You have to be a citizen. You may not be a poet, but you must be a citizen. Who said you may not be a poet?

Or Nothing human is alien to them...

We are accustomed to attributing valiant traits to people who have become famous in one field or another, which they actually did not possess. We are happy to almost canonize the images of the classics, completely forgetting that they were exactly the same people. And here are a few facts from the lives of famous writers and poets.

In 1926, after her husband admitted to infidelity and asked for a divorce, writer Agatha Christie disappeared. Soon her car with outerwear was found, and 10 days later the writer herself was found in a small spa hotel, where she registered under the name of her husband’s mistress. The reason for her behavior has not been reliably clarified - some believe that it was a mental disorder, for example, traumatic amnesia, while others argue that it was a calculated revenge on her husband, whom the police should have suspected of murder. Among the thousands of volunteers who took part in the search was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - however, he did not use the methods of Sherlock Holmes, but simply visited a medium, to whom he gave Agatha Christie's glove.

In the last ten years of his work, writer Sergei Dovlatov deliberately avoided sentences with words starting with the same letter. According to him, this rule helped him discipline himself, protecting him from verbosity and emptiness. Dovlatov’s works with this principle include “Suitcase”, “Reserve”, “Branch” and others.

One day, Chuck Palahniuk was relaxing in nature and got into an argument with a neighboring camp, after which he was soundly beaten. Returning to work with a bruised face, Palahniuk saw that none of his colleagues were asking what happened. Then the idea of ​​the novel “Fight Club” was born. During the writing of the book, Palahniuk got involved in street fights more than once, experiencing the experience of his heroes in his own skin.

Harper Lee was about thirty years old when she decided to seriously engage in literary activity and wrote several stories. However, she could only write in her free time from office work. At Christmas, Lee received an unexpected gift from two friends in the form of a year's paid vacation in order to bring any of her plans to life. During this year, a draft of the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” was written, and after another three years of Lee’s work with an editor, it was published and became a bestseller.

Many viewers are surprised that the script for the cult film “The Shawshank Redemption” is an adaptation of Stephen King’s story, which is strikingly different in theme and style from his other works. One day, the “king of horror” was talking to an old woman who admitted that she had not read any of King’s books, since she preferred “things that are more authentic” like “The Shawshank Redemption.” The writer never managed to convince her that he was the author of the original work.

In 1907, Arthur Conan Doyle learned of the Edalji Case, a trumped-up case against a young man who was accused of killing livestock and convicted. The writer himself turned into a kind of detective, understood the intricacies of the case and achieved its revision through several articles in the press. For repeated hearings in England, an appeal court was created for the first time, which was also an indirect achievement of Conan Doyle. He soon took part in the campaign to acquit Oscar Slater, sentenced to life imprisonment, again making numerous arguments in newspaper publications, but this time he did not achieve immediate success. Slater was released and pardoned only 18 years later.

The wife of the writer Boris Vasiliev, whose most famous work was the story “And the Dawns Here Are Quiet...”, was named Zorya. She served as the prototype for one of the heroines, Sonya Gurvich, as well as Iskra Polyakova in the story “Tomorrow there was a war.”

During his last years, the writer Victor Hugo lived in a mansion on a Parisian street, which during his lifetime was called Avenue Victor Hugo. As a return address on the letters, the writer simply indicated: “Monsieur Victor Hugo on his avenue in Paris.” In 1862, Hugo, while on vacation, wanted to know about the reaction of readers to the newly published novel “Les Miserables” and sent his publisher a telegram with only the character “?”. He sent a telegram in response, also with one sign - “!”. This was probably the shortest correspondence in history.

Bulgakov began writing “The Master and Margarita” in 1929, and seven years earlier he was given Alexander Chayanov’s book “Venediktov, or Memorable Events of My Life.” Its main characters were Satan and a student named Bulgakov, who fights with him for the soul of the woman he loves, and in the end the lovers are united. According to the writer’s wife, Lyubov Belozerskaya, Chayanov’s story served as a creative impetus for writing the novel “The Master and Margarita.”

Samuel Langhorne Clemens explained the origin of his pseudonym Mark Twain as a term for river navigation. In his youth, the future writer worked on a steamboat on the Mississippi River. The safe depth for a ship to pass was two fathoms (3.7 meters), and this figure, after measurement by the lot, was usually shouted out as “by the mark twain,” where twain is an archaic form of the numeral two.

When the first Harry Potter book was published, the publisher insisted on writing JK Rowling's name on the cover only with her initials - such a trick was supposed to not scare away boys, who mostly did not like books by female authors, from buying them. And since the writer did not have a middle name from birth, she chose the name of her grandmother Kathleen for her initials, and since then she has been known in the West as J. K. Rowling.

Ernest Hemingway had a soft spot for cats and kept several pets in his home at all times. One day he was given a Maine Coon named Snowball, who, due to a genetic mutation, was polydactyl, that is, he had extra toes. Today, more than 50 cats live in the Hemingway House Museum, half of which are also polydactyl, as many are descendants of Snowball. A significant part of tourists visit this museum primarily because of the cats, and not in order to join the writer’s heritage.

After the outbreak of World War II, Marina Tsvetaeva was sent for evacuation to the city of Elabuga, in Tatarstan. Boris Pasternak helped her pack her things. He brought a rope to tie up the suitcase, and, assuring of its strength, joked: “The rope will withstand everything, even if you hang yourself.” Subsequently, he was told that it was on her that Tsvetaeva hanged herself in Yelabuga.

