Modern man. Man in the modern world


Currently, a person is faced with a huge number of problems and questions. How a person behaves when solving them is explained by psychology. Each inhabitant of the planet is individual, and therefore it is simply unrealistic to provide for all possible options. This suggests that today it is very difficult to be in modern society without basic psychological knowledge. After all, each of us is in direct contact with others, whose behavior and mood are extremely unstable.

The role of psychology is extremely important in times of new technologies and progress. Modern psychology helps a person solve vital problems. Today, for many people, psychology has become a vital need. It helps a person to realize himself, develop as an individual, and help other people. A good modern psychologist, with the help of psychological training, analysis, and various methods, does not allow a person to stand still.

People who still have doubts about the important role psychology plays in their lives should think about what would happen if social psychology were absent, if the technique of business dialogue did not exist. If this were so, then a person would not understand the meaning of the words “society”, “public”, and many others. Therefore, modern psychology provides vitally necessary knowledge.

Thanks to such knowledge, any person can easily adapt to new conditions, which were previously an incomprehensible mystery to him. He will be able to adapt to them correctly and his psyche will not suffer. It is difficult today to overestimate the role of this knowledge in the life of a modern person. Therefore, the life of modern society today is impossible without psychology. It is important that everyone understands this in time and takes appropriate measures.

There is no other science in the world today that could study a person like psychology. The most important thing in the life of any person is success, joy, happiness, peace of mind. This all develops only psychologically. A person who does not know this will not begin to study himself. After all, modern psychology is not only the study of others, but also of oneself. Once you study yourself, you can easily study those around you.

The benefit of psychology today is that most people in modern times need help, and, oddly enough, precisely psychological help. After all, only it helps a person create a happy, successful, material world by changing habits and ways of thinking. Feel free to study psychology and seek help from professionals.

This clip of a GREAT MAN, Nick Vujicic, will allow you to look at the WORLD differently!

Let us note that today many scientists from this field believe that modern man has contradictory traits: on the one hand, he is the creator of the great achievements of our time, and on the other, he is an ordinary consumer who does not think about the need for self-development.

Of course, in every culture there are outstanding individuals who contribute to the development of progress, and also inactive people, but if we imagine modern man as a collective image, the picture certainly looks contradictory.

Modern man: the cult of success and morality

Today, representatives of different cultures have in common the desire to achieve success. It is interesting that people used to consider success the manifestation of heroism (period 50-200 years ago), the creation of strong family ties and the birth of healthy offspring, i.e. social realization without taking into account material benefits.

Now the measure of success (in most cases) is money, and the pursuit of it is sometimes aimed at the destruction of the environment, and sometimes even self-destruction.

We can say that spirituality, in the understanding of modern man, merges into a concept with one meaning, material, while previously people endowed them with great differences.

Nevertheless, society still attaches great importance to such concepts as mercy, kindness, and empathy: this is indicated by various organizations created to provide material support to the poor.

Therefore, we can say that modern man is polar: one can find examples of both altruistic and selfish behavior.

and technology

Another distinctive feature of modern times is the accelerated pace of introduction of new technologies and devices. And this is what distinguishes the life of a modern young man; it is inextricably linked with technology.

Electronic devices have become of great importance for many modern people; they are becoming not only part of everyday life, but even forming one. One can only imagine a day without a computer and the Internet. Some people cannot organize their work without them, while others simply cannot find them, and yet turn to other technical devices: telephone, radio, TV. 200 years ago people existed without these devices, but now life without them would be very difficult.

Therefore, we can say that the life of modern people is very closely connected with technology, its quality largely depends on technical capabilities.

Modern man and the problem of freedom

Previously, the issue of freedom was not as pressing as it is now. A person has learned to defend his rights, appreciate expanded opportunities and respect the freedom of others. This is a positive feature of modernity: almost everyone is given the greatest possible freedom of development, which allows them to express their talents. This contributes to the development of progress and testifies to the humanity of the worldview. Equal rights are important and beneficial to society. And the fact that they have now been implemented is a positive feature of our time.

What should a modern person be like?

