Problems of spiritual crisis and spiritual search among young people. Formation of values, ideals, moral guidelines. Interaction and interrelation of different cultures. Features of modern youth subculture are determined by the world of feelings and emotions. Music occupies a central place in it. The main genres are rock and pop music, which in the youth subculture go beyond art and become a style and way of life. Other elements of the youth subculture are slang (jargon), clothing, shoes, appearance, manners of command, methods of entertainment, etc. Youth slang differs from the generally accepted literary language in its special and small vocabulary, as well as increased expressiveness and emotionality. Problems of spiritual crisis: 1) Children attend church little; 2) Children do not read literature, newspapers and other sources of information; 3) An unformulated opinion about something 4) Lack of moral guidelines and ideals. Problems of spiritual search: 1) Young people cannot find useful and exciting activities; 2) Dislike of studying; more and more children prefer computer games to study. Moral principles are not inherent in a person from birth, but are formed in the family based on the example that is before his eyes; in the process of communicating with other people, during the period of training and education at school, when perceiving such monuments of world culture that allow both to join the already achieved level of moral consciousness and to form one’s own moral values on the basis of self-education. Not the least important place in this regard is the self-education of the individual. The ability to feel, understand, do good, recognize evil, be persistent and irreconcilable towards it are special moral qualities of a person that a person cannot receive ready-made from others, but must develop on his own. Culture by nature does not tolerate violence. But history is so saturated with violence that it has introduced into the relationship of cultures a moment of opposition, confrontation, hostility, alienation, isolation, rejection, rejection. At the same time, historical experience shows that the isolation of a particular culture does not benefit it. For the development of culture, it is necessary to interact with others, mutual influence of cultures, borrowing, etc. It should be noted that the mechanisms of cultural interactions are not given in advance, that cultures are far from transparent to each other, that a foreign culture is in many ways a foreign body. Suffice it to say that there are language barriers between national cultures. People who were formed in different cultures differ in their mentality, psychology, vision of the world, etc. Therefore, the adoption of elements of another into “one’s” culture does not, as a rule, happen by itself. In the process of development of society, the interaction of cultures intensified.
A wonderful description of what is happening to our world at the present moment. Although, perhaps, you need to start with yourself, right? And because of this, everyone else around will change too!
SPIRITUAL CRISIS is a crisis of social ideals and values that constitute the moral core of culture and give the cultural system the quality of organic integrity and authenticity. The crisis is accompanied by intensifying ethnosocial processes of collapse and disintegration, moral, economic and intellectual chaos, loss of moral priorities, sharp polarization of society, and destruction of social institutions. The spiritual crisis of society and the real danger of loss of cultural identity sharply intensify the processes of consolidation of national identity, in the sphere of which there is an intensive search for the values of cultural integration and national consolidation.
The ideological prerequisite for overcoming the spiritual crisis is: the restoration of those values that form the core of the national culture and determine its uniqueness; revival of national ideals; actualization in the public self-awareness of people of the spiritual referents of the nation...
"Encyclopedic Dictionary of Psychology and Pedagogy." 2013
An ordinary Russian person, having read such an explanation of the definition of Spiritual crisis in the modern “encyclopedic dictionary of psychology and pedagogy,” may fall into a stupor from such a set of incomprehensible foreign words and phrases that not only do not really explain anything, but even more confuse a person’s consciousness and create There are even more questions, but they still do not answer the question of what the Spiritual Crisis is and what is connected with its appearance in the Russian world.
For some reason, it doesn’t occur to anyone that for any person living in the Russian world, it will be much clearer if the explanations are given in a simple, native language, and not in the form of a set of incomprehensible foreign words and terms. Was it difficult to write an explanation in this vein:
A SPIRITUAL CRISIS is a destructive, disorderly, confused state of society, in which the proposed vile means and methods of achieving goals run counter to the original, ancient foundations of society, its spiritual culture and centuries-old folk tradition. To overcome the spiritual crisis, society needs to return to its ancient roots and original order, to its unique folk culture, which preserves the spiritual strength of the people.
Such an explanation, I think, will be most understandable for any ordinary person, regardless of his nationality, his religion or creed, living not only in the Russian world, but also in any country on our Earth.
