The horrific realities of modern Russia. Composition of the current century and the past century in the comedy Woe from Wit Ways of further development

"The current century" and "the past century" in A. S. Griboyedov's comedy "Woe from Wit" 5.00 /5 (100.00%) 2 votes

In the comedy "Woe from Wit" we can observe the clash of two different eras, two styles of Russian life, which is realistically shown by the author in his immortal work. The difference in the worldview of the old Moscow nobility and the advanced nobility in the 10-20s of the 19th century constitutes the main conflict of the play - the clash of the “current century” and the “past century”.
“The Past Century” represents in the comedy the Moscow noble society, which adheres to the established rules and norms of life. A typical representative of this society is Pavel Afanasyevich Famusov. He lives in the old fashioned way, considers his uncle Maxim Petrovich as his ideal, who was a vivid example of a nobleman from the time of Empress Catherine.

Here is what Famusov himself says about him:

He's not on silver
I ate on gold; one hundred people at your service;
All in orders; he drove forever in a train;
A century at the court, but at what court!
Then it's not what it is now...

However, in order to achieve such a life, he "bent over", served, played the role of a jester. Famusov idolizes that century, but chuv-. it seems to be going into the past. No wonder he laments: “Then it’s not what it is now…”
A prominent representative of the “current century” is Alexander Andreevich Chatsky, who embodies the features of the advanced noble youth of that time. He is the bearer of new views, which he proves by his behavior, way of life, but especially by his passionate speeches, denouncing the foundations of the “past century”, to which he clearly treats with disdain. This is evidenced by his words:

And sure enough, the world began to go stupid,
You can say with a sigh;
How to compare and see
The current century and the past century:
Fresh tradition, but hard to believe;
As he was famous for, whose neck often bent.

Chatsky considers that century a century of "submission and fear." He is convinced that those morals are a thing of the past and now hunters to scoff "laughter frightens and keeps shame in check."
However, everything is not so simple. The traditions of bygone days are too strong. Chatsky himself turns out to be their victim. He, with his directness, wit, impudence, becomes a revolter of social rules and norms. And society takes revenge on him. At the first meeting with him, Famusov calls him "carbonari". However, in a conversation with Skalozub, he speaks well of him, says that he is “small with a head”, “writes nicely, translates”, while regretting that Chatsky does not serve. But Chatsky has his own opinion on this matter: he wants to serve the cause, not individuals. So far, apparently, in Russia it is impossible.
At first glance, it may seem that the conflict between Famusov and Chatsky is a conflict of different generations, a conflict of “fathers” and “children”, but this is not so. After all, Sophia and Molchalin are young people, almost the same age as Chatsky, but they fully belong to the “gone century”. Sophia is not stupid. Chatsky's love for her can serve as proof of this. But she absorbed the philosophy of her father and his society. Her chosen one is Molchalin. He is also young, but also a child of that old milieu. He fully supports the morals and customs of the old lordly Moscow. Both Sofia and Famusov speak well of Molchalin. The latter keeps him in the service, "because business", and Sophia sharply rejects Chatsky's attacks on her lover. She says: Of course, he does not have this mind, What a genius for others, but for others a plague ...
But for her, the mind is not the main thing. The main thing is that Molchalin is quiet, modest, helpful, disarms the priest with silence, will not offend anyone. In short, the perfect husband. We can say that the qualities are wonderful, but they are deceitful. This is just a mask behind which his essence is hidden. After all, his motto is moderation and accuracy, ”and he is ready to“ please all people without exception, ”as his father taught him. He goes persistently to his goal - a warm and moneyed place. He plays the role of a lover only because it pleases Sophia herself, the daughter of his master. And Sophia sees in him the ideal of a husband and boldly moves towards her goal, not being afraid of “what Princess Marya Aleksevna will say.”
Chatsky, getting into this environment after a long absence, is initially very friendly. He strives here, because the “smoke of the Fatherland” is “sweet and pleasant” for him, but this smoke turns out to be carbon monoxide for him. He meets a wall of misunderstanding, rejection. His tragedy lies in the fact that on the stage he alone opposes the Famus society.
But in the comedy Skalozub's cousin is mentioned, who also “stranges” - “suddenly left the service”, locked himself in the village and began to read books, but he “followed the rank”. There is also a nephew of Princess Tugoukhovskaya "chemist and botanist" Prince Fedor. But there is also Repetilov, who is proud of his involvement with some kind of secret society, whose entire activity boils down to “make noise, brother, make noise”. But Chatsky cannot become a member of such a secret union.
Chatsky, apparently, is not only the bearer of new views and ideas, but also advocates new standards of life. After all, he traveled through Europe, which was experiencing revolutionary ferment. The comedy does not directly say that Chatsky is a revolutionary, but this can be assumed. After all, his surname is “speaking”, it is consonant with the surname of Chaadaev.
In addition to the public tragedy, Chatsky is also experiencing a personal tragedy. He is rejected by his beloved Sophia, to whom he "flew, trembled." Moreover, with her light hand, he is declared crazy.
So, Chatsky, who does not accept the ideas and customs of the "past century", becomes a troublemaker in the Famus society. And it rejects it. At first glance, rightly so, because Chatsky is a mocker, a wit, a troublemaker and even an insulter. So, Sophia says to him: Have you ever laughed? or in sadness? Mistake? Did you say good things about someone?
But you can understand Chatsky. He experiences a personal tragedy, he does not find friendly sympathy, he is not accepted, he is rejected, he is expelled, but the hero himself could not exist in such conditions.
"Current age" and "past century" clash in comedy. The past time is still too strong and gives rise to its own kind. But the time for change in the face of Chatsky is already coming, although it is still too weak. ““The current age” replaces the “past century”, for this is an immutable law of life. The appearance of the Chatsky Carbonari at the turn of historical eras is natural and logical.

