An absent-minded person.

How do we imagine a “typical scientist”? Tousled hair, an obsessive look and always something ridiculous: in behavior, in appearance. This image has been formed over the centuries due to the well-known absent-mindedness of great minds and their ability to get into funny situations. Here is our top 10 weird geniuses.

Thales of Miletus- philosopher, mathematician and astronomer, whose name opened the list of the “seven wise men”, the most respected Greek thinkers and figures. IN Ancient Greece people respected philosophers and philosophy as a science, but the phrase “if you are so smart, then why are you so poor” was also addressed to the great Thales. As a response to these reproaches (and these are reproaches about the uselessness of philosophy), Thales used his knowledge of astronomy and, to put it modern language, monetized them. So, thanks to the stars, the scientist concluded that a good harvest was coming, bought all the oil presses in Miletus for next to nothing in the winter and became rich from this. Thus, Thales proved: philosophers can easily make a fortune for themselves, but this does not bother them at all. And they care about one passion - science. This preoccupation with science made Thales a symbol of the absent-minded scientist. Characteristic story Plato spoke about Thales. One day, a sage, walking down the street, studying the night sky, became so fascinated by the stars that he fell into a hole. And in response to loud groans, the maid who accompanied him on his walk said: “Oh, Thales! Unable to see what is under your feet, do you think to know what is in the sky?

Professor William Archibald Spooner was a very noteworthy figure at Oxford University. The professor was an albino, but this is not what made him famous among his colleagues and students. Spooner's absent-mindedness was the stuff of legends. So, they say that he once wrote a letter to another professor asking him to come and provide some help, but at the end of the letter he added that the issue had already been resolved, no help was needed and there was no need to come. But the most important thing is his absent-mindedness in speech, thanks to which even a separate term, “Spoonerism,” appeared. This is the name for an accidental or intentional slip of the tongue when the syllables or sounds in two adjacent words in a sentence change, which affects the meaning. Famous Example from Russian literature - in the poem by S. Marshak “That’s how absent-minded”: “carriage, deeply respected.” Among the legendary spoonerisms of Sir Spooner himself, for example, is this: The Lord is a shoving leopard (Our Lord is a pushing leopard) instead of a loving shepherd (loving shepherd).

Isaac Newton. It is impossible to be such a brilliant scientist and at the same time attentive and adequate person. They say that Newton could get lost in his house on his way to dinner, and finding himself on the street, return to the room, but forget to eat. One day, leaving the living room to buy a bottle of wine to treat his friends, he forgot what he was looking for and automatically returned to his office and sat down to work (imagine the disappointment of his friends, who were unsuccessfully waiting for both Newton and wine). They say that in his absent-mindedness, Newton could leave the house not completely dressed, and only the obvious laughter of those around him forced him to assess the situation and return home.

Andre-Marie Ampère became the character of many historical jokes due to his absent-mindedness. For example, while walking near the Paris Academy of Sciences, Ampere stopped on the bridge, looking with interest at a small pebble that he noticed on his way. Taking his watch out of his pocket, he realized that he was late and quickly moved forward, throwing him into the water. expensive watch, putting the pebble in his pocket. Another time, while at the Academy of Sciences, Ampere complained to the chairman that a certain gentleman had taken his place. He was told with surprise that the place he was pointing to really belonged to “that gentleman”: Ampère, having forgotten where he had just sat, mistakenly claimed the place of Emperor Napoleon himself. But the most funny story another. Leaving the house, the scientist left a note on the door: “Amper will be home by evening.” Having freed himself much earlier, he returned home in the afternoon, but having discovered the note, he left in disappointment to wander until the evening. The scientist forgot that he, in fact, is Ampere himself.

Adam Smith- another outstanding scientist whose absent-mindedness has merged with his fame. One day during breakfast, while chatting animatedly with a visitor, Adam Smith put the sandwich he was holding in his hand into the teapot. Without noticing this, he immediately poured himself some tea, took a sip and exclaimed with displeasure that this was the worst tea he had ever tasted. Another time, absent-mindedness led him, like Thales, to his fall. The funny thing is that the scientist became lost in thought while inspecting a tannery and managed to fall into a waste pit.

Archimedes. Everyone knows his famous exclamation “Eureka!” Let's add more details to the episode. The creation of the great work “On Floating Bodies” is associated with the request of King Hiero. The king ordered a crown made of pure gold, but when he received it, he was worried whether the master had replaced some of the gold with a less valuable metal. And he asked Archimedes to find out what the crown was made of. The idea that this could be checked by immersing the crown in water came to Archimedes during bath procedures. Without hesitation, he joyfully jumped out of the bathhouse shouting “Eureka! Eureka!”, completely oblivious to his own nakedness. Such devotion to science may have played a fatal role for him: according to one version, the Roman soldier killed Archimedes because he was busy with his drawings, which greatly angered the Roman.

