Unfortunately, so far we have not received the real “Faust” in Russian. This statement may be received with indignation by some readers. How so?! For some, Faust, it would seem, was lucky. It was translated not only by the pedantic Kholodkovsky, but also by such a master of words as Fet. And Boris Pasternak’s translation is generally considered almost ideal. However, only those who have not read the original can argue this way. For the first time, some doubts arose in me when, during a friendly feast in the summer of 1976 on the left bank of the Don, German students sang to us the famous “Gretchen’s Song.” Remember, from Pasternak:
The king lived in distant Fula,
And a golden cup
He kept, a parting gift
One beloved...
A kind of sentimental and tearful romance of a plump German burgher. But in the mouths of the Germans it sounded like a gloomy Teutonic ballad. And in front of me immediately stood the stern medieval castle of Meissen, where we had a chance to visit on an excursion. When I later compared Pasternak’s translation with the original, I was not only disappointed, but irritated by the translator’s rollicking disregard for the author. And this despite the fact that Boris Leonidovich is one of my favorite poets. But the work “to order” and on time did its job. Pasternak's translation conveys neither the spirit nor the letter of the original. Which does not detract from certain merits of Pasternak’s work.
I don’t want to bore anyone with careful critical research and comparisons. It would be useful, but out of place. But here’s at least this remark: in none of the Russian translations did the authors preserve or even try to preserve the play on words that is constantly found in Goethe’s poems. For example, in one of the passages in Faust it is told how the spectator after the performance runs to the card table. The pun is not rich, but obvious: Schauspiel (performance, performance) and Kartenspiel (card game) are in the same line. In Russian it is extremely difficult to keep this within one line, so I resorted to internal rhyme:
As soon as the actors bow, they rush to the card room,
Others rush into the arms of whores...
What's the point in languishing and torturing them?
What do you want, dear muses?
Elsewhere, the Director encourages the Poet to break the play into parts to make it more lively. Two meanings of the word Stueck are played on - a play and a part, a piece. The director calls for giving “pieces” after “pieces”. And here, in my opinion, the translator is obliged to at least break into pieces, but to find something adequate! At least like – “If you strive for honors, let’s do everything in parts.” And so on. Moreover, if in the above passages the play on words does not carry a serious semantic load, then in the passage about piracy, for example, the translators do not notice Mephistopheles’ obvious mockery of the Trinity
Man fragt ums Was, und nicht ums Wie.
Ich muesste keine Schifffahrt kennen:
Krieg, Handel und Piraterie,
Dreieinig sind sie, nicht zu trennen
(They are interested in the What, not the How.
I don't know any navigation:
War, trade and piracy -
They are triune, they cannot be separated).
Meanwhile, it is extremely necessary to emphasize the demonic nature through demonic speech:
What is important, not how you take it;
Look at seafaring:
War, trade and robbery,
Like the Trinity of the Lord, merged.
There is not the slightest stretch with the Trinity: Goethe used the word dreieinig, and in German the Trinity is precisely Dreieinigkeit. This is a CONSCIOUS pun by Goethe, since “triune”, “one in three persons” - this term is one of the cornerstones of Christian teaching.
In general, one thing is clear: “Faust” cannot be quickly translated into Russian. This is the work of more than one decade. The work of an ascetic. A talented ascetic. Maybe even brilliant. I don't claim this. I do not pretend to be competitive, presenting to the reader my translation of the scene of the meeting of Faust and Mephistopheles in the study. Rather, I suggest you think about your APPROACH to the matter.
WORK OFFICE
Mephistopheles, dressed in the manner of a traveling scholastic, emerges from behind the stove as soon as the fog settles.
FAUST:
What kind of pig did the poodle put on me!
MEPHISTOPHELES:
Salute to the scientist! I'm really barely alive:
You gave me a great time today.
FAUST:
What's your name?
MEPHISTOPHELES:
Insignificant question
I think for the one who despises the word,
Doesn't take appearances seriously
And he only delves deeply into the essence.
FAUST:
About the essence of people like you
It’s better to read by name.
They won’t lie, what kind of spirit you are:
Molester, liar or lord of the flies.
So who are you?
MEPHISTOPHELES:
Part of the power that's always
He does good, wishing harm to everyone.
FAUST:
And what does this riddle mean?
MEPHISTOPHELES:
I am the spirit that always denies!
And rightfully so; because what lives is so valuable,
Which will certainly disappear over time;
So it would be better if nothing happened.
I called it my native element.
FAUST:
You are intact, but you introduced yourself as part of...
MEPHISTOPHELES:
And I told you the humble truth now.
The world of human foolishness is familiar to me:
You think of yourself only as a whole.
I am a part of a part of that which was everything,
Part of the darkness that gave birth to the light,
And the proud son desires space
He strives to oust his mother from the throne.
But in vain: no matter how hard I try,
He remained as he was with the bodies.
With bodies the light will come to an end.
FAUST:
And I decided to start with small dirty tricks.
MEPHISTOPHELES:
Frankly, I didn’t really finish them either.
Nothingness is challenged by its
Dummy, your world is stupid and funny.
I took on the matter from all sides,
Trying to damage him
Wave, storm, shaking, fire -
And as a result, everything is in place in it!
And take the bastards, that animal race,
What is human: there is no more strength,
I have already destroyed so many of them!
But young blood is replacing them.
In cold, hot, wet and dry!
Thank you, I can go back to hell,
Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known where to hide.
FAUST:
So you are the eternal creative power,
Good, healing, living,
Seized by endless anger,
Poking your demonic fist!
Born of chaos and darkness,
Find an easier way for yourself!
MEPHISTOPHELES:
We'll discuss this with you,
But only later somehow.
Now will you let me go?
FAUST:
What's the question? Stay healthy
And run, my sworn friend,
Under this hospitable shelter.
Here is the door, or you can from the window,
Yes, and the pipe is nothing new for you.
MEPHISTOPHELES:
I confess honestly, there is one
An obstacle to anyone's path -
The sign of the sorcerer is above your threshold.
FAUST:
Are you confused by the pentagram? But forgive me:
She blocked your way back -
How did you manage to get in here?
MEPHISTOPHELES:
You didn’t reach the end of the ray -
Let's go to hell and get better!
FAUST:
Truly, what a happy occasion!
So, it seems that you are in my captivity?
MEPHISTOPHELES:
Yes, the dog ran in and didn’t notice the sign.
Now things are different:
The demon cannot leave the house.
FAUST:
What about escaping from the windows?
MEPHISTOPHELES:
Spirits and devils have one law:
As you came in, so you come out.
COMMENTARY ON THE TRANSLATION
EXCERPT FROM "FAUST"
1. Let's start with a remark:
“Mephistopheles, dressed in the manner of a traveling scholastic, emerges from behind the stove as soon as the fog settles.”
In the original -
Mephistopheles tritt, indem der Nebel faellt, gekleidet wie ein fahrender Scholasticus, hinter dem Ofen hervor.
I had to slightly rearrange the semantic parts: in the original, the piece about the scholastics came AFTER the settling fog. I allowed myself to remove the ambiguity that arises: “as soon as the fog settles, dressed in the manner of a traveling scholastic.” It turns out involuntarily that the fog is dressed like a scholastic.
