The national character of Russians briefly. National character

Recent Events, such as the overthrow of the government in Ukraine, the annexation of Crimea and its decision to join the Russian Federation, the subsequent military campaign against the civilian population in Eastern Ukraine, Western sanctions against Russia, and in Lately and the attack on the ruble - that's it this caused Russian society certain phase shift, which in the West is very misunderstood, if understood at all. This misunderstanding puts Europe at a serious disadvantage in terms of its ability to negotiate an end to the crisis.

And if before these events they tended to perceive Russia as “another European country,” now they remembered that Russia is another civilization with other civilizational roots (more likely Byzantine than Roman), which once or twice a century became the object of an organized Western attempt to destroy it, because it was attacked by Sweden, Poland, France, Germany or alliances of these countries. This in a special way influenced the Russian character, which, if misunderstood, could lead the whole of Europe and even the whole world to disaster.

If you think that Byzantium had little impact on Russia cultural influence, then you are mistaken: her influence was actually decisive. It began with the advent of Christianity - first through Crimea (the birthplace of Christianity in Russia), and then through the Russian capital Kiev (the same Kiev, which is today the capital of Ukraine) - and allowed Russia to “skip” an entire millennium of cultural development. This influence also determined the opaque and clumsy bureaucracy of the Russian state apparatus, which, along with many other things, irritates the West, which so loves transparency, especially among others. Russians often like to call Moscow the Third Rome, after the real Rome and Constantinople, and this is not entirely unfounded. But this does not mean that Russian civilization is something derivative. Yes, she managed to absorb the entire classical heritage, which was looked at primarily through an “eastern prism,” but the vast northern expanses turned this heritage into something radically different.

This topic is generally very complex, so I will focus on four factors that I consider fundamental to understanding the transformations we are witnessing today.

1. Reaction to attack

Western states were born under conditions of limited resources and unrelenting population pressure, which largely determines how these states react when targeted. For quite a long time, when the central government was weak, conflicts were resolved in a bloody way, and even the most insignificant prick from ex-friend immediately turned him into a rival with whom they fought with swords. The reason was that in these conditions, protecting the territory was the key to survival.

On the contrary, Russia extends over an almost endless territory over which resources are dispersed. In addition, Russia skillfully took advantage of the bounty of the trade route that led from the Varangians to the Greeks, and was so active that Arab geographers were confident in the existence of a strait that connects the Black and Baltic Sea. In these conditions, it was important to avoid conflicts, and people who grabbed weapons at every side glance would have had a hard time living in such an environment.

Therefore, a very different conflict resolution strategy was formed, which has survived to this day. If you offend or harm a Russian in any way, it is unlikely that a fight will break out (although this is exactly what happens during demonstrative confrontations in public or during the expected settling of scores through violence). More often than not, the Russian will simply send you to hell and want nothing to do with you. If the situation is complicated by physical proximity, then the Russian will think about moving - in any direction, but most importantly, away from you. In ordinary conversation, all this is formulated with the one-syllable statement “Pshel,” a form of the verb “to send.” With an almost endless amount of free land on which to settle, this strategy works great. Russians live sedentary lives, but when they need to move, they behave like nomads, among whom the main way to resolve conflicts is voluntary movement.

This reaction to insult is something of a permanent aspect of Russian culture, and therefore the West, which does not understand this, can hardly achieve the results it desires. For people from the West, an offense can be redeemed with an apology, something like “I am sorry!” But for a Russian, to a certain extent, this is nothing, especially in the case when the apology was made by the one who was sent to hell. A verbal apology, which is not accompanied by anything tangible, is one of the rules of good manners, which for Russians is a kind of luxury. Just a few decades ago, the usual apology sounded like “I’m sorry.” Today Russia is much more polite, but the basic cultural patterns are preserved.

And while a purely verbal apology is priceless, tangible restitution is not. “Getting things right” could mean parting with a rare possession, proposing a new and significant commitment, or announcing a fundamental change in direction. The main thing is to do everything, and not only in words, because at a certain stage words can only aggravate the situation, and the call to “go to hell” can be supplemented by the less pleasant phrase “let me show you the way there.”

2. Tactics against invaders

In Russia big story invasions from all sides, but above all from the West, thanks to which Russian culture has come to a certain type of thinking that is difficult to understand from the outside. First of all, we must realize that when the Russians repel invasions (and the fact that the CIA, along with the US State Department, is ruling Ukraine through Ukrainian Nazis is considered an invasion), they are not fighting for territory, at least not directly. They are rather fighting for Russia as a concept. And the concept is that Russia has been attacked many times, but no one has ever conquered it. In the Russian consciousness, conquering Russia means killing almost all Russians, and as they like to say, “You can’t kill us all.” The population can be restored over time (22 million were killed at the end of World War II), but once the concept is lost, Russia will be lost forever. To people in the West, the words of Russians about Russia as “a land of princes, poets and saints” may seem nonsense, but this is precisely the line of thought we are talking about. Russia has no history, it itself is history.

And since the Russians are fighting more for a concept than for a specific piece Russian territory, they are always ready to retreat first. When Napoleon invaded Russia, he saw the land scorched by the retreating Russians. Finally he reached Moscow, but it also died in the flames. He stopped there for a while, but in the end he realized that he could not do more (did he really have to go to Siberia?), so he finally left his retreating, hungry and frozen army, leaving it to the mercy of fate. As he retreated, another aspect of the Russian cultural heritage: every peasant in every village burned during the Russian retreat participated in the Russian resistance, which created many problems for the French army.

The German invasion during World War II also moved very quickly at first: a large territory was occupied, and the Russians continued to retreat, evacuating the population, entire factories and other institutions to Siberia, families moved inland. But then the German march stopped, turned around and eventually turned into a complete defeat. The standard model was repeated when the Russian army broke the will of the invaders, and most of the local residents who found themselves under occupation refused to cooperate and self-organized into partisan detachments and inflicted maximum possible damage on the retreating aggressors.

