Likhachev letters about the main summary. Dmitry Likhachev: Intelligence equals moral health

letter thirty two

UNDERSTAND ART

So, life is the greatest value a person has. If you compare life with a precious palace with many halls stretching out in endless enfilades, all generously varied and all different from each other, then the largest hall in this palace, the real “throne room”, is the hall in which art reigns. This is a hall of amazing magic. And the first magic that he performs happens not only with the owner of the palace himself, but also with all those invited to the celebration.

This is a hall of endless festivities that make a person’s whole life more interesting, solemn, more fun, more significant ... I don’t know what other epithets to express my admiration for art, for its works, for the role that it plays in the life of mankind. And the greatest value that art bestows on a person is the value of kindness. Awarded with the gift of understanding art, a person becomes morally better, and therefore happier. Yes, happier! For, rewarded through art with the gift of a good understanding of the world, the people around him, the past and the distant, a person more easily makes friends with other people, with other cultures, with other nationalities, it is easier for him to live.

E. A. Maimin in his book for high school students “Art thinks in images” (Maimin E. A. Art thinks in images. M., 1977, p. 13-14.) writes:

“The discoveries that we make with the help of art are not only lively and impressive, but also good discoveries. The knowledge of reality that comes through art is knowledge warmed by human feeling, sympathy. This property of art makes it a social phenomenon of immeasurable moral significance. Gogol wrote about the theater: "This is such a department from which you can say a lot of good to the world." All true art is the source of goodness. It is fundamentally moral precisely because it evokes in the reader, in the spectator - in anyone who perceives it - empathy and sympathy for people, for all of humanity. Leo Tolstoy spoke of the "unifying principle" of art and attached paramount importance to this quality. Thanks to its figurative form, art in the best way introduces a person to humanity: it makes one treat with great attention and understanding someone else's pain, someone else's joy. It makes this someone else's pain and joy to a large extent its own ... Art in the deepest sense of the word is humane. It comes from a person and leads to a person - to the most living, kind, to the best in him. It serves the unity of human souls.

Okay, very well said! And a number of thoughts here sound like wonderful aphorisms.

The riches that an understanding of works of art gives a person cannot be taken away from a person, but they are everywhere, you just need to see them.

And evil in a person is always associated with a misunderstanding of another person, with a painful feeling of envy, with an even more painful feeling of hostility, with dissatisfaction with one's position in society, with eternal anger that eats a person, disappointment in life. An evil man punishes himself with his malice. He plunges into darkness, first of all, himself.

Art illuminates and at the same time sanctifies human life. And I repeat again: it makes him kinder, and therefore happier.

But understanding works of art is far from easy. You need to learn this - study for a long time, all your life. For there can be no stop in expanding one's understanding of art. There can only be a retreat back into the darkness of misunderstanding. After all, art confronts us all the time with new and new phenomena, and this is the enormous generosity of art. Some doors opened for us in the palace, after them it was the turn of opening to others.

How can one learn to understand art? How to improve this understanding in yourself? What qualities do you need to have for this?

I do not undertake to give prescriptions. I don't want to state anything categorically. But the quality that still seems to me the most important in a real understanding of art is sincerity, honesty, openness to the perception of art.

Understanding art should be learned first of all from oneself - from one's sincerity.

They often say about someone: he has an innate taste. Not at all! If you look closely at those people who can be said to have taste, you will notice in them one feature that they all have in common: they are honest and sincere in their susceptibility. They have learned a lot from her.

I have never noticed that taste is inherited.

Taste, I think, is not among the properties that are transmitted by genes. Although the family brings up taste from the family, much depends on its intelligence.

One should not approach a work of art in a biased way, based on an established "opinion", from fashion, from the views of one's friends, or starting from the views of enemies. With a work of art, one must be able to remain “one on one”.

If in your understanding of works of art you begin to follow fashion, the opinion of others, the desire to appear refined and "refined", you will drown out the joy that life gives to art, and art gives life.

By pretending to understand what you do not understand, you have not deceived others, but yourself. You are trying to convince yourself that you have understood something, and the joy that art gives is direct, like any joy.

If you like it, tell yourself and others what you like. Just do not impose your understanding or, even worse, misunderstanding on others. Do not think that you have absolute taste as well as absolute knowledge. The first is impossible in art, the second is impossible in science. Respect in yourself and in others your attitude to art and remember the wise rule: there is no arguing about tastes.

Does this mean that one must completely withdraw into oneself and be satisfied with oneself, with one's attitude towards certain works of art? “I like it, but I don’t like it” - and that’s the point. In no case!

In your attitude to works of art, you should not be calm, you should strive to understand what you do not understand, and to deepen your understanding of what you have already partially understood. And the understanding of a work of art is always incomplete. For a true work of art is "inexhaustible" in its riches.

One should not, as I have already said, proceed from the opinions of others, but one must listen to the opinion of others, reckon with it. If this opinion of others about a work of art is negative, it is for the most part not very interesting. Another thing is more interesting: if a positive view is expressed by many. If some artist, some art school is understood by thousands, then it would be arrogant to say that everyone is wrong, and only you are right.

Of course, they don't argue about tastes, but they develop taste - in themselves and in others. One can strive to understand what others understand, especially if there are many of these others. Many and many cannot be just deceivers if they claim that they like something, if a painter or a composer, a poet or a sculptor enjoy great and even world recognition. However, there are fashions and there are unjustified non-recognition of the new or alien, infection even with hatred for the “alien”, for the too complicated, etc.

The whole question is only that it is impossible to understand at once the complex, without having previously understood the simpler. In any understanding - scientific or artistic - one cannot jump over the steps. To understand classical music, one must be prepared with knowledge of the fundamentals of musical art. The same in painting or in poetry. You cannot master higher mathematics without knowing elementary mathematics.

Sincerity in relation to art is the first condition for understanding it, but the first condition is not everything. To understand art need more knowledge. Factual information on the history of art, on the history of the monument and biographical information about its creator help the aesthetic perception of art, leaving it free. They do not force the reader, viewer or listener to some particular assessment or attitude towards a work of art, but, as if "commenting" on it, they facilitate understanding.

First of all, factual information is needed so that the perception of a work of art takes place in a historical perspective, is permeated with historicism, because the aesthetic attitude to the monument is always historical. If we have before us a modern monument, then modernity is a certain moment in history, and we must know that the monument was created in our day. If we know that a monument was created in Ancient Egypt, this creates a historical relation to it, helps its perception. And for a sharper perception of ancient Egyptian art, it will also be necessary to know in what era of the history of Ancient Egypt this or that monument was created.

Knowledge opens doors for us, but we must enter them ourselves. And I especially want to emphasize the importance of details. Sometimes a little thing allows us to penetrate into the main thing. How important it is to know why this or that thing was written or drawn!

Once in the Hermitage there was an exhibition of Pietro Gonzago, a decorator and builder of Pavlovsk gardens who worked in Russia in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His drawings - mainly on architectural subjects - are striking in the beauty of the construction of perspective. He even flaunts his skill, emphasizing all the lines that are horizontal in nature, but in the drawings converge on the horizon - as it should be when building a perspective. How many of these horizontal lines in nature! Cornices, roofs.

And everywhere the horizontal lines are made a little bolder than they should be, and some lines go beyond the "necessity", beyond those that are in kind.

But here's another amazing thing: Gonzago's point of view on all these wonderful prospects is always chosen, as it were, from below. Why? After all, the viewer is holding the drawing straight in front of him. Yes, because these are all sketches of a theatrical decorator, drawings of a decorator, and in the theater the auditorium (in any case, places for the most “important” visitors) is below and Gonzago counts his compositions on the viewer sitting in the stalls.

You should know it.

Always, in order to understand works of art, one must know the conditions of creativity, the goals of creativity, the personality of the artist and the era. Art cannot be caught with bare hands. Spectator, listener, readers should be "armed" - armed with knowledge, information. That is why introductory articles, commentaries, and generally works on art, literature, and music are of such great importance.

Arm yourself with knowledge! As the saying goes: knowledge is power. But this is not only strength in science, it is strength in art. Art is inaccessible to the powerless.

The weapon of knowledge is a peaceful weapon.

If you fully understand folk art and do not look at it as "primitive", then it can serve as a starting point for understanding any art - as a kind of joy, independent value, independence from various requirements that interfere with the perception of art (such as the requirement of unconditional "similarity" primarily). Folk art teaches to understand the conventionality of art.