The famous formula “Twice two equals five,” which George Orwell repeatedly emphasized in the dystopian novel “1984,” came to his mind when he heard the Soviet slogan “Five-Year Plan in Four Years!”

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, in correspondence with his wife Olga Leonardovna Knipper, used to her, in addition to standard compliments and affectionate words, very unusual ones: “actress”, “dog”, “snake” and - feel the lyricism of the moment - “the crocodile of my soul”.

Initially, on Gogol’s grave in the monastery cemetery there was a stone nicknamed Golgotha ​​because of its resemblance to Mount Jerusalem. When they decided to destroy the cemetery, during reburial in another place they decided to install a bust of Gogol on the grave. And that same stone was subsequently placed on Bulgakov’s grave by his wife. In this regard, Bulgakov’s phrase, which he repeatedly addressed to Gogol during his lifetime, is noteworthy: “Teacher, cover me with your cast-iron overcoat.”

Alexander Griboyedov was not only a poet, but also a diplomat. In 1829, he died in Persia along with the entire diplomatic mission at the hands of religious fanatics. To atone for their guilt, the Persian delegation arrived in St. Petersburg with rich gifts, among which was the famous Shah diamond weighing 88.7 carats. Another purpose of the embassy's visit was to mitigate the indemnity imposed on Persia under the terms of the Turkmanchay Peace Treaty. Emperor Nicholas I went to meet the Persians halfway and said: “I consign the ill-fated Tehran incident to eternal oblivion!”

James Barrie created the image of Peter Pan - the boy who will never grow up - for a reason. This hero became a dedication to the author’s older brother, who died the day before he turned 14 years old, and forever remained young in the memory of his mother.

The real name of the satirist writer Grigory Gorin was Ofshtein. When asked about the reason for choosing the pseudonym, Gorin replied that it was an abbreviation: “Grisha Ofshtein decided to change his nationality.”

In 1835, Halley's comet flew near the Earth, and two weeks after its perihelion, Mark Twain was born. In 1909 he wrote: “I came into this world with a comet and I will leave with it too when it arrives next year.” And so it happened: Twain died on April 21, 1910, the day after the comet’s next perihelion. The writer turned out to be unusually insightful, but perhaps he was just joking. Just like he joked when he said, “Rumors of my death are too exaggerated.”

The term “bata-kusai” (translated as “smelling of butter”) is used by the Japanese who do not drink milk to describe everything foreign and Westernized. Elderly Japanese used the same expression to describe the writer Haruki Murakami for his adherence to the Western way of life.

Lewis Carroll loved to communicate and be friends with little girls, but was not a pedophile, as many of his biographers claim. Often his girlfriends underestimated their age, or he himself called older ladies girls. The reason was that the morality of that era in England strictly condemned communication with a young woman alone, and girls under 14 were considered asexual, and friendship with them was completely innocent.

By order of the English Admiralty, since 1776, when producing ropes for the navy, red thread must be woven into them so that it cannot be removed even from a small piece of rope. Apparently, this measure was intended to reduce rope theft. This is where the expression “run like a red thread” comes from about the main idea of ​​the author throughout the entire literary work, and Goethe was the first to use it in the novel “Kind Natures”.

Polish science fiction writer Stanislaw Lem wrote a collection of short stories called Absolute Emptiness. All the stories are united by the fact that they are reviews of non-existent books written by fictitious authors.

Once, at an official reception, Khrushchev called the writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn Ivan Denisovich.

The expression “Balzac age” arose after the publication of Balzac’s novel “A Thirty-Year-Old Woman” and is acceptable for women no older than 40 years.

Leo Tolstoy was skeptical about his novels, including War and Peace. In 1871, he sent Fet a letter: “How happy I am... that I will never write verbose rubbish like “War” again.” An entry in his diary in 1908 reads: “People love me for those trifles - “War and Peace”, etc., which seem very important to them.”

In the title of Leo Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace,” the word world is used as an antonym to war (pre-revolutionary “mir”), and not in the meaning of “the world around us” (pre-revolutionary “mir”). All lifetime editions of the novel were published under the title “War and Peace,” and Tolstoy himself wrote the title of the novel in French as “La guerre et la paix.” However, due to typos in different editions at different times, where the word was written as “mir”, debate about the true meaning of the novel’s title still continues.

French writer Guy de Maupassant was one of those who was irritated by the Eiffel Tower. Nevertheless, he dined at her restaurant every day, explaining that this was the only place in Paris from which the tower could not be seen.

The American extravagant writer Timothy Dexter wrote a book in 1802 with very peculiar language and the absence of any punctuation. In response to reader outcry, in the second edition of the book he added a special page with punctuation marks, asking readers to arrange them in the text to their liking.

Korney Chukovsky's real name was Nikolai Vasilyevich Korneychukov.

Franz Kafka published only a few short stories during his lifetime. Being seriously ill, he asked his friend Max Brod to burn all his works after his death, including several unfinished novels. Brod did not fulfill this request, but, on the contrary, ensured the publication of the works that brought Kafka worldwide fame.

Winnie the Pooh got the first part of his name from one of the real toys of Christopher Robin, the son of the writer Milne. The toy was named after a female bear at the London Zoo named Winnipeg, who came there from Canada. The second part - Pooh - was borrowed from the name of the swan of acquaintances of the Milne family.

In 1925, the Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Bernard Shaw, who called the event "a token of gratitude for the relief he has given the world by not publishing anything this year."

Alexandre Dumas once took part in a duel where the participants drew lots, and the loser had to shoot himself. The lot went to Dumas, who retired to the next room. A shot rang out, and then Dumas returned to the participants with the words: “I shot, but missed.”