Another Russian method in the fight against an invader is to rely on the Russian climate, which will do its job. In the countryside, people usually get rid of all unnecessary living creatures in the house by simply stopping heating: in a few days at minus 40, all the cockroaches, fleas, lice, nits, as well as mice and rats will die out. This also works with occupiers. Russia is the northernmost country in the world. And although Canada is further north, most of its population lives along the southern border, and no Big City is not located beyond the Arctic Circle. And in Russia there are two such cities at once. Life in Russia in some respects resembles life in space or on the high seas: you cannot live without mutual assistance. The Russian winter simply will not allow one to survive without cooperation with the local residents, so to destroy the aggressor it is enough to simply refuse cooperation. And if you are sure that the occupier can force cooperation by shooting several locals in order to scare the rest, see point 1.

3. Tactics in relations with foreign powers

Russia owns almost the entire northern part of the Eurasian continent, which is almost a sixth of the land. On the scale of planet Earth, this is enough. This is not some kind of exception or historical accident: throughout their history, Russians have sought to ensure their collective security by developing as much territory as possible. If you're wondering what prompted them to do this, go back to Tactics Against Invaders.

And if you think that foreign powers have repeatedly tried to attack and conquer Russia in order to gain access to vast natural resources, then you are mistaken: access has always been there - all you have to do is ask. Typically, Russians do not refuse to sell their natural resources - even to potential enemies. But the enemies, as a rule, wanted to “suck in” to Russian sources for free. For them, the existence of Russia is a nuisance, which they tried to get rid of through violence.

But they only achieved that after their failure the price for themselves increased. This is a simple principle: foreigners want Russian resources, and to protect them, Russia needs a strong, centralized state with a large and powerful army, so foreigners must pay and thereby support Russian state and the army. As a result, most of the Russian state's finances come from export tariffs, primarily oil and gas exports, rather than from taxation of the Russian population. In the end, Russian population paid dearly fighting constant invaders, so why burden it with even more taxes? This means that the Russian state is a customs state, which uses duties and tariffs to obtain funds from enemies who could destroy it, and also uses these funds for its own defense. Due to the fact that there is no replacement for Russian resources, the principle works: the more hostile the outside world behaves towards Russia, the more more money he will pay for Russia's national defense.

But this policy is used in relations with foreign powers, not with foreign peoples. Over the centuries, Russia “absorbed” a mass of immigrants, say from Germany, during Thirty Years' War, and France, after the revolution there. Later people migrated from Vietnam, Korea, China and Central Asia. Last year, Russia accepted more migrants than any other country except the United States. In addition, Russia accepted almost a million people from war-torn Ukraine without much difficulty. Russians are a people of immigrants to to a greater extent than many others, and Russia is a bigger melting pot than the US.
4. Thank you, but we have our own

Another interesting cultural trait is that Russians always see the need to be the best in everything - from ballet and figure skating, hockey and football to space flights and microchip production. You may think that “Champagne” is a protected French brand, but recently on New Year’s I was convinced that “Soviet Champagne” is still selling out at the speed of light, and not only in Russia, but also in Russian stores in the USA, because, understand, French things may be good, but they don’t taste Russian enough. For almost everything you can think of, there is a Russian version, which the Russians consider the best, and sometimes they directly say that it is their invention (for example, Popov, not Marconi, invented the radio). Of course, there are exceptions (say, tropical fruits) that are acceptable as long as they are from " brotherly people", which, for example, is Cuba. This model has already worked in Soviet times, and it seems that to some extent it has survived to this day.
During the ensuing “stagnation” of the era of Brezhnev, Andropov and Gorbachev, when Russian ingenuity truly declined along with everything else, technologically (but not culturally) Russia lost ground in relation to the West. After the breakup Soviet Union the Russians coveted Western imports, which was completely understandable, since Russia itself at that time produced practically nothing. In the 90s, the time came for Western managers to flood Russia with cheap imports, setting themselves the long-term goal of destroying local industry and Russian production, turn Russia into a simple exporter of raw materials, which will be defenseless against the embargo, and which can easily be forced to lose its sovereignty. It would all end in a military invasion, against which Russia would be defenseless.

This process got quite far before it hit a few snags. First, Russian production and non-hydrocarbon exports have recovered and increased several times over the course of one decade. The growth also affected the export of grain, weapons and high-tech products. Secondly, Russia has found quite a few friendlier and more profitable trading partners in the world, however, this in no way diminishes the importance of its trade with the West, or more precisely with the EU. Thirdly, the Russian defense industry was able to maintain its standards and independence from imports. (The same can hardly be said about defense companies in the West that depend on Russian titanium exports).

And today a “perfect storm” has broken out for Western managers: the ruble has partially depreciated due to low prices for oil, which displaces imports and helps local producers. Sanctions have undermined Russia's faith in the West's reliability as a supplier, and the conflict in Crimea strengthens Russians' self-confidence. The Russian government has taken the opportunity to support companies that can immediately replace Western imports with other products. The Russian Central Bank was entrusted with financing them at a lending rate that makes import substitution even more attractive.

Some compare the current period to the last time the price of oil fell to $10 a barrel, which to a certain extent brought the collapse of the USSR closer. But this analogy is wrong. At that time, the USSR stagnated economically and depended on Western grain supplies, without which it would not have been able to feed the people. The collapse was led by the helpless and controlled Gorbachev - a peacemaker, capitulator and phrase-monger on a global scale, whose wife loved to go shopping in London. Russian people despised him. Today, Russia is once again one of the world's largest grain exporters, led by an exemplary President Putin, who enjoys the support of more than 80% of the population. By comparing the USSR before the collapse with today's Russia, commentators and analysts are only demonstrating their ignorance.

This passage literally writes itself. This is a recipe for disaster, so I’ll write everything down, point by point, as in a recipe.

1. Take the people who respond to attacks by sending you to hell, turning away from you and not wanting anything to do with you - instead of fighting with you. Realize that these are the people whose Natural resources necessary to keep your homes light and warm so you can produce transport planes, military fighter jets, and much more. Remember that a quarter of the light bulbs in the United States come on from Russian nuclear fuel, and cutting off Europe from Russian gas would mean a real disaster.