Alexander Borodin- a perfect example of how talented person talented in everything. The outstanding Russian composer, chemist and physician Borodin skillfully got into awkward situations due to absent-mindedness. Then at the border checkpoint he could not answer the official’s question about his wife’s name, and desperately asked her “Katenka, for God’s sake, what is your name?” Then he constantly forgot that he was not visiting, starting in the middle of the party to frantically get ready to “go home.” Then, dressed in military uniform with all the regalia, left the house, forgetting to put on his pants. They also say that Alexander Borodin lost most of of his symphony almost before the premiere - and was forced to rewrite it.

Pal Erdös, one of the most famous and prolific mathematicians of the twentieth century: in terms of the number of things he wrote scientific articles he has no equal among his contemporaries. Pal Erdős was known not so much as an absent-minded person, but as an eccentric scientist with in a special way life. The mathematician was nicknamed the “wandering scientist”: he spent his entire life on the road, moving from one scientific event to another. He would show up at the door with the words “my brain is open” and, after a fruitful scientific collaboration, he would hit the road again. It's no secret that he used drugs. His lifestyle and addiction to amphetamine added to his strange image. They say that he could fall asleep in the middle of a noisy party, and that he could not cook his own food or pay his bills: in general, he was not adapted to everyday life. But he had a wonderful sense of humor. So, when asked about his own age, he answered that he was 2.5 billion years old, arguing this as follows: “When I was very young, scientists thought that the age of the Earth was 2 billion years, but now it is believed that it is already 4.” .5 billion years."

Norbert Wiener, The American mathematician and philosopher, the founder of cybernetics and the theory of artificial intelligence, was a child prodigy: he defended his doctorate at Harvard University at the age of 18. There were myths about his forgetfulness at the University of Massachusetts. One day, a scientist called the police to report his car stolen, only because he didn’t remember where he parked. Having met a person at the university and got into a conversation, he could then check with the interlocutor in which direction he was heading in order to understand: if from the cafeteria, then he had already had lunch. One of Wiener's habits was to walk with his hand constantly touching the wall. According to Wiener, thanks to this you can always find a way out of the maze.

Jacques Hadamard, a French mathematician and mechanic, was completely immersed in science, which affected his relationship with reality. Here typical story: “Monsieur Hadamard, I see Madame Hadamard has already left the city.” - “But how did you guess?!” - “You have a tie under your right ear...” Detachment from worldly concerns almost played a role cruel joke with the scientist's family. During the German occupation of France, he was fortunate enough to emigrate with his entire family to the United States. But due to his absent-mindedness, Hadamard forgot his visas. Upon arrival in the United States, they had to spend some time in prison until their rights as emigrants were restored through the courts. True, after a successful court decision, Hadamard suddenly refused to leave prison: in the prison library he found most interesting book on American history and really wanted to finish reading it.

Once upon a time there lived an absent-minded man

On Basseynaya street.

He sat down on his bed in the morning,

I started putting on my shirt,

He put his hands into the sleeves -

It turned out that these were trousers.
S. Ya. Marshak

funny children's poem Samuila Marshak tells us about the awkward behavior of a man who either puts a frying pan on his head instead of a hat, or gets into an uncoupled carriage, setting off on a journey...

A seemingly harmless trait that evokes irony and laughter threatens with serious consequences for the safety of the soul. What is absent-mindedness? And who is he, an absent-minded man?

“If I were asked to describe my life in one word, it would be the word “tired.” And although there is no physical labor, there are no supernatural loads or health problems, I’m still deathly tired. It feels like the morning itself brings not vigor, but fatigue. But a cup of coffee, a shower, a couple of calls and my favorite tunes on the radio bring me to my senses and I start my day. A day that will again end with fatigue and the understanding that I didn’t have time to do anything, absolutely nothing..."

If our descendants made a film about us today, then the portrait modern man would be something like this: a middle-aged man, always in a hurry to get somewhere. He tries to avoid traffic jams in the city, choose shortest path to the intended place, he always half-runs, in a hurry, because he has a lot to do. He certainly has a telephone in his hands, this new organ of the modern man, which sometimes more important than the hand or even heads. A person speaks excitedly or types with quick, habitual finger movements. short messages. He always doesn't have time, he fusses. He tries to resolve all problems at the same time, and this rhythm of life makes him extremely tense.

Julius Caesar?

“Sometimes I hate my phone and all these gadgets. There's always something for me there. All kinds of applications are loaded onto my phone, and every now and then someone calls me, writes me, gets in touch. I literally sleep with my phone. Nowadays, no one can be surprised by the abilities of Julius Caesar; now many can do several things at the same time.”

Why does Marshakov’s absent-minded man do such strange things? Well, for example, why does he put gloves on his heels instead of felt boots, or why does he go to the cash register to buy a bottle of kvass?