These famous words were spoken by the great Russian citizen and poet Nekrasov. In our difficult times, as in past difficult times, it is difficult to be a citizen in the high sense of the word. Having a strong civic position, defending your views, and even more so being a teacher and passionate defender of the interests of your people is really not easy! And also to be recognized as a national poet, a person for whom the fate of the Motherland, his native land has always been in first place. All this can rightfully be said about Shamil Dzhikaev. When the great son of Russia, Academician Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev, passed away at the end of the 90s of the last century, one of the representatives of the Russian intelligentsia said that a man who had been a standard of decency, a great intellectual whom his contemporaries looked up to, had passed away. . Indeed, all this was true. Long ago, as a student at Tver State University, I was also lucky enough to listen to the speeches of Academician D.S. Likhachev. His words were remembered for the rest of my life. I also remember what a simple person he was, despite all his titles and regalia.

Human life is structured in such a way that we often don’t think about the fact that after some time we discover that we didn’t do something at the right time and left it for later...

Several years ago, having started working at South Ossetian State University named after. A. Tibilova, I decided to enroll in graduate school at SOGU named after. K. Khetagurova. Then fate brought me together with Shamil Dzhikaev for a short time. Having approached him with a request to be my supervisor, he immediately agreed without hesitation. I knew him in absentia for a long time and was familiar with his work. But when we got to know each other better, it became clear to me who Shamil Dzhikaev really was for all of us, for all of Ossetia. For him, as for Likhachev, the problems of his native land, the common people, and the fate of the country were the main ones in his life.

Much has been written about the literary work of Shamil Dzhikaev. His talent is great and undeniable. He was born in the village. Dzomag, was a native of South Ossetia. The poet's love for South Ossetia is visible in many of his poetic works. But at the same time, Shamil Dzhikaev was a worthy son of a united Ossetia. He always dreamed of seeing his homeland united, strong, powerful.

Possessing excellent knowledge in the field of literature, history, and folklore, he understood and felt the great responsibility that the Ossetian intelligentsia faces in the revival of Ossetia. In conversations with him (we talked several times for about 6 hours), the man learned a lot of interesting and unusual things from the history of Ossetia, literature and life in general. I once told him that our Patriotic War lasted about 20 years and that during this time a whole generation grew up in South Ossetia, which was destined to experience all the hardships of wartime. Shamil listened to me attentively, and then told me about how during the Mongol-Tatar invasion of Alania, one Alan fortress fought for 15 years and was not conquered. He said that our ancestors were always famous all over the world for the fact that such a concept as “ægdau” was above all else for them. And as long as they followed and lived according to his laws, no enemy could cope or overpower our ancestors.

Being a great citizen, a patriot of his people, Shamil perfectly understood and felt the spirit and strength of the people. He spoke with pain in his soul about the difficult situation Ossetia found itself in after the collapse of the USSR. He, like no one else, saw the social ills to which our youth, our society, were exposed. Shamil reacted painfully to all these new negative phenomena of reality. But his every thought ended with the fact that the people of Ossetia will be able to overcome all difficulties and will be able to be reborn. Talking about many tragic moments that occurred in the history of the people of Ossetia, he said that our people always overcame the impossible and again stood firmly on their feet. His faith in the power of the people's spirit was unshakable. In conversations with him, I learned a lot from him about the problems that he had in his work and in life. He always remained cheerful and a great optimist. Listening to my stories about the problems that were in South Ossetia, he was worried and sympathized with us. Once he told me: “I believe that Ossetia will sooner or later be reborn again. I am sure that the revival of Ossetia will begin from the South!”

To my question, why from the south and not from the north, he replied that over the last 19 years of the Patriotic War in South Ossetia, although the people lost many lives, they were able to grow stronger spiritually. “What you were able to withstand in the south, not everyone could handle,” said Shamil Dzhikaev. He said that Ossetia should be united not only territorially, but also spiritually. He spoke with pain in his soul that many of our enemies are trying to divide us according to some concepts, clans: Ironians, Digorians, Kudarians, etc. Seeing this problem, Shamil spoke everywhere about this danger for Ossetia.

Turning to the history of our ancestors, Shamil said that the Mongols would never have been able to defeat the Alans if they had been united at that time. And from history we know that when the Mongol-Tatar hordes approached the territories of the Alans, they did not act together, together against a common enemy, as a result of which they were defeated separately. The lessons of history should never be forgotten. He told a lot of interesting things about the Scythians. Speaking about them, he quoted ancient military leaders who said that the Scythians had so much gold that it was impossible to bribe them with anything, and then defeat them. And here Shamil pointed to our great ægdau. He pinned all his hopes on the fact that the principles by which our glorious ancestors were brought up and lived would finally become the fundamental concepts in the life of the people.

One could listen to Shamil talking about the Ossetian language, literature and culture for hours. Everything that was associated with these concepts was paramount for him. He spoke with bitterness that some representatives of the Ossetian intelligentsia from high stands shout and teach others that the Ossetian language must be learned, developed, etc. And the children themselves are not able to formulate at least one thought in their native language. He said that if we forget our language, then in the north we will be called simply the population of North Ossetia.

Shamil was proud and admired the Ossetian language, and spoke it perfectly. Once he asked me about one of his works, how I liked it. When I answered that it was great, but there were many Ossetian words unknown to me, he smiled sadly and said that some words were incomprehensible not only to me. He sadly quoted Alexander Tibilov, saying that “iron lag” should think and formulate his thoughts in the Ossetian language. And when he cannot do this, he loses a lot...