2. FAUST:
*What kind of pig did the poodle put on me!*
It would seem that Faust’s rather simple remark -
Das also war des Pudels Kern!
(literally - “therefore, this was the core of the poodle!”) -
And it translates quite simply. Its meaning is what is hidden under the guise of a poodle. From Pasternak:
“So that’s what the poodle was stuffed with!”
It seems to be wonderful for sure. In fact, such a translation does not convey the spirit of the original. It is no coincidence that the expression “Das also war des Pudels Kern!” - became catchphrase in the German language and is used no less often than the phraseological unit of which it is a periphrasis. In the German language there are a number of phraseological units with the word Kern. For example, j-m steckt ein guter Kern: “someone has a good gut.” Or the saying - Ein guter Kern steckt sich oft in einer rauhen Schale: even under an unsightly shell a sweet kernel is often hidden. That is, Goethe ironically reinterprets the people's “good guts” into a nasty surprise hidden in a poodle, “Guter Kern” into “Poodles Kern”. It is precisely this irony of the great German that is not noticed by his translators. By the way, now Germans often mix Goethean and folk, saying: hier steckt des Pudels Kern! (that's the thing, that's where the dog is buried), where "nucleolus" is already used in a neutral sense.
I had to sacrifice literalism in order to convey Goethe's intention. “The planted pig”, in principle, corresponds to Goethe’s irony, his punning rethinking of the folk “good kernel”. Although, of course, it will cause a storm of indignation among pedantic interpreters.
However, if we talk about literalism, I also had another option, FORMALLY corresponding to the text of “Faust”:
*FAUST
That's what a nucleolus is in a poodle's gut!
Wandering scholastic? It's funny though.
MEPHISTOPHELES:
Salute to the scientist! I almost lost my mind:
However, the SUBTEXT of the phrase is lost. But for me, ARTISTIC accuracy is more important. In addition, if some “liberty” in the finale of the “main” version of the translation can be forgiven due to an attempt to convey a pun, then here, alas, this cannot be “excused”.
Another option is even more accurate:
*FAUST
So this is what the poodle was hiding in his belly!
Wandering scholastic? It's funny though.
MEPHISTOPHELES
Salute to the scientist! I was all sweaty and sweaty:
I swear, you gave me a great time.
Why do I say that this option is one of the most accurate?
To understand, let’s “jump” straight to the fourth line.
In the original:
Ihr habt mich weidlich schwitzen machen –
(You made me really sweat.)
In this version - IN THE ONLY one - it was possible to convey precisely the indication that Mephistopheles was sweating. The fourth line actually varies and interprets this statement of Mephistopheles more broadly. Compare - “You made me really sweat” and “You gave me a nice hard time.” Almost literalism)).
So, we see that the second part of the quatrain in this translation is conveyed by the most successful and exactly. Why didn't I choose this option? It’s all the same: the pun of the first line disappears.
There was another option, quite funny:
*FAUST:
Well, let's see who's buried in the dog!
Wandering scholastic? It's funny though.
MEPHISTOPHELES:
My fiery salute, learned gentleman!
I swear, you gave me a great time*.
The pun is good: instead of “that’s where the dog is buried” - “that’s who’s buried in the dog.” But, firstly, in the German language there is already a phraseological unit hier ist das Hund begraben (a dog is buried here), but Goethe did not use it. Secondly, the connection with the previous episode is lost, where Faust conjures a black poodle, and instead of the dog, Mephistopheles appears offering his services. So what is the “let’s see” here? Everything is already visible.
There were also a number of options in the traditional style, which I rejected due to their triviality:
* “Yeah, so that’s the poodle’s secret!”
(“My ardent greetings to the scientist!”)*
*"So that's what they serve stuffing in a poodle!"
(“To the scientist - my fiery salute!”)*
*"So this is what they stuff poodles with these days!"
("My fiery salute to the scientist! Hey,
You gave me a great time today")*
“Hey, yeah,” frankly speaking, it made me cringe. I don't like unnecessary interjections for the sake of rhyme.
So, after trying a lot, I finally settled on a pun with a pig. Bye. Because, as they say, it’s also not a fountain. All the same, the pun with the “kernel” is not conveyed.
3.
*Wandering scholastic? However, it's funny*.
Pasternak has a completely wild assumption:
The dog was hiding the student inside!
“Scholar” and “scholast” (especially a wanderer) are, as they say in Odessa, two big differences:
Ein fahrender Skolast? Der Kasus macht mich lachen.
Of course, if Mephistopheles had come to Faust as a schoolboy, then there could have been no conversation on equal terms. Unforgivable negligence of the translator.
4. MEPHISTOPHELES:
*Salute to the scientist!*
In the original:
Ich salutiere den gelehrten Herrn!
At Pasternak's -
I will pay you a respectful bow!
Which is completely inconsistent with either the original or the character of Mephistopheles, but is dictated only by the desire to rhyme the third line with the first. Goethe literally says: “I salute the learned gentleman!” It seems to me that Goethe chose the word “salute” for a reason. In addition to the direct “welcome” (ave, Caesar, morituri te salutant), this word has a clear connotation of fire (salute, cracker, fireworks). Some critics have commented to me that it sounds “pioneer-like.” Which in itself is not bad: additional irony... But seriously, such associations appear only among readers brought up in Soviet years. This will pass. Moreover, the pioneers themselves adopted both the name of the organization and the name of the greeting from previous generations.
5.
*Part of the power that is always
He does good, wishing harm to everyone* -
Ein Teil fon jener Kraft,
Die staets das Boese will
Und staets das Gute schafft
(Part of that force that constantly desires evil and constantly does good).
IN in this case instead of "evil" I use "harm", which is essentially the same as "evil", although less global. But still - a certain freedom of the translator.
It is also curious that among the Germans there is virtually no difference between the words “good” and “good”. For them it is the same thing - “das Gute”.
Goethe, in principle, beat winged words from Voltaire’s “Zadig”: “There is no evil that does not bring good, and no good that does not bring evil.”
But the Russian language in this sense turns out to be deeper and richer. For a Russian person, “good” and “good” are not the same thing. Thus, Mikhail Bulgakov, as an epigraph to the novel “The Master and Margarita,” takes an exact prose translation from Goethe’s scene “The Cabinet of Faust”:
"...so who are you, finally?
“I am part of that force that always wants evil and always does good.”
To translate "das Gute" the word "good" is used, not "good". Moreover, Mikhail Afanasyevich is so pedantic that he does not even use the poetic translation of Kholodkovsky or the prosaic translation of Sokolovsky, although in both cases it is also about the good.
From N. Kholodkovsky:
"FAUST
...So who are you?
MEPHISTOPHELES
I am part of the eternal power,
Always wishing evil, doing only good.”
From A. Sokolovsky:
"Faust. ...Which one are you?
Mephistopheles. I am a particle of that force that constantly strives to do evil, but only accomplishes good.”