If in real life If you ask an absent-minded person why this happened, the answer will most often be: “My head is full of things to do.” An absent-minded person is unable to concentrate on what he is doing. While doing some extremely important work, he will be distracted by questions that arise along the way. He will begin to solve them, and he will think about his abandoned work. While talking about “important” things, he will be distracted every now and then by calls, SMS and messages. social networks. Returning home after work, he will begin to think about problems at work, getting irritated with loved ones. When he comes to work, he will reproach himself for spending so little time with his family and not knowing at all how his relatives live. The point is that his thoughts are rarely occupied with what he is directly in at the moment does. Contrary to the words of the famous psychiatrist Karl Jaspers, who said that “a person becomes what he is thanks to the work that he makes his own,” a person is absent-minded at the same time everywhere and nowhere. “Giving yourself up to something” requires concentration of mind, will and mental strength, lack of fuss and presence of firmness. This is exactly what an absent-minded person lacks.

There are a lot of missed calls, SMS, and letters on his phone. He is horrified by the volume of cases and information that has collapsed, but deep down he desperately craves it. After all, this creates an image of oneself as a person in demand, necessary, and significant. No matter how much a person who is distracted may be indignant at the “heap of things to do” and at the fact that “everyone wants something from him,” in reality he is looking for it. This can be understood if you leave him without a phone and the ability to “solve matters.” The state of helplessness will quickly give way to irritation, which in turn will turn into despondency and even risks developing into depression.

Who is the absent-minded?

It may give the misleading impression that an absent-minded person is an extremely busy person. business man. In reality this is not entirely true. Absent-mindedness is a personal characteristic of a person who does not pay attention to himself and lives carelessly, giving in to momentary impulses. Therefore, someone who does not have all the benefits of civilization and lives a limited life can also be absent-minded. social life. You can often hear him complaining that “time flies” and goes to God knows where. And if the transience of time has always worried the mind and soul of a thinking person, then the question of where it goes and why the days are monotonous and filled with vanity is more often voiced by an absent-minded person. He will become distracted by every little thing when he gets out of bed. The list of important to-dos may remain a “dead” piece of paper, because there is no way to get to the task due to various unplanned stops on the way to the list. The problem is that the set goal remains only an external factor; the soul of the absent-minded is not given to anything in particular.

Absent-mindedness as a vice, of course, applies to both men and women - sin has no gender differences. Although, if you remember, initially a male hunter is prey-oriented, must have a quick reaction and look around, escaping from danger and following the trail of the “mammoth.” A woman, as the keeper of the hearth, has a different task: she sits at home and, delving into herself and her thoughts, is busy with what she sees in front of her: the hearth, the child, pressing everyday tasks. Perhaps this difference plays a role in the fact that a woman is by nature more inclined to introspection and soul-searching, while a man, to a certain extent, must “look around”, and it is perhaps more difficult for him to go deeper into himself for this reason.

Don't waste your time

“I don’t know how to rest and don’t even like it. More precisely, I am for active recreation, it would be more correct. Although sometimes strange things happen to me. It happens that I can sleep through the weekend. In the literal sense of the word. I’ll get up to drink tea or eat something and go back to sleep. Apparently, the body requires such rest. But, to be honest, I don’t feel rested at all. On the contrary, after such hibernation I am overcome by despondency, and I cannot immediately get into my usual rut. But life takes its toll, and through short time I’m back on horseback, and life is in full swing...”

An absent-minded person does not know how to rest. It’s not for nothing that one famous doctor said: “He who doesn’t know how to rest, doesn’t know how to work.” You need to be able to devote yourself to relaxation, just like your work. An absent-minded person will go on a tour, but there the first thing he will do is look for wi-fi, find out if there is satellite TV, leaf through magazines, just go shopping or drink alcohol. Even on vacation, he will habitually fuss, creating an aura of busyness, importance and exclusivity around himself. No matter how much he says that it’s a pleasure for him to lie down with a book in the middle of nature, he won’t be able to lie like that for long. Most likely, there will be something that distracts him again and again. The same will happen with the “domestic” absent-minded. He will open a book, turn on the TV, answer calls, in a word, do anything, just not to give himself up to at least a short time of rest.

Sometimes, however, an absent-minded person is knocked down by illness. He doesn't know how to get sick either. Any illness requires a person to concentrate on his physical condition, treatment, on oneself. For the absent-minded, this is punishment. He will say that he has no time to be sick, and, justifying himself with urgent matters, he will become accustomed to “doing something.” Probably, it was for him that all fast-acting drugs were created. The absent-minded have no time for pain! Everyone knows the destructive effect of “effective” quick pills on the organ system and the body as a whole. This is what happens to the soul of an absent-minded person who does not know how to endure hardships and sorrows. It is simply impossible for him to surrender to any one experience.

Is movement life?