The historian and sociologist Boris Porshnev coined a concept called “neoanthrope,” by which he understood the type of person of the future, but he pointed out that its representatives can also be found today. This person has the following traits:

  • free, not subject to the suggestion of others (developed self-awareness);
  • abstract thinking, developed will and ability to suggest are used only for creative purposes;
  • the desire for a life balance in society (absence of revolutions);
  • kindness.

According to the scientist, such people will be able to lead society to prosperity and reduce the number of conflicts that have a destructive effect on all areas of life.

In the modern world there is no greater power than money. Money starts wars and ensures the well-being of entire countries and regions. The vast majority of crimes are committed because of money or with the use of money. And at the same time, thanks to money, people create the greatest inventions, perform feats, discover new lands and conquer new worlds.

Money organizes modern society and the state. The lives of modern people, states and the entire world community are subordinated to money.

Money is an outstanding achievement of humanity. They created modern civilization. Without money, a person would still dress in animal skins, and would use animals or their own kind turned into slaves as labor.

Could a person go into space, create artificial intelligence and other wonders of modern civilization if there was no money?

Two of man's greatest inventions created modern civilization. The first is writing, which separated man from the animal world and created the possibility of accumulating experience and knowledge and transmitting it to descendants and other people without direct human contact. The second is money. Money has created the ability to control the activities of man and society in terms of ensuring their benefits without direct influence of people on each other.

The role of money in history has constantly increased, and now our civilization has reached a state where its importance has become completely decisive. A hundred, even fifty years ago there were large human communities that did not know money or used it in their daily lives in an extremely limited way. The end of the 20th century is the era of complete and total “moneyization” of the entire human community. In the modern world, a person cannot live without money just like without water, air and food. In today's society, a person who does not have money is literally doomed to death, and in the shortest possible time. He can walk around the city, where the shops are full of food, and die of hunger if he has no money.

Or another example. Let's imagine a large plant equipped with modern equipment, where qualified workers and other specialists, raw materials, and consumers expect the products of this enterprise. And yet the enterprise stands still and does not work. And the only reason is that there are no numbers in some mysterious bank computer - there is no money in the company’s account.

Even a desert, “watered” with money, will bloom and turn into the Garden of Eden. And the most beautiful place to live, devoid of money, will become a vale of sorrow and suffering.

What life becomes like for people in the modern world without money can be clearly seen in the example of Kampuchea during the time of Pol Pot. Three million dead - this is the price of the experiment to eliminate money.

Society can be controlled either by force or by money.

We know well from our own experience how the mechanism of social and economic life is destroyed when the monetary system is disrupted. The consequence of this was a general crisis of the country, which affected the state, economic, social, legal and other spheres of life.

Money for us is a way to express our aspirations, fulfill obligations, achieve revenge and retribution. The secret power of money binds us all - brothers and sisters, young and old - with bonds of love and envy, pity and malice.

Money leaves no one indifferent. Some people are convinced that if they had more money, their life would be much better and they could find happiness. Others who have a lot of money seem to be constantly concerned about how to get even more of it, how to spend it and not lose it. Money leaves no one indifferent, and you can hardly find a person who would be satisfied with how much money he has and how he uses it.

The poor have very different concerns than the rich, but family conflicts caused by money are often very similar across socioeconomic strata. For most of us, money is so woven into our lives that problems associated with it affect our health, our intimate relationships, and our relationships with our children and parents. This is a problem that is always with us.

Money is not just cash that allows us to buy different things. Having money, you can buy education, health, safety. You can buy time to enjoy beauty, art, the company of friends, adventure. With money, we help those we love and provide greater opportunities for our children. Having money, you can buy goods and services or save this opportunity for the future or for your descendants. Money is an instrument of justice with which we compensate for the harm done to others. Fair distribution of money in the family and in society ensures equal opportunities for everyone. Money can serve as a symbol of all the good things in life: material wealth, education, health, beauty, entertainment, love and justice.

Although we know how many good things in life come from money, each of us is very familiar with the problems that it creates. Money worries can cause a lot of grief. Wealth often seems to bear the mark of a curse and brings more misfortunes than joys. Many of us give ourselves over to the bitterest despair because we earn too little, or are afraid that lack of money will make us or our children ill. Money is not only a symbol of everything good in life, but also the root of all our problems.