Bulgakov's rejection of the presented translations is primarily of a stylistic nature. Kholodkovsky, after all, does not have “good”, “but “good”, and Mikhail Afanasyevich needs absolute precision in the formulation. As for Sokolovsky, Bulgakov’s translation is generally more accurate. Wer bist du dtnn? - this is exactly “So who are you, finally? “, and not “which of them?” And then Sokolovsky has a completely cumbersome word - “seeks to do” instead of the original “wants” (will). The only thing where Sokolovsky is more precise is the word “constantly” (I translated it as a synonym “ always"), and for Pasternak - “eternally”. In the style of the novel, this word is more appropriate.
But in general, Bulgakov follows the Russian tradition.
What difference does it make - good or good? – the reader may ask. – Still, we are talking about something bright and good.
This is not entirely true. There is a difference between good and good.
Good includes the concept not only and not so much of good, but of benefit, benefit, and change for the better. A philosopher would say that the concept of good is not a categorical imperative. Simply put, the idea of the good is not limited by rigid moral boundaries. It is no coincidence that they say: what is good for some is misfortune for others. That is, good stands outside moral categories.
A simple example. If in one country there is a terrible drought, and in another there are excellent weather conditions and a rich harvest, then the misfortune of the citizens of the first country turns out to be a blessing for the citizens of the second, since they can profitably sell the fruits of their labors to the victims. Another example. Killing a tyrant is a good deed, but in no way good. Good, by definition, cannot be “bad.” Good is beyond evil. From the point of view of good, it may even seem cruel, unfair, stupid, harmful. It is no coincidence that for centuries there have been heated debates about death penalty. After all, the ban on killing one’s own kind is a good deed. But is it good for society? Is it fair to show mercy to a maniac who dismembered several dozen people? The question remains open.
That is why Bulgakov also translates “das Gute” precisely as good. Because Woland and his retinue do not do good at all, but good.
And yet I chose the word “good”. So clearer and sharper for current person the paradox that is contained in the words of Mephistopheles."
6.
*MEPHISTOPHELES:
So, what are you used to calling sin:
Devastation, evil, misfortune, collapse -
I called it my native element*.
In the original:
So ist denn alles, was ihr Suende,
Zerstoerung, kurz, das Boese nennt,
Mein eigentliches Element
(So everything you call sin,
Destruction, in short, evil,
There is my immediate element).
Note that I first took the liberty of translating “element” as “part”:
Collapse, devastation, evil, misfortune -
All this is my essential part.
Faust:
You named some of them - but in general, what are you?
Mephistopheles:
I am only stating the humble truth here.
However, one of my critics, Mr. Tretyak-Neizvestnykh, rightly noted that “element” means “element, environment” - fire, water, earth, air in the view of medieval scholastics. Mein eigentliches Element – “my native element” (Evil). But by no means “my essential part.”
I countered that the word Element also means " component": It’s easy to verify this by opening a German-Russian dictionary.
And yet, after mature reflection, I was forced to admit that my opponent was right. The mistake was that due to my carelessness I translated the line incorrectly -
Du nennst dich einen Teil, und stehst doch ganz vor mir?
(You call yourself a part, but you stand before me completely, completely?)
In my translation -
*You named the part...*,
Although it’s definitely necessary - “You called YOURSELF A PART.”
Hence the erroneous connection with the previous line - “all this is my essential part” and further “you named the part, but in general what you are.” Meanwhile, Mephisto did not call his part, but himself part of the evil force.
So I express my belated gratitude to Mr. Tretyak-Neizvestnykh.
By the way, Pasternak’s last phrase is translated both long and clumsily:
You say you are a part, but you yourself are the whole
Are you standing here in front of me?
I can't imagine how great artist and the master could allow himself such monstrous tongue-tiedness - three “you” in one line!
7.
*MEPHISTOPHELES:
It comes from bodies and gives them shine,
And the body serves as a barrier for him;
And in the near future, besides
With bodies the light will come to an end*.
I allowed myself a pun about the “end of the world”, which is absent in the original (Und mit den Koerpern wird"s zugrunde gehn). But it’s too out of place! If you had written to Goethe in Russian, he wouldn’t have passed by either. I think so.
8.
*MEPHISTOPHELES:
No matter how mad you are, it’s getting worse year after year!
Wherever you throw it - on land, in the air, in the water,
Just sprouts, embryos all around,
In cold, hot, wet and dry!*
Regarding “go wild”: in the original - man moechte rasend werden. rasend has the meaning “mad,” that is, possessed by a demon. But in Russian this connection is much clearer and more advantageous in translation.
Mr. Tretyak-Neizvestnykh notes in connection with the translation of this passage:
“And “throw it wherever” - why “throw it”? A glance? Quite a clumsy ellipse."
The remark is completely unfounded. Opening phrasebook Russian literary language A. Fedorova (1995): “Wherever you throw it - 1. Whatever you take, whatever you turn to. – Everywhere you look, you come across aesthetics. (Pisarev. Realists). 2. Around, everywhere, everywhere. – Wherever you look, there are factories, factories are standing, students are not studying... (M. Yudalevich. Fifth year).
9.
*FAUST:
Now I understand the nature of your occupation, dear ones!
You are not able to commit a great crime,
And I decided to start with small dirty tricks*.
Mr. Tretyak-Neizvestnykh remarks about these lines:
““Dear activities” - here the adjective “dear” is justified only by the necessary rhyme with “silah”. In Goethe, wuerd'gen Pflichten. I will not translate, since it is obvious that you know the language. In other words, you are sinning in the same way as you sinned your predecessors, including Pasternak."
To which I gave the following explanation:
"Let's think again. “Würdig” is worthy, respectable. It is absolutely clear that Faust could use this epithet ONLY IN AN IRONIC AND EVEN SARCASTIC SENSE. You are right in the sense that, having preserved it in Russian, we would have preserved, in fact, I tried to do this with another epithet, which, in my opinion, does not destroy the author’s intention. So it’s not so much a matter of forced rhyme, but of semantic adequacy.
However, I accept your comment and will try to translate these lines closer to the original. It doesn’t cost a lot of work, and the translation only benefits from such edits.”
True, I haven’t started translating it again yet. Not that it's difficult; I just can't get my hands on it. And my objections seem quite reasonable to me.
10.
*MEPHISTOPHELES:
You didn’t reach the end of the ray -
Let's go to hell and get better!*
Naturally, “drawing from the devil” is again one of my few liberties. Well, a person is weak... Although in other respects, as the reader who knows German language, in translation I try to be pedantic to the point of literalism.
11.
*FAUST:
There are unexpected successes in the world!
MEPHISTOPHELES:
Yes, the DOG ran in and didn’t notice the sign.
Now things are different:
The BES cannot leave the house.
I couldn’t resist and replaced the “poodle” with a dog (in the original - Der Pudel merkte nichts, als er hereingesprungen - The poodle didn’t notice anything when he jumped inside). But how can you miss the RUSSIAN consonance of the words “dog” and “demon”?! Sometimes you have to choose between the letter and the spirit of the work.
12.
*FAUST:
What about escaping from the windows?
MEPHISTOPHELES:
Spirits and devils have one law:
As you came in, so you go out*.
Yes, by the end I was completely relaxed! The puns started rolling. Moreover, already during the last editing. Sorry, Uncle Johann...
