Sunday adelaja “let your “yes” be “yes”, and your “no” be “no”. It’s time to start talking about the matter... We lost in the Cold War!... Everything else is from the evil one...
The Lord said: Again you have heard what was said to the ancients: do not break your oath, but fulfill your oaths before the Lord. But I say to you: do not swear at all: not by heaven, for it is the throne of God; nor the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King; Do not swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. But let your word be: yes, yes; no no; and anything beyond this is from the evil one. You have heard that it was said: an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you: do not resist evil. But whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other also to him; and whoever wants to sue you and take your shirt, give him your outer clothing too; and whoever forces you to go one mile with him, go with him two miles.
These words of Christ reveal the third commandment: “Thou shalt not take the name of thy Lord in vain.” This is what “do not break your oath” means. A false oath is wickedness towards God and untruth towards man. The one who swears falsely seems to say: “Lord, help me,” but he himself wishes that the Lord would never help him, since he is taking a false oath. This does not mean that every oath is a sin. In relatively recent times, an oath in the courts, a military oath taken with faith in God, meant that people gave the name of God the honor due to it. They turn to the highest truth, to the highest knowledge, to the highest court - to arrange earthly human life in justice.
What does Christ mean when he says, “Do not swear at all”? First of all, the unnecessary use of the name of God in everyday conversation is a sign of a graceless heart that does not know the fear of God. And we must avoid making oaths in matters that do not depend on our will alone. The madness of calling heaven as a witness to our truth is the same as swearing by God Himself. “Do not swear by the earth,” says Christ, “for this would also be an oath by its Creator and Master; nor Jerusalem - because it is sanctified by the King of kings and Lord of lords; nor your head - because it belongs more to God than to you, with all its gifts, and you cannot make a single hair white or black.” “But let your word be: yes, yes; no no; and anything beyond this is from the evil one.” From the evil one, from the lie that is in all people subject to him, for “every man is a lie.” Your word should be meaningful in itself: “yes” if it is really yes, and “no” if it is really no. Let your holiness and truthfulness be known to all people. Christ calls for the authenticity of our words. We know how little directness and simplicity there is in human relations, distorted from within by ambiguous complexity, substitutions, cunning, cunning, and self-promotion. God does not create new morality. He doesn't abolish anything. It reveals the depth of what true humanity is. But only those who come to Christ, the true God and perfect Man, can truly partake of it.
“You have heard that it was said,” says Christ, “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” This Old Testament law of retribution at one time greatly limited the instinct of revenge, so natural for fallen man. But even this, having gone through two thousand years of Christianity, humanity, it would seem, should have left behind long ago. Alas, if only today it remained at least at the level of the Old Testament! There is no need to look for examples by delving into history. How many cities in Yugoslavia and Iraq before our eyes were bombed as “repressive measures” by states that still call themselves Christian. The terms “military escalation”, “position of strength” politics and “preemptive strike” are constantly heard in the Western media. And few people notice that these post-Christians have the same ancient, pre-Old Testament wild instinct.
What do the words of Christ mean: “But I say to you: do not resist evil. But whoever hits you on your right cheek, turn the other also to him”? The Gospel never gives ready-made moral recipes. It's more about spirit than rules. Christ Himself, when struck by the servant of the high priest, did not turn the other cheek. He answered firmly and with dignity: “Why are you beating Me?” (John 18:23). And no one has the right, referring to these words of the Lord, to cover up injustice. Christ does not offer here a legal law that could be applied to civil society. This would mean begging for mercy from triumphant evil, encouraging violence, and protecting impunity for criminals. Christ does not abolish the law of retribution - where rulers must use the sword of righteousness to intimidate evildoers and protect the offended. And in civil courts this law must continue to be the standard for punishing criminals. Of course, Christ cannot sanctify lawlessness by demanding that the weak meekly yield to violence.