Speaking about the scientific works of Alexander Tibilov, he noted with bitterness that despite the fact that so much time has passed since Alexander Tibilov worked on them, many problems of the Ossetian language have still not been resolved. But there were problems that have become even more acute today. To resolve the accumulated issues, he himself did a lot. However, Shamil always said that without a serious, well-thought-out state program for the development of the Ossetian language, we will not succeed.

“The intelligentsia of the north and south of Ossetia must work together on all these issues, otherwise there will never be a proper result,” he said.

Once, on my next visit, I found a man in his office who showed him two small books in a beautiful case. He told him with admiration that these were works of Ossetian and Georgian writers, which were published so that the “brotherly” peoples of Ossetia and Georgia would “understand” each other. This “comrade” wanted to give books to Shamil. Shamil turned in his chair and picked up the same copy from the trash can. I remember his eyes, which were full of sadness and sadness. When we were left alone, he was silent for a long time, and then started talking about how far some “respected scientists” had sunk, what they had become. “The wounds of the August war have not yet cooled down, and these... are already ready to be friends with the murderers of our people!” he said with pain in his soul.

“Today in Ossetia there are many people who have achieved great success in their work and career. They are educated and occupy high positions. But Lægau-Lægtæ as it was before, we have very little left,” he said sadly. The word Lægau-Læg has always been a very lofty concept in Ossetia. To earn this title, one had to do a lot of good things for one’s people.

I often had to listen to his opinion about the problems of young people. Here he was very worried and thought about the future of the Ossetian youth. Shamil said that despite the fact that today many representatives of the older generation scold youth for not being the same as before, he was sure that our youth are very good. “If it weren’t for the young guys, who would have been able to resist the Georgian fascists! 20 years of war is an eternity. What good things have they seen over the years? Just the horrors of war!” he said.

To raise a worthy generation, we need to return to our roots. Since ancient times, all nations have been jealous of how well-mannered and wonderful our youth are. And once again he spoke about the Ossetian ægdau. Without this we have no right path.

During our last meeting, Shamil said that he was very annoyed by threatening phone calls against him. However, there was no fear in his eyes. “I’m already an old man, and they want to intimidate me,” he said. It was painful to watch how he was worried...

The news of the terrible death of Shamil Dzhikaev shook the whole of Ossetia. It was as if the people were orphaned overnight. Everyone who knew him was shocked by the tragic news. Many people did not yet understand who Ossetia had lost. Lagau-Lægtæ people like Shamil Dzhikaev are born in Ossetia probably once every hundred years. They remain in the memory of the people because they completely devote themselves to serving the high ideals of goodness and justice.

We, citizens of Ossetia, are obliged to perpetuate their bright names for future generations! In honor of Shamil Dzhikaev in Tskhinvali, memorial evenings were held in some schools and at the Ossetian department of South Ossetian State University. Thanks to those who organized these events.

However, perhaps the time has come to immortalize his name in South Ossetia, according to his great services to the Ossetian people. I am sure that the majority of our citizens will support me in the fact that it is necessary to erect a monument to Shamil Dzhikaev in Tskhinvali, and also to name one of the city streets after him...

In 2012, South Ossetian State University staff organized and held evenings in memory of Alexander Tibilov and Vladimir Ikaev. Everyone knows what level they passed. The third evening was to be dedicated to the memory of Shamil Dzhikaev. However...

To educate new generations in the best traditions of our people, we need the names of our Lægau-Lægty so that they are known to everyone. Their service to their people should be exemplary.

Thanks to all this, we will be able to revive our Ossetia.

Shamil! Dæ næ Ira arvy styaly!
Dæ nyhas ta now u ræsugd, fælmæn,
Dæ zonæy zærdæ rukhs tæmæn kuy kala.
Uæd now, næ nyfs, kuyd babyn dæ, tsæmæn?!
Dy uarztai Ira, adæmy, næ kon,
Dæ huydy ta uyd rast æmæ nærton.
Næ nybbarstay zyd birægæn
yah-tona,
Skodtai son of læjy akkag tærkhon.
Uydtæ næ zækhhyl dy ætsæg lægau-læg,
Zydtay alanty kad æmæ ægdau.
Dælækh nykhaua, usæn, dæ maræg.
Fælæburdta dæm tugmondag syrdau.
Dæ nom uydzæn næ kæstærtæn tyrysa,
Æmæ myggagmæ bazzaidzæn tsærgæ.
Æmæ ma znag Irystonmæ kuy byrsa, -
Dæ tokhi zaræg huysdzæn uæd nærgæ!

In 1856, N. A. Nekrasov’s collection was published, where his programmatic poem “The Poet and the Citizen” was published. The poem appeared at a time of intensification of the social struggle in Russia on the eve of the 60s. Nekrasov revealed his poetic program in it, expressed his views on the duty of a poet: to be a citizen, a faithful son of his homeland and people. The son cannot look calmly at the grief of his dear mother; a citizen worthy of his homeland will not be cold in soul. The question of what a poet should be, what his role in society is, what the tasks of poetry are, have more than once been the subject of fierce debate in Russian and world literature. Long before Nekrasov, V. Zhukovsky asked: “Who is a poet?” And he answered: “A skillful liar. To him is glory and crown.”