Why is it so? Why, after all, is it precisely folk art that serves as this initial and best teacher? Because the experience of millennia has been embodied in folk art. The division of people into "cultural" and "uncivilized" is often caused by extreme conceit and their own overestimation of the "citizens". Peasants have their own complex culture, which is expressed not only in amazing folklore (compare at least the traditional Russian peasant song, which is deep in content), not only in folk art and folk wooden architecture in the north, but also in complex life, complex peasant rules of courtesy, beautiful Russian wedding ceremony, the ceremony of receiving guests, a common family peasant meal, complex labor customs and labor festivities. Customs are not created in vain. They are also the result of centuries-old selection for their expediency, and the art of the people is a selection for beauty. This does not mean that traditional forms are always the best and should always be followed. We must strive for the new, for artistic discoveries (traditional forms were also discoveries in their time), but the new must be created taking into account the former, the traditional, as a result, and not as the abolition of the old and accumulated.

* * *

Folk art provides a lot for understanding sculpture. The feeling of the material, its weightiness, density, beauty of form are clearly visible in wooden rustic utensils: in carved wooden salt boxes, in wooden scoop ladles, which were placed on a festive rustic table. I. Ya. Boguslavskaya writes in her book “Northern treasures” (Boguslavskaya I. Ya. Northern treasures. Arkhangelsk, 1980, p. - a calm, proud bird decorated the table, fanned the feast with the poetry of folk legends. Many generations of craftsmen created the perfect form of these objects, combining a sculptural plastic image with a comfortable capacious bowl. Smooth outlines, wavy lines of the silhouette seem to have absorbed the slow rhythm of the movement of water. So, the real prototype spiritualized the everyday thing, gave convincing expressiveness to the conditional form. Even in ancient times, it established itself as a national type of Russian dishes.

The form of folk works of art is a form artistically honed by time. Skates on the roofs of rural northern huts have the same refinement. No wonder these "horses" were made a symbol of one of his wonderful works by the Soviet writer, our contemporary, Fedor Abramov ("Horses").

What are these "horses"? On the roofs of village huts, in order to press down the ends of the roofing boards, to give them stability, a huge heavy log was placed. This log had at one end a whole butt (Komel is a massive part of the tree adjacent to the root), from which the horse's head and mighty chest were carved with an ax. This horse stood above the pediment and was, as it were, a symbol of family life in the hut. And what a wonderful shape this horse had! It simultaneously felt the power of the material from which it was made - a perennial, slowly growing tree, and the greatness of the horse, his power not only over the house, but also over the surrounding space. The famous English sculptor Henry Moore seemed to learn his plastic power from these Russian horses. G. Moore cut his mighty reclining figures into pieces. What for? By this he emphasized their monumentality, their strength, their heaviness. And the same thing happened with the wooden horses of the northern Russian huts. Deep cracks formed in the log. There were cracks even before the ax touched the log, but this did not bother the northern sculptors. They are accustomed to this "dissection of the material." For both the logs of the huts and the wooden sculpture of the balusters could not do without cracks. This is how folk sculpture teaches us to understand the most complex aesthetic principles of modern sculpture.

Folk art not only teaches, but is also the basis of many contemporary works of art.

In the early period of his work, Marc Chagall came from the folk art of Belarus: from his colorful principles and methods of composition, from the cheerful content of these compositions, in which joy is expressed in the flight of a person, houses seem like toys and a dream is connected to reality. His bright and motley painting is dominated by people's favorite color shades of red, bright blue, and horses and cows look at the viewer with sad human eyes. Even a long life in the West could not tear his art away from these folk Belarusian origins.

The clay toys of Vyatka or northern carpentry wooden toys teach understanding of many complex works of painting and sculpture.

The famous French architect Corbusier, by his own admission, borrowed many of his architectural techniques from the forms of the folk architecture of the city of Ohrid: in particular, it was from there that he learned the techniques of independent setting of floors. The upper floor is set slightly sideways to the lower one, so that its windows offer an excellent view of the street, mountains or lake.

Sometimes the point of view from which a work of art is approached is clearly insufficient. Here is the usual “insufficiency”: the portrait is considered only in this way: it “looks like” or does not “like” the original. If it doesn’t look like it, it’s not a portrait at all, although it may be a beautiful work of art. What if it's just "looks like"? is that enough? After all, it is best to look for similarities in artistic photography. There is not only similarity, but also a document: all wrinkles and pimples are in place.

What is needed in a portrait to be a work of art, besides simple similarity? Firstly, similarity itself can be of different depths of penetration into the spiritual essence of a person. Good photographers also know this, trying to capture the right moment for shooting, so that there is no tension in the face, usually associated with waiting for the shooting, so that the facial expression is characteristic, so that the position of the body is free and individual, characteristic of this person. Much depends on such “internal similarity” for a portrait or photograph to become a work of art. But it's also about another beauty: the beauty of color, lines, composition. If you are accustomed to identifying the beauty of a portrait with the beauty of the one depicted in it, and think that there can be no special, pictorial or graphic beauty of the portrait, independent of the beauty of the depicted face, you still cannot understand portraiture.

What has been said about portrait painting applies even more so to landscape painting. These are also “portraits”, only portraits of nature. And here we need similarity, but to an even greater extent we need the beauty of painting, the ability to understand and display the "soul" of a given place, the "genius of the area." But it is possible for a painter to depict nature with strong "corrections" - not the one that exists, but the one that one wants to depict for one reason or another. However, if the artist sets himself the goal not just to create a picture, but to depict a certain place in nature or in a city, gives certain signs of a certain place in his picture, the lack of similarity becomes a major drawback.

Well, what if the artist set himself the goal of depicting not just a landscape, but only the colors of spring: the young green of a birch, the color of birch bark, the spring color of the sky - and arranged all this arbitrarily - so that the beauty of these spring colors came to light with the greatest completeness? It is necessary to be tolerant of such an experience and not make demands on the artist that he did not seek to satisfy.

Well, what if we go further and imagine an artist who will strive to express something of his own only through a combination of colors, composition or lines, without striving to resemble anything at all? Just to express some mood, some understanding of the world? Before brushing aside such experiments, it is necessary to think carefully. Not everything that we do not understand at first sight needs to be brushed aside, rejected. We could have made too many mistakes. After all, even serious, classical music cannot be understood without studying music.

To understand serious painting, one must study.

letter thirty three

ABOUT HUMAN IN ART

In a previous letter, I said: pay attention to details. Now I want to talk about those details that, it seems to me, should be especially appreciated in themselves. These are details, trifles, testifying to simple human feelings, to humanity. They can be without people - in the landscape, in the life of animals, but most often in relationships between people.

Old Russian icons are very "canonical". This is traditional art. And the more valuable in them is everything that deviates from canonicity, which gives vent to the human attitude of the artist to the depicted. In one icon of the "Nativity of Christ", where the action takes place in a cave for animals, a small sheep is depicted, which licks the neck of another sheep - a larger one. Maybe it's the daughter caressing the mother? This detail is not at all provided for by the strict iconographic norms of the composition of the Nativity, so it seems especially touching. Among the very "official" - suddenly such a nice detail ...

In the murals of the 17th century of the Moscow church in Nikitniki, suddenly, among the stencil landscape, a young birch is depicted, but so “Russian”, touching that you immediately believe that the artist knew how to appreciate Russian nature. The autobiographical works of the monks of the Rila Monastery in Bulgaria have been preserved. One such 19th-century autobiography recounts the life of a monk collecting donations for a monastery. And he was in very distressed situations: sometimes the doors of houses were closed in front of him, he was not allowed to spend the night, often he had nothing to eat (he did not take anything from the money donated to the monastery), etc. And so he exclaims in one place of his notes: “Oh, my monastery, monastery, how warm and satisfying it is!” The story of this monk ends with a stereotyped curse to the one who spoils the book, distorts the text, and so on. But then he writes: “If I am writing this, then do not think badly of me, that I am evil and bad!” Really touching? Bear in mind that these "curses" to the slovenly reader and inattentive copyist were a common stencil, and many manuscripts ended this way.

And here is a deeply human feeling from Avvakum's wonderful correspondence with the noblewoman F. P. Morozova - the same one that is depicted in Surikov's painting, located in the Tretyakov Gallery.

Avvakum, in a letter to boyar Morozova, written in lofty and ornate terms, finally consoles her in the death of her beloved young son: whether, as it happened." And at the end he writes to her again: “And that’s it, that’s enough: I was boyar, I need to get into the heavenly boyars.”

The same noblewoman Morozova writes to Archpriest Avvakum: “For the multiplication of my sins from everywhere, a great storm is upon my soul, and I am an impatient sinner.” Why is she "impatient"? She takes care of finding a good “wife” for her eldest son. Three virtues are necessary, in her opinion, for this “wife”: that she be “pious and poor-loving and a hospitable”. And then he asks: “Where can I get it - from a good breed, or from an ordinary one? Whom I breed better girls, those are worse, and those girls are better, who are of a worse breed. After all, this observation speaks of the mind of the noblewoman, of her lack of boyar arrogance.