2. Introduce economic and financial sanctions against Russia. Watch in horror as your exporters lose profits and the Russian response blocks agricultural exports. Remember, this is a country that has suffered a long chain of attacks and traditionally relies on unfriendly countries to fund Russian defenses aimed precisely at those enemies. Or Russia turns to methods such as the already mentioned winter. “No gas for NATO countries” sounds like a great slogan. Hope and pray that Moscow doesn't like him.

3. Organize an attack on their national currency, which will lose part of its value, and do the same with oil prices. Imagine how Russian officials chuckle as they go to the Central Bank when the low ruble exchange rate means filling the state budget despite the low oil price. Watch in horror as your exporters go bankrupt because they can no longer take a place in the Russian market. Remember that Russia has no national debt worth discussing, that it is run with a miniscule budget deficit, and that it has large gold and foreign exchange reserves. Remember your banks, which “lent” hundreds of billions of dollars to Russian companies - those companies to which, by imposing sanctions, you cut off access to your banking system. Hope and pray that Russia doesn't freeze debt payments on the West Bank when they impose new sanctions, because that will blow your banks out of business.

4. Watch in horror as Russia rewrites gas export agreements that now involve everyone except you. And when they start working, will there be enough gas left for you? But it seems that this is no longer Russia’s concern, because you offended it, because the Russians, so and so, sent you to hell (and don’t forget to take Galich there). Now they will trade with countries that are more friendly to them.

5. Watch with horror as Russia actively seeks ways to exit its trade relationship with you, seeks suppliers in other parts of the world, and sets up production to replace imports.

And then a surprise appears, by the way, underestimated by everyone, euphemistically speaking. Russia recently proposed a deal to the EU. If the EU refuses to sign the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the US, it could join the Customs Union with Russia. Why freeze yourself when Washington can freeze? This would be restitution for the past aggressive behavior An EU that Russia would accept. And this is in highest degree generous offer. And if the EU accepts it, it will prove a lot: that the EU does not pose any military or economic threat to Russia, that European countries are very nice and small, they produce delicious cheeses and sausages that the current crop of politicians are worthless, dependent on Washington and that great pressure needs to be created in order to understand where the interests of their peoples actually lie... So will the EU accept such a proposal or will it accept Galich as a new member and “freeze” ?

The Savior once said about Christians: “If you were of this world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of this world, because I took you out of the world, the world hates you.” These same words can also be applied to the Russian people, into whose flesh and blood Christianity was most deeply absorbed.

Today we are often faced with open Russophobia and hatred from other states. But this is not a reason to panic, it did not start today and will not end tomorrow - it will always be like this.

The world hates us, but it itself does not suspect how much he himself needs the Russian people. If the Russian people disappear, then from the world soul taken out and he will lose the very meaning of his existence!

That is why the Lord protects us and Russians exist, despite all the tragedies and trials: Napoleon, Batu and Hitler, revolution, perestroika and Time of Troubles, drugs, moral decline and a crisis of responsibility...

We will live and develop as long as we ourselves remain relevant, as long as the Russian people retain the character traits inherent in our people.

Caring “friends” often remind us of those characteristics inherent in us that can be classified as bad, trying to make us hate ourselves and self-destruct... We will look at the positive characteristics of the Russian soul in order to remember what gifts the Lord has generously endowed us with and what we should always stay.

So, TOP 10 best qualities of a Russian person:

1. Strong faith

The Russian people believe in God at a deep level, have a strong inner sense of conscience, a concept of good and evil, worthy and unworthy, due and not due. Even the communists believed in their “Moral Code.”

It is the Russian person who views his entire life from the perspective son of God — The Father will like it or it will upset him. To act according to the law or according to conscience (according to the commandments of God) is a purely Russian problem.

A Russian person also believes in people, constantly doing good to them and even beyond that. sacrificing personal for the good of one's neighbor. A Russian person sees in another person first of all Image of God, sees equal, recognizes the dignity of another person. This is precisely the secret of the victorious power of Russian civilization, our gigantic spaces and multinational unity.

Russian people believe in themselves as the bearer of Truth. Hence the strength of our actions and the legendary Russian survival. Not a single conqueror in the world could destroy us. Only we ourselves can kill the Russian people if we believe in that negative image the Russian person who is being imposed on us.

2. Heightened sense of justice

We cannot live in comfort while lies are rampant in the world. “We’ll put together a strong coffin for the scum of humanity!” from the song " Holy war" - this is about us.

We fought with the Turks for a long time for the freedom of our Slavic brothers, we saved the poor people of Central Asia from the bais and their extortions, stopped the genocide of the Chinese by the Japanese army and saved the Jews from the Holocaust.

As soon as a Russian person believes that a threat to all of humanity comes from somewhere, Napoleon, Hitler, Mamai or anyone else immediately disappears from the historical canvas.

The same rule applies in inner life- our riots and revolutions are just attempts to build a fair society, punish those who have gone too far and alleviate the lot of the poor (naturally, if we consider the motivation of ordinary workers and peasants, and not the cynical leaders of the revolution).

You can rely on us - because we keep our word and do not betray our allies. The concept of honor, unlike the Anglo-Saxons, is not only familiar to Russian people, but also deeply inherent.

3. Love for the Motherland

All peoples love their homeland. Even Americans, a people of emigrants, treat their national symbols and traditions.

But a Russian person loves his homeland more than others! White emigrants fled the country under threat of death. It would seem that they should have hated Russia and quickly assimilated where they came. But what really happened?

They were so nostalgic that they taught their sons and grandchildren the Russian language, they were so homesick for their homeland that they created thousands of little Russias around them - they founded Russian institutes and seminaries, built Orthodox churches, taught Russian culture and language to thousands of Brazilians, Moroccans, Americans, French, Germans, Chinese...

They died not from old age, but from longing for their Fatherland and cried when the USSR authorities allowed them to return. They infected those around them with their love, and today Spaniards and Danes, Syrians and Greeks, Vietnamese, Filipinos and Africans come to live in Russia.

4. Unique generosity

Russian people are generous and generous in everything: material gifts, wonderful ideas, and expressions of feelings.