In modern society, where spiritual values are replaced or specifically replaced by material values, a spiritual crisis always appears, sooner or later. This becomes even more noticeable in modern, so-called “civilized countries”, where spiritual values are hushed up, or ridiculed as savagery and relics of the past, or ignored altogether. A spiritual crisis is evident even in countries with great religious activity. Thus, the presence of a large number of religious people in a country and the presence of a large number of religious buildings (temples, churches, mosques, synagogues or datsans) does not yet indicate that this country is protected from a spiritual crisis.
The spiritual crisis of society never appears suddenly, out of the blue; it does not exist on its own, as an independent phenomenon. The spiritual crisis of society gains its destructive power gradually, over many years, many decades and centuries, and it gains this power from unspiritual individuals who, with their lack of spirituality, infect the people around them, depriving them of spiritual strength, thereby leading people to a personal spiritual crisis. So where does the spiritual crisis in our world originate? Where are its roots and the sources that feed it? In order to somehow understand these issues, we need to look into our distant past.
What distinguished the Russian world from the outside world around it? The Russian world was distinguished by the presence of enormous spiritual strength in the people inhabiting it. The saturation of spiritual power was so great that it was perceived by people outside the Russian world, even by the organs of smell. Remember the old Slavic tales, legends and traditions, which say about this: “I smell the Russian spirit”, “Here is the Russian spirit, here it smells of Russia”, etc., but these were not just beautiful figures of speech when these expressions were used in a figurative sense, these were images reflecting the objective world in all its diversity. Many academic pundits and skeptics may disagree with this statement, incredulously coming up with various interpretations of these phrases, but then how can they explain such a manifestation of the enormous spiritual power of the Russian people as spiritual unity. Indeed, throughout the entire known world history, any wars against the Russian world ended in the defeat of the invaders, who not only felt the Russian spirit with their noses, but also perceived the spiritual unity of the Russian people with every fiber of their souls.
The Russian world has had plenty of ill-wishers and enemies at all times throughout world history. What was it in the Russian world that prevented these hostile forces from living peacefully in their countries? The main reason was the presence of enormous spiritual power in the Russian world. This is due to the fact that in the lands inhabited by Slavic clans and tribes there were many sources of spiritual power. The Slavs ennobled the places where streams of spiritual power emerged from the earth, built temples and sanctuaries in these places, built temples to their ancient Gods over the springs, and settled next to them. Living in cities and settlements near such sources filled people with enormous spiritual strength. This power strengthened not only the spirit of man, but also comprehensively developed his soul, and filled his body with living natural strength. These are the people of the Russian world who became an obstacle to hostile forces on their path to world domination.
Realizing that the Russian world cannot be captured and destroyed from the outside, hostile forces decided to weaken it from the inside, using their own basic qualities against the Slavs, such as curiosity, decency, truthfulness, religious tolerance, gullibility and good nature. After all, the Slavs never elevated themselves above other peoples, did not tell others how to live correctly and what to believe in, and considered all people on Earth equal and similar to themselves.
First, together with trade caravans from different countries, representatives of various cults and religions went to the Slavic lands. They explained their appearance at the Slavic markets by the fact that traders and merchants from other countries needed to bring demands and gifts to their Gods after a successful trade or exchange. The Slavs took these explanations calmly; necessary means necessary, because they also brought demands and gifts to their ancient Gods after the end of trade affairs. In addition, the Slavs even helped the foreign priests build cult buildings for other Gods next to the marketplace, so that next time even more trade caravans could arrive for trade and exchange.
But then something strange happened: traders with caravans went to their native countries, and foreigners, priests of various cults and religions of other Gods, remained near the marketplace in religious buildings built for them. At first there were explanations that they still needed to do a lot of things in their temples and make them beautiful for the next arrival of the trade caravan, then some other reasons were invented, and after a while the Slavs got used to the fact that in the temples of other Gods, next to the marketplaces, there was always Priests of various cults and religions live here.