It was customary to think that in ancient Russia they supposedly poorly understood the beauty of nature. This opinion was based on the fact that in ancient Russian works there are rare detailed descriptions nature, there are no landscapes, which are in the new literature. But here is what Metropolitan Daniel writes in the 16th century: D. L.) - go to the threshold of your temple (your house. - D. L.), and see the sky, the sun, the moon, the stars, the clouds, Ovi lofty, Ovi lowly, and cool yourself in these.

I do not give examples from well-known works, recognized as highly artistic. How many of these touching human episodes are in War and Peace, especially in everything connected with the Rostov family, or in Pushkin's The Captain's Daughter and in any work of art. Is it not for them that we love Dickens, Turgenev's "Notes of a Hunter", Fyodor Abramov's wonderful "Grass-Ant" or Bulgakov's "Master and Margarita". Humanity has always been one of the most important phenomena of literature - big and small. It is worth looking for these manifestations of simple human feelings and concerns. They are precious. And they are especially precious when you find them in correspondence, in memoirs, in documents. There are, for example, a number of documents that testify to how ordinary peasants evaded under various pretexts from participating in the construction of a prison in Pustozersk, where Avvakum was supposed to be a prisoner. And this is absolutely everything, unanimously! Their evasions are almost childish, they show simple and kind people in them.

Letters to Young Readers

For my conversations with the reader, I have chosen the form of letters. This is, of course, a conditional form. In the readers of my letters, I imagine friends. Letters to friends allow me to write simply.

Why did I arrange my letters this way? First, in my letters I write about the purpose and meaning of life, about the beauty of behavior, and then I turn to the beauty of the world around us, to the beauty that opens up to us in works of art. I do this because in order to perceive the beauty of the environment, a person himself must be spiritually beautiful, deep, stand on the right life positions. Try to hold the binoculars in trembling hands - you will not see anything.

Letter one
Big in small

In the material world, the big cannot fit in the small. But in the sphere of spiritual values, it is not so: much more can fit in the small, and if you try to fit the small in the big, then the big simply ceases to exist.

If a person has a great goal, then it should manifest itself in everything - in the most seemingly insignificant. You must be honest in the imperceptible and accidental, then only will you be honest in the fulfillment of your great duty. A great goal encompasses the whole person, is reflected in his every action, and one cannot think that a good goal can be achieved by bad means.

The saying “the end justifies the means” is pernicious and immoral. Dostoevsky showed this well in Crime and Punishment. The main character of this work, Rodion Raskolnikov, thought that by killing the disgusting old usurer, he would get money, with which he could then achieve great goals and benefit humanity, but suffers an internal collapse. The goal is distant and unrealizable, but the crime is real; it is terrible and cannot be justified by anything. Strive to high purpose low means is not possible. We must be equally honest in both big and small things.

The general rule: to observe the big in the small - it is necessary, in particular, in science. Scientific truth is the most precious thing, and it must be followed in all details of scientific research and in the life of a scientist. If, however, one strives in science for "small" goals - for proof by "force", contrary to facts, for spectacular results, or for any form of self-advancement - then the scientist will inevitably fail. Maybe not right away, but eventually! When the results of research are exaggerated or even minor juggling of facts and scientific truth is pushed into the background, science ceases to exist, and the scientist himself sooner or later ceases to be a scientist.

It is necessary to observe the big in the small in everything resolutely. Then everything is easy and simple.

Letter two
Youth is all life

Therefore, take care of youth until old age. Appreciate all the good things that you acquired in your youth, do not squander the wealth of youth. Nothing acquired in youth goes unnoticed. Habits developed in youth last a lifetime. Work habits, too. Get used to work - and work will always bring joy. How important is this for human happiness! There is nothing more unhappy than a lazy person who always avoids labor and effort...

Both in youth and in old age. Good habits of youth will make life easier, bad habits will complicate it and make it more difficult.

And further. There is a Russian proverb: "Take care of honor from a young age." All the deeds committed in youth remain in the memory. The good ones will please, the bad ones will not let you sleep!

letter three
The biggest

What is the biggest purpose of life? I think: to increase the good in those around us. And goodness is above all the happiness of all people. It is made up of many things, and every time life sets a task for a person, which is important to be able to solve. You can do good to a person in small things, you can think about big things, but small things and big things cannot be separated. Much, as I have already said, begins with trifles, is born in childhood and among loved ones.

A child loves his mother and his father, brothers and sisters, his family, his home. Gradually expanding, his affections spread to the school, village, city, the whole country. And this is already a very big and deep feeling, although one cannot stop there and one must love a person in a person.

You have to be a patriot, not a nationalist. It is impossible, there is no need to hate someone else's family, because you love your own. There is no need to hate other nations because you are a patriot. There is a profound difference between patriotism and nationalism. In the first - love for one's country, in the second - hatred for all others.

The great goal of kindness begins with a small one - with the desire for good for your loved ones, but, expanding, it captures an ever wider range of issues.

It's like circles on the water. But the circles on the water, expanding, are becoming weaker. Love and friendship, growing and spreading to many things, gain new strength, become higher and higher, and the person, their center, is wiser.

Love should not be unaccountable, it should be smart. This means that it must be combined with the ability to notice shortcomings, to deal with shortcomings - both in a loved one and in those around you. It must be combined with wisdom, with the ability to separate the necessary from the empty and false. She shouldn't be blind. Blind delight (you can’t even call it love) can lead to terrible consequences. A mother who admires everything and encourages her child in everything can bring up a moral monster.

Wisdom is intelligence combined with kindness. Intelligence without kindness is cunning. Cunning, however, sooner or later turns against the cunning one himself. Therefore, the trick is forced to hide. Wisdom is open and reliable. She does not deceive others, and above all herself wise man. Wisdom brings a sage a good name and lasting happiness, brings reliable, long-term happiness and that calm conscience, which is most valuable in old age.

How can I express what is common between my three propositions: "Big in the small", "Youth is the whole life" and "The greatest"? It can be expressed in one word, which can become a motto: "Loyalty". Loyalty to those great principles that a person should be guided by in big and small things, loyalty to his impeccable youth, his homeland in the broad and narrow sense of this concept, loyalty to family, friends, city, country, people. Ultimately, fidelity is fidelity to truth—truth-truth and truth-justice.

Letter Four
The greatest value is life

Life is first and foremost breathing. "Soul", "spirit"! And he died - first of all - "stopped breathing." That's what the ancients thought. "Spirit out!" It means "died".

It is stuffy in the house, "stuffy" and in moral life. It is necessary to “breathe out” all the petty worries, all the fuss of everyday life, get rid of, shake off everything that hampers the movement of thought, that crushes the soul, does not allow a person to accept life, its values, its beauty.

A person should always think about what is most important for himself and for others, throwing off all empty worries.

You have to be open to people, tolerant of people, look for the best in them first of all. The ability to seek and find the best, simply good, "veiled beauty" enriches a person spiritually.

To notice beauty in nature, in a village, a city, not to mention in a person, through all the barriers of trifles, means to expand the sphere of life, the sphere of that living space in which a person lives.

I have been looking for this word - "sphere" for a long time. At first I said to myself: “We need to expand the boundaries of life,” but life has no boundaries! This is not a land plot fenced with a fence - borders. “To expand the limits of life” is not suitable for expressing my thought for the same reason. “Expanding the horizons of life” is already better, but still something is not right. Maximilian Voloshin loved good word- "okoe". This is all that the eye can take in, that it can grasp. But even here the limitations of our everyday knowledge interfere. Life cannot be reduced to everyday impressions. We must be able to feel and even notice what is beyond our perception, to have, as it were, a “premonition” of something new that is opening up or that can open up to us. The greatest value in the world is life: someone else's, one's own, the life of the animal world and plants, the life of culture, life throughout its entire length - both in the past, and in the present, and in the future ... And life is infinitely deep. We always come across something that we have not noticed before, which strikes us with its beauty, unexpected wisdom, originality.

letter five
What is the sense of life

You can define the purpose of your existence in different ways, but there must be a purpose - otherwise it will not be life, but vegetation.

You have to have principles in life. It’s good even to state them in a diary, but for the diary to be “real”, you can’t show it to anyone - write only for yourself.

Every person should have one rule in life, in his goal of life, in his principles of life, in his behavior: one must live life with dignity, so that one is not ashamed to remember.

Dignity requires kindness, generosity, the ability not to be a narrow egoist, to be truthful, good friend find joy in helping others.

For the sake of the dignity of life, one must be able to refuse small pleasures and considerable ones too ... To be able to apologize, admit a mistake to others is better than play up and lie.