“I am very satisfied with my position. On the one hand, I am a leader and I have people under me. On the other hand, I’m not the boss on whom anything really depends. My function is to keep control of everything that happens in our department. It takes a lot of effort – the human factor, you know...”
Despite the fact that an absent-minded person is seemingly constantly on the move, he is little capable of real action or action.

He will avoid situations where he is required to make a choice, make a decision, and then take responsibility for it. In such cases, he will begin to say: “Time will tell,” “Everything will work out on its own.” This may look like philosophy successful person, in reality, it is the fear of a concentrated, balanced decision, for which you will have to answer both in case of success and in case of failure. No matter how original and extraordinary an absent-minded person may be, he essentially lives like the majority or as he should. He simply does not have the mental and spiritual strength to look for something and then defend what he finds, even to himself. That is why he easily agrees with the opinion of his boss or any authority. He has a strong supply of “authoritative opinions” for all occasions. It is about him, an absent-minded man, that it is said that he is the master of his word: “he wanted - he gave, he wanted - he took back.” The reason for this is the lack of a value foundation, and in this case life will go “with the wind.”

Little nothings of life

“I love my wife. Of course, over the years the intensity of feelings has subsided, and I definitely miss what it was before. But she is an attentive friend, a caring housewife. I feel comfortable with her. But when I come to work, I see the sweet smile of our secretary. No torment or pangs of conscience, I smile at her and seem to invite her to light flirtation. Afterwards she is offended that I become cold. I tried to explain several times that my smiles, compliments and “talks about life” are just such a non-binding game, but I saw tears in her eyes. My wife is in the same spirit. He may be offended that I didn’t give him a glass of water or didn’t help him open the door. And I’m just amazed how she remembers everything! But the main thing is that there is a feeling that I love her. And all these little things, reproaches only spoil life..."

He will explain all his unfulfilled promises, gaps in memory, and inattention by being busy. He says that he loves, but at the same time he will forget what may be important to another. He will forget. Then he will apologize and say that his head was filled with another important task, that he was mentally planning a difficult conversation with his boss or calculating the monthly budget. Didn’t Clive Lewis write about absent-mindedness on behalf of Screwtape, giving advice to the young demon Gnusik on seducing a person: “The more often he is immersed in feelings not associated with action, the less capable of action he is and, ultimately, the less capable of feeling” . Along with the word “fatigue”, you increasingly hear the word “emptiness” from an absent-minded person, and it seems strange, seeing him so active life. But emptiness is an internal experience, not at all related to the way of life or type of activity.

Origins

Absent-mindedness, at first glance, looks like lack of will, atrophy of the will. When in reality we are dealing with what the Swiss psychiatrist R. Laing called the “split self.” A person’s personality seems to fall apart into many subpersonalities, a person has no integrity and runs into vanity, fleeing from meeting something important in himself. The subpersonalities of this “split self” cannot find each other common language. So, one part of him may want one thing, and the other – the exact opposite. That is why, when committing some act, he is able to repent of it and justify himself at the same time. It is as if there is an argument going on within him, and it is impossible to say that there is a “true self” in him, since he has long ceased to be the master of himself. Thus, with apparent activity absent-minded person, in essence, personally, he remains completely passive, inert, he is simply carried along by the whirlpool of life, in which he does not have time to ask himself the main questions. But he cannot think about this, since his life is filled with pseudo-meanings and a huge number of things to do, calls, contacts.

It is difficult to say whether absent-mindedness, like the wormhole of original sin, forced man to move further and further away from God, or whether falling away from God led to man running away from the place where he risks meeting his true self and consciously choosing his Path.

It is worth remembering that, as the philosopher put it, “in each of us there is an emptiness the size of God.” To peer into this emptiness, you need concentration, courage and faith that this emptiness will not absorb or dissolve. You can escape from the emptiness by escaping into the bustle of your affairs and rejoice that the anxiety has subsided. In essence, the black abyss of emptiness has grown to such a size that it has swallowed him up, and an absent-minded person runs around in the darkness, trying to convince himself that there is a wonderful, rich life around him.

You can start a dozen diaries and meticulously plan your day, month, life. You can take courses on time management, but all this will be like putting things in order in a house in which the foundation is collapsing.
“When anxiety and reluctance to understand the essence of this anxiety lead him away from true joy, when habit deprives him of the pleasure of fussy pleasures, and the excitement of feelings firmly binds him to them (fortunately, this is exactly how habit affects pleasure), you will see that his wandering attention can be attract anything. You won't even need to use good book, which he really loves, to keep him from praying, working and sleeping; An advertisement column from the evening newspaper is quite sufficient. You will make him waste time not only in conversations that are interesting to him with people he likes, but in conversations with those who are indifferent to him, on completely boring topics. Sometimes he won't do anything at all for you. You will keep him until late at night, not in a noisy company, but in a cold room, next to an extinguished fireplace. All his healthy external activity can be suppressed, and nothing can be given in return, so that in the end he can say, as one of my patients said when he arrived here: “Now I see that for most of my life I did not do anything that I should have done.” , not what I wanted,” we read from Lewis the same instructions of the experienced demon Screwtape on seducing a person from the Truth.