Ordering utensils necessary for temples from artisans, buying things and food from merchants, the priest made acquaintances with the people he needed. Having gained the trust of people, the priest began to unobtrusively tell them about the countries he had visited, about the wondrous miracles that were happening in the world, and gradually, gradually moved on to a story about his religion, about all the charms, miracles and graces that his religion gives to a person. cult or religion. These stories made a special impression on the younger generation. After some time, impressed by the stories, the children, and sometimes their parents, themselves came to the priest to listen to his interesting stories about the wondrous miracles happening in the world and about the unusual faith that bestows various graces on its followers.
People of the Russian world tend to communicate with each other, share news, especially in the last months of autumn, when the harvest in the field is harvested and all the bins are filled, as well as during the long winter, when they are not busy with field work and large-scale trade has gone into hibernation. At this time, people gathered for gatherings where they discussed news and various rumors. It was at such gatherings that unusual stories were heard about wondrous miracles in overseas countries, about unusual cults and religions of other Gods, which were told by traders and artisans who themselves heard them from the priests living in foreign temples near the marketplace. Those who were interested in these stories, after such gatherings, themselves began to come to foreign priests to find out as much as possible about what was happening in distant countries, how people lived there and what Gods they worshiped. Human curiosity is not a vice, but just a means of broadening one’s horizons.
Arriving at a strange temple, in addition to the priest, they were greeted by an unusual environment. The interior decoration is painted with bright colors, sometimes images or sculptures of foreign Gods, as well as unusual smells from certain herbs and oils burned in special bowls. I think there is no need to explain what state the priests’ narrative superimposed on a combination of bright color paintings and special smells brought people into. This state gave a feeling of unearthly grace. People began to visit other people's temples more and more often in order to experience an unusual state. Gradually they forgot to visit temples, temples and sanctuaries of their ancient Gods. Thus, they were no longer fed by ancient sources of spiritual power.
As time passed, more and more people came to the temples and religious buildings of foreign Gods, which means that the number of such temples and places of worship increased. The results greatly pleased the enemies of the Russian world, for fewer and fewer Slavs received spiritual power from their ancient sources. After several generations, the Western Slavic families and tribes living in the territories of eastern and western Europe lost their ancient sources of spiritual power, since many of them were forgotten, and many ancient Slavic temples and sanctuaries standing above the sources were destroyed, and the priests , which preserved them, were destroyed.
Subsequently, the same picture was observed in the territories inhabited by Eastern Slavic clans and tribes. These actions, by foreign ill-wishers and enemies of the Russian world, continued until the early 20s of the twentieth century, until the Bolsheviks came to power in post-imperial Russia. They did not begin to understand spiritual issues at all, they simply declared all religions, cults and denominations to be “opium of the people”, banned all faiths, clergymen of various religions and denominations, either shot or sent to prisons or concentration camps, and temples and ancient religious sanctuaries , began to destroy or use for their own needs...
The rapid development of esotericism and the spread of all kinds of spiritual practices leads to the fact that an increasing number of people are going through a spiritual crisis or spiritual transformation of personality. Now many are drawn to Knowledge, looking for new ways of spiritual development for themselves. Who am I? Why am I? Where did you come from? Where am I going? And when a person is no longer satisfied with the answer options from the authorities, education, society, religion, he sets off on the Path.
What might a traveler encounter? What pitfalls await him on the Path?
The concept of spiritual crisis was introduced by the founder of transpersonal psychology, an American psychiatrist of Czech origin with more than thirty years of research experience in the field of unusual states of consciousness, Stanislav Grof. Before this, psychiatry, having imposed its stencils on human spiritual experiences, attributed mystical states and the activities of world religions and spiritual movements to the field of psychopathology.
Any acute experience or stress can lead to a spiritual crisis.
But especially often, all kinds of personal spiritual crises are provoked by 
spiritual practices, passion for esotericism, deep religiosity. These practices are precisely intended to be a catalyst for mystical experiences and spiritual rebirths.
Traditional spiritual practices are focused on liberation from dependence on the material world. The main link in this dependence is the human Ego. It is towards the destruction of Ego-programs that the efforts of those following the Path of spiritual development are directed.