Russians [stereotypes of behavior, traditions, mentality] Sergeeva Alla Vasilievna

§ 1. New realities and values in post-Soviet Russia

"Not knowing the ford, but bang into the water"

"What is the age, such is the man"

Russian folk proverbs

It has become commonplace to say that over the past 10 years Russia has changed a lot, and with it the consciousness and behavior of Russians have changed. Summing up the "revolutionary" changes in Russia, many analysts point to the main thing - the deterioration of the quality of life in it. There are objective reasons for this.

Analysts note, for example, that after the collapse of the USSR, Russia lost the warmest parts of its territory - the southern and western (in general, a quarter of the territory), lost half of the population, 40% of the gross national product. Its natural resources are located in the harsh climate zone. Extraction of 70% of oil and gas is much more labor intensive than in other regions of the world. In terms of GDP, Russia has slipped into the second hundred countries of the world. According to calculations by Interfax experts based on Russian government statistics, Russian GDP has declined by 27% over the past decade. Industrial production decreased by 35%, investments in fixed assets decreased by 3 times. The real cash income of Russians, adjusted for inflation, almost halved over the decade (1992–2001), by 47%.

The media often talks a lot about negative demographic processes, about the rapid decline in the population and the deterioration of its health. For example, the population of Russia annually decreases by approximately one million people, the mortality rate exceeds world indicators by 2.5 times. A fatal role in this is played by traffic accidents (half of which are collisions with pedestrians) and drunkenness. The following figures are known: in Russia, on average, a man lives less than 58 years, and a woman lives less than 73 years. According to these indicators, life expectancy in Russia is lower than in Mongolia, Vietnam, and Egypt. And in terms of life expectancy for men, it competes only with Botswana or Lesotho.

Let us cite the opinion of Academician I. Arnold in the Izvestia newspaper: “A reduction in average life expectancy by 10 years is equivalent on the scale of Russia to the one-time effect of the execution of about 40 million citizens.” Such figures and facts are exploited in many media, driving people into depression and intimidating the population of the country and its neighbors. However, the business of journalism is a topic for a separate book.