When deceiving, a person first of all deceives himself, because he thinks that he has successfully lied, but people understood and, out of delicacy, kept silent. Lies are always visible. A special feeling tells people whether they are lying or telling the truth. But sometimes there is no evidence, and more often - you don’t want to get involved ...

Nature has been creating man for many millions of years, and this creative, constructive activity of nature must, I think, be respected, we must live life with dignity, and live in such a way that nature, working on our creation, is not offended. In our life we ​​must support this creative trend, the creativity of nature, and in no case support everything destructive that exists in life. How to understand this, how to apply it to your life - each person should answer this individually, in relation to his abilities, his interests, etc. But you need to live by creating, maintaining creativity in life. Life is varied, and consequently, creation is also varied, and our striving for creativity in life should also be varied according to our abilities and inclinations. How do you think?

In life, there is some level of happiness from which we count, as we count height from sea level.

Starting point. So, the task of each person, both large and small, is to increase this level of happiness. And personal happiness also does not remain outside of these worries. But mostly those around you, those who are closer to you, whose level of happiness can be increased simply, easily, without worries. And besides, it means raising the level of happiness of your country and all of humanity, after all.

The methods are different, but something is available for everyone. If the solution of state issues is not available, which always increases the level of happiness, if they are wisely resolved, then this level of happiness can be increased within your working environment, within your school, in the circle of your friends and comrades. Everyone has such an opportunity.

Life is, first of all, creativity, but this does not mean that every person, in order to live, must be born an artist, ballerina or scientist. Creativity can also be created. You can simply create a good atmosphere around you, as they say now, an aura of goodness around you. For example, a person can bring into society an atmosphere of suspicion, some kind of painful silence, or he can immediately bring joy, light. This is what creativity is. Creativity is continuous. So life is eternal creation. A person is born and leaves a memory behind. What kind of memory will he leave behind? This needs to be taken care of not only from a certain age, but, I think, from the very beginning, since a person can die at any moment and at any moment. And it is very important what kind of memory he leaves about himself.

letter six
Purpose and self-esteem

When a person consciously or intuitively chooses a goal, a life task for himself, at the same time he involuntarily gives himself an assessment. By what a person lives for, one can judge his self-esteem - low or high.

If a person sets himself the task of acquiring all elementary material goods, he evaluates himself at the level of these material goods: as the owner of a car of the latest brand, as the owner of a luxurious dacha, as part of his furniture set ...

If a person lives to bring good to people, to ease their suffering in case of illness, to give people joy, then he evaluates himself at the level of his humanity. He sets himself a goal worthy of a man.

Only vital necessary goal allows a person to live his life with dignity and get real joy. Yes, joy! Think: if a person sets himself the task of increasing goodness in life, bringing happiness to people, what failures can befall him? Not to help who should? But how many people don't need help? If you are a doctor, then maybe you have given the patient the wrong diagnosis? This happens with the best doctors. But in total, you still helped more than you didn’t help. No one is immune from mistakes. But the most important mistake, the fatal mistake, is the wrong choice of the main task in life. Not promoted - disappointment. I did not have time to buy a stamp for my collection - disappointment. Someone has better furniture or a better car than you - again disappointment, and what else!

Setting a career or acquisition as a goal, a person experiences in total much more sorrows than joys, and risks losing everything. And what can a person lose who rejoiced in each of his good deed? It is only important that the good that a person does be his inner need, come from a smart heart, and not just from the head, it would not be only a “principle”.

Therefore, the main life task must necessarily be a task wider than just a personal one, it should not be closed only on one's own successes and failures. It should be dictated by kindness to people, love for the family, for your city, for your people, country, for the whole universe.

Does this mean that a person should live like an ascetic, not take care of himself, not acquire anything and not rejoice at a simple promotion? By no means! A person who does not think about himself at all is an abnormal phenomenon and personally unpleasant for me: there is some kind of breakdown in this, some kind of ostentatious exaggeration of his kindness, disinterestedness, significance, there is some kind of contempt for other people, a desire stand out.

Therefore, I am talking only about the main task of life. And this main life task does not need to be emphasized in the eyes of other people. And you need to dress well (this is respect for others), but not necessarily “better than others”. And you need to make a library for yourself, but not necessarily larger than that of a neighbor. And it’s good to buy a car for yourself and your family – it’s convenient. Only it is not necessary to turn the secondary into the primary, and it is not necessary that the main objective life exhausted you where it was not necessary. When you need it is another matter. We'll see who's capable of what.

letter seven
What unites people

Floors of care. Caring strengthens relationships between people. Strengthens the family, strengthens friendship, strengthens fellow villagers, residents of one city, one country.

Follow a person's life.

A man is born, and the first concern for him is his mother; gradually (after a few days) the father’s care for him comes into direct contact with the child (before the birth of the child, there was already care for him, but to a certain extent it was “abstract” - the parents prepared for the appearance of the child, dreamed about him).

The feeling of caring for another appears very early, especially in girls. The girl does not speak yet, but is already trying to take care of the doll, nursing her. Boys, very young, like to pick mushrooms, fish. Berries and mushrooms are also loved by girls. And after all, they collect not only for themselves, but for the whole family. They bring it home, prepare it for the winter.

Gradually, children become objects of ever higher care and they themselves begin to show real and wide care - not only about the family, but also about the school, about their village, city and country ...

Care is expanding and becoming more altruistic. Children pay for taking care of themselves by taking care of their old parents, when they can no longer repay the care of their children. And this concern for the elderly, and then for the memory of deceased parents, as it were, merges with concern for the historical memory of the family and the motherland as a whole.

If care is directed only at oneself, then an egoist grows up.

Care unites people, strengthens the memory of the past and is directed entirely to the future. This is not a feeling itself - it is a concrete manifestation of a feeling of love, friendship, patriotism. The person must be caring. An uncaring or carefree person is most likely a person who is unkind and does not love anyone.

Morality in the highest degree a feeling of compassion. In compassion there is a consciousness of one's unity with humanity and the world (not only with people, nations, but also with animals, plants, nature, etc.). The feeling of compassion (or something close to it) makes us fight for cultural monuments, for their preservation, for nature, individual landscapes, for respect for memory. In compassion there is a consciousness of one's unity with other people, with a nation, a people, a country, the Universe. That is why the forgotten concept of compassion requires its full revival and development.

Surprisingly correct thought: "A small step for man, a big step for humanity." Thousands of examples can be cited: it costs nothing to be kind to one person, but it is incredibly difficult for humanity to become kind. You can't fix humanity, but it's easy to fix yourself. Feeding a child, moving an old man across the road, giving up your seat on a tram, doing a good job, being polite and courteous, etc., etc. - all this is easy for a person, but incredibly difficult for everyone at once. That's why you need to start with yourself.

Kindness cannot be stupid. A good deed is never stupid, because it is disinterested and does not pursue the goal of profit and "smart result". It is possible to call a good deed "stupid" only when it clearly could not achieve the goal or was "false good", erroneously good, that is, not good. I repeat: a truly good deed cannot be stupid, it is beyond evaluation from the point of view of the mind or not the mind. The good and the good.

Letter eight
Be funny but not funny

It is said that the content determines the form. This is true, but the opposite is also true, that the content depends on the form. The well-known American psychologist of the beginning of this century, D. James, wrote: “We cry because we are sad, but we are also sad because we cry.” Therefore, let's talk about the form of our behavior, about what should become our habit and what should also become our inner content.

It was once considered indecent to show with all your appearance that a misfortune happened to you, that you were in grief. A person should not have imposed his depressed state on others. It was necessary to maintain dignity even in grief, to be equal with everyone, not to plunge into oneself and remain as friendly and even cheerful as possible. The ability to maintain dignity, not to impose one's grief on others, not to spoil the mood of others, to always be even in dealing with people, to be always friendly and cheerful - this is a great and real art that helps to live in society and society itself.

But how fun should you be? Noisy and obsessive fun is tiring for others. A young man who is always spouting witticisms ceases to be perceived as worthy of behaving. He becomes a joke. And this is the worst thing that can happen to a person in society, and it means ultimately the loss of a sense of humor.

Don't be funny.

Not being funny is not only the ability to behave, but also a sign of intelligence.

You can be funny in everything, even in the manner of dressing. If a man chooses too carefully a tie to a shirt, a shirt to a suit, he is ridiculous. Excessive concern for one's appearance is immediately visible. Care must be taken to dress decently, but this care in men should not go beyond certain limits. A man who cares too much about his appearance is unpleasant. The woman is another matter. Men should only have a hint of fashion in their clothes. A perfectly clean shirt, clean shoes and a fresh but not very bright tie are enough. The suit can be old, it just doesn't have to be unkempt.

