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¹ 2.
2008
ñîäåðæàíèå íîìåðà
“CROSSING” ON
THE XVI INTERNATIONAL CHRISTMAS READINGS
The
religious community “Crossing” took an active part in “Christmas Readings”
(the 27th of January – the 2nd of February, 2008)
organized annually by the Russian Orthodox Church. To commemorate this, “The
Sixth Sense” is publishing two speeches: one made by the head of the
autonomous non-profit organization “Crossing” and the assistant to governor
of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Alexander Notin; another – by the community’s
prominent activist and Orthodox writer, Vasily Irzabekov.
WHAT KIND OF
FAITH DO WE NEED?
Taking into consideration “Crossing”’s
experience in this respect, I would like to direct general attention to the
problem of forming and influencing the mass consciousness of young people by
Orthodox religion. Why? The point is that studies of mass consciousness
evolution in contemporary Russia are quite often accompanied by a dangerous
confusion regarding conceptions of “culture” and “faith” (unfortunately,
this tendency is also present in some of the speeches that have already been
made here, during the Christmas Readings). Faith inconspicuously takes a
back-seat, almost evaporating completely from our lives, while external
manifestations of our reflections, worries and forecasts concerning the
endlessly varied problems of youth culture as well as its’ various
attributes take central stage: drugs, slang, aggression, nihilism, eclectics
and challenging everything humanly possible. A “degrease of interest” in
traditional religion on the part of young people is, of course, not
forgotten but is considered just a detail of the general picture. Religion
is slowly but consistently becoming a simple element of culture, something
traditional, antique, somehow dear and moving but completely foreign to
everyday life.
 Nevertheless,
this is no laughing matter. Or a private one, for that matter. No,
“decisive” would be closer to the truth. Culture is an external, prominent
and easily accessible to the keen mind of an observer manifestation of
spirituality of a man, a group, a small community or even the whole
humanity. Only then can religion be remotely considered a cultural
phenomenon, not vice versa. There is painfully little room for religion in
the large body of contemporary culture, more so in the époque of
postmodernism. No, bring on counterculture, disbelief, atheism and other
cultural surrogates! It would be a grave mistake to consider for a fact that
the young generation’s nihilism and aggression convey their warlike
disposition towards religion or faith. Not at all! We are faced by an
intuitive defensive reaction towards an acidic environment where a more or
less healthy young soul is forced to survive. That’s right: an aggression,
albeit unconscious, towards contemporary culture! That’s why we can be
safely compared to a homeless person who is searching for something edible
in a nearby dump when we are experimenting with mass culture, searching for
something that could help us understand the reasons for its’ degradation.
There is literally nothing edible to be found on that dump, save for some
leftovers! Thus, the root of all evil does not lie in culture itself; the
latter remains just a consequence of the main problem which is to be found
in a different place: in the depressed and oppressed state the collective
spirit of the nation finds itself, so to speak. This is where the sickness
originates from, striking all external forms of life, including culture.
Because they are much more
sensitive (than adults) to the absence of a much needed cultural base and,
consequently, a sure future, young people are suffering, languishing,
scared, losing themselves. We have grown used to dutifully acknowledging
such “facts” of contemporary life as the great social depression which is
clear in the unwillingness of many to work, vote or bear children; the
universal deadlock of science obvious in the absence of breakthroughs and
achievements appropriate to the challenges of time; the imminent ecological
catastrophe; a global energetic collapse; unending and uncontrollable war
and political problems and much, much more. Let us pray to God that there
won’t be another universal flood.
Young people are the ones who
will be living will all this! The desire to live is stronger than death.
Their generation is instinctively understanding that the genie has already
“escaped from the bottle” and that the global model of development has
almost completely been drained of its’ reserves of stability and vitality.
Why is the situation, then, becoming more and more sinister and dangerous,
contrary to the assurances of politicians? But, most of the time, they are
left without an answer. Something is preventing them from understanding the
situation. What is it?
Seminaries of “Crossing” with a quite politically aware, rational and
vanguard young audience in Nizhny Novgorod – “Nashii”, “Young Guards” – have
clearly shown: there is a huge but unfulfilled demand for healthy thoughts
in these circles. It’s our (the Orthodox community’s), not theirs, fault
that the required knowledge and skills are not given in full to young
people. Young men and women today, independent and pert on first sight, are
in reality chronically depressed. Their inner pain and uncertainty are
reaching such record-breaking numbers that a need for answers to existential
questions outweighs even an inertial prejudice against religion and, in many
cases, organized church. We openly declared that the presented methods of
self-knowledge and strengthening were Orthodox in nature, and it should be
noted that none of the kids protested or left the lessons.