There are circumstances when genuine Christians must fight. To submit to untruth and injustice, especially when others are the victims, is absolutely contrary to the spirit of Christ. The Lord speaks of the forgiveness of personal sins and that in civil courts no one should demand more punishment than is necessary for the public good. Christians should not be vindictive. Our law of truth cannot be separated from the law of love. Evil is not defeated when we respond to it with the same evil. When they repay evil for evil, they inevitably enter into an unbreakable circle of hell. And when, by the grace of God, we forgive personal offenses, evil becomes external to us. When we don’t forgive, evil gains another victory - it enters us. Christ wants to open a different path for humanity: to defeat evil with good, to respond to hatred with love.
What does it mean to turn the other cheek? The holy fathers have two interpretations. According to the first, one cheek is our neighbor. When he is offended, we must be ready to turn the other cheek - ourselves - not to spare our lives for his sake. And when we are personally offended, we must turn the other cheek—the humility and firmness of Christ’s love. Our Lord accepted strangulation for our sake. To those who wanted to sue Him unjustly, He gave both the upper and lower garments. And he ascended the Cross, naked from Heavenly glory. And He went not one, but two miles on the road to Calvary in order to accept death on the Cross not in hatred, but in love for the entire human race.
Let me start by saying that I was poisoned. This everyday fact would not be worth mentioning if it were not symbolic. We arrived in Kyiv in the morning. The delegation, as usual, was met and taken by bus to the premises of the Writers' Union of Ukraine. Registration and check-in at the hotel did not take much time. I had half a day free, and I used it to business meeting so that with tomorrow not be distracted by anything except the congress. And suddenly she got sick. All I had to do, feeling thirsty, was drink a glass of water from the dispenser. I came to the convention and sat down close to the exit, so that it would be easier to get out if things got really bad. And soon I really felt bad, but not from my illness. The October Palace, where the congress took place, once belonged to the NKVD. Involuntarily, after someone’s remark on this matter, I thought about repression, about intolerance, about dead people, whose souls - who knows? - maybe hovered between us. But no less sadness was caused by living people, their furious speeches and accusatory pathos. Not the slightest doubt about your own infallibility. For everything that was bad in our lives, someone is to blame, just not ourselves. Yes, this was the phenomenon of searching for an enemy, already noticed by publicists.
But in in this case and there was no search. The enemy was known in advance. This enemy was me, a Russian man sitting in the hall. All accusations, direct and indirect, were directed at me. They all merged and took the form of an arrow aimed at my heart. I was the culprit of all the troubles in Ukraine, because Russian blood flows in my veins. And I was poisoned again. My soul was poisoned. In the language that I loved so much, by the way, the native language of my grandfather, something unimaginable was said. Forgetting about the laws of the genre, the speakers were verbose, violated regulations, repeated themselves, and all this for the sake of swearing. I was waiting for someone to come out and say: “Come to your senses! What are we talking about?" But no one came out. There could be no question of discussing our situation, the position of writers in a dangerously changing reality. Not a word about how we should continue to live. From the eternal question: “Who is to blame?” we could not move on to another question: “What to do?” Once there was a request to start discussing the draft of the new Statute of the Writers' Union of Ukraine, but it was drowned in cries of indignation. At six in the evening I left in severe disappointment, unable to bear the scream any longer, with the feeling of a lost day, to collapse in bed. However, my trials did not end there.
By pure but happy coincidence, my neighbor in the room turned out to be the Ukrainian poetess, my old friend, Lyudmila Ovdienko. I once translated her poems into Russian. There was a dream to create for the Russian reader something like an anthology of modern Ukrainian women's poetry. We hadn’t seen Lyuda for a very long time, so we didn’t recognize each other right away. It seemed to me that it was not only time that separated us. However, I did not attach any significance to this feeling at that moment. But later, another meeting, with another friend, and the chill of the greeting made me think. I no longer approached my Ukrainian friends on my own.