According to A. Fet, life and art are two different worlds, between which there is no connection. “I am not a poet, but a citizen!” - exclaimed Ryleev. Pushkin, comparing the poet with a prophet, called on him: “With a verb, burn the hearts of people!” Lermontov regretted that the poet’s voice no longer sounds “like a bell on the veche tower in the days of national celebrations and troubles.” Nekrasov, like his predecessors, considers serving the homeland and people the main task of poetry: Be a citizen! Serving art, live for the good of your neighbor. A fairly traditional image of a thunderstorm also appeared in the poem as a symbol of the approaching revolutionary storm: But the thunder struck; the storm groans and tears the rigging and tilts the mast.

The author sharply contrasts the positions of two people: the passionate citizenship of one and the withdrawal from public interests of the other. Nekrasov believes that a poet who refuses to serve... society becomes fruitless, since the source that feeds true poetry disappears. The second and, rather, the main character of the poem is a citizen. He turns to the poet, who was exhausted in the struggle and “humbly folded his hands,” with a call that was perceived as a call to all honest people: Go into the fire for the honor of the fatherland, For conviction, for love. Go and perish impeccably. The citizen's monologues reminded readers of the 50s and 60s of the 19th century of the poetry of the Decembrists, the freedom-loving poems of Pushkin and Lermontov.

The poet and the citizen seem to have switched roles: the citizen speaks like a poet, since he preaches high ideals, and the poet speaks like a person immersed in the prose of life. But in the poet’s last monologue we hear something different. Irony and indifference disappear. They are replaced by grief and repentance. We understand that the citizen’s words fell on fertile soil. Nekrasov remained faithful to the thoughts expressed in the poem “Poet and Citizen” throughout his life. In the poem “Elegy” (1874), the poet wrote: I dedicated the lyre to my people, Perhaps I will die unknown to them, But I served them - and my heart is calm.

For many poets of the 19th and 20th centuries, the civic orientation of Nekrasov’s poetry became an undoubted creative and aesthetic example. Thus, Mayakovsky declared: I am a leader of the people and at the same time a servant of the people. M. Isakovsky, A. Tvardovsky, K. Simonov and other poets experienced the influence of Nekrasov’s poetry. In our time, which is breaking many ideological, social, aesthetic canons, Nekrasov’s poetry has not lost its civic significance, offering us high examples of patriotic lyrics, which, unfortunately, have ceased to be popular in modern literature.

“So you may not be a poet, but you must be a citizen. What is a citizen? A worthy son of the Fatherland.” ============================================================ - These lines from the poem Nekrasov "The Poet and the Citizen" let's start a conversation about the citizen, about his role in the fate of the state.

Historically, a person cannot exist outside of society; to be isolated from society is to not express yourself anywhere, not to take part in anything, to be cut off. A person who is accepted by society can easily find his place in it, be active and productive, and most importantly, be useful. Throughout history, man has been fighting for his rights. Everyone wants to improve their position in society, everyone wants their opinion to be heard, everyone wants to be free to choose. Citizens of every state strive to improve their rights and freedoms. This requires participation in management, participation in various power structures. “Everyone who has contributed to the prosperity of the country, either through physical or moral labor, is a noble and useful citizen.” (Jan Chechot) The concept of “citizen” is firmly connected with the concept of “state”. And being a citizen of another state is not at all the same as being a citizen of your own country. In everyday life, a person does not often think about what it means to be a citizen. It is very important to remember that we are citizens of a Great Country and a Powerful Power. The prosperity of the country is achieved through the efforts of all citizens, including mine. To be a citizen of Russia means to be its patriot. But you need to love Russia not in words, by uttering loud phrases. Only through his deeds can a person prove his love for his Motherland. Obtaining a passport puts everyone on a par with the great citizens of our state: the President of Russia, outstanding scientists, athletes who have achieved Olympic gold, and increases their own responsibility for their actions. To be a citizen means to have an active life position, not to sit back, not to remain silent, and not to shift your responsibilities onto the shoulders of others. This is to actively participate in the political life of the country

The word “politics” comes from the Greek word Politika, which means “state affairs”, “the art of government”. Depending on the policies pursued by the state, people live worse or better. Therefore, all segments of society are interested in ensuring that government policy takes into account their interests. The word “politics” has long made many people sick. This is bad. It’s bad when citizens consider this area a garbage dump where decent people should not meddle, leaving everything to the narrow “political elite.” In practice, such a position, called absenteeism, strengthens a certain political line and can cause damage to the state. However, there are many examples when people who are not at all interested in politics suddenly “wake up” and say: “enough is enough!” - and then they become active participants in political processes.

“As soon as anyone talks about the affairs of the state: “What is that to me?” - it should be considered that the state has perished." (Jean Jacques Rousseau) Political participation is the actions of a citizen in order to influence the adoption and implementation of government decisions, the selection of representatives to government bodies. Conditions under which a person can consciously participate in political life: 1) Upon reaching the age of majority (18 years old) 2) Glasnost. People must receive reliable information about the work of government bodies in order to draw the right conclusions and form their own opinions. 3) The ability to independently navigate political information, collect it, systematize it, correctly evaluate it, form one’s beliefs, etc. 4) Participation in referendums and elections with the right to one vote. 5) Participation in peaceful demonstrations and rallies, processions and picketing (without weapons), to protest against government policies or any political actions. All these conditions determine the political culture of each individual person. There are people who are fundamentally not interested in politics, but it cannot be said that they are not interested in prices in stores or travel on public transport. But this is the same policy; the standard of living of the population depends on it. Therefore, you cannot neglect your choice, you must go and vote, you must take part in the political life of your country, thereby fulfilling your civic duty. Everything comes from the family. The family is the primary unit of society in which the individual develops. In order for a person to have his own civic position and participate in the political life of the country, parents must instill in their child from childhood the opinion of the need for social activity, citing themselves as an example. If no family member has ever voted in an election or been interested in politics, the child will naturally accept this behavior pattern and reproduce it as he grows up. - One cannot but agree with the words: “Only a free citizen has a fatherland; a slave, a serf, a subject of a despot have only a homeland.” (Anatole France (1844-1924), French writer) “You must first be a bad citizen in order to then become a good slave.” (Charles Montesquieu (1689-1755), French philosopher)