In a conversation with others, know how to listen, know how to be silent, know how to joke, but rarely and in time. Take up as little space as possible. Therefore, at dinner, do not put your elbows on the table, embarrassing your neighbor. Do not try too hard to be the "soul of society." Observe the measure in everything, do not be intrusive even with your friendly feelings.

Don't worry about your shortcomings if you have them. If you stutter, don't think it's too bad. Stutterers are excellent speakers, considering every word they say. The best lecturer of Moscow University, famous for its eloquent professors, historian V. O. Klyuchevsky stuttered. A slight strabismus can give significance to the face, lameness - to movements. And if you are shy, don't be afraid. Don't be ashamed of your shyness: shyness is very sweet and not at all funny. It only becomes funny if you try too hard to overcome it and feel embarrassed about it. Be simple and indulgent to your shortcomings. Don't suffer from them. There is nothing worse when an “inferiority complex” develops in a person, and with it anger, hostility towards other people, envy. A person loses what is best in him - kindness.

There is no better music than silence, silence in the mountains, silence in the forest. There is no better “music in a person” than modesty and the ability to remain silent, not to come forward in the first place. There is nothing more unpleasant and stupid in the appearance and behavior of a person than dignity or noisy; there is nothing more ridiculous in a man than excessive concern for his costume and hair, calculated movements and a “fountain of witticisms” and jokes, especially if they are repeated.

In behavior, be afraid to be funny and try to be modest, quiet.

Never loosen up, always be equal with people, respect the people who surround you.

Don't be afraid of your physical imperfections. Carry yourself with dignity and you will be elegant.

I have a friend who is a little chubby. Honestly, I do not get tired of admiring her grace on those rare occasions when I meet her in museums on opening days (everyone meets there - that's why they are cultural holidays).

And one more thing, and perhaps the most important: be truthful. He who seeks to deceive others is first of all deceived himself. He naively thinks that they believed him, and those around him were actually just polite. But the lie always betrays itself, the lie is always “felt”, and you not only become disgusting, worse - you are ridiculous.

Don't be ridiculous! Truthfulness is beautiful, even if you admit that you have deceived before on any occasion, and explain why you did it. This will fix the situation. You will be respected and you will show your intelligence.

Simplicity and "silence" in a person, truthfulness, lack of pretensions in clothing and behavior - this is the most attractive "form" in a person, which also becomes his most elegant "content".

Dear friends!

Before you is the book "Letters about the Good and the Beautiful" by one of the outstanding scientists of our time, chairman of the Soviet Cultural Fund, academician Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev. These "letters" are not addressed to anyone in particular, but to all readers. First of all, young people who have yet to learn life and follow its difficult paths.

The fact that the author of the letters, Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev, is a man whose name is known on all continents, an outstanding connoisseur of Russian and world culture, elected an honorary member of many foreign academies, bearing other honorary titles of major scientific institutions, makes this book especially valuable.

And the advice that can be obtained by reading this book relates to almost all aspects of life.

This is a collection of wisdom, this is the speech of a benevolent Teacher, whose pedagogical tact and the ability to speak with students are one of his main talents.

The book was first published by our publishing house in 1985 and has already become a bibliographic rarity - this is evidenced by numerous letters that we receive from readers.

This book is translated in different countries, translated into many languages.

Here is what D.S. Likhachev himself writes in the preface to the Japanese edition, in which he explains why this book was written:

“It is my deep conviction that goodness and beauty are the same for all peoples. They are united in two senses: truth and beauty are eternal companions, they are united among themselves and are the same for all peoples.

Lies are bad for everyone. Sincerity and truthfulness, honesty and disinterestedness are always good.

In my book “Letters on Good and Beautiful”, intended for children, I try to explain with the simplest arguments that following the path of goodness is the most acceptable and the only path for a person. He is tested, he is faithful, he is useful - both to a person alone and to the whole society as a whole.

In my letters I do not try to explain what kindness is and why a good person is internally beautiful, lives in harmony with himself, with society and with nature. There can be many explanations, definitions and approaches. I strive for something else - for specific examples, based on the properties of general human nature.

I do not subordinate the concept of goodness and the accompanying concept of human beauty to any worldview. My examples are not ideological, because I want to explain them to children even before they begin to subordinate themselves to any specific worldview principles.

Children are very fond of traditions, they are proud of their home, their family, as well as their village. But they willingly understand not only their own, but also other people's traditions, someone else's worldview, they catch the common thing that all people have.

I will be happy if the reader, no matter what age he belongs to (after all, it happens that adults also read children's books), finds in my letters at least a part of what he can agree with.

Consent between people, different peoples is the most precious and now the most necessary for humanity.

For my conversations with the reader, I have chosen the form of letters. This is, of course, a conditional form. In the readers of my letters, I imagine friends. Letters to friends allow me to write simply.

Why did I arrange my letters this way? First, in my letters I write about the purpose and meaning of life, about the beauty of behavior, and then I turn to the beauty of the world around us, to the beauty that opens up to us in works of art. I do this because in order to perceive the beauty of the environment, a person himself must be spiritually beautiful, deep, stand on the right positions in life. Try to hold the binoculars in trembling hands - you will not see anything.

Letter one
Big in small

In the material world, the big cannot fit in the small. But in the sphere of spiritual values, it is not so: much more can fit in the small, and if you try to fit the small in the big, then the big simply ceases to exist.

If a person has a great goal, then it should manifest itself in everything - in the most seemingly insignificant. You must be honest in the imperceptible and accidental, then only will you be honest in the fulfillment of your great duty. A great goal encompasses the whole person, is reflected in his every action, and one cannot think that a good goal can be achieved by bad means.

The saying “the end justifies the means” is pernicious and immoral. Dostoevsky showed this well in Crime and Punishment. The main character of this work, Rodion Raskolnikov, thought that by killing the disgusting old usurer, he would get money, with which he could then achieve great goals and benefit humanity, but suffers an internal collapse. The goal is distant and unrealizable, but the crime is real; it is terrible and cannot be justified by anything. It is impossible to strive for a high goal with low means. We must be equally honest in both big and small things.

The general rule: to observe the big in the small - it is necessary, in particular, in science. Scientific truth is the most precious thing, and it must be followed in all details of scientific research and in the life of a scientist. If, however, one strives in science for "small" goals - for proof by "force", contrary to facts, for spectacular results, or for any form of self-advancement - then the scientist will inevitably fail. Maybe not right away, but eventually! When the results of research are exaggerated or even minor juggling of facts and scientific truth is pushed into the background, science ceases to exist, and the scientist himself sooner or later ceases to be a scientist.

It is necessary to observe the big in the small in everything resolutely. Then everything is easy and simple.

Letter two
Youth is all life

Therefore, take care of youth until old age. Appreciate all the good things that you acquired in your youth, do not squander the wealth of youth. Nothing acquired in youth goes unnoticed. Habits developed in youth last a lifetime. Work habits, too. Get used to work - and work will always bring joy. And how important it is for human happiness! There is nothing more unhappy than a lazy person who always avoids labor and effort...

Both in youth and in old age. Good habits of youth will make life easier, bad habits will complicate it and make it more difficult.

And further. There is a Russian proverb: "Take care of honor from a young age." All the deeds committed in youth remain in the memory. The good ones will please, the bad ones will not let you sleep!

letter three
The biggest

What is the biggest purpose of life? I think: to increase the good in those around us. And goodness is above all the happiness of all people. It is made up of many things, and every time life sets a task for a person, which is important to be able to solve. You can do good to a person in small things, you can think about big things, but small things and big things cannot be separated. Much, as I have already said, begins with trifles, is born in childhood and among loved ones.

A child loves his mother and his father, brothers and sisters, his family, his home. Gradually expanding, his affections spread to the school, village, city, the whole country. And this is already a very big and deep feeling, although one cannot stop there and one must love a person in a person.

You have to be a patriot, not a nationalist. It is impossible, there is no need to hate someone else's family, because you love your own. There is no need to hate other nations because you are a patriot. There is a profound difference between patriotism and nationalism. In the first - love for one's country, in the second - hatred for all others.

The great goal of kindness begins with a small one - with the desire for good for your loved ones, but, expanding, it captures an ever wider range of issues.

It's like circles on the water. But the circles on the water, expanding, are becoming weaker. Love and friendship, growing and spreading to many things, gain new strength, become higher and higher, and the person, their center, is wiser.

Love should not be unaccountable, it should be smart. This means that it must be combined with the ability to notice shortcomings, to deal with shortcomings - both in a loved one and in those around you. It must be combined with wisdom, with the ability to separate the necessary from the empty and false. She shouldn't be blind. Blind delight (you can’t even call it love) can lead to terrible consequences. A mother who admires everything and encourages her child in everything can bring up a moral monster.