The word “generosity” in ancient times meant mercy, mercy. This quality is deeply rooted in the Russian character.

It is completely unnatural for a Russian person to spend 5% or 2% of his salary on charity. If a friend is in trouble, then the Russian will not bargain and gain something for himself, he will give his friend all the cash, and if it is not enough, he will throw his hat around or take off and sell his last shirt for him.

Half of the inventions in the world were made by Russian “Kulibins”, and patented by cunning foreigners. But Russians are not offended by this, since their ideas are also generosity, a gift from our people to humanity.

The Russian soul does not accept half measures and knows no prejudices. If in Russia someone was once called a friend, then they will die for him, if he is an enemy, then he will certainly be destroyed. At the same time, it doesn’t matter at all who our counterpart is, what race, nation, religion, age or gender he is - the attitude towards him will depend only on his personal qualities.

5. Incredible hard work

“The Russians are very lazy people,” Goebbels’ propagandists preached and their followers today continue to repeat. But that's not true.

We are often compared to bears and this comparison is very apt - we have similar biological rhythms: summer in Russia is short and you have to work hard in order to have time to harvest, and winter is long and relatively idle - chop wood, heat the stove, remove snow, and collect crafts. In fact, we work a lot, just unevenly.

Russian people have always worked diligently and conscientiously. In our fairy tales and proverbs positive image The hero is inextricably linked with skill, hard work and ingenuity: “The sun paints the earth, but labor paints man.”

Since ancient times, labor has been famous and revered among peasants and artisans, scribes and merchants, warriors and monks, and has always been deeply linked to the cause of defending the Fatherland and increasing its glory.

6. The ability to see and appreciate beauty

The Russian people live in extremely picturesque places. In our country you can find large rivers and steppes, mountains and seas, tropical forests and tundra, taiga and deserts. Therefore, the sense of beauty is heightened in the Russian soul.

Russian culture was formed over a thousand years, absorbing parts of the cultures of many Slavic and Finno-Ugric tribes, as well as accepting and creatively processing the heritage of Byzantium and the Golden Horde and hundreds of small nations. Therefore, in terms of richness of content, it cannot be compared with no other culture in the world.

The awareness of the immensity of his own wealth, material and spiritual, made the Russian person friendly and understanding towards other peoples of the Earth.

A Russian person, like no one else, is able to highlight the beauty in the culture of another people, admire it and recognize the greatness of achievements. For him there are no backward or underdeveloped peoples, he has no need to treat anyone with disdain out of awareness of his own inferiority. Even from the Papuans and Indians, Russians will always find something to learn.

7. Hospitality

This national character trait is associated with our vast spaces, where it was rare to meet a person on the road. Hence the joy from such meetings - intense and sincere.

If a guest comes to a Russian person, a laid table, the best dishes, festive food and a warm overnight stay await him. And all this is done free of charge, since it is not customary for us to see in a person only a “wallet with ears” and treat him as a consumer.

Our man knows that a guest in the house should not be bored. Therefore, a foreigner who comes to us, when leaving, can hardly put together the memories of how they sang, danced, rode, fed him to the full and watered him to amazement...

8. Patience

The Russian people are amazingly patient. But this patience is not reduced to banal passivity or “slavery”; it is intertwined with sacrifice. Russian people are by no means stupid and always endure in the name of something, in the name of a meaningful goal.

If he realizes that he is being deceived, a rebellion begins - the same merciless revolt in the flames of which all the moneylenders and careless managers perish.

But when a Russian person knows for what purpose he endures difficulties and works hard, then national patience gives incredible positive results. For us, in five years, cutting down an entire fleet, winning a world war or industrializing is in the order of things.

Russian patience is also a kind of strategy for non-aggressive interaction with the world, solutions life problems not through violence against nature and consumption of its resources, but mainly through internal, spiritual efforts. We do not plunder the property given to us by God, but slightly moderate our appetites.

9. Sincerity

Another of the main features of the Russian character is sincerity in the manifestation of feelings.

A Russian person is bad at forcing a smile, he does not like pretense and ritual politeness, he gets irritated by insincere “thank you for your purchase, come again” and does not shake hands with a person whom he considers a scoundrel, even if this could bring benefits.

If a person doesn’t evoke emotions in you, then you don’t need to express anything - just walk in without stopping. Acting in Russia is not held in high esteem (unless it is a profession) and those who are most respected are those who speak and act as they think and feel as God put it on my soul.

10. Collectivism, conciliarity

A Russian person is not a loner. He loves and knows how to live in society, which is reflected in the sayings: “in the world even death is red,” “alone in the field is not a warrior.”

Since ancient times, nature itself, with its severity, has encouraged Russians to unite into groups - communities, artels, partnerships, squads and brotherhoods.

Hence the “imperialism” of Russians, that is, their indifference to the fate of a relative, neighbor, friend and, ultimately, the entire Fatherland. It was because of conciliarism that for a long time there were no homeless children in Rus' - orphans were always sorted into families and raised by the entire village.

Russian conciliarity, according to the definition of the Slavophile Khomyakov, is “a holistic combination of freedom and unity of many people based on their common love for the same absolute values,” Christian values.

The West was unable to create such a powerful state as Russia, united on spiritual principles, because it did not achieve conciliarity, and to unite peoples it was forced to use, first of all, violence.

Russia has always been united on the basis of mutual respect and mutual consideration of interests. The unity of the people in peace, love and mutual assistance has always been one of the basic values ​​of the Russian people.

Andrey Szegeda

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IN THE MASS MEDIA (OK, IN THE FOREIGN HOSTILES TO US, BUT IN THE RUSSIANS!) THERE ARE INCREASING FICTIONS ABOUT THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE - SAYING THAT THEY ARE LAZY, UNTIDY AT EVERYDAY, PRODICED TO DRUNKENNESS, THEFT, AND MORE TO MANY BAD, AND EVEN HARMFUL FOR OTHER PEOPLES. AND THE MAIN THING OF THE RESPONSIBILITIES IS THAT THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE DOESN’T “FIT” INTO WESTERN CULTURE, AND TODAY IS JUST LIKE IN THE OLD TIMES, WILD...