The main experience of a spiritual crisis is that a person does not see the meaning of life, the future is seen gloomily, and the feeling that he is missing out on something very important and valuable cannot leave. The process is accompanied by strong emotional experiences, the person experiences an almost complete failure in his personal, social, public life or in the field of health. Having experienced fatal moments, he is freed from the influence of the Ego and acquires a higher level of conscious thinking.
Traditional psychotherapy in this case can only play a supporting role. A person going through the stages of a spiritual crisis does not need to be treated! But you can help him go through the transformation as painlessly as possible. But, by and large, a person can cope with his spiritual crisis only by himself, alone with himself.
The manifestations of a spiritual crisis are very individual; no two crises are alike, but the main forms of the crisis can be observed. In humans, these forms often overlap one another.
During the passage of spiritual transformation, a powerful activation of the psyche occurs, large layers of the unconscious come to the surface, and this prevents a person from functioning normally in everyday life. A crisis can sometimes drag on for many years. 
Like any crisis, the spiritual also has its dangers and opportunities. A person can break down, or he can rise to a qualitatively new level (so-called enlightenment).
Stanislav Grof identified the following most common threatening and difficult types of experiences that come to the surface in the process of personality transformation.
Fear
The body seems to be falling apart, new physical stress and disturbing pain appear. However, fear, for the most part, seems completely illogical, as if it has almost nothing to do with the person experiencing it. Sometimes an individual involved in a crisis is able to cope with fears with relative ease, but in other cases the feeling of fear develops into completely uncontrollable panic.
It could be fear of the unknown. Images, traumatic experiences emerge from the subconscious, gates to the other world open, some are haunted by visions, prophetic dreams, etc.
Fear of losing control. Everything around is collapsing, and a person cannot do anything about it. He is painfully aware that he has no control over life and death, and that he is controlled by forces independent of his desires.
Fear of death and other unaccountable fears. There are frequent cases of incomprehensible bodily sensations: unknown pains, difficult to diagnose diseases, outbreaks or sharp drops in energy, trembling, weakness, dizziness, a feeling of the presence of some unknown force permeating the entire physical being.
Loneliness
It can be experienced with varying intensity - from a vague feeling of separation from other people and the world to a deep and complete immersion in existential alienation.
An individual sometimes has to deal with unusual states of consciousness, which are very different from the everyday experiences of friends and acquaintances.
When the inner world becomes more active, a person feels the need to move away from everyday life. People around him, as a rule, do not understand him. And communication, which previously brought pleasure, is now not at all attractive, and sometimes brings discomfort, even physical manifestations (weakness, headache, nausea, etc.). Often people on a spiritual quest are looking for a community of “their own”, where everyone speaks the same language, understands and accepts each other. Knowing that I'm not the only one can be a relief.
During an existential crisis, a person feels disconnected from their deeper self, higher power, or God. The result of this is the most terrible kind of loneliness - a complete and complete existential alienation that permeates the entire being of a person. He cannot find any connection with the Divine; instead, he is haunted by a constant, painful feeling that God has abandoned him. Even when a person is surrounded by love and support, he can be filled with deep and burning loneliness.
Those who face an existential crisis feel not only isolated but also utterly insignificant, like useless specks of dust in the vast cosmos. The Universe itself looks absurd and meaningless, and any human activity seems insignificant and empty. To such people it may seem that all of humanity is engaged in a fruitless existence that has no useful purpose. They may plunge into deep depression and despair, and even try to commit suicide. Often they realize that even suicide will not solve their problem; It seems to them that there is no way out of this torment.
Isolating behavior
During a spiritual crisis, a person may seem “different” for a period of time.
In our culture, it is not customary to be different from others; others may perceive this as inappropriate. The feeling of separation intensifies whenever a person is told or otherwise made clear: “You are not like us.”
A person's interests and values change. He is no longer able to discuss buying new clothes, and his former friends move away. The prospect of spending an evening in a club with a glass of whiskey no longer causes optimism, but can cause disgust.
Additionally, people undergoing a personality transformation may experience dramatic changes in their appearance.
For some, these new behaviors represent only a temporary phase of spiritual development, while for others they may become a permanent part of a new way of life.