Wisdom is intelligence combined with kindness. Intelligence without kindness is cunning. Cunning, however, sooner or later turns against the cunning one himself. Therefore, the trick is forced to hide. Wisdom is open and reliable. She does not deceive others, and above all the wisest person. Wisdom brings a sage a good name and lasting happiness, brings reliable, long-term happiness and that calm conscience, which is most valuable in old age.

How can I express what is common between my three propositions: "Big in the small", "Youth is the whole life" and "The greatest"? It can be expressed in one word, which can become a motto: "Loyalty". Loyalty to those great principles that a person should be guided by in big and small things, loyalty to his impeccable youth, his homeland in the broad and narrow sense of this concept, loyalty to family, friends, city, country, people. Ultimately, fidelity is fidelity to truth—truth-truth and truth-justice.

Letter Four
The greatest value is life

Life is first and foremost breathing. "Soul", "spirit"! And he died - first of all - "stopped breathing." That's what the ancients thought. "Spirit out!" It means "died".

It is stuffy in the house, "stuffy" in the moral life. It is necessary to “breathe out” all the petty worries, all the fuss of everyday life, get rid of, shake off everything that hampers the movement of thought, that crushes the soul, does not allow a person to accept life, its values, its beauty.

A person should always think about what is most important for himself and for others, throwing off all empty worries.

You have to be open to people, tolerant of people, look for the best in them first of all. The ability to seek and find the best, simply good, "veiled beauty" enriches a person spiritually.

To notice beauty in nature, in a village, a city, not to mention in a person, through all the barriers of trifles, means to expand the sphere of life, the sphere of that living space in which a person lives.

I have been looking for this word - "sphere" for a long time. At first I said to myself: “We need to expand the boundaries of life,” but life has no boundaries! This is not a land plot fenced with a fence - borders. “To expand the limits of life” is not suitable for expressing my thought for the same reason. “Expanding the horizons of life” is already better, but still something is not right. Maximilian Voloshin loved a good word - "okoe". This is all that the eye can take in, that it can grasp. But even here the limitations of our everyday knowledge interfere. Life cannot be reduced to everyday impressions. We must be able to feel and even notice what is beyond our perception, to have, as it were, a “premonition” of something new that is opening up or that can open up to us. The greatest value in the world is life: someone else's, one's own, the life of the animal world and plants, the life of culture, life throughout its entire length - both in the past, and in the present, and in the future ... And life is infinitely deep. We always come across something that we have not noticed before, which strikes us with its beauty, unexpected wisdom, originality.

letter five
What is the sense of life

You can define the purpose of your existence in different ways, but there must be a purpose - otherwise it will not be life, but vegetation.

You have to have principles in life. It’s good even to state them in a diary, but for the diary to be “real”, you can’t show it to anyone - write only for yourself.

Every person should have one rule in life, in his goal of life, in his principles of life, in his behavior: one must live life with dignity, so that one is not ashamed to remember.

Dignity requires kindness, generosity, the ability not to be a narrow egoist, to be truthful, a good friend, to find joy in helping others.

For the sake of the dignity of life, one must be able to refuse small pleasures and considerable ones too ... To be able to apologize, admit a mistake to others is better than play up and lie.

When deceiving, a person first of all deceives himself, because he thinks that he has successfully lied, but people understood and, out of delicacy, kept silent. Lies are always visible. A special feeling tells people whether they are lying or telling the truth. But sometimes there is no evidence, and more often - you don’t want to get involved ...

Nature has been creating man for many millions of years, and this creative, constructive activity of nature must, I think, be respected, we must live life with dignity, and live in such a way that nature, working on our creation, is not offended. In our life we ​​must support this creative trend, the creativity of nature, and in no case support everything destructive that exists in life. How to understand this, how to apply it to your life - each person should answer this individually, in relation to his abilities, his interests, etc. But you need to live by creating, maintaining creativity in life. Life is varied, and consequently, creation is also varied, and our striving for creativity in life should also be varied according to our abilities and inclinations. How do you think?

In life, there is some level of happiness from which we count, as we count height from sea level.

Starting point. So, the task of each person, both large and small, is to increase this level of happiness. And personal happiness also does not remain outside of these worries. But mostly those around you, those who are closer to you, whose level of happiness can be increased simply, easily, without worries. And besides, it means raising the level of happiness of your country and all of humanity, after all.

The methods are different, but something is available for everyone. If the solution of state issues is not available, which always increases the level of happiness, if they are wisely resolved, then this level of happiness can be increased within your working environment, within your school, in the circle of your friends and comrades. Everyone has such an opportunity.

Life is, first of all, creativity, but this does not mean that every person, in order to live, must be born an artist, ballerina or scientist. Creativity can also be created. You can simply create a good atmosphere around you, as they say now, an aura of goodness around you. For example, a person can bring into society an atmosphere of suspicion, some kind of painful silence, or he can immediately bring joy, light. This is what creativity is. Creativity is continuous. So life is eternal creation. A person is born and leaves a memory behind. What kind of memory will he leave behind? This needs to be taken care of not only from a certain age, but, I think, from the very beginning, since a person can die at any moment and at any moment. And it is very important what kind of memory he leaves about himself.

letter six
Purpose and self-esteem

When a person consciously or intuitively chooses a goal, a life task for himself, at the same time he involuntarily gives himself an assessment. By what a person lives for, one can judge his self-esteem - low or high.

If a person sets himself the task of acquiring all elementary material goods, he evaluates himself at the level of these material goods: as the owner of a car of the latest brand, as the owner of a luxurious dacha, as part of his furniture set ...

If a person lives to bring good to people, to ease their suffering in case of illness, to give people joy, then he evaluates himself at the level of his humanity. He sets himself a goal worthy of a man.

Only a vital goal allows a person to live his life with dignity and get real joy. Yes, joy! Think: if a person sets himself the task of increasing goodness in life, bringing happiness to people, what failures can befall him? Not to help who should? But how many people don't need help? If you are a doctor, then maybe you have given the patient the wrong diagnosis? This happens with the best doctors. But in total, you still helped more than you didn’t help. No one is immune from mistakes. But the most important mistake, the fatal mistake, is the wrong choice of the main task in life. Not promoted - disappointment. I did not have time to buy a stamp for my collection - disappointment. Someone has better furniture or a better car than you - again disappointment, and what else!

Setting a career or acquisition as a goal, a person experiences in total much more sorrows than joys, and risks losing everything. And what can a person who rejoices in every good deed have to lose? It is only important that the good that a person does be his inner need, come from a smart heart, and not just from the head, it would not be only a “principle”.

Therefore, the main life task must necessarily be a task wider than just a personal one, it should not be closed only on one's own successes and failures. It should be dictated by kindness to people, love for the family, for your city, for your people, country, for the whole universe.

Does this mean that a person should live like an ascetic, not take care of himself, not acquire anything and not rejoice at a simple promotion? By no means! A person who does not think about himself at all is an abnormal phenomenon and personally unpleasant for me: there is some kind of breakdown in this, some kind of ostentatious exaggeration of his kindness, disinterestedness, significance, there is some kind of contempt for other people, a desire stand out.

Therefore, I am talking only about the main task of life. And this main life task does not need to be emphasized in the eyes of other people. And you need to dress well (this is respect for others), but not necessarily “better than others”. And you need to make a library for yourself, but not necessarily larger than that of a neighbor. And it’s good to buy a car for yourself and your family – it’s convenient. Just do not turn the secondary into the primary, and do not let the main goal of life exhaust you where it is not necessary. When you need it is another matter. We'll see who's capable of what.

letter seven
What unites people

Floors of care. Caring strengthens relationships between people. Strengthens the family, strengthens friendship, strengthens fellow villagers, residents of one city, one country.

Follow a person's life.

A man is born, and the first concern for him is his mother; gradually (after a few days) the father’s care for him comes into direct contact with the child (before the birth of the child, there was already care for him, but to a certain extent it was “abstract” - the parents prepared for the appearance of the child, dreamed about him).

The feeling of caring for another appears very early, especially in girls. The girl does not speak yet, but is already trying to take care of the doll, nursing her. Boys, very young, like to pick mushrooms, fish. Berries and mushrooms are also loved by girls. And after all, they collect not only for themselves, but for the whole family. They bring it home, prepare it for the winter.

Gradually, children become objects of ever higher care and they themselves begin to show real and wide care - not only about the family, but also about the school, about their village, city and country ...

Care is expanding and becoming more altruistic. Children pay for taking care of themselves by taking care of their old parents, when they can no longer repay the care of their children. And this concern for the elderly, and then for the memory of deceased parents, as it were, merges with concern for the historical memory of the family and the motherland as a whole.

If care is directed only at oneself, then an egoist grows up.