And at the same time, it is impossible not to notice the cardinal changes in Russian society, to which its citizens are beginning to get used to and often take for granted, easily forgetting such terrible realities as the Gulag, the strict ideological and political control of the partocracy over all spheres of personal and public life, and general poverty. , food cards, exorbitant queues for the most essentials and much more.

After all, the mere mention of some of the bygone realities of the “soviet” life evokes the nightmare of those years: “battle for the harvest”, “call from above”, “distributor”, “dissident”, “objective”, “a kilo in one hand”, “fifth item”, “personal matter”, “blat”, “non-alcoholic wedding”, “exit trade”, “exit characteristic”, “get out from under the floor”, “sausage train”, “limitchik”, “grocery set” and more much more…

Today in Russia there is something that several generations of Russians had no idea about: for example, a liberal constitution, free elections, a multiparty system, an opposition, a parliament, free media without censorship, uncensored book publishing, unhindered entry and exit from the country abroad, freedom of conscience, the rise of liberal education, entrepreneurship and any private initiative, complete cultural freedom, theatrical and publishing boom, and much more.

It is extremely rare for journalists and politicians to mention that since 1998 every third family in Russia has its own car (that is, the fleet of private cars has increased fivefold!); that in recent years 32,000 kilometers of roads have been added here, and still there are constant traffic jams on them; that the number of home phones increased by 40%, and the number of international calls increased 12 times.

Child mortality, which has risen in recent years, has again reached the level of 1990. Young people, who 3–4 years ago did not want to study and preferred to “do business” (trade in kiosks), are now rushing into institutions and enduring competitions of 15 people for place! Today in Russia there are 264 students per 10,000 inhabitants, which is 20% higher than the best figures of Soviet times.

Yes, and the Russians themselves, answering the direct question “Has your well-being changed over the past year?” in the majority, they did not give panicky answers: half of them simply improved their well-being, 20% did not change, and only 11% of the citizens “visibly worsened”, and 15% “slightly worsened”. As we can see, even Russians who are not inclined to optimism, in general, do not give rise to catastrophic conclusions. Moreover, the political and economic situation in Russia is changing so rapidly all the time that any figures become outdated in two or three years.

A look at the new realities of Russian life in the last 10–15 years also unwittingly brings to mind the image of a “roller coaster” with their unpredictable turns and rapid changes. Yes, after perestroika, Russia suffered colossal losses in almost all spheres of life, but it did not die, it survived, and in some ways even went forward. And it is no coincidence that Russia is so often compared to the Phoenix bird: it rose from blood and ashes, was reborn when it seemed that an end had been put in its history.

In a word, from the inconsistency of the facts and assessments of Russian life, from the discordance of comments, it is just right for anyone to get confused. For the sake of objectivity, it would probably be more correct to compare life in modern Russia with a major overhaul in a house without the resettlement of residents. It is changing the roof, floors, pipes and plumbing, not to mention the redevelopment and renovation of apartments. But there is nowhere for residents to move, so millions of people who are unable to adapt to the changed realities have a hard time.

It seems that, speaking about the modern life of Russians, one cannot limit oneself only to the level of personal observations and “reflections”, no matter who utters them. Striving for an objective presentation, we will rely on the analytical study "10 years of Russian reforms through the eyes of Russians." This work was carried out by the Institute for Comprehensive Social Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Russian Independent Institute for Social and National Problems in cooperation with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (Germany). The concrete figures of the sociological study will give us the opportunity to understand what the people think, and how their views relate to the beliefs of the elite, which has access to the public platform. Polls were conducted from 1991 to 2001 throughout Russia. They allow you to see how people's views have changed over the course of 10 years of reforms on the widest range of issues - from attitudes towards entrepreneurship to sexual taboos. Some facts were unexpected even for the analysts themselves.

On the whole, it should be noted that the majority of Russians are depressed by the degradation of the country, which is observed in almost all indicators. It is no coincidence that negative assessments prevail in the characterization of the modern period of Russia: "crime and banditry", "uncertainty in one's future", "national conflicts", "corruption and bribery", "lack of spirituality", "difficult economic situation", "social injustice" are often mentioned. ”, “shame for the current state of the country”, “the injustice of everything that is happening around”, “the feeling that you can’t live like this anymore.” People are also worried about the fact that Russia is gradually moving to the periphery of world development. The feelings felt by the citizens of Russia can be defined as rejection, disagreement with what is happening.