Everyone understands that money is often the cause of happiness or sorrow, but in almost all sectors of society there is a general taboo against any conversation about our personal relationship with money. It is considered bad manners to talk about what it costs, who earns how much, and who has how much money. Therefore, money is very rarely a topic of open discussion between parents and children, husband and wife, brothers and sisters, friends, or even between a therapist and his patient.

Money is a type of energy, the driving force of our civilization. A similar situation arose in the course of human development only recently; It wasn't always like this. In the past, the source of energy that fueled interactions between people was land or livestock, or slaves, or natural resources (water, salt, iron), or weapons. And although people have always used one thing as the main source of energy - one thing or one natural resource - none of these things or resources could turn into that colossal mechanism, which in our time is money - the only thing that permeates all aspects of human life and constitutes the main element of modern culture. Today money is the energy that moves the world.

Money is something dirty. The first person to realize that money has hidden meanings was Freud. However, he only saw their negative side. For him, money symbolized excrement and was associated with something disgusting and despicable. Perhaps this is why it is not customary to talk about money in most strata of society.

Freud rebelled against the hypocrisy of the mainstream religion of the Victorian era with its condemnation of what were considered the "base" parts of human nature: the body, sexuality and material desires. He broke the taboo that prohibited viewing sex as an important part of human life. However, Freud did not do the same with money - perhaps because he believed that the desire for money is not an original, infantile impulse, or perhaps because in Freud's time money had not yet become the universal source of energy that it is today, - the only symbol that personifies any desires.

The taboo that prevents money from taking its place in our understanding of human nature still remains in force. Even therapists who don't hesitate to touch on all sorts of issues related to sex and power rarely touch on anything to do with money. They expressed almost no wise thoughts on how to approach the important role of money in personal development. Most people never think to consult a therapist when they are overwhelmed by financial conflicts. However, perhaps more marriages fail due to disagreements over money than for any other reason. Money resentment is probably the most important of all the problems that create alienation between parent and child, brother and sister.

For today's world, money means the same thing that in the Middle Ages it meant the salvation of the soul. The most important wars of the 20th century were fought not over religion, but over money. The question remains: whether there is a place for spirituality in our modern understanding of people. And if so, how does spirituality relate to money?

In the past, organized religion regulated the relationship between our spiritual commitments and material desires. As spirituality ceased to be an important element of our self, our sense of self became increasingly determined by material desires, greed and addictions. The balance was upset, and material motivations got out of control.

Today money is the main reflection of the material world, that “low” world, the roots of which go to the physical needs of our body, to lusts and fears. Spirituality is a reflection of our best qualities, the ability to feel sorry for others, the “higher” world of searching for the meaning of life, the desire for unity and community.

Money can also be one of the elements that makes manifestations of spirituality possible. They allow us to have compassion, to give back, to “love our neighbor.” However, the pursuit of money for selfish purposes is contrary to spiritual values. Where is the line between self-love and love for others? The answer to this question means the resolution of the dilemma of our dual nature.

In today's society, money - the energy that moves the world - acts as a bargaining chip that serves to satisfy all desires. The desire for money is reflected in the desire to own a Porsche (a Porsche, not just a car to drive); the need to own a country house (namely a country house, and not just a roof over your head); the need to enjoy cakes and sweets (and not just satisfy hunger). The thirst for money is an artificial need that personifies all other artificial needs - to be slim and beautiful, and not just healthy and strong; be influential and admired, not just have a good job; the need to communicate deeply, not just have a good time.

All these are artificial needs, and the symbolic thirst for money personifies the irresistible desire to satisfy them. To acquire all these things, we offer in exchange our bodies, our time, our love and our peace of mind.

In the lives of many people, money turns out to be the main bargaining chip of love. When we love someone, we try to get something from him and at the same time give something to him. This duality of purpose is what gives the problems of love such complexity. Money also influences our character, making us either selfish or altruistic. But if it is possible to love and at the same time be loved, then when it comes to money, we often have to choose between selfishness and altruism.