And so, when I was in my room experiencing the events of a mediocre day, Luda returned. And with her came a writer I didn’t know. Unable to digest everything I heard, I suddenly, as if taking out a fact sticking out that didn’t fit in my mind, asked: “I still don’t understand why Moscow literary publications should pay a tax to Ukrainian writers? What does Russian literature owe to Ukrainian literature? Maybe I didn’t hear something?” The audibility in the place where I was sitting was really not very good. Looking at me coldly, the guest replied that the tax should be paid for the sales market, that is, for the fact that Russian books are sold in Ukraine. Here he referred to the Americans. Business is not my thing. But are books just a commodity? The influence of literature and the influence of capital are not the same thing. And what about a person’s right to read what he wants? What to do with Russian readers in Ukraine, who, as you know, are the majority here? Word for word, and then my interlocutor told me that there was no need for the Russians to spread across all the republics, they would go to their home in the Non-Black Earth Region. He didn’t know that I was from Siberia, otherwise he would have expressed himself even more wittily. I also didn’t know that in Russia there are black soils, just as there is lard. I muttered something about family graves on Ukrainian soil and went into the restroom to cry. Abandoned by me on the battlefield, my interlocutor left. Lord, what happened to the “fucking Ukrainian lads”? They used to compliment women, regardless of their nationality.
The next day, the issue of tribute from Russian publishing houses became a little clearer. It was said from the podium that Russian books not only take money out of the pockets of Ukrainian readers, but also Russify them. Why didn’t Ukrainian books, and I read them, not Ukrainize me, that is, they didn’t make me forget? native language? And how I regret that I don’t know in English! Everything has to be read in translation. And I English literature I love it very much. What a shame that I was not anglicized as a child! I also learned on the second day of creation, that is, the congress, that I belong to a people who were possessed by the devil in the person of the Tatars and Mongols. To a people who were imbued with the idea of messianism, also devilish, taken from the Jewish people cursed by God. To a mediocre people who do nothing but steal other people’s talents, mainly Ukrainian talents, and appropriate them for themselves, from Gogol to Chekhov. I guessed that the nationalists’ claims also apply to Taganrog. I heard that Ukraine is light, and Russia is darkness, and that Russia is taking away Ukraine’s word, because the word is God. Katerina Motrich and other equally passionate speakers said a lot more. Even the Ukrainians could not stand everything. Someone not far from me grumbled about Motrich and her speech, which was drawn out to the point of disgrace: “She already read this on the radio. Why repeat it at the congress?” So there was a reason.
One of the speakers nevertheless made a reservation that, when cursing the empire, she in no way meant the Russian people. Yuri Shcherbak followed her with a more balanced speech. But one of the rapid response team, as I called it, immediately started arguing with him. I noticed that this group was careful to ensure that the tone of the speeches did not shift towards a centrist position. Any hint of this was immediately suppressed: someone immediately jumped up to the microphone with a rude retort, simply abuse. Successfully or not successfully, but the last word was behind them. What about Russian writers? It was as if they had filled their mouths with water. However, they can be understood. There was such hellish artillery shelling of Russian positions that the soldiers, if there were any, found themselves pinned to the ground and did not have the opportunity to rise. Later I heard that some people wrote notes to the presidium, asked to speak, but received no answer. There were about seventy Russians out of seven hundred others. So the offensive attacks went unanswered. My nerves could not stand it, I ran away at the end of the day, went to my young relative, daughter cousin which I saw for the first time. This Russian-Ukrainian sprout in our family was a student at the Kyiv Conservatory. She played Chopin and Rachmaninoff for me. Music seemed to wash away everything bitter and poisonous from me. And when I returned to the hotel, I found out that the congress met until nine in the evening, and that the Union of Writers of Ukraine had left the Union of Writers of the USSR. How did I receive this message? It felt like you were being torn in half. Mixed with this was shame for the silence, for the fact that we Russians did not try to defend our dignity. I mentally composed an answer, but beyond the question: why are you pushing us away? – it didn’t work. I had no words.