The pessimistic responses of Russians must still be assessed taking into account the peculiarities of their special "optics" - the national character: this is fatalism, the ability to exaggerate the negative aspects of life, to fixate on them, as well as the lack of a close connection between the feeling of happiness and the material aspects of life (see about this Part I, § 5; Part II, Chapter 2, § 1; Chapter 3, § 1).

The negative assessment of the decade of reforms by the average Russian also implies the traditional Russian question: “Who is to blame?” The answer is complicated by the fact that for the first time in the thousand-year history of Russia, one cannot place the blame either on the Tatar-Mongolian yoke, or on the tsarist regime, or on the dictatorship of the CPSU. For the first time in the history of the country, 30% of Russians do not traditionally look for someone to blame, but believe that "they are to blame." Perhaps the most difficult thing is that the transition of society to a "market" economy and democracy was accompanied by the breaking of the old system of society, political, economic and social structures, as well as the stereotypes of behavior of citizens associated with them. The society, which seemed to be united from the outside, literally split into groups that have a polar orientation on almost all political, economic and social issues.

It is necessary to decide in what exactly the consciousness of Russians has changed? How have the traditional attitudes of consciousness and social behavior been transformed? How do they fit in with the new social relations? Which of the Russians adapted to the new conditions of life, and who could not? And why?

According to all classical criteria, modern society in Russia is a society of a transitional, transformational type. Analyzing the moods of people in such a society is not an easy task, since it is not easy to catch and explain transitional phenomena that are not yet fully structured, but are only outlined, taking a certain form.

This text is an introductory piece. From the book The Story of Beauty [Excerpts] by Eco Umberto

From the book History of World and National Culture author Konstantinova, S V

30. Science and literacy in Russia in the 16th century. The advent of book printing in Russia During this period, literacy developed in Rus'. Knowledge of writing and counting was required in many branches of activity. Birch bark letters of Novgorod and other centers, various written monuments

From the book Ethics: lecture notes author Anikin Daniil Alexandrovich

3. Ethical values Consider some basic ethical values. Pleasure. Among the positive values, pleasure and benefit are considered the most obvious. These values directly correspond to the interests and needs of a person in his life. Human,

From the book Secrets of the Samurai: Martial Arts of Feudal Japan by Ratty Oscar

From the book Verboslov-1: A book with which you can talk author Maksimov Andrey Markovich

VALUES Values are a kind of prize that we receive for the difficulty of moving along the path of life. Values are, of course, good. The problem is that because we are all different, we have different values. What is a reward for one is empty for another

From the book Lexicon of Nonclassics. Artistic and aesthetic culture of the XX century. author Team of authors

From the book From Edo to Tokyo and back. Culture, life and customs of Japan of the Tokugawa era author Prasol Alexander Fedorovich

From the book Cultural values. Price and law author Neshataeva Vasilisa O.

From the book All the Best That Money Can't Buy [A World Without Politics, Poverty and Wars] author Fresco Jacques

Chapter 2. NEW VALUES OF THE CULTURE OF THE FUTURE Any attempt to determine the future vector of the development of civilization must contain a description of the likely evolution of culture without embellishment, propaganda slogans and upholding national interests. We must reconsider

From the book of the USSR. Life after death author Team of authors

III. National-cultural construction in the USSR and post-Soviet

From the book of Taipei from the inside out. What guidebooks are silent about author Baskin Hell

From the book Parallel Societies [Two thousand years of voluntary segregation - from the Essenes sect to anarchist squats] the author Mikhalych Sergey

34/ New Religious Settlements in Modern Russia 34.1/ "Ringing Cedars", etc.