Afterword

I once had the opportunity to attend a colleague’s seminar as an assistant in a group psychological assistance for people suffering emotional burnout And chronic fatigue. My colleague is not a church person, but he is a seeker. When asked by one of the participants how to find oneself and “one’s own” in life, to my surprise, he pulled out the prayer of the Optina elders. In prayer, in his opinion, lies the answer to this question. Last words prayers “guide my will and teach me to pray, believe, hope, endure, forgive and love everyone” gave birth to silence in the group. And it was felt that in this silence there was no fuss, anxiety receded, and something important was born in the soul.

Anna Lelik

About a distracted and attentive life

The sons of the world recognize absent-mindedness as innocent, and the Holy Fathers recognize it as the beginning of all evil.

A person devoted to absent-mindedness has a very light, very superficial understanding of all subjects, even the most important ones.

An absent-minded person is usually fickle: his heartfelt sensations lack depth and strength, and therefore they are fragile and short-lived. Just as a moth flutters from flower to flower, so an absent-minded person moves from one earthly pleasure to another, from one vain care to another. An absent-minded person is alien to love for his neighbor: he looks indifferently at the misfortune of people and easily places unbearable burdens on them.

Sorrows have a strong effect on the absent-minded precisely because he does not expect them. He expects only joys. If grief is strong, but fleeting, then the absent-minded will soon forget it in the noise of entertainment. Long-term grief crushes him.

Absent-mindedness itself punishes those who are devoted to it: over time, everything becomes boring to him, and he, as someone who has not acquired any thorough knowledge or impressions, indulges in languid, endless despondency.

Leading a distracted life directly contradicts the commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ with his life.

All saints carefully avoided absent-mindedness. Continuously, or at least as often as possible, they concentrated within themselves, listening to the movements of the mind and heart and directing them according to the will of the Gospel.

Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov

Magazine "Family"

They are the ones who forget to take off their shoe covers when they leave the clinic, and splash their blue plastic feet to the delight of passers-by. They are the ones who, after searching for glasses for two hours and seething with frustration, find them on their foreheads. They are the ones crossing the road at a red light, counting migrating ducks in the sky. They are people from amazing tribe- scattered.

General facts

An absent-minded person absolutely cannot do anything about his behavior! His head is built that way. Thoughts are hovering somewhere far away, so he is very surprised to find himself unfamiliar street or at a physics lecture. After all, the absent-minded one just fought in his mind with King Arthur and even almost defeated him...

An absent-minded person has a lot of thoughts in his head at the same time, and his attention is dispersed. It is the absent-minded who forget the change in the store - 4 thousand 523 rubles for tip. Or, on the contrary, having taken the change, they return a couple of hours later and try to prove that they were not given anything, turning out their wallet and jacket pockets to be sure. A hole will certainly be discovered in your pocket, and the lost change quietly rustles and jingles in the lining. The absent-minded person becomes terribly embarrassed, apologizes profusely and runs off to get some chocolate.

An absent-minded person can spend the whole day wearing a T-shirt backwards and a hat turned upside down, without even noticing that they are giggling after him. Because right now the absent-minded one is inventing a perpetual motion machine, moreover, he almost invented it! But, what a shame, I rode on a banana peel near the house, got a bump and completely forgot what I was thinking about!

By the way, about cones. Absent-minded people often forget to look in the mirror, so they often become the object of ridicule. It is the absent-minded one who has “fool” written on his forehead with toothpaste in the pioneer camp, and he naively walks around with this decoration until lights out. Because while washing my face, I accidentally brushed my teeth three times, but forgot to wash my forehead.

The absent-minded person never remembers where he put his passport or policy, although he swore a hundred times to himself to have a separate folder for them. He got a daddy, but where is she? Or at least what it looks like? After many hours of searching, the treasured “daddy” is found in an old felt boot on the mezzanine, behind a jar of cucumbers, under a broken umbrella. The absent-minded man sighs with relief, takes out his passport and moves the folder to a more convenient place - under the bed, in a suitcase with nails.

How to get rid of absent-mindedness?

Absent-mindedness is the inability to concentrate on one thing and “having your head in the clouds.” The reasons may vary. A person may be a dreamer and a romantic by nature, who generally cares little about everyday issues. The second reason is fatigue and constant stress. If you don't get enough sleep, don't like your job, you're forced to take huge amount information, it is no wonder that the body malfunctions. This is defensive reaction- a tired, overloaded brain goes into hibernation and hangs a menacing “Do not wake up!” sign on the door.

In any case, you should follow a few rules:

1. Get good sleep and rest more. Go on vacation, and spend it not in front of the TV, loading your brain with unnecessary news and talk shows. It’s better to change your surroundings, go to the sea, or at least get out into nature more often. The nervous system will certainly say “thank you!”, and you will return to work as fresh as a cucumber.