For each of us, money constitutes a special inner world, a hidden life that may not appear outwardly. There may be a secret miser or philanthropist inside each of us. We are tormented by painful feelings of guilt or unfulfilled desires. Happiness and sorrow are part of the secret meaning of money. Everyone approaches money differently, and for many of us, this attitude determines the nature of all our other relationships. We have seen that the secret meaning of money can be refracted in various dimensions and has a wide range of manifestations, even to the most extreme. For example, money can be used to express hostility or love, to help people or to exploit them. The nature of our relationships with others depends on what exactly we want to express through money.

What is now being talked about at all meetings of parliament and government, at meetings with the president, in tens of thousands of newspaper articles, in numerous television programs... about the lack of money.

But if you think about it, this cannot but cause surprise. Ten years ago, the country’s budget was characterized by amounts of tens of billions of rubles, and at the same time there was constant talk about the lack of money. Now the budget bill runs into hundreds of trillions. And again we hear about a catastrophic lack of money. And if the budget is millions of trillions. Interestingly, then they will say that there is enough money. Until recently, we received salaries of one hundred or two hundred rubles and were happy. Now even a pensioner receives thousands of rubles and complains about the lack of money. And if he receives a hundred million, are we sure that he will become richer?

Thus, the point is not at all in the amount of money, but in something completely different. The point is, first of all, in the system of functioning of money. But the amount of money in itself is a secondary issue.

This is why it is important to know and understand how money functions in modern society.

Unfortunately, this knowledge is often hidden from society. People who control society through money are not at all eager to share their knowledge in this area with the public. On the contrary, in this area myths are deliberately created and misinformation is prepared, public attention is diverted to all sorts of secondary issues from truly important points.

money credit non-cash check

The meaning of life is a person’s desire for something that goes beyond his life, i.e. does not give immediate returns and often does not correspond to the concept of “selfish interest”. Usually the meaning of life is either associated with an assessment of a person’s entire life, or with what will happen after his death. At the same time, the goal that a person strives for should be perceived by him as something extremely valuable, which fills his life with meaning.

Many people claim that “there is no meaning to life.” This means that there is no single meaning of life given from above for everyone. However, it is certain that almost every person has goals that go beyond his own “benefit” and even beyond his own life. For example, we wish happiness and prosperity to our children, and we make great efforts to develop them by limiting our own needs. Moreover, all these efforts will bring the main result not to us at all and, in many ways, even after our death.

Speaking about the fact that everyone has their own meaning of life, nevertheless, it should be borne in mind that there are certain objective restrictions on the choice of the meaning of life. These restrictions are associated with the natural selection of both the “bearers of the meaning of life” themselves (specific people) and societies where one or another meaning of life prevails. For example, if the meaning of a person’s life is suicide, then very quickly there will be no carriers of such meaning in life. Similarly, if the meanings of life of the majority of members of a society are “suicidal” for the society, then such a society will cease to exist. In particular, if the meaning of people's lives is aimed exclusively at solving short-term problems, for example, maximizing pleasure, then such a society cannot exist for long.

As the famous philosopher Pitirim Sorokin showed, society then achieves its goals when the meaning of life of the majority of members of society corresponds to these goals. A society where people are overly involved in purely selfish interests becomes vulnerable, responds poorly to external threats and tends to self-disintegrate. On the other hand, if the meaning of life is rigidly imposed, then people cannot change their mentality flexibly in response to changing circumstances. It can also lead to the death of a society or a lag in development from other societies.

Therefore, the meaning of life for members of viable societies is, as a rule, aimed at achieving constructive goals. For example, in traditional societies the meaning of life was determined by religion: although the reality of the goal (a place in heaven) seems doubtful, adherence to religious principles made it possible to obtain constructive social results. After all, religious attitudes reflected the realities of traditional society, and in natural selection it was precisely those religions that survived that best supported the viability of traditional society.

However, traditional society is becoming a thing of the past and traditional meanings of life no longer correspond to reality. As a result, a psychological crisis arises, “loss of the meaning of life,” which is perceived by some as a kind of catastrophe and spiritual decline of society. In reality, such phenomena always accompany the transition of society from one state to another. But Modern society offers a new meaning to life that can move society forward and enrich each of its members.