Care unites people, strengthens the memory of the past and is directed entirely to the future. This is not a feeling itself - it is a concrete manifestation of a feeling of love, friendship, patriotism. The person must be caring. An uncaring or carefree person is most likely a person who is unkind and does not love anyone.

Morality is characterized by a feeling of compassion in the highest degree. In compassion there is a consciousness of one's unity with humanity and the world (not only with people, nations, but also with animals, plants, nature, etc.). The feeling of compassion (or something close to it) makes us fight for cultural monuments, for their preservation, for nature, individual landscapes, for respect for memory. In compassion there is a consciousness of one's unity with other people, with a nation, a people, a country, the Universe. That is why the forgotten concept of compassion requires its full revival and development.

Surprisingly correct thought: "A small step for man, a big step for humanity." Thousands of examples can be cited: it costs nothing to be kind to one person, but it is incredibly difficult for humanity to become kind. You can't fix humanity, but it's easy to fix yourself. Feeding a child, moving an old man across the road, giving up your seat on a tram, doing a good job, being polite and courteous, etc., etc. - all this is easy for a person, but incredibly difficult for everyone at once. That's why you need to start with yourself.

Kindness cannot be stupid. A good deed is never stupid, because it is disinterested and does not pursue the goal of profit and "smart result". It is possible to call a good deed "stupid" only when it clearly could not achieve the goal or was "false good", erroneously good, that is, not good. I repeat: a truly good deed cannot be stupid, it is beyond evaluation from the point of view of the mind or not the mind. The good and the good.

Letter eight
Be funny but not funny

It is said that the content determines the form. This is true, but the opposite is also true, that the content depends on the form. The well-known American psychologist of the beginning of this century, D. James, wrote: “We cry because we are sad, but we are also sad because we cry.” Therefore, let's talk about the form of our behavior, about what should become our habit and what should also become our inner content.

It was once considered indecent to show with all your appearance that a misfortune happened to you, that you were in grief. A person should not have imposed his depressed state on others. It was necessary to maintain dignity even in grief, to be equal with everyone, not to plunge into oneself and remain as friendly and even cheerful as possible. The ability to maintain dignity, not to impose one's grief on others, not to spoil the mood of others, to always be even in dealing with people, to be always friendly and cheerful - this is a great and real art that helps to live in society and society itself.

But how fun should you be? Noisy and obsessive fun is tiring for others. A young man who is always spouting witticisms ceases to be perceived as worthy of behaving. He becomes a joke. And this is the worst thing that can happen to a person in society, and it means ultimately the loss of a sense of humor.

Don't be funny.

Not being funny is not only the ability to behave, but also a sign of intelligence.

You can be funny in everything, even in the manner of dressing. If a man chooses too carefully a tie to a shirt, a shirt to a suit, he is ridiculous. Excessive concern for one's appearance is immediately visible. Care must be taken to dress decently, but this care in men should not go beyond certain limits. A man who cares too much about his appearance is unpleasant. The woman is another matter. Men should only have a hint of fashion in their clothes. A perfectly clean shirt, clean shoes and a fresh but not very bright tie are enough. The suit can be old, it just doesn't have to be unkempt.

In a conversation with others, know how to listen, know how to be silent, know how to joke, but rarely and in time. Take up as little space as possible. Therefore, at dinner, do not put your elbows on the table, embarrassing your neighbor. Do not try too hard to be the "soul of society." Observe the measure in everything, do not be intrusive even with your friendly feelings.

Don't worry about your shortcomings if you have them. If you stutter, don't think it's too bad. Stutterers are excellent speakers, considering every word they say. The best lecturer of Moscow University, famous for its eloquent professors, historian V. O. Klyuchevsky stuttered. A slight strabismus can give significance to the face, lameness - to movements. And if you are shy, don't be afraid. Don't be ashamed of your shyness: shyness is very sweet and not at all funny. It only becomes funny if you try too hard to overcome it and feel embarrassed about it. Be simple and indulgent to your shortcomings. Don't suffer from them. There is nothing worse when an “inferiority complex” develops in a person, and with it anger, hostility towards other people, envy. A person loses what is best in him - kindness.

There is no better music than silence, silence in the mountains, silence in the forest. There is no better “music in a person” than modesty and the ability to remain silent, not to come forward in the first place. There is nothing more unpleasant and stupid in the appearance and behavior of a person than dignity or noisy; there is nothing more ridiculous in a man than excessive concern for his costume and hair, calculated movements and a “fountain of witticisms” and jokes, especially if they are repeated.

In behavior, be afraid to be funny and try to be modest, quiet.

Never loosen up, always be equal with people, respect the people who surround you.

Don't be afraid of your physical imperfections. Carry yourself with dignity and you will be elegant.

I have a friend who is a little chubby. Honestly, I do not get tired of admiring her grace on those rare occasions when I meet her in museums on opening days (everyone meets there - that's why they are cultural holidays).

And one more thing, and perhaps the most important: be truthful. He who seeks to deceive others is first of all deceived himself. He naively thinks that they believed him, and those around him were actually just polite. But the lie always betrays itself, the lie is always “felt”, and you not only become disgusting, worse - you are ridiculous.

Don't be ridiculous! Truthfulness is beautiful, even if you admit that you have deceived before on any occasion, and explain why you did it. This will fix the situation. You will be respected and you will show your intelligence.

Simplicity and "silence" in a person, truthfulness, lack of pretensions in clothing and behavior - this is the most attractive "form" in a person, which also becomes his most elegant "content".

"Letters about the good and the beautiful", in which the academician reflects on the eternal and gives advice to the young...

"Letters about the good and the beautiful", in which academician Dmitry Likhachev reflects on the eternal and gives advice to the young, became a bestseller back in 1985 and has been translated into many languages. We publish several letters - about why careerism can make a person unhappy and unbearable, how intelligence will help you live long and why a person needs “disinterested” reading.

Letter Eleven

About careerism

A person develops from the first day of his birth. He is looking to the future. He learns, learns to set new tasks for himself, without even realizing it. And how quickly he masters his position in life. He already knows how to hold a spoon and pronounce the first words.

Then he also studies as a boy and a young man.

And the time has come to apply your knowledge, to achieve what you aspired to. Maturity. You have to live in real...

But the acceleration persists, and now, instead of teaching, the time comes for many to master the position in life. The movement goes by inertia. A person is constantly striving towards the future, and the future is no longer in real knowledge, not in mastering the skill, but in arranging oneself in an advantageous position. The content, the original content, is lost. The present time does not come, there is still an empty aspiration to the future. This is careerism. Inner restlessness that makes a person unhappy personally and unbearable for others.

Letter 12

The person must be intelligent

A person must be intelligent! And if his profession does not require intelligence? And if he could not get an education: so there were circumstances? And if Environment does not allow? And if intelligence makes him a "black sheep" among his colleagues, friends, relatives, will it simply interfere with his rapprochement with other people?

No, no and NO! Intelligence is needed under all circumstances. It is necessary both for others and for the person himself.

This is very, very important, and above all, in order to live happily and for a long time - yes, for a long time! For intelligence is equal to moral health, and health is needed to live long - not only physically, but also mentally. In one old book it says: "Honor your father and your mother, and you will live long on earth." This applies both to the whole people and to the individual. This is wise.

But first of all, let's define what intelligence is, and then why it is connected with the commandment of longevity.

Many people think: an intelligent person is one who has read a lot, received a good education(and even predominantly humanitarian), traveled a lot, knows several languages.

Meanwhile, you can have all this and be unintelligent, and you can not possess any of this to a large extent, but still be an internally intelligent person.

Education should not be confused with intelligence. Education lives on the old content, intelligence lives on the creation of the new and the awareness of the old as new.

More than that... Deprive a truly intelligent person of all his knowledge, education, deprive him of his very memory. Let him forget everything in the world, he will not know the classics of literature, he will not remember the greatest works of art, he will forget the most important historical events, but if with all this he retains a susceptibility to intellectual values, a love of acquiring knowledge, an interest in history, an aesthetic sense, he will be able to to distinguish a real work of art from a rough "thing" made only to surprise if he can admire the beauty of nature, understand the character and personality of another person, enter into his position, and having understood another person, help him, will not show rudeness, indifference, gloating , envy, but will appreciate another if he shows respect for the culture of the past, the skills of an educated person, responsibility in solving moral issues, the richness and accuracy of his language - spoken and written - this will be an intelligent person.

Intelligence is not only in knowledge, but in the ability to understand another. It manifests itself in a thousand and thousand little things:

• in the ability to argue respectfully,
• behave modestly at the table,
• in the ability to imperceptibly (precisely imperceptibly) help another,
• take care of nature,
• do not litter around you - do not litter with cigarette butts or swearing, bad ideas (this is also garbage, and what else!).