On the third day, I realized that all this was a crowd at the trough. A writer from Odessa, an Ossetian, stood up for Russian honor. His Ukrainian language was impeccable, in my opinion. Certainly cleaner than some speakers who urgently switched to “ridna mov”. Behind me, during an Ossetian speech, someone whispered irritably: “Internationalist!” And then Natalya Khatkina and I got up and went down to the first row, where the microphone stood. Natalya decided, as she ironically put it, to “bark.” I looked at her whitened face, I felt sick, and left, and when I returned, she had already asked, going up to the microphone near the stage, for permission to speak for three minutes. Pavlo Movchan looked with interest at the young woman and soon gave the floor to her. In her thin voice, she said that if there is trouble with the people, it is the fault of the intelligentsia, first of all, the writers. You, she said, think in slogans. They just changed the signs, plus to minus, but they themselves did not change. Previously, they denounced the enemies of socialism, now the enemies of the Ukrainian nation. The writer may not be published, but he forces himself to write panegyrics in honor of the authorities. I would like to know, she continued, where the ghetto is destined for me? Here the hall became noisy. The Chairman, however, called on his like-minded people to be tolerant. Turning to see a large portrait of Shevchenko above the stage, Natalia recited her lines:
Tell me what to do, Taras,
The stakes in my veins have merged
David's blood, and the blood of Bogdan,
And the blood of the lame Tamerlane?
It must be said that somewhere in front of her a representative of the striking miners spoke, and he began his speech with the words: “Sorry for speaking Russian. Everything was taken away from us, even our language!” These are the pearls we heard. How can you take away your tongue? Perhaps only with the head. And therefore Natalya ended her speech with the words: “And I don’t apologize for speaking in Russian!” As soon as she sat down on the seat next to me, as soon as she asked: “Well, how?”, and I answered: “Very good!”, Boris Chichibabin came up, silently shook her hand and walked away. “Well, that means everything is correct,” she said. Many Ukrainians commented on her speech with indignation, but there were also those who agreed with her.
I don’t even want to judge whether it is good or bad that we left the Union. I’m not talking about the fact that now retired writers will not see supplements to their meager pensions. I simply ask: couldn’t the Congress majority achieve its “wonderful” goals without offending us? Is one’s own dignity achieved by trampling on the dignity of another? Was this majority wise? Do they understand where these passions will lead?
And Kyiv lives well. I looked in amazement at the circles of cheeses, butter, sausages, and everything that a Donetsk buyer sees in his dreams. And - I decided to buy a bottle of shampoos. Then a small episode happened that made us look at our fiery congress speeches from an unexpected angle. I handed the saleswoman a fiver, she took a bottle from the shelf and, before handing it to me, asked: “What about coupons?” I didn't have them. “Then take your money back.” I took it and was about to leave with regret, but an elderly Ukrainian woman stopped me and handed me her coupons. I spoke Russian, she spoke Ukrainian. As usual, we speak, understanding each other perfectly. I was a stranger to her twice, I had to be. But she didn’t. She could help a person out, and she did. I thanked her warmly. She answered kindly. And again, it was as if all the bitterness, all the poison of these days had been washed out of me. There is art, and there are people. Everything else is from the evil one.
What is more than this is from the evil one
cm. Yes - yes, no - no; Anything more than this is from the evil one.
encyclopedic Dictionary winged words and expressions. - M.: “Locked-Press”. Vadim Serov. 2003.
See what “What is more than this is from the evil one” in other dictionaries:
From the Bible. In the Gospel of Matthew (chapter 5, v. 37), Jesus tells his listeners about the unnecessaryness of oaths and deities: “But let your word be: “yes, yes,” “no, no”; and what is more than this is from the evil one.” Used: as a call for a clear and concise statement... ...