The meaning of life for modern man

Modern society, of course, does not impose the meaning of life on its members and this is the individual choice of each person. At the same time, Modern society offers an attractive goal that can fill a person’s life with meaning and give him strength.

The meaning of life for a Modern person is self-improvement, raising worthy children who should surpass their parents, and the development of this world as a whole. The goal is to transform a person from a “cog”, an object of application of external forces, into a creator, demiurge, builder of the world.

Any person integrated into Modern society is a creator of the future, a participant in the development of our world, and in the long term, a participant in the creation of a new Universe (after all, in just a few hundred years we have transformed planet Earth, which means we will transform the Universe in millions of years). And it doesn’t matter where and with whom we work - moving the economy forward in a private company or teaching children at school - our work and contribution are needed for development.

The awareness of this fills life with meaning and makes you do your job well and conscientiously - for the benefit of yourself, other people and society. This allows you to realize your own significance and the common goal that Modern people set for themselves, and to feel involved in the highest achievements of humanity. And just feeling like a bearer of a progressive Future is already important.

Thanks to us - Modern people - the world is developing. And without development, disaster would await him (see section “Development”). Modern people (i.e., tolerant, inventive, energetic, professional) have always been around. It was we who figured out how to make fire, it was we who understood how to grow the necessary plants, it was we who invented the caravels on which Columbus sailed, it was we who invented steam and gasoline engines, we made the first computer, thanks to us Gagarin flew into space and man entered the Moon. Maybe it's too pretentious, but it's true :). The difference between the current era and previous ones is only that for the first time in history we - Modern people - are becoming the majority.

Conversely, people who live in the past rather than the future feel that their lives are losing meaning; that the past they pray for is ending. Hence the outbursts of despair - religious fanaticism, terrorism, etc. The age of traditional societies is over. However, it should be remembered that fanatics want to destroy our purpose in life, aimed at development and prosperity, and we must effectively resist this.

The meaning of life for a modern person also gives him a very practical return. By improving ourselves, raising our qualifications, energetically mastering new things and taking an active life position, we become valuable, highly paid specialists (or prosperous entrepreneurs). As a result, our life becomes comfortable and rich, we can consume more and satisfy our needs. In addition, based on our meaning in life, we strive to make our children smart, give them an education - and as a result, our children become worthy people, which also brings us satisfaction.

Thus, Modern man realizes his meaning in life not at his own expense, not at the expense of any personal sacrifices, but, on the contrary, for the benefit of himself, his family, including for the benefit of his material security. After all, Modern society is a society where self-development leads to wealth. The only sacrifice a person has to make is to study hard and be energetic.

In the process of many years of research into the influence of sport on society, the fact was revealed that playing sports has a huge impact on the physical and spiritual state of the individual. The influence of sport on people's relationships, the level of communication skills, the ability to self-determinate and realize one's potential has been established. Sport is a tool for shaping the culture of humanity.

The place of sport among human values ​​is noticeably increasing, because Sports activities are a universal tool for self-development, creative self-expression and self-realization. Sport is a reflection of the socio-cultural system in which its development occurs. Significant changes have occurred in Russian society in recent decades, which has affected the transformation of value orientations and attitudes towards physical culture and sports.

During the Soviet period, society was characterized by collectivism, responsibility to the group and individuals. It has been replaced by post-industrialism, based on a market economy. People's actions began to be based primarily on personal interests; the resulting individualistic orientation was reinforced by the right to privacy in their lifestyle. Personal responsibility for one’s actions, for one’s destiny and path in life increases.

During the reforms of recent decades, the Soviet system of physical culture was destroyed, the mass physical culture and sports movement practically lost significant state support. Sports and physical development have become a private matter due to the commercialization of a significant share of physical education and health services. This led to a noticeable decrease in the number of people involved in sports, to a decrease in the importance of sports in the general value system of Russians and, as a consequence, to a deterioration in the social standard of living.

Market relations that dominate society, as well as the release of the state from social obligations, affect the value system of individual segments of the population. Representatives of the upper classes of society are more oriented toward the values ​​of sports and a healthy lifestyle, for whom sports activities become part of fashion and prestigious consumption. Representatives of low social groups, on the contrary, consider sports unnecessary and meaningless.