2. Develop intellectually. But reading books, even very good ones, can even worsen absent-mindedness and completely drown the mind in the “world of dreams.” It’s better to solve crosswords and scanwords, solve a Rubik’s cube, play backgammon or chess. You can also help your younger brother solve problems in algebra and geometry. In general, do things that will improve your logical thinking.

3. Take your vitamins! It's worth drinking at least from time to time full course any multivitamin preparations. Things like Ginkgo biloba, ginseng, B vitamins, lecithin and good old Glycine are very beneficial for the brain. You can consult your doctor and he will prescribe special medications for concentration and memory.

4. Eat right. The brain loves nuts and dried fruits (especially dates), fresh vegetables (the leader is Brussels sprouts), oranges, pineapples, muesli, fish, kefir. You can even take additional fish oil. But our memory doesn’t like fast food in all its forms.

5. Make up your own rules. Be sure to follow at least some points: “before leaving, check the iron, stove and look in the mirror”, “count the change without leaving the cash register”, “carry the key strictly in the right pocket of your bag” (otherwise it’s lying around somewhere no hit!). For particularly absent-minded people, it is recommended to hang the rules on the front door.

The idea for this article came to me yesterday when I left the clinic in shoe covers (not for the first time, by the way...). So, it’s a little bit about me too. And maybe about you too. Good luck to all scattered people!

P.S. By the way, Albert Einstein was also terribly absent-minded. One day Einstein was walking down the street, thoughtfully, and met his friend. He invited him to his home:

Come to me in the evening, Professor Stimson will be with me."

The friend was surprised:

But I am Stimson!

Einstein responded:

It doesn't matter - come anyway.

Well, who will remember Professor Stimoson? Who remembers Einstein? Same thing.