From the evil one- What. Book Iron. Superfluous, unnecessary; that can cause harm (about thoughts, actions, etc.). Often one writer fights to the point of bloodshed with another only on the principle: I don’t like the way he writes, that means it’s a heresy, that means it’s from the evil one, that means... Phrasebook Russian literary language
From the Bible. The New Testament (Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 5, Art. 37) says that Jesus Christ forbade his followers to swear, as they were accustomed to, by heaven, earth, and their own heads. He said: “But let your word be: “Yes, yes”; "no no"; And what… … Dictionary of popular words and expressions
From the evil one- wing. sl. Expression from the Gospel (Matt. 5:37). Jesus, having forbidden swearing by heaven, by earth, by the head of the swearer, said: “But let your word be: yea, yea; no no; and what is more than that is from the “evil one,” that is, from the devil. The expression “from the evil one”... ... Universal additional practical Dictionary I. Mostitsky
DIALECTICAL MATERIALISM AND MEDICINE- DIALECTICAL MATERIALISM AND MEDICINE. The question of the application of the D. method in medicine and biology, despite all its enormous fundamental and practical significance, is by no means sufficiently developed. Only at the most last years become… … Great Medical Encyclopedia
One of the main laws of dialectics, expressing the source of self-motion and development of natural and social historical phenomena. reality, acting as a universal law of knowledge. Law E. and b. n. in the materialistic system. dialectics occupies... ... Philosophical Encyclopedia
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart... Blessed are the peacemakers... Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.... ...
A solemn appeal to Almighty God, the faithful and unfeigned Witness of what is affirmed or denied. The Jews took both direct and indirect oaths. Direct appeal to God as the Supreme Witness was permitted by Law... ... Bible. Old and New Testaments. Synodal translation. Bible Encyclopedia arch. Nikifor.
For God's sake, don't say yes until I'm done talking! Darryl Zanuck I tell you my final “maybe.” Samuel Goldwyn No, no and yes again! I will answer you in two words: Not Possible. Samuel Goldwyn Half of our troubles are caused by... ... Consolidated encyclopedia of aphorisms
Rembrandt, 1624. Jesus’ expulsion of the merchants from the Temple. Gospel commandments, Christ’s commandments... Wikipedia
Obviously, each of us has had to meet at least once in our lives people whose promises and words meant nothing and were empty. Often, some people, wanting to convince their interlocutor of the reliability of their promises, even make oaths, which then turn out to be just empty words. God in His Word warns us against such idle talk: “Again you have heard that it was said to the ancients: Do not break your oath, but fulfill your oaths before the Lord.” But I say to you: do not swear at all: not by heaven, because it is the Throne of God; Not by the earth, because it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King; Do not swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. But let your word be: “Yes, yes”; "no no"; and anything beyond this is from the evil one." Matthew 5:33-37.
Among the ancient Jews, an oath was a common practice, confirming spoken words, agreements or promises. This was the custom in Israeli society: if a person swears, then he is telling the truth. This oath obligated the person to do what he said.
This custom has survived to this day. Today, such oaths have been replaced by the signing of contracts, agreements, or notarization. If a document is signed and sealed, then this is a guarantee that what is specified in this document will be fulfilled.
Not trusting each other, people living according to the customs of the world want to at least somehow “insure” themselves against possible deception and associated losses. They don’t even suspect that no seals or signatures can protect them from the lies that reign in the world. Worldly life is built on deception and betrayal, since Satan, the ruler of the world, is the father of lies: “Your father is the devil; and you want to fulfill the lusts of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and did not stand in the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he speaks he is a lie, he speaks his own way, for he is a liar and the father of lies." John 8:44.
He who is born of God must be like Him. God never changes His Word. Once spoken by Him, it will certainly be fulfilled. That is why Jesus Christ says that we do not need to swear, but our word must be firm and reliable, not causing doubt to anyone. Our life should be so pure and decent that if we say “yes”, no one would even think of doubting that what we said will come true.
Jesus does not expect people to believe the oaths of Christians, but simply what they say. He expects people to trust us, seeing our crystal clear, decent life. Our life must change so much that people always take us at our word, without requiring any additional guarantees. The very word of a Christian should be the most reliable guarantee.