Experiencing "madness"
During a spiritual crisis, the role of the logical mind often weakens, and the colorful, rich world of intuition, inspiration and imagination comes to the fore. Strange and disturbing emotions suddenly arise, and the once familiar rationality does not help explain what is happening. This moment of spiritual development can sometimes be very frightening.
Being entirely in the grip of an active inner world, full of vivid dramatic events and exciting emotions, people cannot act objectively and rationally. They may see this as the final destruction of any remnants of sanity and fear that they are approaching complete, irreversible madness.
Symbolic death
Ananda K. Kumaraswamy wrote: “No being can reach the highest plane of existence without ceasing his ordinary existence.”
For people, the topic of death evokes, for the most part, negative associations. They perceive death as a frightening unknown and, when it comes as part of their inner experience, they experience horror.
For many people experiencing a spiritual crisis, this process is rapid and unexpected. Suddenly they feel that their comfort and safety seem to disappear and they are moving in an unknown direction. The usual ways of being are no longer suitable, but they have yet to be replaced by new ones.
Another form of symbolic death is a state of detachment from various roles, relationships, the world and oneself. It is well known in many spiritual systems as the main goal of inner development.
An important aspect of experiencing symbolic death during internal transformation is the death of the Ego. To complete spiritual transformation, it is necessary that the previous way of existence “dies”, the Ego must be destroyed, opening the way for a new “I”. When the Ego disintegrates, people feel as if their personality will disintegrate. They are no longer sure of their place in this world, not sure whether they can continue to be full-fledged human beings.
Outwardly, their old interests no longer matter, their value systems and friends change, and they lose confidence in their behavior in everyday life. Internally, they may experience a gradual loss of identity and feel that their physical, emotional and spiritual being is being suddenly and violently destroyed. They may think they are actually dying, suddenly forced to face their deepest fears.
A very tragic misunderstanding at this stage can be to confuse the desire for ego death with the urge to actually commit suicide. A person can easily confuse the desire for what can be called "egocide" - the "killing" of the Ego - with the desire for suicide, suicide. At this stage, people are often driven by a powerful inner conviction that something in them must die. If the internal pressure is great enough and if there is a lack of understanding of the dynamics of ego death, they may misinterpret these feelings and translate them into outward self-destructive behavior.
I will also add the following on my own behalf.
Increased responsibility or Much knowledge - many sorrows
Sooner or later, higher forces of different directions, both dark and light, pay attention to a person who has embarked on the Path. Some seekers at first rush here and there, experiencing many temptations and trials. However, sooner or later a person is obliged to make his Choice.
It is customary to distinguish two main Paths - occult and mystical.
The Path of the Occultist. He studies the Divine Law and uses it for his own purposes. It relies on reason and will, and not on love. He learns to control the mind so that it becomes a useful employee in fulfilling his goal.
The Path of the Mystic. This is the path of love and sacrifice. In his choice, he is always guided by his heart. Love gives him the opportunity to identify himself with God.
People who have embarked on the Path have a sharp increase in their ability to influence the world around them, people and circumstances. If such a person is left “unattended”, he can make a lot of mistakes. And one day a person clearly understands that he is “under the hood.” When an individual determines his direction on the Path, the corresponding forces begin to guide him.
Previously, it seemed to him, like all people, that he could do whatever came into his head; he was limited only by his conscience and state laws. And then he begins to understand that any of his actions, thoughts, emotions causes the so-called effect of circles on the water. A person already clearly sees the connection between his actions and their consequences. And all this is monitored by higher forces, which, obviously or not very obviously, begin to correct his behavior. Incomprehensible events occur, visions come, vague urges, sometimes direct instructions. These can be all sorts of “accidents” that interfere with the fulfillment of the plan. These could be bodily sensations: your legs can’t move, your throat is tight, your head hurts, your chest is constricted, there’s a tingling sensation in your side (to each their own). All sorts of emotional reactions, for example, the mood sharply deteriorates when thinking about the proposed action.
So-called work-outs are happening more and more often. Working off is essentially restoring balance. Boomerang effect. This is where the laws of karmic retribution come into play. And since a person on the spiritual Path begins to intensively live his karma, work comes to him several times faster than to an ordinary person. The simplest example: he said something nasty to a passerby, walked a few meters to the side, and fell.