At a meeting of the Valdai international discussion club, Putin said: “For Russians, for Russia, the questions “who are we?”, “who do we want to be?” sound louder and louder in our society. It is obvious that our movement forward is impossible without spiritual, cultural, national self-determination, otherwise we will not be able to withstand external and internal challenges, we will not be able to succeed in the conditions of global competition. And today we see a new round of such competition.The main directions of today's competition are economic-technological and ideological-informational. Both military-political problems and the military-political situation are aggravating. The world is becoming more and more tough, sometimes not just international law is rejected, but even basic decency. You need to be strong in military, technological, economic terms, but the main thing that will determine success is the quality of people, the quality of society, intellectual, spiritual, moral. After all, in the end, economic growth, well-being, and geopolitical influence are derivatives of the state of society itself, on how much the citizens of a particular country feel like a single people, how rooted they are in their history, in values ​​and traditions, and whether they are united by common goals and responsibilities. In this sense, the issue of acquiring and strengthening national identity is truly of a fundamental nature for Russia. After 1991, there was an illusion that a new national ideology, an ideology of development, would be born as if on its own. The state, the authorities, the intellectual and political class practically withdrew from this work, especially since the old, official ideology left a heavy sore throat. And in fact, everyone was simply afraid to even touch this topic. In addition, the absence of a national idea based on national identity was beneficial to that quasi-colonial part of the elite who preferred to steal and withdraw capital and did not connect their future with the country where this capital was earned. Practice has shown that a new national idea is not born and does not develop according to market rules. The self-organization of the state and society did not work, as did the mechanical copying of other people's experience. Such crude borrowings and attempts from outside to civilize Russia were not accepted by the absolute majority of our people, because the desire for independence, for spiritual, ideological, and foreign policy sovereignty is an integral part of our national character. We also understand that identity, the national idea cannot be imposed from above, cannot be built on the basis of an ideological monopoly. This design is unstable and very vulnerable, we know this from our own experience, it has no future in the modern world. What is needed is historical creativity, a synthesis of the best national experience and ideas, an understanding of our cultural, spiritual, political traditions from different points of view with the understanding that this is not a frozen something given forever, but a living organism. Only then will our identity be based on a solid foundation, will be directed to the future and not to the past. This is the main argument in favor of the fact that the issue of development ideology must be discussed among people of different views who hold different opinions about what and how should be done in terms of solving certain problems. All of us: the so-called neo-Slavophiles, neo-Westernists, statists and so-called liberals - the whole society - will have to work together to form common development goals. We need to get rid of the habit of hearing only ideologically like-minded people, out of the gate, with malice, or even hatred, rejecting any other point of view. You can’t even throw, but kick, the future of the country like a soccer ball, plunging into rabid nihilism, consumerism, criticism of everything and everyone, or hopeless pessimism. And this means that liberals must learn to talk with representatives of leftist views and, conversely, nationalists must remember that Russia was formed precisely as a multinational and multi-religious state from its first steps, and that, calling into question our multinationality, starting to exploit the theme of Russian, Tatar , Caucasian, Siberian and any other nationalism and separatism, we are embarking on the path of destroying our genetic code. In essence, we begin to destroy ourselves. The sovereignty, independence, and integrity of Russia are unconditional. These are the “red lines” that no one should cross. Despite all the differences in our views, a discussion about identity and the national future is impossible without the patriotism of all its participants. Patriotism, of course, in the purest sense of the word.

We have virtually no family that was spared the troubles of the last century. Questions regarding the assessment of certain historical events still split the country and society. We must heal these wounds, restore the integrity of the historical fabric. You can no longer engage in self-deception, crossing out unsightly or ideologically inconvenient pages, breaking the connection between generations, rushing to extremes, creating or debunking idols. It's time to stop noticing only the bad in history and scolding ourselves more than any of our ill-wishers will. Criticism is necessary. But without self-esteem, without love for the Fatherland, this criticism is humiliating and unproductive. We should be proud of our history, and we have a lot to be proud of. Our entire history, without exception, should become part of Russian identity. Without recognition of this, mutual trust and the movement of society forward are impossible. The formation of civil identity based on common values, patriotic consciousness, civic responsibility and solidarity, respect for the law, involvement in the fate of the Motherland without losing touch with one’s ethnic and religious roots is a necessary condition for maintaining the unity of the country. Without concentrating our efforts on the education and health of people, on the formation of mutual responsibility of the government and every citizen, on restoring trust in society, we will lose in historical competition. Citizens of Russia must feel like responsible owners of their country, their region, their small homeland, their property, property and their lives. As for what kind of power there should be in Russia, this should be determined by Russian citizens, and not by our respected colleagues from abroad." - The worldview of a citizen of Russia, in the history of which there are many Heroes and Feats, should be laid down in the family. This is facilitated knowledge of the history of the country and their family, each of which was affected by the Great Patriotic War. But today many children do not know both the history of that war and their ancestry. The collapse of the country, and the fraudulent change in the principles of organizing society and the economy, and the devaluation of the concepts of good and evil - everything worked against the Russians preserving their identity and realizing themselves as a single people. Every man for himself, where there is good, there is the Motherland, if you don’t deceive you, you won’t live. All these “principles” destructive for the Russian code were actively introduced by “life itself,” and on in fact, a narrow layer of those who benefited from consolidating their position as a “new aristocracy”, a new “elite.” But there was Putin’s return to the Kremlin in 2012, and there was Crimea - and the wheel of Russian history came out of the swamp of “consumer civilization” and extinction . Russian civilization returned to its path, refusing to imitate others - for which it immediately received accusations that it “posed a threat to the world.” And then the “Immortal Regiment” appeared - not so much as a reminder that you cannot scare us, but rather as a help to us from our main wealth. Our history - both as a country, and as families, and as a people.