In the process of many years of research into the influence of sport on society, the fact was revealed that playing sports has a huge impact on the physical and spiritual state of the individual. The influence of sport on people's relationships, the level of communication skills, the ability to self-determinate and realize one's potential has been established. Sport is a tool for shaping the culture of humanity

The phenomenon of sports is a multifaceted phenomenon of our time. According to the structure, it is permissible to classify sports in two areas - elite sports and mass sports. The first is elite sport, which involves fighting for first place in sports competitions. The second, opposite, is mass sport, which performs the function of improving people’s health through self-expression and self-realization of the individual, satisfying the need for physical development and leisure. Mass sport is a universal tool for eliminating asocial phenomena.

Sport is one of the components of the physical culture of society, which developed historically in the form of activities that prepare a person for competitions and the competitions themselves. It is the competitive element that distinguishes sport from physical education. Training in both sports and physical education includes similar actions and exercises, but the athlete’s goal is to evaluate, through competitive activity, his physical capabilities in individual disciplines and compare his results with the successes of others. While an athlete is interested in developing physical qualities for health improvement and personal improvement.

Mass sports make it possible to improve physical qualities and expand opportunities, improve health and prolong longevity, resist the unwanted effects on the body of modern production and everyday living conditions, while involving a large number of members of society.

The purpose of playing various sports is to improve health, improve physical development, preparedness and active recreation. This is associated with solving a number of particular problems: increasing the functionality of individual body systems, adjusting physical development and physique, increasing overall performance, mastering the necessary skills and abilities, spending useful leisure time, achieving physical perfection.

The tasks of mass sports are in many ways identical to the tasks of physical education, but they differ in the component of implementing the sports orientation of the training process.

Schoolchildren, and in some sports even preschoolers, are introduced to the elements of mass sports in Russia. It is mass sports that are most widespread among student groups. As practice shows, in the country's non-physical education universities in the field of mass sports, from 10 to 25% of students conduct regular training outside of class hours. A modern program in the academic discipline “Physical Culture” for students of higher educational institutions allows almost every healthy student of any orientation to join one or another type of mass sports. The type of sport, training system, as well as the time of their implementation is chosen by the student himself, based on his desires, needs and capabilities.

Mass sports include all those types of physical culture and sports activities of various groups and segments of the population that are aimed not at achieving the highest sports results and material benefits, but at development in accordance with their own needs and at solving various social problems. It is worth noting that sports activities complement professional ones and are not the key determining factor in a person’s life.

Sport involves more than just physical development. Sport is of great importance in the formation of numerous mental qualities and properties of a person, acting as a kind of “school of will”, “school of emotions”, “school of character”. This is due to the high demands placed on sports competitions and all sports activities for the manifestation of volitional qualities and self-regulation.

The problem of the human value of sport and its role in the modern world has been and remains controversial in the research of scientists. The concept of “humanization of sport” is closely related to the concept of humanism, in which everything that contributes to the full development of a person, strengthening his health, and meeting his needs is recognized as humane. However, the most highly organized and perfect activity will be considered inhumane if it is directed against health, happiness, self-realization and the very existence of a person.

Modern researchers have a positive assessment of sport from the point of view of humanistic values ​​and ideals. Scientists note the important role of sport as a tool for preserving and strengthening people’s health, as well as their physical and personal development. sport is an important element in the value system of modern culture.

However, there are supporters of a negative assessment of sport from the standpoint of humanism, who argue that modern sport harms cooperation and creates a vicious division of people into winners and losers; develops negative personality traits, such as selfishness, aggressiveness, envy, gives rise to the desire to win at any cost, even at the expense of health, and violation of moral standards.

The existence of opposing assessments of the humanistic values ​​of sport is due to the fact that a certain abstract, unchanging essence is assigned to sport, while researchers rely on individual, isolated facts, and do not take into account the distinctive points between the two main directions in modern sport: elite sport and mass sports, which obviously have different value and humanistic potential.

The importance of sport today is high; it occupies one of the highest positions among types of human activity. However, elite sports have not gone far ahead of the development of physical culture and mass sports; their sociocultural significance is not lower.

