Potholes of the “special path of Russia”: does it really exist?
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The question of national self-determination is the central and extremely painful problem of our self-consciousness. “Who are we and where are we from, when gossip remains from all those years, and we are not in the world,” B.L. Pasternak noted. Indeed, for three decades now we have not existed in the very capacity that in a bygone era was designated as “a single historical community of Soviet people.” So who are we? How are we different from other ethnic groups? What is our place in the world destiny of nations? All these questions touch the nerve of both professional politicians, philosophers and culturologists, as well as ordinary inhabitants, who daily have to determine themselves in relation to “come in large numbers” guest workers, as well as to the unfriendly West, which offends us. At the everyday level, this problem also arises quite often – for example, when a son or daughter unexpectedly decides for parents to marry a representative of a different culture and faith.
In such circumstances, the idea of our “special path” is extremely seductive, caressing the ambition (of philosophers and laymen alike). To be honest, the idea is not new. The historian and writer A.V. Obolensky rightly notes: “In itself, the ideologeme of a “special path” is not an original thing … Sometimes it is not devoid of comedy. In the countries of Latin America, at one time, a cliché was popular, which sounds funny and recognizable to our ears: “Argentine sovereignty”, “special Chilean universal humanity”, “Peruvian people are God-bearers”.
But let’s fast forward from the distant American continent to the expanses of the fatherland close to us. For the ruling class, starting from Ivan IV, including Nicholas II, I. Stalin and others, the recognition of a “special path” is the justification of its existence and its prominent role in history. The forms of self-assertion of the elite can be different: be it “Moscow is the third Rome” or “USSR is the beacon of world socialism”, but the essence of this does not change.
Is it any wonder that the denial of a “special path” has always threatened with almost inevitable reprisal for skeptics who question and criticize this ideologeme. Suffice it to recall P.Ya. 1984?” subjected to systematic repression.
The writer-historian A.A. Amalrik turned out to be a prophet in his own country: he was only slightly wrong in terms. In 1985, perestroika began, which led to the fact that six years later his forecast was confirmed: in 1991, the USSR collapsed. But for Amalrik personally, the price of such a prophecy is an early death. The writer passed away at the age of forty-six.
In fact, the biblical maxim “There is no prophet in his own country” does not refer to the prophets (Cassandras have always been, are and will be), but to the fatherland, which is strong only in hindsight and begins to see clearly only after the catastrophe has happened.
Contrary to the words of the march from the movie “Merry Fellows”: “when the country orders to be a hero, anyone becomes a hero in our country”, there are not so many heroes. There are only a few of them who are ready to make sacrifices in the name of truth, who have the courage to maintain all-round defense at the same time against the powers that be and the mob proclaiming hosanna to the authorities.
But to accuse people of conformity is not worth it. The basic instinct of self-preservation powerfully dictates to a person the need to be like everyone else. And is it really so? How to see… It is known that the first aliyah (repatriation of Jews to Israel) brought selfless ascetics to Palestine, enthusiasts of the idea of creating their own Jewish state. The hard work in the kibbutzim (agricultural communes) equally fell on the shoulders of everyone. After the resignation, ministers, generals and deputies returned to the communes, where they continued to work on a common basis. The property was common, the products of production and the profits received were distributed egalitarianly. Let us add to this the general arming of the people. It would seem – here it is, the triumphant communist ideal. Thefts in such conditions were excluded. But this couldn’t go on forever. No one can remake human nature, although ideas for reforging people (mainly in camps) were practiced in the Stalin years, for example, during the construction of the White Sea Canal. So, the first robbery happened. David Ben Gurion, one of the founders of the creation of the state of Israel, reacted remarkably to this event: “We are the same as everyone else … We are the same as everyone else,” he proclaimed with joy.
Bribery and corruption scandals exist in every country. But they can only be limited by a rigid and intelligible legal system, which, in turn, enters into a clinch with the ideologeme of a “special path” of development. The poet-satirist B. Almazov adequately reacted to this back in the second half of the 19th century:
For organic reasons
We are not supplied at all.
Common sense legal,
This fiend of Satan.
Russian nature is wide,
Our truth is the ideal
Doesn’t fit into narrow molds
legal beginnings.
Nevertheless, willy-nilly, one will have to climb into the legal framework, overcoming the legal nihilism that has eaten into the flesh and blood. After that, of course, life will not become perfect, but it will become normal.
In passing, I note that “to be like everyone else” does not at all mean to dissolve without a trace and disappear forever in the cosmopolitan cauldron. On the contrary, relying on the basic principles and rules for organizing human communities developed by history, nations and peoples will have an excellent opportunity to preserve their identity and at the same time keep pace with progress. An excellent example in this regard is given by Japan and South Korea, which, without losing their originality, are successfully modernizing all spheres of life according to the most modern patterns.
As for education, national education is, first of all, a good education that includes all world trends.
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Potholes of the “special path”
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