Anna Glyanchenko

I like

• Russians folk talesRussian folk tales The world of fairy tales is amazing. Is it possible to imagine our life without a fairy tale? A fairy tale is not just entertainment. She tells us about what is extremely important in life, teaches us to be kind and fair, to protect the weak, to resist evil, to despise cunning and flatterers. The fairy tale teaches us to be loyal, honest, and ridicules our vices: boasting, greed, hypocrisy, laziness. For centuries, fairy tales have been passed down orally. One person came up with a fairy tale, told it to another, that person added something of his own, retold it to a third, and so on. Each time the fairy tale became better and more interesting. It turns out that the fairy tale was invented not by one person, but by many different people, people, that’s why they began to call it “folk”. Fairy tales arose in ancient times. They were stories of hunters, trappers and fishermen. In fairy tales, animals, trees and grass talk like people. And in a fairy tale, everything is possible. If you want to become young, eat rejuvenating apples. We need to revive the princess - first sprinkle her with dead and then with living water... The fairy tale teaches us to distinguish good from bad, good from evil, ingenuity from stupidity. The fairy tale teaches us not to despair difficult moments and always overcome difficulties. The fairy tale teaches how important it is for every person to have friends. And the fact that if you don’t leave your friend in trouble, then he will help you too...
• Tales of Aksakov Sergei Timofeevich Tales of Aksakov S.T. Sergei Aksakov wrote very few fairy tales, but it was this author who wrote a wonderful fairy tale “ Scarlet flower“and we immediately understand what talent this man had. Aksakov himself told how in childhood he fell ill and the housekeeper Pelageya was invited to him, who composed different stories and fairy tales. The boy liked the story about the Scarlet Flower so much that when he grew up, he wrote down the story of the housekeeper from memory, and as soon as it was published, the fairy tale became a favorite among many boys and girls. This fairy tale was first published in 1858, and then many cartoons were made based on this fairy tale.
• Fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm Tales of the Brothers Grimm Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm are the greatest German storytellers. The brothers published their first collection of fairy tales in 1812. German. This collection includes 49 fairy tales. The Brothers Grimm began writing down fairy tales regularly in 1807. Fairy tales immediately gained enormous popularity among the population. Obviously, each of us has read the wonderful fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. Their interesting and educational stories awaken the imagination, and the simple language of the narrative is understandable even to little ones. Fairy tales are for readers different ages. In the collection of the Brothers Grimm there are stories that are understandable for children, but also for older people. The Brothers Grimm were fond of collecting and studying folk tales back in their early days. student years. The fame of great storytellers brought them three collections of "Children's and family tales"(1812, 1815, 1822). Among them " Bremen Town Musicians”, “A Pot of Porridge”, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, “Hansel and Gretel”, “Bob, Straw and Ember”, “Mistress Blizzard” - about 200 fairy tales in total.
• Tales of Valentin Kataev Tales of Valentin Kataev Writer Valentin Kataev lived a long and beautiful life. He left books, by reading which we can learn to live with taste, without missing out on the interesting things that surround us every day and every hour. There was a period in Kataev’s life, about 10 years, when he wrote wonderful fairy tales for children. The main characters of fairy tales are the family. They show love, friendship, belief in magic, miracles, relationships between parents and children, relationships between children and the people they meet along the way that help them grow up and learn something new. After all, Valentin Petrovich himself was left without a mother very early. Valentin Kataev is the author of the fairy tales: “The Pipe and the Jug” (1940), “The Seven-Flower Flower” (1940), “The Pearl” (1945), “The Stump” (1945), “The Dove” (1949).
• Tales of Wilhelm Hauff Tales of Wilhelm Hauff Wilhelm Hauff (11/29/1802 – 11/18/1827) was a German writer, best known as the author of fairy tales for children. Considered a representative of the artistic literary style Biedermeier Wilhelm Hauff is not such a famous and popular world storyteller, but Hauff's fairy tales are a must-read for children. The author, with the subtlety and unobtrusiveness of a real psychologist, invested in his works a deep meaning that provokes thought. Hauff wrote his Märchen for the children of Baron Hegel - fairy tales, they were first published in the “Almanac of Fairy Tales of January 1826 for the Sons and Daughters of the Noble Classes.” There were such works by Gauff as “Calif the Stork”, “Little Muk”, and some others, which immediately gained popularity in German-speaking countries. Focusing first on oriental folklore, later he begins to use European legends in fairy tales.
• Tales of Vladimir Odoevsky Tales of Vladimir Odoevsky Vladimir Odoevsky entered the history of Russian culture as a literary and music critic, novelist, museum and library worker. He did a lot for Russian children's literature. During his lifetime he published several books for children's reading: “Town in a snuffbox” (1834-1847), “Fairy tales and stories for children of grandfather Iriney” (1838-1840), “Collection of children’s songs of grandfather Iriney” (1847), “Children’s book for Sundays"(1849). When creating fairy tales for children, V. F. Odoevsky often turned to folklore stories. And not only to the Russians. The most popular are two fairy tales by V. F. Odoevsky - “Moroz Ivanovich” and “Town in a Snuff Box”.
• Tales of Vsevolod Garshin Tales of Vsevolod Garshin Garshin V.M. - Russian writer, poet, critic. He gained fame after the publication of his first work, “4 Days.” The number of fairy tales written by Garshin is not at all large - only five. And almost all of them are included in school curriculum. Every child knows the fairy tales “The Frog the Traveler”, “The Tale of the Toad and the Rose”, “That Which Never Happened”. All Garshin's tales are imbued with deep meaning, denoting facts without unnecessary metaphors and an all-consuming sadness that runs through each of his fairy tales, each story.
• Tales of Hans Christian Andersen Fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) - Danish writer, storyteller, poet, playwright, essayist, international author famous fairy tales for children and adults. Reading Andersen's fairy tales is fascinating at any age, and they give both children and adults freedom to let their dreams and imagination fly. Each fairy tale by Hans Christian contains deep thoughts about the meaning of life, human morality, sin and virtues, often not noticeable at first glance. Andersen's most popular fairy tales: The Little Mermaid, Thumbelina, Nightingale, Swineherd, Chamomile, Flint, Wild Swans, Tin soldier, The Princess and the Pea, The Ugly Duckling.