The whole system of upbringing and education is centered on creating a
one-sided, lonely and dependent person, in short, an atheist (as if
Konstantin Ushinsky and the Great Russian educational system have never
existed). But even the reserves of such a shallow ideology are almost
completely exhausted which is especially clear in the context of surviving
today’s world. A normal person knows well that the whole world is being
turned upside down and that he/she him/herself is destined for bestiality
and oblivion with the end of the world, if he/she doesn’t make a final stand
to change the existing situation and his/her role in it. This effort brings
the searcher of truth closer to the second and most important realm of
humanity’s nature: its’ soul.
 Russian
youth is a carrier of many striking traits of national character. This is
especially obvious in the natural shyness of Russians in the face of God who
is always close to their hearts; and in the subtle, sensitive need to
understand God. These traits have nothing to do with our notorious
alcoholism and laziness which are simple consequences of Russian secession
from faith, an instinctive protest against everything that makes a Russian
truly Russian, against sinful and atheist reality (Silouan the Athonite).
Everything seems perfect: our
audience is well-prepared for the perception of Orthodox ideas. And yet,
obvious reasons are nowadays preventing the urgent spiritual transformation,
renewal of Russian people in every way possible. Let us consider the
following question: why is the political power, while triumphing in all
other spheres of Russian society – politics, economics, finances, culture
itself – is showing remarkably poor results and even passiveness when it
comes to creating the spiritual aspect of the nation’s character? Only
spirituality is left completely to its’ own devices and to the despotism of
market economics. National broadcasting and communications are freely
polluted by filth. Not only the omnivorous Internet but also the “proper”
federal channels, obviously a part of the power vertical, are filled with
vulgarity and profanity. The atheist soviet regime was, at the very least,
proclaiming God’s commandments as the fundament of its’ new society, while
nowadays every dark corner, every alluring light of ads and every newspaper
announcement contain temptation and a death-warrant for an innocent soul.
There is no other example in the world’s history when the advent of evil
would reach such scale or cunning. This is not only proof of just how
important are “the last days of Russia” and the Orthodox Church as the final
point of resistance to the forces of evil. Consequently, it’s also proof of
the huge potential that such resistance has.
Considering what was said
before, we cannot rely exclusively on the rationality of authorities which,
of course, will one day realize that a defeat in the spiritual battle is
fraught by a loss of “passionarity” and the downfall of our country, our
nation, our ethnic group and that it is more frightening than any external
aggression. Russia is surrounded by ambitious and greedy neighboring states
(not only the USA) which are simply waiting for the moment when our country,
morally impaired, torn apart by corruption and internal conflicts, losing
its’ population and shorn of its’ faith, would fall to its’ feet. What is
the solution, if it exists?
 There
is a way to escape this fate and it lies in ourselves. We shouldn’t look
forward to a spiritual and moral Renaissance of Russian society in the next
five or ten years. Even if the people at power would awake from their
slumber and rethink their strategy (and there are signs of this), curing the
various deep wounds the spiritual character of the nation has sustained
notwithstanding, a cleanup of broadcasts from various television magicians
and spiritual charlatans would take years. In these circumstances the main
aim of the Orthodox community is to educate the young people on how to
develop their own spirituality. We are only left with the options of
appealing to self-preservation and to the talent of understanding God which
are a part of any young soul. Our work must not be limited by the
marginalized classes, such as the bodily and mentally handicapped or the
destitute where the Church and its’ allies are already well-represented, we
must also work with school kids and students, politically active young
people, in every youth sphere uncorrupted by the dubious values of western
life. Let me repeat myself: young people in Russia are thirsty for knowledge
on Orthodox spirituality which is their only means of escaping fear and pain
in favor of the path of light, insight, salvation and love. They
unconsciously require a revival of the Orthodox mission which could do away
with neobarbarism and neopaganism. Spiritual destitution, ignorance, lack of
knowledge about the heritage of the saints is a misfortune, but not the
fault, of the young generation. They require our efforts, our prayers and
our creativity to find the right forms of communication (a very rational
desire, to be honest). We should talk with the young generation using their
own language; support it with “warm spiritual milk” which Apostle Paul
mentioned on many occasions. We must prove to them that true faith based on
humbleness and love does not contradict contemporary science or life.
Ushinsky said that “the best faith is the one that is congenial to
human nature making possible unending and unselfish activity; that gives
indulgence; that tolerates science and freedom of thought; that does not
acknowledge any power over its’ conscience and that defends all; that, at
the same time, does not impose or condone despotism; preserves historical
tales; accepts freedom of will, not fatalism; in short, our sacred faith”.
Only by uniting the newest
achievements of civilization (corrected by love for one’s own people and for
nature) and by experiencing a profound and personal feeling of God which is
only open to an innocent and true soul, will we be able to gain new
resources, alternatives and revelations which, perhaps, will save a dying
world.
ALEXANDER NOTIN
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