The Bible says that the words we say “yes” and “no” must correspond to their meaning. Anything beyond that, that is, an explanation, an attempt to convince people, to give some additional guarantees, is from the evil one, that is, from the devil. In fact, any given guarantee is unreliable if a person's word is unreliable. If a person is a liar, then no matter what guarantees he promises you, his words “have no weight”, he will definitely let you down.
The sons and daughters of the Heavenly Father must be faithful to the spoken word, just as their Father is faithful to His Words. After all, by breaking this word, Christians fail not only a person - they disgrace the name of God.
All parents want their children to not only be like them, but also to repeat in their characters and actions all the best things that they themselves have done. Our Heavenly Father also wants us to be like Him in everything - to take His example, to be like Him in everything.
Very often Christians say that they are children of God. This should not only be in words. Our actions must also correspond to how Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who showed us the Heavenly Father, lived and acted on earth. Our lives must conform to His standards. He who constantly tells lies will himself be deceived.
The source of lies is the devil, and he who lies feeds from his source. He who satisfies us is our master. If your food is the truth of God's Word, then your word will always be measured and responsible. Lies should have no place in the life of a Christian; they are alien to him. God's truth is the foundation of the life of every born-again Christian.
People who live according to the customs of the world do not value the word. They do not know that the word brings life or death. It can create and destroy. But we Christians know the truth, so we must evaluate our words, increase the weight of the words we speak! Our words should not be “cheap”, they should become precious and significant. If the words coming out of our mouths do not bring blessing or encouragement, it is better not to say them.
Be your Father's children! Make a decision that no “rotten” word will come out of your mouth! Only the devil sows negative, negative words. God's children must constantly affirm the positive Word of God. They must constantly “sow” this Word into their lives, into the lives of their loved ones and relatives, into the lives of the people around them. They must plant the words of life, eradicating everything negative from it.
Our lips are especially prone to sin. The Bible says: "...But none of the people can tame the tongue: it is an uncontrollable evil; it is filled with deadly poison. With it we bless God and the Father, and with it we curse men, created in the likeness of God: From the same mouth come blessing and curse It shouldn’t be like this, my brothers.” James 3:8-10.
Make a decision to control every word that comes out of your mouth so that you can "sow" only good, blessed words into the life around you. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you with this. Then your "yes" will always be "yes", and your "no" will certainly be "no".
The Word of God never changes. God is faithful to His promise. Become like Him too! Let the word you speak be reliable and true, just as true and unchanging God's Words. Be a true child of God! Be a real Christian!
Can you call yourself a man of your word? Are you reliable? Before people can trust you, learn to set higher standards for yourself.
Indiscipline, unreliability, unfaithfulness in words and deeds are what constantly pulls a person back.
By being a reliable person, you can expect the same from others. Let your “yes” always be “yes”, no matter how much work it costs you. Self-discipline develops a person's potential, and reliability and diligence help him succeed.
Nobody wants to work with unreliable people, even if they are very capable and talented. It is better to deal with less capable but reliable ones.
People are accustomed to making empty promises, but the word of a Christian should always be a guarantee of what he promises. How to achieve this - read in this book.
Be blessed.
Sunday Adelaja
Embassy of God
I finally saw it... Something I've been racking my brains about for the last few years. What didn’t allow me to live in peace, what tormented me, made me come back again and again...Namely, what is connected with our (Russian) incredible passivity and all kinds of apathy, so clearly expressed and manifested during the “years of liberal reforms”.It is connected with our loss in " cold war" Our Fatherland was defeated, dismembered, humiliated. Over the past two-plus decades, Russia has gone through a humiliation unprecedented in the history of the last 500 years. We have lost almost all the conquests of our ancestors, all geopolitical influence, all military power, all industry, culture and science, the remnants of service ethics, Christian morality and asceticism, as well as everything that was built and nurtured with such difficulty under the USSR. We have been thrown back half a millennium. What compares to this defeat?...
At the same time, they convince us that we won - they say, our common victory over “totalitarianism.”
So the domestic consciousness fell into a stupor. Inside we feel one thing, but they tell us something else.