From the book Myths about China: everything you knew about the most populous country in the world is not true! by Chu Ben

From the book of the Cossacks [Traditions, customs, culture (a brief guide to a real Cossack)] author Kashkarov Andrey Petrovich

From the book Humanitarian Knowledge and Challenges of the Time author Team of authors

realities of the human universe. Ludwig Wittgenstein: the definition of the "primordial phenomenon" of the self If the great Goethe is right, and the individual carries infinity in himself, then the truth of the self depends on the ability to express this reality in the life path. The individual "grabs" some part

From the book Culturology author Khmelevskaya Svetlana Anatolievna

7.4. Soviet period of development of Russian culture. The current socio-cultural situation in Russia

Griboyedov consciously collides "the current century" and "the past century" in comedy. For what? In order to expose the problems of both centuries. And there are many problems in Russia - serfdom, the upbringing and education of young people, and promotion to ranks. The current century is represented by the young nobleman Chatsky, who was educated in Europe. He wants to apply his knowledge in Russia. But, alas, Russia lives in the past century with its terrible, ugly ulcer - serfdom. The past century is represented by conservative feudal lords headed by Famusov. They are not going to give up their positions without a fight. And now the swords of the verbal duel crossed, only sparks fly.

The first round is the attitude towards wealth and ranks. The youth is ready and wants to serve Russia. “I would be glad to serve, it’s sickening to serve.” This is Chatsky's slogan. And what can Famusov offer in response? A service that is inherited. His ideal is the dense uncle Maxim Petrovich (and where did he just dig him up)? He served under Catherine the Great, and it doesn't matter that he was a stupid jester.

Round two - attitude to education. Famusov's attack - education is not needed, it is scary like the plague. Educated people are dangerous and scary. But following the fashion, they hire foreign teachers. Chatsky retorts - he sees Russia as educated, enlightened, cultured. Something reminiscent of the ideas of the early Decembrists.

Round three - attitude towards serfdom. Chatsky is indignant - he does not understand how people sell people like cattle, change them, play cards on them, separate families, send them to distant cold Siberia. For Famusov, this is a common practice.

“The past century”, as is often customary in Russia, fights not according to the rules, not honestly. If you lose to the enemy, then you need to neutralize him for a while and take him out of the game. Everything is simply and tastefully done by the hands of a once beloved woman. In order not to interfere with her and others to live in the old way, she publicly slandered Chatsky, saying that he was mentally ill. Well, at least not violently mad, otherwise they would have been isolated from society. And what to take from a sick person. He doesn't know what he's talking about.

In fact, there is no one to support Chatsky. He has no associates, and one cannot cope with Famusov and his ilk. The play mentions people who, from the point of view of the Famus company, are strange. This is Skalozub's cousin who reads books in the village. Yes, Prince Fyodor, to whom the label "chemist and botanist" was firmly stuck. And what is funny and shameful in this is not clear. Repetilov secretly reports that he is a member of some kind of society. What they are doing there, no one knows. “We make noise,” as Repetilov himself puts it about his activities.

Humiliated, insulted, but not defeated, Chatsky has no choice but to leave this city and the people who slandered and rejected him.

Option 2

The story was finished by 1824. At this time, disagreements about views were growing between people in different strata of society. Literally a year later, the Decembrists rebelled, and this happened approximately because of a brewing problem. Those who supported everything new, reforms, changes in both politics and literature, became against conservative-minded relatives.

Approximately such a liberal-minded was Chatsky, who literally personified youth, ardor and desire for change. And Famusov, like all older people, was inclined to believe that “it used to be better”, and therefore advocated the preservation of this “before”. When Chatsky had to return to the capital, the first thing that struck him was that Sophia began to speak the same way as her father. The words of his beloved hurt, but the young man understood the power of propaganda, which fell on Sophia from her father in powerful waves.

Actually, the first clash between the "past century" and the "current" occurred on the basis of military service. For Famusov, service is just a way to earn money. What is remarkable: earnings at any cost. He does not care that sometimes he has to lie under the highest ranks, but Chatsky has a different attitude. Having said capaciously and a little rudely the phrase “I would be glad to serve, it’s sickening to serve,” he clearly explained his position. He literally abhors the blind worship of foreign things, servility, serfdom, which are so dear to the Famusov circle.