... “part of that power that does good without number, desiring evil for everyone”
The Maidan authorities risk becoming like the famous infernal character from the immortal “Faust” by Goethe, who himself characterized himself as “part of that force that does good without number, desiring evil for everyone.”
As Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk stated, Ukraine may ban the transit of Russian gas. At the same time, the head of the Cabinet of Ministers admitted that under his strict leadership the country would have to act as a kamikaze. Being fully aware that she herself will have to pay for the sanctions. According to the prime minister, Ukraine is ready for this. In this regard, Arseniy Yatsenyuk expressed confidence that the Rada will adopt the law on sanctions on August 12.
In addition to measures to establish a gas transport boycott of Europe, the Ukrainian government approved a bill that provides for the possibility of introducing 26 more types of sanctions against Russia. It affects subjects and individuals involved in the “occupation” of Crimea and “terrorism” in the east of the country. As Yatsenyuk emphasized, specific sanctions, if the bill is adopted, will be introduced by decision of the National Security and Defense Council. The list submitted to the Maidan security officers for consideration consists of 172 citizens of the Russian Federation and other countries, as well as 65 legal entities.
However, it is not yet a fact that the Verkhovna Rada will support the prime minister’s proposal. Moreover, the latter is clearly much more concerned about his own chances in the upcoming parliamentary elections than about the prospects for the Ukrainian economy, which is barely showing signs of life. Sources in Russian oil and gas transportation companies are not yet too willing to comment on the information that has appeared. Transneft representative Igor Demin, in particular, said that the company is waiting until the data on the blocking of transit is published or officially sent to the Russian side.
Let us recall that in previous years the topic of maintaining control over hydrocarbon transit and “independence” (the sovereign status of the state) was equated. Referring to this circumstance, the Ukrainian authorities during the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych rejected the idea of creating a tripartite consortium to manage the Ukrainian pipeline. As it turns out, the suicidal logic “don’t let anyone get you” has finally prevailed in the consciousness of the Maidan political establishment.
The attempt at economic suicide declared by the Maidan government received a cost estimate from its initiators. As Arseniy Yatsenyuk reported, if sectoral sanctions are adopted, Ukraine will have to part with $7 billion.
Prime Minister Yatsenyuk’s statement about the possibility of stopping the transit of Russian energy resources through the territory of Ukraine should be considered a form of blackmail against Russia, says the head of the Center for Economic Research at the Institute of Globalization and social movements Vasily Koltashov.
The United States is largely indifferent to the prices at which European consumers will receive hydrocarbons, in in full or not. Washington is much more concerned about the overall victory in the geopolitical struggle that they have imposed on Russia. Another task that is being solved in parallel is maintaining control over the European economy.
“SP”: - There is an opinion that the United States is clearing the European energy market for shale gas.
It's unlikely. Because they do not have the ability to organize supplies of these raw materials to Europe in the required volume. On the contrary, America is interested in maintaining high prices for hydrocarbons on the European and world markets as a whole. The fact is that in its domestic market, as an anti-crisis measure White House offers cheap energy resources, inexpensive labor and cheap credit. This serves as the basis for the relatively good state of the American economy. Accordingly, conditions for competitors should be worse.
“SP”: - Is the transit attack on Russia pushing Moscow to approach its producers and investors with a similar package of proposals?
One could say so. We still have relatively cheap labor - in the regions wages small. To this should now be added cheap energy resources that can be redirected from foreign markets to internal. And if affordable credit also appears, then the Russian economy will not only cope with the sanctions, but will also go uphill quite quickly. Moreover, our leadership is coming up with initiatives that can become multipliers (accelerators) of economic growth. Among other proposals, I would note the idea of building expressways railways- this will give mobility to commodity flows and labor resources. This is especially true for territories beyond the Urals.
If Russian gas does not reach Europe, this will create completely unique economic conditions within the Russian Federation. This will increase the profitability of business in Russia, which cannot but interest investors. By relying on infrastructure projects and reducing the cost of credit in Russia, we will be on the same level as the United States in a number of important indicators. China is now losing its growth rate, as is India. As a result, the Russian Federation may even find itself in better position. But for this it is necessary to accept right decisions and, most importantly, do not retreat. Under no circumstances should you succumb to pressure and blackmail.
“SP”: - What does Kyiv want - to make “economic hara-kiri” for itself at the insistent request of the “Washington regional committee” in the hope of complicating the life of Russia and Europe?
Without agreement with Washington, a politician like Arseniy Yatsenyuk will not do anything. Objectively, Ukraine needs a big discount on gas. Ukrainian authorities want Russian authorities supplied cheap hydrocarbons. And at the same time, Moscow would regularly be subjected to acts of aggression against itself. Up to the attack on Crimea and crossing the border in the event of the defeat of Novorossiya.
“SP”: - Is this from the series “it’s not harmful to dream”?
“SP”: - By blocking the transit of Russian hydrocarbons to Europe, the Kiev regime is sawing the branch on which it sits. To put it bluntly, is this beneficial for Novorossiya and Moscow?
This is a controversial issue. Of course, we are interested in Brussels unblocking the construction of South Stream. But I am not sure that Germany, which has a blocking stake in EU decision-making, will give in so easily. The fact is that German business will only benefit if it finally finishes off its competitors in Southern, Eastern and Central Europe. Moreover, Nord Stream has already been built. So Berlin will no longer be left without Russian hydrocarbons. Another thing is that the price of strengthening Germany’s position in the EU will be the destruction of the infrastructure, economy and social sphere of countries such as Bulgaria, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary... Shutting off the gas valve will primarily hit the Balkans.
Yatsenyuk's statement means an intensification of the struggle for the Eurasian market. It involves the USA and Germany, who are trying to seize new territories from the Customs Union and block its development. The strategic goal is to throw Russia back to the 1990s. As is easy to understand, such an uncompromisingly set task does not imply any bargaining with Moscow. The development of Russian capitalism has gone beyond the boundaries that liberals dictated to it Western politicians in the 1990s. The task of throwing the Russian Federation back two decades became even more urgent after 2008, when the economic situation in the world began to deteriorate sharply. After which Western transnational capital set the task of destroying Russian corporations that are capable of competing for a place in the sun in the world market. It's no coincidence that we already for many years blocking access to Western assets. Suffice it to recall the story of Russia’s attempt to buy Opel from General Motors.
Kyiv leaders are no longer interested in preferences or discounts on gas, says Vyacheslav Kulagin, director of the Center for the Study of World Energy Markets at the Institute of Energy Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The gas issue has long moved from the economic plane to the political, if not geopolitical. The Americans want to play the energy card with the help of their Ukrainian proteges in order to weaken their competitors. I don’t think that Yatsenyuk consulted with the Europeans when declaring the prospect of leaving them without gas. There is a clear desire to aggravate the situation in Russia's relations with the European Union.
“SP”: - Is Kyiv planning to “turn the switch” to Russia again? If this succeeds in the current extremely transparent situation, this trick may rank with Copperfield’s “unsolved” tricks.
From the point of view of formal logic, Russia, of course, cannot be responsible for transit through the territory of a foreign state. But the fact is that from a formal legal point of view this is possible. Because Ukraine does not have a contract with the EU for gas transit. Kyiv has a contract with Gazprom to supply gas to a specific country. It turns out that if Gazprom does not provide this delivery, then it is poorly fulfilling its obligations to the EU. Any European consumer (for example, the E.On corporation, which purchases gas from Russia) cannot even make a claim against Ukraine.