The memory of the ancestors who fought for their Motherland, who won, who died and survived in that war, became that anchor, that root, holding on to which Russians again realized their commonality - on top of material and social stratification, tastes and political views, attitudes towards socialism and Putin. This is a continuation of the Russian spring, a continuation of Crimea, a continuation of Russian transformation - the period of post-Soviet unrest is truly ending. The image of the future Russia is realized, felt, and begins to be formulated in the mass consciousness. Not yet specific drawings, just outlines, but the main thing is that a common point of view has been found for everyone, a point from which one can see the future. This is the memory of the ancestors who had the Victory of the 45th - a personal memory of each family and a common holiday for everyone. This interweaving of the personal and the general returns strength to the Russian people - because alone Russians cannot survive, they do not live. Over the past quarter of a century, people have lost the habit of even hoping for a common cause. Communism as a goal was abolished, the country was destroyed, all that was left was “everyone survives on their own.” The decline in strength and mood of the Russians was also due to the fact that in the 90s they managed to paint our entire history in black - and what is the history of your people and your country if not a continuation of the history of your family, your family? The past is shameful, the present is miserable, the future is hopeless - the people were being prepared for extinction. But the people resisted and won. The Russians understood, realized that they were no worse than others, just different. And the cloud of foreignness disappeared (let’s all become French), and self-confidence began to return. And they began to discover their history - countries, clans, families. And they saw that power that no one can defeat unless it destroys itself, that modesty that is innate, that honor and dignity that you cannot play with. They saw it in their ancestors, many of whom were seen only in photographs. It doesn’t matter what exactly our grandfathers and great-grandfathers were. It is important that we recognize their superiority over us and realize our duty to them. Each generation considers itself smarter, better and more interesting than the previous ones - this is the law of human nature. What can we say about the generations living in the “era of great changes” - there are so many opportunities opening up here. But in fact, all three current adult generations, regardless of the personal success or failures of specific people, found themselves in the position of losers. Precisely because under them the country collapsed, and the Russians turned out to be the largest divided people in the world - and everyone understood that this was our common fault before our ancestors. They didn’t save it, they didn’t save it, they let it go. The restoration, the return of Russians to history (their own - and therefore the world's) had to begin with an awareness of the merits of previous generations. And their main merit is saving Russia from the invasion of “half of Europe.” From understanding their feat comes respect for their views, and closer attention to their values ​​- and the realization that these are not theirs, but yours, that is, eternal values. Common to all those living next to you now and those who lived before you - for your people in the past and future. And then a common cause appears, a sense of comradeship, the memory of the past makes it possible to see the future - and again there is a single and indivisible Russian people. That’s why the “Immortal Regiment” is a real people’s movement: because with its movement it sets the Russian people in motion. Which made Victory Day also a day of national unity. Breaking which no one can now break is already ridiculous attempts to cling to at least something in the “Immortal Regiment”

“The Immortal Regiment” allows living Russians to pay tribute to those who defended their Motherland, to feel themselves involved in the great deed they accomplished, to demonstrate And respect is a sincere, popular feeling. This is an understanding of the sacrifice the Soviet people had to make, and of the fact that the war did not spare a single family in the USSR and in many other countries of the world. The Immortal Regiment stirred up a wave of memory about the heroes of the Great Patriotic War: army and navy veterans, home front workers and partisans, prisoners of fascist camps, blockade survivors, resistance fighters... About all those who made their personal contribution to the common cause of Victory over fascism. The meaning of the “Immortal Regiment” is the unity of us with our ancestors and our history, and the Great Patriotic War is inseparable from the First World War, whose direct continuation it became. And the people who honor and remember their ancestors who fought in the Great Patriotic War also honor their ancestors who fought in the First World War in the same way. The “Immortal Regiment” stood guard over Russian unity. That is, all of us. We must remember: a new war begins when a generation grows up that has forgotten the previous war. Our duty is to preserve and protect the memory of our heroes! - The thesis that we have no right to interfere in other people’s affairs was invented by liberals who firmly believe that everyone knows best how to live, even if this knowledge leads to the Maidan, tires, terrorist attacks and drug trafficking. Do you know why liberalism is so popular that it is even professed by some part of society, which is trying to convince itself of its own patriotism? Because you can do nothing! This is so great! You sit, do nothing, consider yourself a patriot, and it will all happen by itself!