Famusov's friends, in turn, consider Sophia's beloved extravagant, insane, sloppy in actions and words, a dandy. And now, one can imagine how difficult it was for Sophia: on the one hand, the father promotes foreign writers and everything else, and on the other, the young man talks about the uselessness of foreign teachers.

Thus, through the mouth of Chatsky, Griboyedov himself spoke to the people about the need for changes. He tried in vain to convey that everything that is in Russia is already good, that there are teachers, much better than foreign ones. And creativity... The fact that creativity is better in Russia, Griboyedov decided to prove by his own example.

Some interesting essays

Genre Mtsyri Lermontov. What is this work?
"Mtsyri" refers to one of Lermontov's successful poems, it can be considered a model of Russian romantic poetry.
Theme of Freedom in Pushkin's lyrics Grade 9 essay
A.S. Pushkin lived in difficult times trying to change the course of history, which was reflected in his work. One of the themes of his poetry is freedom. She is very close to the poet. Movement for Liberation
Analysis of the poem Song about Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich, a young guardsman and a daring merchant Kalashnikov Lermontov essay
In “The Song about the Tsar, the Young Oprichnik and the Merchant” M.Yu. Lermontov managed to recreate with historical accuracy the life and traditions of the Russian people during the reign of Ivan the Terrible.
Composition based on the painting by Zhukovsky Autumn. Veranda 6 class
Stanislav Yulianovich Zhukovsky is an outstanding landscape painter and painter of the late 19th century. He was infinitely in love with the beauty of Russian nature and embodied all his passion in art. Each of his works is a masterpiece.
Composition Analysis of the story Tartuffe Molière
The playwright Molière lived in the 17th century at a time that we mostly imagine based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas "The Three Musketeers", but Dumas lived in the 19th century and was a novelist, and Molière wrote comedies and farces and was a contemporary of his characters.

The modern realities of Russia involuntarily evoke a cry from the heart of any person who is not indifferent to her future and present. The state of decay in which it found itself, Russia, dying in corruption, lawlessness and poverty, like the entire Russian people.

For clarity, I would like to cite some amazing figures and facts that clearly confirm that Russia is not in Europe and not even in Asia in many respects: in terms of corruption, life expectancy, investment in science, and the like, it is in Africa! It is even worth saying more - it is not the Russians who should be offended by such a comparison, but the Africans! The Africans have an explanation for their backwardness: for four centuries they were mercilessly exploited and destroyed by "aliens" - racists and colonialists, but who colonized the Russians, who rotted the Russians, except for the Russians themselves? ..

Mortality in Russia

Over the past 20 years, more than 7 million Russians have died out in Russia. According to this indicator, Russia is 50% ahead of Brazil and Turkey, and several times ahead of Europe.

Every year, Russia loses in terms of population an entire region equal to Pskov, or a large city such as Krasnodar.

The number of suicides, poisonings, murders and accidents in Russia is comparable to the mortality rate in Angola and Burundi.

In terms of life expectancy for men, Russia occupies approximately 160th place in the world, behind Bangladesh.

Russia ranks first in the world in terms of absolute population decline.

According to UN estimates, the population of Russia from the current 143 million people by 2025 will be reduced to 121-136 million.

The figures reflecting the family crisis in Russia are also appalling: 8 out of 10 old people living in nursing homes have relatives who can support them. But, nevertheless, they are sent to shelters! Relatives refused them.

Today in Russia there are from 2 to 5 million homeless children (after the Great Patriotic War there were 700 thousand of them).

In China, for 1 billion 400,000 thousand of the population, and only 200 thousand homeless people, i.e. 100 times less than in Russia! That's what children mean to the Chinese! But caring for the elderly and children is the key to a prosperous nation.

80% of the 370,000 children in orphanages have living parents. But they are supported by the state!

The Russian Federation ranks first in the world in terms of the number of children abandoned by their parents.

