But when the connections are faulty or broken the Ego is like a musician forced to exercise his talent with an instrument lacking a number of the strings, and he is therefore unable to bring out anything but discord. From the spiritual point of view it is not hereditary for, as already stated, insanity is not a defect in the Ego. Musicians congregate in music halls, at concerts, and similar places. They also seek birth in the families of musicians because there the instruments needed, long slender fingers and an ear in which the semi-circular canals are properly placed, can be obtained, which will give them the ability to express music. Sporting men and gamblers flock together at race tracks and in gambling dens.
Thieves have their resorts, and so on.
Similarly, those with a certain defect in their character are attracted to families which have the same defect. Hence if we view the problem of insanity from the form side, it may be said that it is hereditary. Scientists who view the matter entirely from the form side are of the opinion that by limiting the reproduction of defectives they may stamp out disease. But just as the soft juices of the snail's body are gradually set out and crystallized into the hard and flinty shell it carries upon its back, so it is also the acts of the Ego which gradually crystallize themselves into a body wherein the Spirit must dwell until they are worked out. Relief will never be obtained by working with and upon the physical body alone, any more than operating upon the shell would cure a sick snail.