Our “partners” are making the same mistake as all conquerors for centuries. It seems that Bismarck also said that simply knocking down the Russians is not enough. Our folk toy is Vanka-Vstanka. And Russia is mobilizing to fight back. Russian historians are digging out the truth from under a flood of lies. Russian publicists convey it to the people in simple and intelligible books, articles and words. Russian patriots formulate a new Russian ideology of patriotism. Russia’s state ideology is not only needed, it is vitally necessary. It is necessary to preserve the integrity of Russia, for its sovereignty, development, building a strong economy, to preserve its own historical path as an original country that is not someone else’s copy or raw material appendage. This was discussed in detail in the topic: “IF YOU DO NOT HAVE YOUR OWN PURPOSE IN LIFE, THEN YOU HAVE TO WORK FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS IT.” - Agree. Ideology sets goals for the state and society, determines ways to achieve these goals, inspires people to work to achieve goals, and protects the consciousness of citizens from misinformation from hostile ideologies. Russians need an alternative ideology to liberalism in order to protect Russia from any attempts to destroy it. - We need to achieve the status of an INDEPENDENT, SOVEREIGN COUNTRY. At the legislative level, this means changing the articles of the Constitution that enshrine at the constitutional level the slave position of Russia before the United States and Western countries. Only by changing the Constitution will the people be able to improve their well-being. We need a referendum. But this requires unity and a clear understanding of each person’s place in this process. PEOPLE WAKE UP! “And we must not stumble, stray from the chosen course, otherwise we will again have to start everything almost from scratch,” V.V. Putin. JOIN THE NODE! DEMAND A REFERENDUM on amending the Constitution of the Russian Federation! - THE PEOPLE made their choice and fulfilled their civic duty. In the elections of March 18, 2018, THE PEOPLE chose their future, their tomorrow - GRANTED RIGHTS TO THE NATIONAL LEADER V.V. PUTIN. Putin will definitely use this right in favor of the people - the proposed reforms will begin to take effect. NEW CHANGES ARE WAITING FOR US! But this does not mean that changes to improve life can now be expected with folded hands. Now it is necessary to fulfill a SPECIAL DUTY - to help and support your LEADER. (Read the topics: “Our special duty is that if someone especially needs our help, we must make every effort to help this person” "ALL OF US ARE THE REAL TEAM - THE WINNING TEAM! "" THERE IS A DESIRE - THERE WILL BE OPPORTUNITIES, THERE IS ACTION - THERE WILL BE RESULTS! ". - We ourselves made a mistake, a terrible mistake, in 1993. We were given a "Trojan horse" in the form of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, it contains clauses that allow outside manipulation of processes and laws in the country. Today, the main task of everyone who wants prosperity, peace and well-being for their country is to declare the need to change the main law of the country. Today this is only possible with the help of a REFERENDUM on changing it. Without the intervention of the broad masses in the process of returning sovereignty to our country, nothing "It is impossible to do. Everything has already been tried and today, as has always been the case in history, the liberation of the Motherland depends on each of us. Your attitude towards the parties and specific figures of power in our country does not matter, only your personal decision matters: to support the struggle for sovereignty or surrender to the world hegemon the USA and its allies. THE DESTINY OF RUSSIA DEPENDS ON THE VOICE AND ACTION OF EACH OF US! REMEMBER THIS! IF NOT YOU, WHO?

The key word for this week is “citizen.” The events of recent days force us to remember its only meaning, which was used in the 19th century. People who do not belong to any parties or official structures are uniting to save the Khimki forest and public garden in Kaliningrad from deforestation, and in Moscow, under the scorching sun, they are trying to prevent the demolition of the Alekseev estate. Reports of such manifestations of civic position and civic activity began to come more and more often from a variety of places.

And yet, the seemingly clear line from Nekrasov “you may not be a poet, but you must be a citizen” needs commentary today. In the Large Linguistic and Regional Dictionary “Russia”, prepared by the Pushkin Institute of the Russian Language, we read: “The word “citizen” also has a high political meaning - this is the name of a conscious member of society who cares about its welfare.”

In the modern Russian language, another meaning dominates, akin to what was designated as “subject” before the February Revolution of 1917. Word to the Doctor of Philological and Legal Sciences Elena Galyashina:

A citizen is a person who is in a certain legal relationship with the state, which is called “citizenship”

– A citizen is a person who is in a certain legal relationship with the state, which is called “citizenship”. That is, a person who has the entire set of rights, duties and responsibilities provided for by the Constitution. Therefore, the word “citizen” must be clearly connected with the concept of “citizenship”, which indicates the legal relationship between a person and the state, defines the totality of mutual rights, duties and responsibilities to each other of the state and its citizens. In more detail, citizenship is a person’s stable affiliation with a particular state. All this indicates that, on the one hand, the state guarantees its citizens certain rights and freedoms, protects them and their property from violence and arbitrariness. On the other hand, citizens are obliged to comply with the laws of the state and fulfill the duties established by it, with their work to contribute to the strengthening of the state, protecting its authority, and, if necessary, to defend it. It is the totality of rights and obligations that constitutes the political and legal status of any citizen, distinguishing him from foreign citizens and stateless persons.

- So in official documents. Why do you think the address “citizen” has become very stable, say, in prison life? Why do they address themselves as “citizen chief”?

– Because in the Russian language, unfortunately, there are quite a few forms related to address in general. Those forms that were previously accepted - “madam”, “master” - do not really take root on our soil. And the rather general name “citizen chief” is not associated with the legal interpretation of this word. Such treatment, which exists in the police or law enforcement environment, distances the person who is a suspect or accused from those involved in criminal prosecution. However, according to my observations, it is no longer customary to address people as “citizen chief”.

The official word "citizen" is an old one. Just as in the pair “city – city”, it corresponds to “citizen”, and in the Russian Middle Ages this was not just a resident of the city, but a free person with rights.