Each of us is still in a stupor. It was the most competent “noodle on the ears” in our entire thousand-year history. It's not a matter of being deceived by Westernism or liberal values. It's all about our defeat, and that's it. Everything else is just details. The foundation of our apathy is here.
The important thing is that in public consciousness our loss has not yet been associated with apathy. Many people thought, wrote and talked about both separately, but not together. Meanwhile, this connection is very significant.
For we will not wake up until a significant part of society understands all this. In the sense - a certain critically important part of society, some significant percentage.
And how many more of them are smart people who still curse the “scoops”! Like sea sand...
You already know all this, but I only realized it now. I saw it with my inner vision. But I’m sharing it anyway - with those who may not have seen it yet...
The next step, a superstructure over this basic basis, is the awareness that our government is not with us, but with the victors, with the enemies. The Russian people are kind by nature, and deep down they forgive the widespread bureaucratic theft. If we were officials, most of us would take bribes. But the Russian people instantly feel betrayal and will never forgive. It is important for us to believe in the State, to realize that it is with us. The Tsar and his entourage have always personified the idea of fidelity and justice for the Russians. Let them put something in their pocket - we ourselves have a stigma in the cannon - but let them be faithful to their land and their people. Let them themselves believe in the ideals that they proclaim - at least that same fidelity native land. For a Russian, faith is abstract and empty if there is no boss who personifies it.
The current political elite has not distanced itself from the Gorbachev-Yeltsin compradors and has not opposed itself to them. And therefore, he is their moral and material successor. And the Russian people now have nothing to believe in.
It is these two aspects - the contradiction between the fact of defeat and the victorious reports of others, as well as a total lack of faith in the authorities - that overlapped each other and gave rise to the incredible apathy of the Russian people.
Conclusion 1. Those who rant about the “damned soviet”, “cruel totalitarian past” are certainly our enemies. We didn't win totalitarian regime", not the CPSU, not the "utopian ideology" - they defeated us all...This should also include those who declare in print about the “laziness of the Russian people”, “endemic alcoholism of Russians”, “the need for innovation”, “low energy efficiency and labor productivity of most of our enterprises”, “the evil of domestic corruption”, “century-old economic backwardness”, “paternalistic sentiments in society”, “the need to improve the quality of life” (I think you can guess whose “fundamental article” we're talking about). These people are not with us, but with our enemies. Ours is the one who will start by admitting the truth.
Conclusion 2. It's time to start talking about the matter: did we lose or not? The very slogan “Russia - forward!” is inherently treacherous. Where to go next? Further into the abyss? And with whom forward? Into the arms of enemies? The phrases “it is not commodity exchanges that should decide the fate of Russia, but our own idea of ourselves...”, “the need for modernization,” “the opportunities opening up to us” are demagogic nonsense. We need to start by saying directly: did we win or lose? Everything else is from the evil one.
Conclusion 3. Any development of Russia, a genuine movement forward, our spiritual and moral restoration, improving the climate of society, getting rid of that strange apathy - must begin with a direct statement: yes, we lost. This is the basic, basic truth. It is from her that we should all dance. This is where the decisive disengagement will come from.
Conclusion 4. This is what is important here. We Russians don't like to be upstarts. Everyone looks at the general apathy and thinks: “Do I need it more than everyone else?” As a result, the very fact of misunderstanding the essence of national apathy, its origin, turns out to be a dynamic (that is, restraining) factor. It's one thing when a person really doesn't care. But it’s another matter when he “slows down” because of his misunderstanding, because of the noodles that were hung on his ears.
We, our entire nation, are slowing down precisely because of such noodles. Having said “a” (linking apathy and loss) we can now say “b” - we ourselves are not apathetic. We don't care at all. A logical chain has already begun, from which a new motivation is born, a different idea of our nation, of ourselves.
But the first step - linking apathy with losing - must be taken. And not only made by us, ordinary people. It must be done from above, by the government.
Conclusion 5. What should you do with this knowledge? Spread further. The truth is not difficult, everyone should see the light...