BUT IN CHINA THEY WRITE ABSTRACTS ABOUT... THE POSITIVE FEATURES OF RUSSIAN PEOPLE, ABOUT THEIR UNIQUENESS. HERE IS ONE OF SUCH ABSTRACTS:

TYPICAL FEATURES OF THE RUSSIAN NATIONAL CHARACTER AND THEIR REFLECTION IN RUSSIAN PROVERBS AND SAYINGS

Song Yanwei, Dalian Polytechnic University (China)

National character is a set of the most significant defining features of an ethnic group and a nation, by which it is possible to distinguish representatives of one nation from another. IN Chinese proverb It is said: “As is the land and the river, such is the character of man.” Each nation has its own special character. Much has been said and written about the secrets of the Russian soul, about the Russian national character. And this is no coincidence, because Russia, having a long history, experiencing a lot of suffering, changes, occupying a special geographical position, having absorbed the features of both Western and Eastern civilizations, has the right to be the object of close attention and targeted study. Especially today, at the turn of the third millennium, when, in connection with the profound changes that have occurred in Russia, interest in it is increasingly increasing. The character of the people and the fate of the country are closely interconnected and influence each other throughout historical path Therefore, there is a noticeable increased interest in the national character of the Russian people. As the Russian proverb says: “When you sow character, you reap destiny.”

National character is reflected both in fiction, philosophy, journalism, art, and in language. For language is a mirror of culture, it reflects not only the real world surrounding a person, not only the real conditions of his life, but also the social consciousness of the people, their mentality, national character, way of life, traditions, customs, morality, value system, attitude, vision of the world. Therefore, a language must be studied in inextricable unity with the world and culture of the people speaking the given language. Proverbs and sayings are a reflection of folk wisdom; they contain the people’s idea of ​​themselves, and therefore the secrets of the Russian national character can be tried to be comprehended through Russian proverbs and sayings.

HARDWORK, GIFTEDNESS

Russian people are gifted and hardworking. He has many talents and abilities in almost all areas public life. He is characterized by observation, theoretical and practical intelligence, natural ingenuity, ingenuity, and creativity. The Russian people are great workers, creators and creators, and have enriched the world with great cultural achievements. It is difficult to list even a small part of what has become the property of Russia itself. This trait is reflected in Russian proverbs and sayings: “Happiness and work live side by side”, “Without work you cannot pull a fish out of the pond”, “Patience and work will grind everything down”, “God loves work”. The Russian people value work very much: “Gold is learned in fire, and man in work,” “Talent without work is not worth a penny.” Russian folklore also speaks about the existence of workaholics: “The day is boring until the evening, if there is nothing to do,” “Living without work is just smoking the sky,” “It’s not the concern that there is a lot of work, but the concern that there is none.” Working people are not envious: “Don’t blame your neighbor when you sleep until lunchtime.”

Proverbs condemn the lazy: “It’s a long time to sleep, but it’s a long time to get up,” “He who gets up late doesn’t have enough bread.” And at the same time they praise the hardworking: “He who gets up early, God gives him.”

Only honest earnings were valued by the people: “Easy to get, easy to live,” “A free ruble is cheap, an acquired ruble is expensive.” And in raising young people, preference was given to work: “Teach not by idleness, but teach by handicraft.”

LOVING FREEDOM

Love of freedom is one of the main, deep-seated properties of the Russian people. The history of Russia is the history of the struggle of the Russian people for their freedom and independence. For the Russian people, freedom is above all.
To the Russian heart closer word“will”, understood as independence, freedom in the manifestation of feelings and in performing actions, and not freedom as a conscious necessity, that is, as the possibility of a person expressing his will on the basis of awareness of the law. For example, the proverbs: “Even though the lot is hard, everyone has their own will”, “One’s own will is dearer than anything else”, “Freedom is dearer than everything else”, “The will of a bird is dearer than a golden cage” - speak of the desire for love of freedom.

WILLPOWER, COURAGE AND COURAGE

Possessing a freedom-loving character, the Russian people repeatedly defeated invaders and achieved great success in peaceful construction. Proverbs reflect the traits of Russian soldiers: “Better death in battle than shame in the ranks,” “Either a colonel or a dead man.” These same traits also manifest themselves in the lives of peaceful people. “He who does not take risks does not drink champagne” - that the Russian people love to take risks. “Either it’s hit or miss” - about the determination to do something, to take risks, despite possible failure, death. The proverbs are similar in meaning: “Either your chest is in the crosses, or your head is in the bushes,” “Either your foot is in the stirrup, or your head is in the stump,” “Either you eat a fish or run aground.”

The proverb “If you are afraid of wolves, do not go into the forest” says that there is no point in getting down to business if you are afraid of the difficulties ahead. And luck always accompanies the brave: “Luck is the companion of the brave”, “He who dares eats.”

The characteristic features of Russian people are kindness, humanity, a penchant for repentance, cordiality and spiritual gentleness. Many proverbs and sayings illustrate these traits: “ Good God helps”, “It’s good to live with kindness”, “Hasten to do good”, “A good deed does not melt in water”, “Life is given for good deeds”, “Goodness will not be forgotten”, “It’s hard for those who remember evil.” Fate treats a good person fairly: “For the wicked there is death, and for the good there is resurrection.” However, proverbs condemn someone who is too meek: “Only a lazy person doesn’t beat him,” “He even beats a meek dog.”

PATIENCE AND RESISTANCE

This is perhaps one of the most characteristic features of the Russian people, which has become literally legendary. Russians seem to have limitless patience, an amazing ability to endure difficulties, hardships and suffering. In Russian culture, patience and the ability to endure suffering are the ability to exist, the ability to respond to external circumstances, this is the basis of personality.

It is not difficult to find a reflection of this trait in Russian proverbs and sayings: “Patience is better than salvation,” “Patience will give skill,” “There is patience for what you want,” “Live forever, hope forever.”