In addition, increased demands are placed on such a person. He can no longer afford to be frivolous as before. He is already required to be aware and strictly comply with the Laws (we are not talking about state laws).
In conclusion, I would like to say the following. For a person who has taken the first steps on this Path, there will be no turning back. This will forever change his worldview, way of thinking and reacting to the world around him. This Path is very difficult, full of dangers, ups and downs. But returning back for a traveler is degradation, a complete failure...
R.I. Popov came up with this Formula of failure for esoteric losers:
I want to enlighten myself - I meditate - I feel blissful - my strength is gone - my career is gone - society doesn’t understand me - I’m the only one so smart - I’m very advanced - my opinion means a lot - I feel my chakras - I hear the thoughts of others - I absorb all the nasty things in the world - I’m getting fat and am sick - I probably developed incorrectly - attempts to restore physical and emotional form - lifelong fear of esotericism - withdrawal into traditional religion - philistinism.
Good luck on your journey!
(c) elleirina
SPIRITUAL CRISIS IN RUSSIA AND PROBLEMS OF MORAL EDUCATION
Manifestations of the crisis. In the years following the fall of the Soviet state, Russia entered a period of spiritual crisis, which continues to deepen. First of all, this is evidenced by a sharp drop in the level of morality, which is manifested in social behavior and the attitude of people towards each other, in their level of education, in their manner of speech and interests. This is especially noticeable in the example of young people. The moral level of many young Russians is not only alarming, but sometimes terrifying. Their vocabulary is striking in its poverty and primitivism, and almost everywhere their speech is interspersed with obscenities, even among university students. Behavior and manner of dressing are becoming more and more vulgar, especially among the male population. In the eyes of young people there is emptiness and boredom, and their main interests are reduced to money, entertainment, sex, cards and drugs. Lack of respect for people at all levels - one of the main vices of modern Russian society. People do not respect themselves and each other, citizens do not respect their state, and the state does not respect its citizens, drivers and pedestrians do not respect each other, teachers do not respect students, and they, in turn, do not respect teachers... this the list goes on. Everyone strives to get as many benefits as possible from this life, to stand out, suppressing others. Love relationships are increasingly being reduced to a purely sexual partnership, and friendship is most often dictated by selfish interests. This problem has long-standing roots, dating back to the time when a citizen of the state was considered as a mechanism of a huge state machine, “the wheel and cog of a unified system.” However, in recent years the situation has worsened even more, since previously communist morality to some extent restrained hidden vices, but now they have come out and, in the absence of any restrictions, have practically captured all layers of society. An unhealthy moral climate, lack of future prospects, along with unfavorable socio-economic conditions are the main reasons for the departure of many talented Russians abroad (brain drain). Outstanding scientists, cultural and artistic figures, athletes and entrepreneurs leave not because life is prosperous and safe there (although this is important!), but because they cannot realize their rich internal potential within their country. Finding themselves in more favorable conditions, they achieve significant success in their chosen field of activity. At the same time, Russia is losing its best intellectual and spiritual forces, which could make a significant contribution to its well-being and prosperity. Those who remain are primarily concerned with how to earn more money, or simply the struggle for survival. They suffer from the spiritual emptiness that surrounds them, the lack of clear prospects, as a result of which depression becomes widespread, and the morbidity and mortality rate of the population increases. Finally, another manifestation of the spiritual crisis is the environmental problem, which, being a phenomenon on a global scale, has its own characteristics in Russia. Not in every country in the world is it customary to leave garbage directly on the streets, throw unextinguished cigarette butts on the ground, or throw empty plastic and even glass bottles out of the windows of electric trains. The barbaric treatment of nature by our fellow citizens makes us shudder. Our forests, beaches, ponds and other recreational areas are gradually turning into garbage dumps. Nature is crying from such inhumane treatment! We squeeze all the juice out of our poor land, without thinking, what awaits us and our children in the future? Only people who do not respect themselves, others, or their country do this. Therefore, problems of environmental protection are directly related to problems of morality, or rather, the lack thereof. On the causes of spiritual crisis. One of the main reasons for the spiritual crisis that caused the decline of culture and morality in the country is the absence in post-perestroika Russia of a new ideology, ideals of the future society, programs of social and cultural development for the future. After the collapse of the Soviet state