All these figures testify to the erosion and disintegration of family values in the country...

The statistics of crimes against children are also appalling. According to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in 2014, 100,000 minors became victims of crimes, of which 1,700 children were raped and killed (according to these figures, we are even ahead of South Africa). This means that every day 4-5 children are killed in Russia.

In 2015, 9,500 sexual crimes against minors were committed in Russia - 2,600 of them were rapes, 3,600 were non-violent sexual intercourse (in 2 years, sexual crime increased almost 5 times). Only South Africa is ahead of us in these crimes.

Drug addiction and alcoholism

30,000 Russians die every year from drug overdose (the population of a small town).

70,000 people die from vodka every year. In Afghanistan, 14,000 of our soldiers died during the war!

According to the World Health Organization, one citizen of the Russian Federation annually accounts for 15 liters of pure alcohol, despite the fact that if the consumption of pure alcohol per person is more than 8 liters, then there is a threat to the survival of the nation.

Corruption

The amount of bribes in Russia has multiplied tenfold, but the courts between Russian oligarchs in London have become a laughing stock for the world business community.

Impunity in the legal sphere has reached the point that a criminal case has been initiated against the lawyer Magnitsky, who died in prison, - that is, they decided to try a dead person who, of course, cannot defend himself! In Europe, a similar incident last happened in the 17th century, when Cromwell was dug out of the grave and hung up on the gallows - so to speak, justice, in pursuit!

In the annual study of Transparency International, Russia in terms of corruption in 2014 dropped to 154th place out of 178 countries. Neighboring, thus, with Guinea-Bissau and Kenya.

So, in the light of the above figures, we can safely talk about the decline of national morality - and, ultimately, the responsibility for this lies with those in power.

And now some dry facts, for example, does the average Russian know that:

Over the past 10 years, 11,000 villages and 290 cities have disappeared in Siberia.

The average density of Siberia and the Far East is 2 people per 1 sq. km.

The average density of the Central part of Russia is 46 people/sq. km.

The average population density of China is 140 people / sq. km

The average population density in Japan is 338 people/sq. km

For whom were Siberia and the Kuriles conquered and developed? For the Chinese or the Japanese, it turns out that way!

For a country with such a wealth of natural and water resources, it is shameful to have 50% of the population poor.

The above figures can easily overwhelm any sane person. It is safe to say that he knows about all the above facts - it is only interesting what he thinks about this?

Tragically, it is worth noting that, obviously, this is not the limit, not the worst, we have not yet touched the “bottom”, and the people have not yet matured to the ability to be horrified by themselves and, finally, to find the courage to ask, “where we are living?". The Russians sniffed the stench in the hallways and toilets! The Russians are accustomed to the fact that murders take place around them every day. The Russians are accustomed to the fact that people in Russian cities and villages are literally fighting for their lives.

The Kremlin only pretends to fight corruption by firing dozens of Interior Ministry generals, mid-level officials, and governors. He generously replaces their execution with a "deserved rest" in Dubai and the Cote d'Azur! Is the government seriously thinking in this way to put an end to corruption? But, on the other hand, all over the country you elect a candidate for local government who has “I am a thief” written on his forehead, and then you are surprised that the government is corrupt!

And the question arises unwillingly, should half of the nation really die out and the Russians should “shrink” to the Urals so that the people wake up (namely the people, and not a tiny group of thinking people!) And demand from the authorities not pleasant soothing news and regular promises, but the truth, and above all - recognition of how bad it is now! Remember: in 1941 there was a catastrophe - Stalin was forced to do this. In 1956, the Bolsheviks sensed that retaliation for decades of terror threatened, and Khrushchev was forced to do this.

And today it is approaching a demographic and moral catastrophe, which it has never experienced!

It is worth noting that the answer of the majority in this case is painfully predictable. It was voiced many times and it is absolutely obvious that if at least a third of those who read this article agreed with its content, then Russia would be a different country!

And so today there is only a forced statement of the horrifying realities of our time.

Oleg Rudenko