• Tales of Mikhail Plyatskovsky Tales of Mikhail Plyatskovsky Mikhail Spartakovich Plyatskovsky - Soviet poet- songwriter, playwright. Even in his student years, he began to compose songs - both poetry and melodies. First professional song“March of the Cosmonauts” was written in 1961 with S. Zaslavsky. There is hardly a person who has never heard such lines: “it’s better to sing in chorus,” “friendship begins with a smile.” Baby raccoon from Soviet cartoon and the cat Leopold sing songs based on poems by the popular songwriter Mikhail Spartakovich Plyatskovsky. Plyatskovsky's fairy tales teach children rules and norms of behavior, model familiar situations and introduce them to the world. Some stories not only teach kindness, but also make fun of the bad character traits that children have.
• Tales of Samuil Marshak Tales of Samuil Marshak Samuil Yakovlevich Marshak (1887 - 1964) - Russian Soviet poet, translator, playwright, literary critic. Known as the author of fairy tales for children, satirical works, as well as “adult”, serious lyrics. Among dramatic works Marshak’s fairy tale plays “Twelve Months”, “Smart Things”, “Cat’s House” are especially popular. Marshak’s poems and fairy tales begin to be read from the very first days in kindergartens, then they are performed at matinees, in junior classes learn by heart.
• Tales of Gennady Mikhailovich Tsyferov Fairy tales of Gennady Mikhailovich Tsyferov Gennady Mikhailovich Tsyferov is a Soviet writer-storyteller, screenwriter, playwright. Most great success Gennady Mikhailovich brought the animation. During the collaboration with the Soyuzmultfilm studio, more than twenty-five cartoons were released in collaboration with Genrikh Sapgir, including “The Engine from Romashkov”, “My Green Crocodile”, “How the Little Frog Was Looking for Dad”, “Losharik”, “How to Become Big” . Lovely and good stories Tsyferov is familiar to each of us. The heroes who live in the books of this wonderful children's writer will always come to the aid of each other. His famous fairy tales: “Once upon a time there lived a baby elephant”, “About a chicken, the sun and a bear cub”, “About an eccentric frog”, “About a steamboat”, “A story about a pig”, etc. Collections of fairy tales: “How a little frog was looking for dad”, “ Multi-colored giraffe”, “Locomotive from Romashkovo”, “How to become big and other stories”, “Diary of a bear cub”.
• Tales of Sergei Mikhalkov Tales of Sergei Mikhalkov Mikhalkov Sergei Vladimirovich (1913 - 2009) - writer, writer, poet, fabulist, playwright, war correspondent during the Great Patriotic War, author of the text of two hymns Soviet Union and anthem Russian Federation. They begin to read Mikhalkov’s poems in kindergarten, choosing “Uncle Styopa” or the equally famous poem “What do you have?” The author takes us back to the Soviet past, but over the years his works do not become outdated, but only acquire charm. Mikhalkov's children's poems have long become classics.
• Tales of Suteev Vladimir Grigorievich Tales of Suteev Vladimir Grigorievich Suteev - Russian Soviet children's writer, illustrator and animation director. One of the founders Soviet animation. Born into a doctor's family. The father was a gifted man, his passion for art was passed on to his son. WITH teenage years Vladimir Suteev, as an illustrator, was periodically published in the magazines “Pioneer”, “Murzilka”, “Friendly Guys”, “Iskorka”, in the newspaper “ Pioneer truth" Studied at Moscow Higher Technical University named after. Bauman. Since 1923 he has been an illustrator of books for children. Suteev illustrated books by K. Chukovsky, S. Marshak, S. Mikhalkov, A. Barto, D. Rodari, as well as his own works. The tales that V. G. Suteev composed himself are written laconically. Yes, he doesn’t need verbosity: everything that is not said will be drawn. The artist works like a cartoonist, recording every movement of the character to create a coherent, logically clear action and a bright, memorable image.
• Tales of Tolstoy Alexey Nikolaevich Tales of Tolstoy Alexey Nikolaevich Tolstoy A.N. - Russian writer, an extremely versatile and prolific writer, who wrote in all kinds and genres (two collections of poems, more than forty plays, scripts, adaptations of fairy tales, journalistic and other articles, etc.), primarily a prose writer, a master of fascinating storytelling. Genres in creativity: prose, story, story, play, libretto, satire, essay, journalism, historical novel, Science fiction, fairy tale, poem. Popular fairy tale Tolstoy A.N.: “The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Pinocchio,” which is a successful adaptation of the fairy tale Italian writer XIX century. Collodi's "Pinocchio" is included in the golden fund of world children's literature.
• Tales of Tolstoy Lev Nikolaevich Tales of Tolstoy Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy Lev Nikolaevich (1828 - 1910) is one of the greatest Russian writers and thinkers. Thanks to him, not only works appeared that are included in the treasury of world literature, but also an entire religious and moral movement - Tolstoyism. Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy wrote many instructive, lively and interesting tales, fables, poems and stories. He also wrote many small but wonderful fairy tales for children: Three Bears, How Uncle Semyon told about what happened to him in the forest, The Lion and the Dog, The Tale of Ivan the Fool and his two brothers, Two Brothers, Worker Emelyan and the Empty Drum and many others. Tolstoy took writing little fairy tales for children very seriously and worked a lot on them. Fairy tales and stories by Lev Nikolaevich are still in books for reading in elementary schools to this day.
• Tales of Charles Perrault Tales of Charles Perrault Charles Perrault (1628-1703) - French writer-storyteller, critic and poet, was a member French Academy. It is probably impossible to find a person who does not know the story about Little Red Riding Hood and gray wolf, about the little boy or other equally memorable characters, colorful and so close not only to a child, but also to an adult. But they all owe their appearance to the wonderful writer Charles Perrault. Each of his fairy tales is folk epic, its writer processed and developed the plot, resulting in such delightful works that are still read with great admiration today.
• Ukrainian folk tales Ukrainian folk tales Ukrainian folk tales have many similarities in style and content with Russian folk tales. Ukrainian fairy tales pay a lot of attention to everyday realities. Ukrainian folklore is very vividly described by a folk tale. All traditions, holidays and customs can be seen in the plots of folk stories. How Ukrainians lived, what they had and didn’t have, what they dreamed of and how they went towards their goals is also clearly embedded in the meaning. fairy tales. The most popular Ukrainian folk tales: Mitten, Koza-dereza, Pokatygoroshek, Serko, the tale of Ivasik, Kolosok and others.