and, accordingly, the communist doctrine, the country found itself in a spiritual vacuum. The ideals of freedom, democracy and humanism, nurtured on Western soil, which were brought by the August revolution of 1991, in Russian conditions either gave very weak sprouts, or did not sprout at all, or degenerated into something ugly. Previously, we built our lives in accordance with the principles of Marxism-Leninism, which presupposed clear social guidelines. They turned out to be a utopia. And now, after 16 years, no ideology has been created in the country to replace it! There are no clear social guidelines for the future. Russia doesn't know where it's going! Just as a person who does not have goals and dreams leads a chaotic and useless life, so a state in which there is no concept of future development and no social ideals plunges into spiritual chaos. The values of Western consumer society, far from the best, poured into the gap created after the collapse of socialism - which are actively being absorbed by our fellow citizens. The media, as well as the numerous literature that has appeared on the shelves, teach us how to succeed in life, television shows show us how to become a millionaire. Money becomes an absolute value, the presence of which is a measure of personal significance. In such conditions, the moral qualities of a person not only recede into the background, but are simply ignored. The second reason is that the state in the post-perestroika period actually stepped back from the problems of educating morality and preserving the spiritual health of the nation, focusing primarily on solving socio-economic problems. As a result, the media actively took up this matter, shaping the moral ideals of Russian society in their own way, focusing on the very examples of Western culture that were already mentioned above. Perhaps the state believes that the education of morality is the work of the church, but its influence is too insignificant! Freedom in conditions of a low level of culture and morality leads to anarchy and permissiveness (meaning, first of all, freedom of speech, freedom of the press and the media). The basest manifestations of human nature come out and, multiplying many times over, become a huge evil on the scale of society. The media serve these vices and, in the absence of any moral restrictions, turn into a mouthpiece for the propaganda of violence, immorality and vulgarity. Everyone knows that Rome was destroyed not by barbarians, but by a decline in morals. Will Russia become another victim of spiritual degradation? About the opportunityovercoming the crisis. The problem of overcoming the spiritual crisis and the closely related problems of moral education should become a primary task of national importance! A special policy in this area is needed! Society must have clearly defined ideals. Where are we going? What will our future be like in 50, 100 years? What should a person of the future be like? What personal qualities should he have? What character traits need to be cultivated in him? Russia urgently needs a new ideology! All healthy forces of society, concerned about the future of the Russian nation, must unite to solve the problem of the country's spiritual revival. The education of the younger generation is especially important. What values will young Russians internalize? Can we be guided by the Western ideal? Western society, focused on the consumption of material and spiritual goods, is significantly ahead of us both in socio-economic indicators (standard of living) and in terms of morality (observance of human rights, respect for the human person). And we still have a lot to do to reach the level that developed countries have. Therefore, to some extent, the orientation towards Western values is justified. But what's behind this? The increase in depression and suicide in a number of quite prosperous countries indicates that these societies are in fact far from prosperous. In addition, residents of Western Europe and North America are no less susceptible to chronic diseases than Russians. In a number of countries, the birth rate is falling and the number of infertile women is increasing. All the vices of modern society - drug addiction, alcoholism, sexual promiscuity, homosexuality, etc. - are spreading with terrifying speed among them too. According to the testimony of many Russians who have visited abroad, the level of culture and morality of Western youth is extremely low. All benefits are easily achievable, you don’t have to fight for anything, but what next? The meaning of life is lost. Apparently, the lack of a concept of the future for developed countries is also a problem. Consequently, the values of the consumer society should not serve as a guide for Russia, because it is its vices that we first assimilate. The ideals of violence and free love are already coming to the fore in our society; you just need to turn on the TV or pick up any newspaper. The spiritual degradation of young people increases every year and gives rise to a feeling of dead end and hopelessness. The well-being of the state cannot be judged only by the level of wages, the growth of incomes of the population and the number of rich people. If a person’s spiritual and moral development lags behind the level of his material well-being, a spiritual crisis arises, which is marked by the phenomena that have already been mentioned above. This does not mean at all that the state should not strive to increase the material well-being of citizens! But in the