“SP”: - Did the Russian leadership realize that it was taking on all the risks associated with this configuration of contractual relations?
To be fair, it is worth noting that the contract stipulates force majeure circumstances. But its conditions are such that we are the ones who supply gas to Europe and are responsible for this. Russia faces difficulties with current gas supplies. Last year we pumped about 85 billion cubic meters through the Square. This is about 60% of the total volume of gas supplies to Europe. Now consumption volumes are lower, but this is due to the seasonal factor. Problems with the execution of contracts will result in lost profits for Gazprom and the budget. Questions will arise regarding investment programs.
“SP”: - Are there any positive aspects to this story?
Since Kyiv stops transit purely political reasons, this will help Europeans understand that the Maidan project is partly directed against them. It is difficult to find more convincing arguments in favor of the thesis that Ukraine, as a transit country, poses a threat to the energy security of Europe.
“SP”: - Some of your colleagues in the expert workshop point out that the gas blockade of Southern Europe is beneficial to Germany.
I think that in this situation there are no winners among the Europeans: some have lost more, some have lost less. The maximum losses will be incurred East Europe. Especially those countries that directly border Ukraine. But here two points need to be taken into account. Ukraine's withdrawal from the transit scheme for gas supply to Europe may become a reason for Brussels to reconsider the decision on the OPAL gas pipeline. Let me remind you that this pipeline runs through Germany, connecting Nord Stream and pre-existing gas transportation networks. As prescribed by European antitrust legislation, the owners of the pipeline (Gazprom and Wintershall) can use only 50% of the pipeline's capacity - the rest must be transferred to third parties. In fact, Europeans have been blocking this project for political reasons for six months now. Since there are no alternative suppliers in this area, 50% of OPAL's capacity is not in demand today.
In the event of a complete blocking of Ukrainian transit, it is possible that a positive decision will be made on OPAL. Europe will have no other option. In addition, Kyiv’s unexpected demarche will provide an additional argument in favor of the construction of South Stream. This project has been over-politicized lately.
“SP”: - Again, this is the machinations of the United States?
If we consider the EU as an independent center of power, then this is beneficial for it. But in practice we see the following - the pipeline arrives in Bulgaria, where “geopolitical special forces” in the person of US Vice President Joe Biden are urgently landed. At the end of his visit, the Bulgarian leadership announced a decision to freeze the construction of South Stream. No one denies that the United States simply put pressure on the Bulgarians and forced them to freeze a profitable project. Although others European countries on the South Stream route then confirmed their participation.
However, there remains a chance for a successful resolution of this issue. European Commissioner for Energy Günter Oettinger said back in the spring that Brussels would make its own decision. I would like to believe that this will be exactly the case.
“SP”: - After Yatsenyuk’s statement, in addition to gas transit, the topic of Russian oil supplies to Europe is hanging in the air...
IN Leningrad region A large port complex has been built in Ust-Luga, which includes an oil loading terminal and coal transshipment. There is a good port in Murmansk. In addition, there is enough southern routes(in particular, Novorossiysk). The ports of the Baltic countries are underutilized, not to mention the transit capacities of Belarus. With oil, the situation is generally simpler - at least you pour it into a bucket and carry it. Or sent by train. This doesn't work with gas - you need a pipe.
“SP”: - Does the gas contract with China open up room for maneuver for Russia?
Supplies to Europe and China have different raw material bases: hydrocarbons come to Europe from Western Siberia, and for China the deposits in Eastern Siberia. These markets are not logistically interconnected.
Negotiations on Russian gas supplies have been suspended. IN best case scenario they will resume by the end of summer. And the decision of the Stockholm arbitration is generally expected by the end of the year. I don’t think we can talk about purely commercial pressure from Kyiv when negotiations are not ongoing at all. The Maidan authorities categorically do not want to pay off their debts. Accordingly, negotiations are frozen. If the issue were discussed, it could be regarded as negotiating pressure on the Russian Federation. And when hostilities take place, a flood of sanctions comes down; the measure announced by Kiev resembles an attempt to escalate and nothing more.
“SP”: - Will Ukraine be able to survive at least one winter without the theft of Russian gas?
While there is no such information, transit to Europe is completely underway. But starting in the fall, problems will begin. Already today people in Kyiv are without hot water. And when they begin to freeze in winter, the political situation in “Nezalezhnaya” will become much more serious. Let me give you an example: the authorities cut the volume of gas consumed by the capital three times. That is, hot water will be supplied in winter for several hours a day.
"SP": - "Svidomo" experts indicate that Ukraine meets the need for gas for domestic needs itself.
Gas production in Ukraine (including Crimea) amounted to about 20 billion cubic meters. With total demand (domestic needs plus industry) at least 55 billion cubic meters. Accordingly, 35 billion cubic meters need to be imported (during the collapse of the USSR, domestic demand reached 100 billion cubic meters). To summarize, the Maidan authorities will not have enough gas of their own even for domestic needs. When the oligarchs are in power, the problems of the population are of little concern to them. The main thing is to support your industrial assets with energy resources.
“SP”: - There is a version that the United States is preparing the ground for the “shale revolution” in Ukraine.
Even if oil shale production takes place in Ukraine, preparation for exploitation of the deposits will take at least 5-7 years. Moreover, the source base in a number of regions is currently closed because military operations are taking place there. I have another version - the United States is clearing the European market for its own shale gas. Moreover, they plan to launch the first LNG export projects. That is, they need a market for this gas, and in Europe the demand for gas is not growing. In such a situation, a reduction in supplies from the Russian Federation “clears the clearing.”
"Mephistopheles" (1975)
If we talk about Mephistopheles, then no other demonic image, with the exception of Lucifer himself, has found such a wide representation in human creativity, in poetry, prose, music, and painting. According to some ideas (if you believe the treatises Black Magic), this image penetrated into medieval Europe from Persian mythology. Others believe that Mephistopheles was “invented” by the Hellenes, who were concerned with the problems of heuristics, or by the Jews, according to the Talmudic tradition of which demons were created by God at dusk after the first Saturday... But I will not stray too far from music.
As you know, Mephistopheles, this grotesque spirit of evil, not devoid of intelligence and humor, and often identified with Satan (which is probably not entirely true), appears in numerous operas: Ludwig Spohr's "Faust", Hector Berlioz's "La Damnation de Faust", Robert Schumann "Szenen aus Goethe's Faust", Charles Gounod "Faust", Arrigo Boito "Mefistofele", Ferruccio Busoni "Doktor Faust", Sergei Prokofiev "Fiery Angel" and many others.