The Russian people are patient and enduring, stubborn and persistent, not discouraged by failures and believing in their own strength. Proverbs say about this: “Endure grief, drink honey”, “Endure an hour, but live a century”, “By enduring, they become people”, “Live as slaves, maybe you will become a master”, “God will give the day, He will give and food."

HOSPITALITY,
GENEROSITY AND BREADNESS OF NATURE

Russian hospitality is well known: “Even though you are not rich, you are happy to see your guests.” The best treat is always ready for the guest: “If there is something in the oven, it’s all swords on the table!”, “Don’t feel sorry for the guest, but pour it thicker.”

Russian people greet a guest on the threshold of their home. The custom of presenting guests with bread and salt comes from time immemorial and is still preserved in Russia. Bread and salt is at the same time a greeting, an expression of cordiality, and a wish for good and prosperity to the guest: “Eat bread and salt, and listen to good people.” Without bread there is no life, there is no true Russian table. Russian proverbs speak about this: “Bread is the head of everything”, “Bread is on the table, so the table is the throne”, “It’s a bad lunch if there is no bread”, “Bread is a gift from God, father, breadwinner”, “Not a piece of bread, so and in the mansion there is melancholy, and there is no bread, so there is paradise under the fir tree.” And salt, as you know, plays important role in a person’s life: “Without salt, without bread, bad conversation,” “Without bread, death, without salt, laughter.”

RESPONSIBILITY

A distinctive feature of the Russian people is their responsiveness, ability to understand another person, sensitive attitude towards someone else's state of mind, the ability to integrate with the culture of other peoples and respect it. Amazing ethnic tolerance, as well as an exceptional ability to empathize, the ability to understand and accept other peoples allowed the Russian nation to create an empire unprecedented in history. And this trait is reflected in popular proverbs and sayings: “Whoever remembers us, we will remember him,” “They pay for good with good.” According to Vl. Solovyov, “the true unity of peoples is not homogeneity, but nationality, i.e. interaction and solidarity of all of them for an independent and full life for everyone.” Such properties of the Russian person as humanism, goodwill towards other peoples, hospitality, self-sacrifice, altruism give rise to socially deeper properties such as internationalism, mutual respect of people, their national customs, culture.

Russians pay special attention to their attitude towards their neighbors: “It’s a bad thing to offend a neighbor”, “To live among neighbors is to be in conversations”, “ Close neighbor better than distant relatives”, “Between the borders and the borders there are quarrels and abuse.”

Analyzing Russian folklore, we came to the conclusion that a proverb is not just a saying. It expresses the opinion of the people. It contains the people's assessment of life, observations of the people's mind. Not every saying became a proverb, but only one that was consistent with the lifestyle and thoughts of many people. Such sayings have existed for millennia, passing from century to century. Proverbs are rightly considered bundles of folk wisdom, i.e. thereby people's experience, which is stored in the language and passed on from generation to generation. Analysis of Russian national character based on proverbs is a new approach to the study of this issue.

Literature:
1. Vyunov Yu.A. “A Word about Russians.” M., 2002.
2. Vorobiev V.V. “Linguocultural paradigm of personality.” M.1996.
3. Dal V.I. “Proverbs of the Russian people.” M., 2000.
4. Soloviev V.M. “Secrets of the Russian soul.” M., 2001
5. Vereshchagin E.M. Kostomarov V.G. “Language and Culture”. M, 1990.
6. Ter-Minasova S.G. “Language and intercultural communication.” M., 2000.

Russian people are generally broad people...

wide as their land,

and extremely prone

to the fantastic, to the disorderly;

but the trouble is being wide

without much genius.

F.M. Dostoevsky

One can talk endlessly about the Russian character and its characteristics... There are so many things mixed up in a Russian person that you can’t even count them on your fingers.

What does it mean to be Russian? What is the peculiarity of the Russian character? How often this question is asked by gray-haired academicians in scientific debates, nimble journalists in various shows and ordinary citizens in table discussions? They ask and answer. They answer differently, but everyone notes our Russian “specialness” and is proud of it. You can’t lure a Russian person with a roll - Russians are so eager to preserve their own, dear, that they are proud of the most disgusting aspects of their identity: drunkenness, dirt, poverty. Russians make up jokes about how no one can outdrink them, happily showing their dirt to foreigners.

“Mysterious Russian soul”... What kind of epithets do we bestow on our Russian mentality. Is she so mysterious, the Russian soul, is she really so unpredictable? Maybe everything is much simpler? We Russians are capable of self-sacrifice in the name of our homeland, but we are not able to defend our interests as citizens of this country. We meekly accept all the resolutions and decisions of our leadership: we are choking in queues to replace our driver’s licenses; we lose consciousness in passport and visa services while waiting to receive a new passport; We knock on the threshold of the tax office in order to find out what number you now live under in this world. And this list can be continued endlessly. Limitless patience is what distinguishes a Russian person. How can one disagree with foreigners who personify us with a bear - huge, menacing, but so clumsy? We are probably rougher, certainly tougher in many cases. Russians have cynicism, emotional limitations, and a lack of culture. There is fanaticism, unscrupulousness, and cruelty. But still, mostly Russians strive for good.

For a Russian person, this is the most terrible accusation - the accusation of greed. All Russian folklore is based on the fact that being greedy is bad and greed is punishable. The catch, apparently, is that this same breadth can only be polar: drunkenness, unhealthy gambling, living for free, on the one hand. But, on the other hand, the purity of faith, carried and preserved through the centuries. Again, a Russian person cannot believe quietly and modestly. He never hides, but goes to execution for his faith, walking with his head held high, striking his enemies.

