of the events that are flashing by. But when we examine them more carefully, we realize that the black spots are only upon the ribbon. The rich soil, caressed by the bright rays of noon-day sun, produces useful vegetation side by side with the weeds. The high and the low exist together in nature, but under the influence of civilization, the higher displaces the lower. ”

“ When the armies come home, they will be borne along by mighty wings. Behind them will be not the few years of war, but centuries upon centuries of old life; before them will burn the rising sun of a new spiritual realization. ”

“ They will change radically the conditions of the life of man, raise human life to a height before unknown. Yet the transformation that will take place in the soul of man will be a thousand-fold more significant. ”

“ Let us not be satisfied with merely discharging our duty; let us not shift the responsibility to others. There is something more lofty and sacred than duty and responsibility. Let there dwell in our hearts, throughout the coming years, the feeling of an uplifting joy in anticipation of the new, bright life. ”

“ It becomes clearer and clearer that changes in the life of man are inevitable, but they will be brought about not as a result of any military operations, but by virtue of the internal changes in man that are bound to take place after the War. ”