In recent years, Mephistopheles has appeared as one of the main characters in rock operas and thematic albums of such teams as Avantasia, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Kamelot, and some others (I don’t remember all of them). Moreover, the parts of Mephistopheles were performed by the best modern vocalists - Jorn Lande, John Oliva, Roy Khan, Shagrat (from Dimmu Borgir). But the rock opera (or so) of the Australian project “Mephistopheles” was somehow undeservedly forgotten for many years. In modern publications on the Internet, the album, released in 1975, is often referred to as Paul Gaffey "Mephistopheles", although I think this is strange, since the music and lyrics for the album were written by Simon Heath. In addition, the project itself is his intention. Paul just sang all the parts. That's why I took the liberty of listing the album without mentioning the singer's name. It is known that they both later went to court, trying to challenge the copyright of the work, and surprisingly, Mr. Gaffey won the lawsuit...
In addition to Paul, Stan Wilson (organ, piano), Peter Harris (mellotron), Doug Gallagher (drums), John Young (bass guitar), Mark Punch (electronic and acoustic guitars), Jim Kelly ( acoustic guitar), Simon Heath (moog synthesizer), Tony Buchanan and Don Wright (both saxophone), The Singers Of David choir and an orchestra of fifty musicians. The album is designed in a refined symphonic prog style, but sometimes the musicians allow themselves to relax and switch to performing pop music (for example, in the song "Paradise"). This, of course, is not "Jesus Christ Superstar" or even "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway", but it is an extraordinary work, one of the best in classic rock, deserving close attention. At least let’s relax, listen to the intricacies of the oratorios and once again remember the phrase that Mephistopheles uttered in Goethe’s Faust: “Theory, my friend, is gray, but green is the eternal tree of life” (about the translator who most accurately managed to translate this maxim into Russian language, let’s keep silent...).
"So Sad"
"Dear People"
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Excellent article on rock opera written by Timothy Reedy
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What if someone decided to make a Prog album, and along the way a really bad off-off-Broadway musical broke out? The kind that music teacher you had back in 9th grade auditioned for as a young lad full of dreams, but backed out of because of the nude scenes and the lecherous old tart of a producer who kept wanting to buy him Beefeater gimlets and precious, shiny trinkets – on an “understanding”, of course. Or better yet, the kind of album that sounds like a gay karaoke bar in the Theater District, where wizened old queens sit nursing their lemondrops and bile, smoking fuchsia-colored cigarettes and defiantly belting out “MacArthur Park” at last call, frazzled in their lost youth, distempered and desiccated, too old to beg a cab ride or a quickie blow-job in the alley, truculent decrepit bitches positively shrieking out that last chorus of “It took so long to bake it...and I'll never find that recipe aga-a-a-in”...a Blanche DuBois meltdown each and every night and solemn rejoinders out the door that “I can sing, you pack of jackals and gypsies – goddamn you all I can sing!!!”
Lots of people think they can sing. But perhaps no one has ever been more cruelly misled regarding his talent than poor Aussie popster Paul Gaffey, who followed up a very minor Oz Top 40 hit about the lost era of ballroom dance with a super-ambitious retelling of the Faust legend, and baby , you ain't heard singin' until you've heard Paul Gaffey do it. There is literally nowhere to start with this absolute masterpiece of schlock and horror, so let us breathe deep and prepare for the indefatigable vocal gifts of Mr. Gaffey the only way I can think of: ladies, belt down a Martini or two and prepare to be walloped like a “curious” Marine heading to his first Bangkok bathhouse on a 48-hour pass. ‘Cos you’re in for a treat, honey.
The Faust legend has seen many classic treatments – from Gounod’s astonishing opera to the very best book of Thomas Mann’s career, and of course Goethe and more obscure variations like the silent film The Student of Prague. But it has never been done like this. Nothing has. Starting with the oh-so-melancholy Mellotron (backed with real strings!) opening to the stupendous treacle of Mephisto's final send-off, you are so far into the delusional world of a quasi-artist that at certain points I had to put down my cup of coffee, take off the headphones, and go outside and stand in the rain to stave off madness and complete despair. He didn’t actually just sing off the register about a big party in Hell fraught with movie stars and demons, did he? Oh yes he did – and he does it a couple of more times before the song “Paradise” ends. Paul Gaffey you gorgeous hunk of man, name your kink because I'm game – anybody with balls big enough to perpetrate an atrocity this overwhelmingly flamboyant and sublimely bombastic can make “Do as Thou Wilt Shall Be the Whole of the Law” with me anyday ! Oh god – please download this album and listen to it. If you’ve ever stared at a car wreck or just couldn’t help yourself and looked up burn victim photos on the Internets, then you have what it takes to face Paul Gaffey. He is without truly peer in the world of Pop or Prog, a sui generis satchel of grandiosity, pomposity, magniloquence and the worst tenor voice ever heard outside of William Shatner’s storied and apocryphal audition for Hair.
Lots of incredible music is perpetrated on the first few tracks. But as the album goes on, the production seems to get shallower and more basic. I couldn't help but think that the would-be auteur Gaffey blew the whole budget on the first epic track, and by the time he got to “Paradise” had no money to pay the string section or anybody except some poor bastard at a stand-up piano who was forced to provide “accompaniment” for perhaps the greatest moment in singing history. Yes, the rest of the album is splendidly awful and there are little tricks like the pizzicato in “Dreamer of Dreams” that are so formulaic as to almost strip Mephistopheles of its value as the anus mundi of obscure Oz Prog. Ah, but then THE moment occurs – when the Devil himself makes an appearance, beckoning jocularly from the very fires of Hell, part raconteur and part impresario, and arrives on the record absolutely FLAMING!
Who knew The King of Hell was such a randy nance? Gaffey’s bawdy dance-hall strumpet of a Satan makes Peter Allen look like Merle Haggard. This Lucifer is Freddie Mercury with a pitchfrok, Scott Walker with bat wings and horns. What kind of infernal Dark Prince of the Underworld would sing something like “I've got just the place for you/ Be you Cath-o-lic, Hindu or Jew” and do it in a production that is so kitschy that Meatloaf would have put his foot down? Would Beelzebub really shriek out “Rock me baby!” right before a really cheese-ball saxophone solo? And who the hell is “Fifi LaMour”? Apparently she's in Hell and hoofing it up nightly, and the party is so blisteringly swish that all the Devil can do is stand there and hiss out “Ha cha cha!”, a moment of pure genius, the one flirtation with orgasmic that Mephistopheles makes , and something I will be listening to until I die. When a self-pitying Mephisto closes the album with a poem so mawkish that Rod McKuen would have protested, you will be in raptures of amazement that something so openly fab-a-lous was ever sold in a record store not on Fire Island and hawked by muscle-T shirted mustachioed joy boys who are the very picture of strict disciplinarians with a soft, sentimental underbelly. Oh joy, Oh heart – Paul Gaffey, you are glorious!
Mephistopheles is such a grand album that it must be reserved for the most solemn of occasions. Someday I shall be on my deathbed, and my hours short. And my factotum or house boy will come and say – “Master, the time is nigh. What shall I bring you to ease you from this world?” And I shall say, “There is only one thing that can stanch the maudlin flow that is each man’s indulgence in his moment of demise.” Go, Hwang Mi – go to the musical room and bring me my Gaffey.” And the smooth Chinese boy will put the album on the phonograph, his ephebus-self glistening in the soft morning honey-hued light, and perhaps I will cough my final vile sputum to lips cracked and rasping their last – but they will be lips wearing the idiot grin of the astonished and overwhelmed, the grin one can acquire only through moments of contemplating the most pure-hearted artistic catastrophes. Yes, with glee shall I leave this world – shuffled off by Paul Gaffey, indeed, off to – Paradise! - TR
Posted by Timothy Ready
Having touched something good and kind, you are drawn to touch it again and again... this is the magnetism of our life...