Very accurately the character traits of the Russian person are noted in folk tales and epics. In them, the Russian man dreams of a better future, but he is too lazy to make his dreams come true. He still hopes that he will catch a talking pike or catch goldfish who will fulfill his wishes. This primordial Russian laziness and love of dreaming about the advent of better times has always prevented our people from living like human beings. And the tendency towards acquisitiveness, again mixed with great laziness! A Russian person is too lazy to grow or make something that his neighbor has - it is much easier for him to steal it, and even then not himself, but to ask someone else to do it. A typical example of this is the case of the king and rejuvenating apples. Of course, in fairy tales and satirical stories many features are greatly exaggerated and sometimes reach the point of absurdity, but nothing arises out of nowhere - there is no smoke without fire. Such a trait of the Russian character as long-suffering often goes beyond the bounds of reason. From time immemorial, Russian people have resignedly endured humiliation and oppression. The already mentioned laziness and blind faith in a better future are partly to blame here. Russian people would rather endure than fight for their rights. But no matter how great the patience of the people, it is still not limitless. The day comes and humility transforms into unbridled rage. Then woe to anyone who gets in the way. It’s not for nothing that Russian people are compared to a bear.

But not everything is so bad and gloomy in our Fatherland. We Russians have many positive traits character. Russians are deeply partisan and possess high strength spirit, they are able to defend their land to the last drop of blood. Since ancient times, both young and old have risen to fight against invaders.

A special conversation about the character of Russian women. A Russian woman has unbending fortitude; she is ready to sacrifice everything for the sake of a loved one and go to the ends of the earth for him. Moreover, this is not blindly following a spouse, like Eastern women, but a completely conscious and independent decision. This is what the wives of the Decembrists did, going after them to distant Siberia and dooming themselves to a life full of hardships. Nothing has changed since then: even now, in the name of love, a Russian woman is ready to spend her entire life wandering around the most remote corners of the world.

Speaking about the peculiarities of the Russian character, one cannot fail to mention the cheerful disposition - a Russian sings and dances even in the most difficult periods of his life, and even more so in joy! He is generous and loves to go out on a grand scale - the breadth of the Russian soul has already become the talk of the town. Only a Russian person can give everything he has for the sake of one happy moment and not regret it later. Let's remember the poor artist who sold everything he had and showered his beloved with flowers. This is a fairy tale, but it is not so far from life - a Russian person is unpredictable and you can expect anything from him.

Russian people have an inherent aspiration for something infinite. Russians always have a thirst for a different life, a different world, they always have dissatisfaction with what they have. Due to greater emotionality, Russian people are characterized by openness and sincerity in communication. If in Europe people are personal life are sufficiently alienated and protect their individualism, then a Russian person is open to being interested in him, showing interest in him, taking care of him, just as he himself is inclined to be interested in the lives of those around him: both his own soul is wide open, and he is curious about what is behind the soul of another.

There are dozens of images in our literature, each of which bears the indelible stamp of the Russian character: Natasha Rostova and Matryona Timofeevna, Platon Karataev and Dmitry Karamazov, Raskolnikov and Melekhov, Onegin and Pechorin, Vasily Terkin and Andrei Sokolov. You can't list them all. Are there really no such people in life? The pilot saves the city at the cost of his life, not leaving the stalled plane until the last moment; tractor driver dies in a burning tractor, taking him away from grain field; a family of nine takes in three more orphaned children; the master spends years creating a unique, priceless masterpiece and then gives it away orphanage... You can continue ad infinitum. Behind all this there is also a Russian character. But aren't other people capable of this? Where is the line that will help distinguish a Russian person from the rest? And there is another side to him: the ability for unbridled revelry and drunkenness, callousness and selfishness, indifference and cruelty. The world looks at him and sees a mystery in him. For us, Russian character is an alloy of the best qualities that will always prevail over dirt and vulgarity, and, perhaps, the most important of them is selflessly devoted love for one’s land. Tenderly stroking a birch tree and talking to it, greedily inhaling the heady aroma of arable land, reverently holding a poured ear of corn in your palm, seeing off a crane wedge with tears in your eyes - only a Russian person can do this, and may he remain like this forever and ever.

The Russian character is complex and multifaceted, but that’s what makes it beautiful. He is beautiful in his breadth and openness, cheerful disposition and love for his homeland, childish innocence and fighting spirit, ingenuity and peacefulness, hospitality and mercy. And we owe this entire palette of the best qualities to our homeland - Russia, a fabulous and great country, warm and affectionate, like the hands of a mother.

From all that has been said, we have to conclude that the only undeniable feature of the Russian character is inconsistency, complexity, and the ability to combine opposites. And is it possible on a land like Russian not to be special? After all, this feature did not appear today, but was formed day by day, from year to year, from century to century, from millennium to millennium...

And Leskov tried to create just such a Russian person in his works...

National character and features of the Russian mentality belong to the ethno- and socio-psychological characteristics of Russia.

History of the question of national character

The question of national character has not received a generally accepted formulation, although it has significant historiography in world and Russian pre-revolutionary science. This problem was studied by Montesquieu, Kant, and Herder. And the idea that different peoples have their own “national spirit” was formed in the philosophy of romanticism and pochvennichestvo both in the West and in Russia. In the German ten-volume “Psychology of Nations” the essence of man was analyzed in different cultural manifestations: everyday life, mythology, religion, etc. Social anthropologists of the last century also did not ignore this topic. In Soviet society, the humanities took as a basis the advantage of class over nationality, so national character, ethnic psychology and similar issues remained on the sidelines. They were not given due importance back then.

The concept of national character

At this stage, the concept of national character includes different schools and approaches. Of all the interpretations, two main ones can be distinguished:

• personal-psychological

• value-normative.

Personal psychological interpretation of national character

This interpretation implies that people of the same cultural values ​​have common personality and mental traits. A set of such qualities distinguishes representatives of this group from others. American psychiatrist A. Kardiner created the concept of “basic personality”, on the basis of which he concluded about the “basic personality type” that is inherent in every culture. The same idea is supported by N.O. Lossky. He highlights the main features of the Russian character, which is different:

• religiosity,
• receptivity to the highest examples of skills,
• spiritual openness,
• subtle understanding of someone else's condition,
• powerful willpower,
• ardor in religious life,
• ebullience in public affairs,
• adherence to extreme views,
• love of freedom, reaching the point of anarchy,
• love for the fatherland,
• contempt for philistinism.

Similar studies also reveal results that contradict each other. Absolutely polar traits can be found in any nation. Here it is necessary to carry out more in-depth research, using new statistical techniques.

