Cleanliness is Next to Godliness

There is an old adage that says “cleanliness is next to Godliness”. Of late I am starting to question its veracity. I came to this country from Germany at the age of 10 and arriving in NYC I was struck at how dirty the streets were and just the general messiness. We were refugees in Germany after WWII with our last couple of years in Munich. Even about 6 years after the war there were still many signs of destruction but the streets and people were clean. Before retiring a few years ago I made a number of business trips to Japan and was also struck by the neatness and order. Cab drivers in Tokyo wore white gloves and on the headrests were crocheted white doylies. When I reflect on the combatants in the war, The Germans and Japanese were by far the most barbaric and cruel. I started to wonder if there might be a connection between cleanliness and not Godliness, but cruelty. Today I read an article in the Huffington Post about how many showers one should take. In it the author suggests that frequent cleaning destroys “good” bacteria and one might consider bathing every two or three days. Several months ago I ran into another discussion (I think it may be one of the Ted Talks) where the speaker spoke of the thousands of different kinds of bacteria on the surface of our skin and that some of them may interact with our organs and be critical to proper function of our various systems. Last week I saw commentary on a study that indicated that the “good bacteria” in our digestive system somehow interacts in a positive way with the brain and that probiotics may reduce depression and increase a general sense of happiness. So my question is: does the bacteria destroyed by excessive cleaning of ourselves and our surrounding somehow affect the portion of our brain responsible for kindness and empathy? Maybe the cruelty exhibited by the Germans and Japanese during the war was contributed to by their pursuit of Godliness through their cleanliness.