I knew peasants in the Russian North who were truly intelligent. They kept amazing cleanliness in their homes, knew how to appreciate good songs, knew how to tell "bystanders" (that is, what happened to them or others), lived an orderly life, were hospitable and friendly, treated with understanding both other people's grief and someone else's joy.

Intelligence is the ability to understand, to perceive, it is a tolerant attitude towards the world and towards people.

Intelligence must be developed in oneself, trained - mental strength is trained, as physical ones are also trained. And training is possible and necessary in any conditions.

That the training of physical strength contributes to longevity - this is understandable. Much less people understand that for longevity, the training of spiritual and spiritual forces is also necessary.

The fact is that a vicious and evil reaction to the environment, rudeness and misunderstanding of others is a sign of mental and spiritual weakness, human inability to live ...

• Pushing in a crowded bus - a weak and nervous person, exhausted, reacting incorrectly to everything.
• Quarrels with neighbors - also a person who does not know how to live, deaf mentally.
• Aesthetically unreceptive is also an unhappy person.
• Notwho knows how to understand another person, attributing only evil intentions to him, always taking offense at others - this is also a person who impoverishes his life and interferes with the lives of others.

Mental weakness leads to physical weakness. I am not a doctor, but I am convinced of this. Years of experience convinced me of this.

Friendliness and kindness make a person not only physically healthy, but also beautiful. Yes, it's beautiful.

The face of a person, distorted by anger, becomes ugly, and the movements of an evil person are devoid of grace - not deliberate grace, but natural, which is much more expensive.

The social duty of a person is to be intelligent. This is a duty to yourself as well. This is the guarantee of his personal happiness and the "aura of goodwill" around him and towards him (that is, addressed to him).

Everything I talk about with young readers in this book is a call to intelligence, to physical and moral health, to the beauty of health. Let us be long-lived, as people and as a people!

And the veneration of the father and mother should be understood broadly - as the veneration of all our best in the past, in the past, which is the father and mother of our modernity, the great modernity, to belong to which is great happiness.

letter twenty two

Love to read!

Each person is obliged (I emphasize - is obliged) to take care of his intellectual development. This is his duty to the society in which he lives and to himself.

The main (but, of course, not the only) way of one's intellectual development is reading.

Reading should not be random. This is a huge waste of time, and time is the greatest value that cannot be wasted on trifles. You should read according to the program, of course, not strictly following it, moving away from it where there are additional interests for the reader. However, with all the deviations from the original program, it is necessary to draw up a new one for yourself, taking into account the new interests that have appeared.

Reading, in order to be effective, must interest the reader. Interest in reading in general or in certain branches of culture must be developed in oneself. Interest can be largely the result of self-education.

It is not so easy to compose reading programs for yourself, and this must be done in consultation with knowledgeable people, with existing reference manuals different type.

The danger of reading is the development (conscious or unconscious) in oneself of a tendency to "diagonally" view texts or to different kind speed reading methods.

Speed ​​reading creates the appearance of knowledge. It can be allowed only in certain types of professions, being careful not to create in oneself the habit of speed reading, it leads to a disease of attention.

Have you noticed what a great impression those works of literature that are read in a calm, unhurried and unhurried environment, for example, on vacation or in case of some not very complicated and not distracting illness, make?

“Teaching is difficult when we do not know how to find joy in it. It is necessary to choose forms of recreation and entertainment that are smart, able to teach something.

Literature gives us a colossal, vast and profound experience of life. It makes a person intelligent, develops in him not only a sense of beauty, but also understanding - an understanding of life, all its complexities, serves as a guide to other eras and to other peoples, opens people's hearts to you. In a word, makes you wise.

If the first time you read the work inattentively, read it again, for the third time. A person should have favorite works that he refers to repeatedly, which he knows in detail, which he can remind others about in a suitable environment and thereby either cheer up, or defuse the situation (when irritation accumulates against each other), then laugh, then simply express your attitude to what happened to you or someone else.

"Disinterested" reading was taught to me at school by my literature teacher. I studied during the years when teachers were often forced to be absent from classes - either they dug trenches near Leningrad, or they had to help some factory, or they simply got sick. Leonid Vladimirovich (that was the name of my literature teacher) often came to class when the other teacher was absent, sat down at the teacher's table at ease and, taking books out of his portfolio, offered us something to read. We already knew how he knew how to read, how he knew how to explain what he read, to laugh with us, to admire something, to be surprised at the art of the writer and to rejoice in the future.

So we listened to many places from "War and Peace", "The Captain's Daughter", several stories by Maupassant, an epic about Nightingale Budimirovich, another epic about Dobryn Nikitich, a story about Grief-Misfortune, Krylov's fables, Derzhavin's odes and much, much more. I still love what I listened to when I was a kid.

And at home, father and mother loved to read in the evenings. They read for themselves, and read some of their favorite passages for us. They read Leskov, Mamin-Sibiryak, historical novels - everything that they liked and that gradually began to please us.

"Disinterested", but interesting reading - that's what makes you love literature and what broadens a person's horizons.

Why is TV now partially replacing the book? Yes, because the TV makes you slowly watch some kind of program, sit back comfortably so that nothing bothers you, it distracts you from worries, it dictates to you how to watch and what to watch.

But try to choose a book to your liking, take a break from everything in the world for a while, sit comfortably with a book, and you will understand that there are many books that you cannot live without, which are more important and interesting than many programs.

I'm not saying stop watching TV. But I say: look with a choice. Spend your time on something that is worthy of this waste. Read more and read with the greatest choice. Decide for yourself your choice, in accordance with the role that your chosen book has acquired in the history of human culture in order to become a classic. This means that there is something significant in it. Or maybe this essential for the culture of mankind will be essential for you?

A classic is one that has stood the test of time. You won't waste your time with it. But the classics cannot answer all the questions of today. Therefore, it is necessary to read modern literature. Don't just jump on every trendy book. Don't be fussy. Vanity causes a person to recklessly spend the largest and most precious capital that he possesses - his time.

letter twenty-six

Learn to learn!

We are entering an age in which education, knowledge, professional skills will play a decisive role in the fate of a person. Without knowledge, by the way, which is becoming more and more complicated, it will simply be impossible to work, to be useful. For physical labor will be taken over by machines, robots. Even calculations will be done by computers, just like drawings, calculations, reports, planning, etc.

A person will bring in new ideas, think about what a machine cannot think about. And for this, the general intelligence of a person, his ability to create something new and, of course, moral responsibility, which a machine cannot bear in any way, will be needed more and more.

Ethics, simple in previous ages, will become infinitely more complex in the age of science. It is clear. This means that a person will face the hardest and most difficult task of being not just a person, but a man of science, a person morally responsible for everything that happens in the age of machines and robots.

General education can create a person of the future, a creative person, a creator of everything new and morally responsible for everything that will be created.

Teaching is what a young person needs now from a very young age. You must always learn. Until the end of his life, not only taught, but also studied all the major scientists. If you stop learning, you won't be able to teach. For knowledge is growing and becoming more complex.

At the same time, it must be remembered that the most favorable time for learning is youth. It is in youth, in childhood, in adolescence, in youth, that the human mind is most receptive. Receptive to the study of languages ​​(which is extremely important), to mathematics, to the assimilation of simple knowledge and the development of aesthetic, standing next to with moral development and partly stimulating it.

Know how not to waste time on trifles, on "rest", which sometimes tires more than the hardest work, do not fill your bright mind with muddy streams of stupid and aimless "information". Take care of yourself for learning, for acquiring knowledge and skills that you will master easily and quickly only in your youth.

And here I hear the heavy sigh of a young man: what a boring life you offer our youth! Only study. And where is the rest, entertainment? What are we not to rejoice at?

No. The acquisition of skills and knowledge is the same sport. Teaching is difficult when we do not know how to find joy in it. We must love to study and choose smart forms of recreation and entertainment that can also teach something, develop in us some abilities that will be needed in life.

What if you don't like studying? That cannot be. This means that you simply did not discover the joy that the acquisition of knowledge and skills brings to a child, a young man, a girl.

Look at a small child - with what pleasure he begins to learn to walk, talk, delve into various mechanisms (for boys), nurse dolls (for girls). Try to continue this joy of learning new things. This largely depends on you.

Don't promise: I don't like to study! And you try to love all the subjects that you study at school. If other people liked them, then why might you not like them!

Read standing books and not just fluff. Study history and literature. An intelligent person should know both well. They give a person a moral and aesthetic outlook, make the world around us big, interesting, radiating experience and joy.

If you don’t like something in any subject, strain and try to find in it a source of joy - the joy of acquiring a new one.

Learn to love learning! published

© Dmitry Likhachev