Professionalization of sports is impossible without the development of physical culture and mass sports. With some convention, we can consider sport as a symbol, a concentrated expression of the principles and problems of our time, as an area in which the principles of equality of opportunity, achievement of high results and competition characteristic of a given society are manifested and applied especially clearly and purposefully.

It should be noted that modern civilization is focused on material values. Competition is growing, commercialization of all spheres of public activity is increasing. At the same time, with the help of industrial civilization, the essence of human passion, which is also sport, is realized not only in its entirety, but also in all its humanity. The spirit of competition models the situation of human self-determination, which is carried out in the “I - Other” or “I - Others” system. Self-determination is possible if “I” compares my indicators with the indicators of the “Other”.

This comparison is a necessary attribute of sports activity, assessed from the outside. But there are difficulties here too. A person’s attitude towards their capabilities (in particular, the ability to show their activity beyond the norm) is not similar to the indifference shown with might and main in relation to incidents that could happen to them. “Man,” writes E. Levinas, “is henceforth thrown into an environment of opportunities in relation to which he is henceforth engaged, with which he is henceforth involved, from now on he either took advantage of them or missed them. They are not added to his existence from the outside, as accidents.”

Opportunities do not appear before a person in the form of ready-made images that he can evaluate from different angles. Opportunities, rather, are the main ways of human existence, since for a person to exist precisely means to take advantage of one’s own opportunities or to miss them. The possibility of activity beyond the norm is dangerous; it must be regulated and supported by some positive result. Nevertheless, excess activity is beneficial for the survival of the human race as a whole, despite the danger for an individual person. A person develops by opening up, taking advantage of his capabilities. The capabilities inherent in the individual gradually “exhaust” themselves in the process of his activity; and if the individual does not possess the fundamental potential of returning to himself, this original position taken in relation to his own existence, then the very basic being of human existence is called into question.

In Russia, the trend of mass sports began its development in the 30s of the 20th century. Revolution, civil wars, states negatively disposed towards the country - all these factors set the leadership the task of increasing the level of physical fitness of citizens in the event of an outbreak of popular discontent or foreign attacks. Shooting ranges, shooting ranges, flying clubs, military sports clubs were created throughout the country, in which young people mastered various specialties that were in demand during wartime - telegraph operator, pilot, nurse, orderly and many others. The main organizer of the new movement was the Komsomol, on whose initiative the first All-Union physical education complex “Ready for Labor and Defense” was opened. The purpose of the organization was to introduce a unified set of principles and standards for sports education and physical training. Compulsory classes were introduced in the country, and all conditions were organized for the possibility of independent sports as a leisure activity. There was active promotion of a healthy lifestyle, physical education and sports. For decades, Soviet citizens actively participated in the sporting life of the country, girls and boys were proud of the badges received for high results in passing the GTO standards.

The complex had such an attractive force that millions of young people in the Soviet Union went into sports with the highest enthusiasm and achieved such results that they were the best athletes in the world in various fields. The GTO system was a powerful incentive. Preparation for meeting the standards developed all muscle groups, increased the level of endurance and health. Thanks to this system, our country raised the world's best cosmonauts, which naturally had a positive impact on the international position of the USSR.

In 2013, on the eve of the Olympics in Russia, the country's leadership put forward a proposal to revive the GTO complex. As a result of painstaking preparation, in March 2014, a decree “On the All-Russian Physical Culture and Sports Complex “Ready for Labor and Defense” (GTO)” was issued, decreeing the commissioning of the complex from September 1, 2014.

The organizers of the modern GTO project call the revival of the “Ready for Labor and Defense” complex in schools and universities fundamentally important for the formation in the younger generation of such qualities as determination and confidence in themselves and their capabilities.

Thus, the return of the GTO to Russia is undoubtedly in demand by new times and existing social factors. The majority of Russians positively greeted the new, or rather the well-forgotten old, movement. The health of the people, unfortunately, which has declined in recent years under the influence of stress and the deterioration of living standards in the post-Soviet period, is priceless, and its foundation is laid, among other things (and perhaps mainly) by such regular national events. The mechanism of the basis of the physical education system, developed over decades, is viable, and one can hope that its implementation will soon initiate progress in the development of Russian sports.