Value-normative approach to the problem of national character

This approach assumes that national character is not embodied in the individual qualities of a representative of a nation, but in the sociocultural functioning of his people. B.P. Vysheslavtsev in his work “Russian National Character” explains that human character is not obvious, on the contrary, it is something secret. Therefore, it is difficult to understand and unexpected things happen. The root of character is not in expressive ideas or in the essence of consciousness; it grows from unconscious forces, from the subconscious. In this underlying structure such cataclysms are ripening that cannot be predicted by looking at the outer shell. To a large extent this applies to the Russian people.

This social state of mind, based on the attitudes of group consciousness, is usually called mentality. In connection with this interpretation, the features of the Russian character appear as a reflection of the mentality of the people, that is, they are the property of the people, and not a set of traits inherent in their individual representatives.

Mentality

• reflected in people's actions, their way of thinking,
• leaves its mark in folklore, literature, art,
• gives rise to an original way of life and special culture, characteristic of a particular people.

Features of the Russian mentality

The study of Russian mentality began in the 19th century, first in the works of Slavophiles, research was continued at the turn of the next century. In the early nineties of the last century, interest in this issue arose again.

Most researchers note the most characteristics mentality of the Russian people. It is based on deep compositions of consciousness that help make choices in time and space. In the context of this, there is the concept of chronotope - i.e. connections of spatio-temporal relations in culture.

• Endless movement

Klyuchevsky, Berdyaev, Fedotov noted in their works the sense of Space characteristic of the Russian people. This is the vastness of the plains, their openness, the absence of borders. Many poets and writers reflected this model of the national Cosmos in their works.

• Openness, incompleteness, questioning

A significant value of Russian culture is its openness. She can comprehend another who is alien to her, and is subject to various influences from the outside. Some, for example, D. Likhachev, call this universalism, others, like, note universal understanding, call it, like G. Florovsky, universal responsiveness. G. Gachev noted that many domestic classic masterpieces literature remained unfinished, leaving the way for development. This is the whole culture of Russia.

• Discrepancy between the Space step and the Time step

The peculiarity of Russian landscapes and territories predetermines the experience of Space. The linearity of Christianity and the European pace determine the experience of Time. The vast territories of Russia, the endless expanses predetermine the colossal step of Space. For Time, European criteria are used, Western ones are tried on historical processes, formations.

According to Gachev, in Russia all processes should proceed more slowly. The Russian psyche is slower. The gap between the steps of Space and Time gives rise to tragedy and is fatal for the country.

Antinomy of Russian culture

The discrepancy in two coordinates - Time and Space - creates a constant tension in Russian culture. Another of its features is connected with this – antinomy. Many researchers consider this trait to be one of the most distinctive. Berdyaev noted the strong inconsistency of national life and self-awareness, where the deep abyss and boundless heights are combined with meanness, baseness, lack of pride, and servility. He wrote that in Russia, boundless philanthropy and compassion can coexist with misanthropy and fanaticism, and the desire for freedom coexists with slavish resignation. These polarities in Russian culture do not have halftones. Other nations also have opposites, but only in Russia can bureaucracy be born from anarchism, and slavery from freedom. This specificity of consciousness is reflected in philosophy, art, and literature. This dualism, both in culture and in personality, is best reflected in the works of Dostoevsky. Literature always provides great information for studying mentality. The binary principle that is important in national culture, is reflected even in the works Russian writers. Here is the list selected by Gachev:

“War and Peace”, “Fathers and Sons”, “Crime and Punishment”, “Poet and the Crowd”, “Poet and Citizen”, “Christ and Antichrist”.

The names speak of the great inconsistency of thinking:

“Dead Souls”, “Living Corpse”, “Virgin Soil Upturned”, “Yawning Heights”.

Polarization of Russian culture

The Russian mentality with its binary combination of mutually exclusive qualities reflects the hidden polarity of Russian culture, which is inherent in all periods of its development. Continuous tragic tension manifested itself in their collisions:

G.P. Fedotov, in his work “The Fate and Sins of Russia,” explored the originality of Russian culture and depicted the national mentality, its structure in the form of an ellipse with a pair of oppositely polar centers that continuously fight and cooperate. This causes constant instability and variability in the development of our culture, while at the same time encouraging the intention to solve the problem instantly, through an outbreak, a throw, a revolution.

“Incomprehensibility” of Russian culture

The internal antinomy of Russian culture also gives rise to its “incomprehensibility.” The sensual, spiritual, and illogical always prevail in it over the expedient and meaningful. Its originality is difficult to analyze from a scientific point of view, as well as to convey the possibilities of plastic art. In his works, I.V. Kondakov writes that the most consonant with the national identity of Russian culture is literature. This is the reason for our deep respect for the book and the word. This is especially noticeable in Russian culture of the Middle Ages. Classical Russian culture of the nineteenth century: painting, music, philosophy, social thought, he notes, was created for the most part under the impression literary works, their heroes, plans, plots. The impact on the consciousness of Russian society cannot be underestimated.

Cultural identity of Russia

Russian cultural self-identification is complicated by the specific mentality. The concept of cultural identity includes the identification of an individual with a cultural tradition and national values.

Western peoples have national cultural identity is expressed according to two characteristics: national (I am German, I am Italian, etc.) and civilizational (I am European). In Russia there is no such certainty. This is due to the fact that the cultural identity of Russia depends on:

• multi-ethnic basis of culture, where there are a lot of local variants and subcultures;
• intermediate position between ;
• the inherent gift of compassion and empathy;
• repeated impetuous transformations.

This ambiguity and inconsistency gives rise to discussions about its exclusivity and uniqueness. In Russian culture there is a deep thought about the unique path and highest calling of the people of Russia. This idea was translated into the popular socio-philosophical thesis about.

But in full agreement with everything mentioned above, along with the awareness of national dignity and the conviction of one’s own exclusivity, there is a national denial that reaches self-abasement. The philosopher Vysheslavtsev emphasized that restraint, self-flagellation, and repentance constitute national trait our character, that there is no people who criticized themselves, exposed themselves, and joked about themselves in such a way.

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