Our greatest strength lies in the kindness and tenderness of our hearts...
If one or two friendly words can make a person happy, you have to be a scoundrel to deny him this. People, don’t be shy to say kind words - it’s so nice.
Nothing more is needed, just a little kindness.
Colum McCann. "And Let the Beautiful World Spin"
If everyone does good within the limits of their ability, the possibilities of good will become limitless.
Fazil Iskander
A person does not have the opportunity to do good to everyone, but he has the opportunity not to harm anyone.
It’s not difficult to say kind words, but their echo lives long in human hearts.
Kindness is the sun that warms a person's soul. Everything good in nature comes from the sun, and everything best in life comes from man and his kindness.
Mikhail Prishvin
GOOD OLD TOUCHING DIALOGUE:
So today the Hedgehog said to the Little Bear:
How good it is that we have each other!
The little bear nodded.
Just imagine: I’m not there, you’re sitting alone and there’s no one to talk to.
Where are you?
But I'm not there.
It doesn’t happen like that,” said Little Bear.
“I think so too,” said the Hedgehog. - But suddenly - I’m not there at all. You are alone. Well, what are you going to do?..
I’ll turn everything upside down, and you’ll be found!
I am not there, nowhere!!!
Then, then... Then I’ll run out into the field,” said the Little Bear. - And I’ll shout: “Yo-yo-zhi-i-i-k!”, and you will hear and shout: “Bear-o-o-ok!..” Here.
No, said the Hedgehog. - I'm not there one bit. Understand?
Why are you pestering me? - Little Bear got angry. - If you are not there, then I am not there either. Understood?..
What you give, you will receive - although sometimes it’s not at all from where you expect it.
What difference does it make whether it's warm or cold outside when a little rainbow lives in your heart all day long...
Not everyone gets to see what the stars are doing while waiting for summer. So sit down by the window, breathe as quietly as possible... and you will see... And let this be your big and amazing secret...
Open your heart!
Fill it with goodness and love!
And if you look at things correctly, then the whole world is a garden.
What you fill your heart with is what comes out of it...
Eduard Asadov
Mother! How long will we wait?
What to expect?
When the parachutes in the dandelions ripen, will we fly?!
Let's fly!!!)))
When I'm sad, I try to do something nice for someone, to do some good deed. Seeing another person rejoice makes you rejoice yourself. The best thing is when you can help someone.
Erich Maria Remarque. Shelter of Dreams.
If the day is cloudy, shine with the good you have - and everything around you will become brighter!
The good that you do from your heart, you always do to yourself.
Leo Tolstoy
Be pure in soul and kind in heart. The beauty of your soul is like the light of a beacon, attracting into your life the happiness you deserve.
Accustom yourself, when you first look at a person, to always wish him well from the bottom of your heart. Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh
The face is generally an amazing thing. You can immediately see from the face whether a person has lost his soul or not. If you haven’t lost it, if the soul is in place, then your face emits a soft light. Light of love.
I allow goodness to surround me. I accept the good. I give back good. I realize that this is one of the best qualities and allow it to become firmly established in my life.
And so as not to reproach yourself after
The fact that he hurt someone,
It's better to be kind in the world,
There is enough evil in the world as it is.
E. Asadov
Dear sirs and ladies, grow in your soul, in its brightest corner, such beautiful flowers as virtue, modesty, honesty, justice and love. Then each of us will be able, here in this world, to decorate our window with a small pot of flowers. Victor Hugo
Anyone who eats pancakes with jam cannot be so terribly dangerous. You can talk to someone like that.
Tove Jansson. Wizard hat
Carefully guard this treasure within yourself - kindness. Know how to give without hesitation, lose without regret, gain without stinginess.
Do good deeds while waiting for a miracle.
Then the miracle will not come to you empty-handed.
Kindness is a quality, the excess of which never harms anyone.
If the day is cloudy, shine with the good you have, and everything around you will become brighter.
Simeon of Athos
All living beings seek happiness; so let your compassion extend to everyone.
Mahavamsa
Everyone needs something
so that he from time to time
told a good story.
Tove Jansson.
All about the Moomins.
How long will you fly in the clouds?!
Until the sky ends...
...If someone takes advantage of your kindness, do not regret it!
This means that it was given to you more than to the one who uses it...
“I just like to see people smile.”
Do your work with a smile and kindness. And everything will work out!
The place for good deeds is everywhere, the time for good deeds is always.
We will never know what is going on in someone's soul, but we can try to keep it warm.
The most beautiful music of the soul is kindness.
Do good - don’t let them understand...
Give kindness - may he not return!!!
Sow goodness here and there...
Let it touch everyone!!!
There is no more beautiful feeling in the world than the feeling that you have done at least a drop of good to people. Leo Tolstoy
One small gesture - a smile, a soft look, a pat on the shoulder, a kind word - can change a person's life.
Until this day is over, you have a chance to live with this possibility.
Look. Watch. See what this day brings to you. And be prepared.
If you think I'm exaggerating, please know I'm not. After all, someone is waiting for your smile, your look, your gesture right now.
You don’t think that you’re just reading these lines? Is this a coincidence?
A. Lindgren.
Baby and Carlson.
Everything that we send into the lives of other people comes back into our own. I want to wish each of you a drop of warmth that would warm you every minute, no matter what.
The main thing is to breathe correctly)
Inhale Happiness...
Breathe out Good...
Try to do good to everyone, whatever and whenever you can, do not think about whether he will appreciate it or not, whether he will or will not be grateful to you. And rejoice not when you do good to someone, but when, without rancor, you endure insults from another, especially from someone who has benefited you.
Alexy Mechev
Each person has his own good Angel. These angels live on the White Clouds, wear white socks and eat white marshmallows.
Live a life that makes you kind and friendly towards other people, and you will be pleasantly surprised at how happy your life becomes.
Do good deeds and you will reap their fruits.
Remember: from your bright smiles
It depends not only on your mood,
But a thousand times the mood of others.
Eduard Asadov
If you can help a person - help, if you can’t help - pray, if you don’t know how to pray - think well of the person! And this will already be a help, because bright thoughts are also a weapon.
Be kinder and people will reach out to you!
If there must be a little of good, then let it be at least often.
Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see.
— Anger compresses the soul, and a person goes blind. Tell me, is it possible for an evil person to understand heaven?
- Well, everyone can see it, both good and evil.
“He sees with his eyes, but not with his heart.” He will see and pass by. And he will die without understanding anything.
Everyone will be given the choice -
Who is ripe for what?
But a Man's life must consist
From small good deeds!
Do good as if you are alone in the world and people will never know about your action.
Kindness is the sunshine in which virtue grows.
Above all, be kind; kindness disarms most people.
Every creature living on Earth is initially endowed with the gift of love, kindness and compassion. It is these qualities inherent in man as a rational being that are the true measure of the value of human life in all its manifestations. 
