I must confess that my greatest pleasure now is freedom of speech, freedom of thought, freedom of expression. "I think, therefore, I exist". I write and speak, so I live! And I feel sorry for those who can't express themselves, including presidents for whom someone writes speeches and who live not the real, but ritual life.
Recently I have visited a training of the Estonian non-profit organization "Trajectory" which was devoted to a intercultural dialogue. And now I will try to expound my impressions and thoughts.
I love culture and I think that culture is the main achievement of the mankind. I like a philosophically humorous definition of culture given by Mirab Mamardashvili: "Culture is what remains when I have forgotten everything".
I love high Arab culture, cultures of the East though my knowledge of them is rather superficial.
And so at this training we had 23 people from Estonia, Spain, Lebanon, Turkey, Tunisia, Italy, Lithuania, Egypt, Jordan.
That week-long marathon was difficult for me. And ask myself why I came under the influence of others, which was not to my interest, so that I would lie several days flat-out, without energy, without my usual cheerful view of life. Sartre was right: "Hell is others". And though I was like a squeezed orange, which had only bitterness left in it, that event was meaninful, thanks to my reflections.
So here are some of my thoughts.
- A man is inclined to abuse power. Therefore, any action has to give rise to counteraction.
- People are ready to stand discomfort and to work to the detriment of themselves for the sake of the high idea and in a group.
- The one who establishes rules, abuses them and manipulates people using rules.
- People are afraid to object.
- A plan formalizes human life.
- There is always less of interesting and meaningful than uninteresting and routine.
- First of all it is necessary to teach logic.
- A society will always be divided into those who want to learn and who pretend to be studying.
- To be boring is a social norm.
- A person needs the authority and he is inclined to doubt himself more than others, that is, he wants to be manipulated.
- Socially approved behavior is a source of neurosises and sufferings.
- Destroy yourself positively! Break frameworks! The fewer expectations, the better. Don't act in an expected and approved way. It is boring and cements your brain and life.
- Different people perceive the same event differently!
- Don't be afraid to offend, don't be afraid to look stupid. It is much more valuable than the desire to please others.
- It isn't enough to be a charming person, it is necessary to have principles. A person who has principles should be charming.
- All problems arise because of a lack of communication and dialogue.
- Fatigue, exhaustion are consequences of unproductive activity.
- It is neccessary to learn to enjoy life.
- Over-organization and control make people unhappy.
- Every day a person should get enough rest and have a good night's sleep, he should look as if he has just returned from a vacation.
- If you are silent, you are an accomplice.
- The law of Maxim Efimov: "A person you trust will surely hit your raw nerve".
- Be different from others!
- If you do something, you always take a risk. The government knows that and it prefers to do nothing because there are less consequences from idleness than from active actions. That is cowardice. To change a situation always means to risk your status, reputation and tranquility. Not too many want this, that seems to be silly. As we are identified by others, we don't want to be identified as fools. Thus, any power is a reflection of the society.
- Having reached the top of a social pyramid, a person ceases to study, reaching his own level of cretinism. Any power is incompetent and silly. Look at the debates of politicians in all countries. There's nothing sillier than that. Other people even write speeches for presidents :) That's why a good ruler is the one who doesn't rule.
- To say what you think is a benefit and an achievement because people are taught to be hypocrites.
- It is safe to laugh only at smart people.
- Time, place and people define me.
- Activity without purpose is wandering in the dark.
- One should look for the core in another person!
- The one who cares for you will want to exploit you.
- Everyone wants to dominate and assert himself but they do it differently depending on the developmental level. Some want to assert themselves while being sure that other people must listen to their long monologues.
Maxim Efimov,
writer, social philosopher, social critic
Translated by Irina Efimova
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