The more love, wisdom, beauty, kindness you discover in yourself, the more you will notice them in the world around you.
The soul of every person rejoices when he does good to another.
Lead your life in such a way that every evening you can say to yourself: one day of my life has decreased, one good deed has been added...
This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; there is no need for complex philosophy. Our own brain and our own heart are our temple; and philosophy is kindness.
Dalai Lama
Strive to do good and you will understandthat happiness will follow you.
DO GOOD AND LIFE WILL BE EASIER
A person has offended you, but you go and do him good, give him the warmth and affection of your soul, and the knot will be untied, the anchor will fall from your heart. After this, you will both live and breathe easier. Through such victories with love in the places of your defeat, the heart, step by step, victory after victory, will gain purity.
This world is mountains, and our actions are screams: the echo of our scream in the mountains always returns to us.
Each gives to the other what he has in his heart.
Are you cold?
No, but if you want to warm me, then I'm cold.
If you expect gratitude for kindness -
you don't give goods, you sell them...
If you want to win hearts -
Plant the seeds of Love.
If you want a heavenly life -
Don't throw thorns on the path.
True kindness is silent.She has many actions in stock, but not a single word.
To have the whole world in our hands, we just need to stop clenching our fists and open our palms...
Once you get used to a good life, it becomes even better!
The day will not be in vain if you give someone your smile.
The truly great religion: a good heart.
The smarter and kinder a person is, the more he notices goodness in people. L.N. Tolstoy
My religion is very simple. I don't need temples. I don't need any special, complicated philosophy. My heart, my head - this is my temple. My philosophy is kindness. Dalai Lama
When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. This is my religion.
Try your best to cleanse yourself of evil towards people. For by accumulating evil towards people in yourself, you accumulate poison, which sooner or later will kill the person in you.”
Excuse me, but by chance you won't bring me any good?
And ice melts when we shine, and hearts open when we love, and people change when we are open, and miracles happen when we believe.
Bring each other out!
Bring to goodness, happiness and love.
The ability to love is a talent from God.
The ability to feel sorry comes from kindness.
The ability to forgive without knowing the deadline -
from the wisdom and tenderness of the soul!
“... be patient, don’t get annoyed, most importantly, don’t get angry. You can never destroy evil with evil, you can never drive it out. It is afraid only of love, afraid of good..."
From the letters of St. Athanasius
Sometimes they say - the struggle between good and evil. I think that good cannot fight evil, otherwise it will be some kind of strange good. Good is like light, and light cannot fight darkness; when it exists, darkness simply disappears.
Learn to understand others with your heart, and your heart will learn to love.
By doing evil, we harm both ourselves and others. By doing good, we benefit both ourselves and others. And, like all forces in man, these forces of good and evil draw their vitality from the world around them.
At the end of your life, it won’t matter how many cars you have in your garage or what clubs you’ve been to. What matters is how many lives you changed, how many people you influenced and helped. Do good! It's nice!
When we surround ourselves with good people and good thoughts, life begins to change for the better.
Don’t complain about the coldness of the world around you if you haven’t put a drop of warmth into it.
Live without causing harm.
Take care of the person in you.
Note: Tea without treats, brewing is a waste!
We drink and say: diet, diet, wait until summer!
Goodwill in a person makes him attractive. If you want to conquer the world, do not try to put pressure on it, conquer it with kindness.
Alexander McLaren.
It’s somewhat discouraging, of course: to spend your whole life struggling with the problem of humanity in order to finally understand that the fruit of all your research fits into one single piece of advice: “Let’s be at least a little kinder to each other.”
Aldous Huxley
Hug people, animals, trees:)
Take a RAINBOW and decorate your world.
Take a ray of LIGHT and direct it to where darkness reigns.
Take a SMILE and give it to someone who needs it so much.
Take a TEAR and place it on the cheek of someone who is not familiar with tears of sympathy.
Take KINDNESS and show it to someone who has never learned to give.
Take FAITH and share it with everyone who doesn't have it.
Take HOPE and support with it someone who has already begun to lose it.
Take LOVE and bring it to the whole world.
Today I dreamed of a real miracle!
Solar Rain fell from heaven to earth.
He gave every person on earth a drop of the Sun-Happiness.
Everyone handled their drop differently.
For some, she became the light of the only hope in the night, others did not even notice her because she herself glows, almost like the sun.
This drop of light froze in someone’s soul, as if it had turned into a diamond, but did not go out.
The time will come and it will melt.
For someone, it was with this sunny gift that the dawn began; somewhere, one single light drop brought a small sprout back to life in a dry time...
But this rain brought good to everyone.
And after it, a rainbow shone for a long time, and not only in the sky, but also in every heart...
Such a childhood dream, after which you want to believe that the world will be kind and bright...
TAKE CARE OF THE LIGHT IN YOURSELF, SOMEONE DEFINITELY NEEDS THIS
One little girl, when she was in a bad mood, entered the room with the words: - Hello no one!
Oh man! It has been told to you what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
He who does good is from God; but he who does evil has not seen God.
Likewise, good deeds are evident; and even if they are not, they cannot hide.
I learned that there is nothing better for them than to have fun and do good in their lives.
Beloved! do not imitate evil, but imitate good. He who does good is from God; but he who does evil has not seen God. 3 John 11
Glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, first to the Jew, then to the Greek!
He who is good receives favor from the Lord; but He will condemn the treacherous man.
Seek good and not evil, so that you may live, and then the Lord of hosts will be with you, as you say.
Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit: a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them.
A good man brings good things out of a good treasure, and an evil man brings evil things out of an evil treasure.
A good person shows mercy and lends; he will give firmness to his words at the trial. He will never be shaken; the righteous will be in eternal memory. He will not be afraid of evil rumors: his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.
For God loves a cheerful giver.
And as you want people to do to you, do so to them.
Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed together, pressed and running over, will be poured into your bosom; For with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you.
And if you love those who love you, what gratitude do you have for that? for sinners also love those who love them.
And if you do good to those who do good to you, what gratitude is that to you? for sinners do the same.
It is proper for a prince to keep a secret, but it is commendable to announce the works of God. Do good and evil will not befall you.
And if you lend to those from whom you hope to get it back, what gratitude are you for that? for even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.
But you love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing; and you will have a great reward, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.
A good man brings forth good from the good treasure of his heart, and an evil man brings out evil from the evil treasure of his heart; For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Which father among you, when his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? or, when he asks for a fish, will he give him a snake instead of a fish?
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which He prepared in advance for us to walk in.
….whoever has two clothes, give to the poor, and whoever has food, do the same.
At this he said to them: If one of you has a donkey or an ox that falls into a well, will he not immediately pull it out on the Sabbath?
If you do good, know who you are doing it to, and there will be gratitude for your good deeds.
Do good to the pious, and you will receive reward, and if not from him, then from the Almighty.
There is no good for one who constantly engages in evil and who does not give alms.
Give to the godly, and do not help the sinner.
Do good to the humble, and do not give to the wicked: withhold bread from him and do not give to him, so that he does not thereby overcome you; for you would receive extreme evil for all the good that you would do to him; for the Most High hates sinners and rewards the wicked with vengeance.
Hate evil and love good, and bring justice to the gates; maybe Lord