first place there should be concern for the education of moral qualities that will allow a person to accept these benefits without spiritual damage to himself. Wealth that comes to a person who literally did not deserve it (has not matured to it in terms of his personal qualities) corrupts, spoils character and deprives life of the meaning. About the principleseducationnew worldview. When developing a future ideology, it is necessary to rely on the rich spiritual heritage of our past historical experience, including the principles of Orthodoxy, patriotism and collectivism, as well as on the outstanding achievements of world philosophical and ethical thought. The ideals of humanism, that is, love of humanity, respect for people, which, as already mentioned, are practically absent in modern Russian society, should be put at the forefront. On the one hand, this is a relic of serfdom, on the other, a legacy of the Soviet regime. Humanistic ideals that proclaim the priority of man are the positive things that we need to learn from our neighbors from Western countries. Russia must use the best traditions of its own and others’ historical experience and abandon those, eradicate those that are an obstacle to the creation of a new community of spiritually developed people (in particular, qualities such as authoritarianism, passivity, low responsibility, lack of initiative). ABOUTrolesreligiouslythconsciousand I. It is necessary to return to the idea of the Divine origin of man, since Darwin's teaching that man is the result of the evolution of primates causes enormous moral damage to humanity. Based on this theory, man appeared by chance, and human society arose either as a result of a social contract, or during the development of social inequality and exploitation, and it is not clear what awaits humanity in the future. People create different social doctrines, utopias, which are refuted by life itself. But the worst thing is that the laws of the animal kingdom are automatically transferred to human relationships (the strongest survive, destroying and suppressing their rivals). However, even animals in some sense turn out to be more merciful than people! Materialists may object that the existence of a Higher Mind and the Divine origin of man has not been proven. However, the moral aspects of the problem cannot be reduced to purely scientific ones! The situation in our country and on the planet as a whole is such that the question of the future of human civilization is on the agenda. The problems of terrorism and the increasing frequency of natural disasters are a direct consequence of humanity’s violation of moral laws, which were not invented by man, but stem from the Supreme world laws of nature and the Universe. Therefore, the return of the idea of the divine origin of man is dictated by the highest goal, the task of the survival of mankind! How can one not remember the great Kant with his idea of the need for a moral justification for the existence of God! The words of the genius of our literature F.M. Dostoevsky that “if there is no God, then everything is permitted,” uttered by one of the Karamazov brothers, became prophetic. In the twentieth century and at the beginning of the new millennium, humanity was plunged into the abyss of the most severe cataclysms, the likes of which history had never known, cataclysms caused by people who turned away from faith in God and imagined themselves to be gods. Our life would change radically if, from childhood, every person knew that his appearance on our planet was not an accident. The level of morality would increase sharply if each of the people realized that they are the result of Divine creation, part of the Supreme Plan embodied on Earth in order to fulfill their destiny and contribute to the development of the Universe and to the creation of world harmony. On using positive experiences from the past. Currently, the problems of spirituality and morality are mainly dealt with by the church, but its influence is too insignificant. The state should join forces with the church! Is the separation of church and state and school from church justified in our conditions? To solve the problem of the spiritual revival of Russia it is necessary to involve all the healthy creative forces of society - philosophers, representatives of the church, writers, politicians, psychologists and everyone who is not indifferent to the future of our people and state. They must develop a unified program for the spiritual and moral development of the state and society, which should become the core of the new ideology, or announce a competition for such programs. Perhaps the practice of five-year plans could be useful. Of course, we are not talking about petty regulation of all aspects of life, but only about creating clear guidelines for development in various areas of social development - both socio-economic, cultural and moral. Why not borrow from the past system its strengths? Morality and school. Particular attention should be paid to working with educational institutions. It has already been said that the cultural and moral level of our youth raises concerns for our future. The moral climate in many schools is such that the best representatives of the teaching staff are often forced to leave schools or do not come there at all. Schoolchildren are unreasonably overloaded with subjects that they will not need in life. This has a negative impact on their physical and mental health. But the worst thing is the unhealthy psychological and moral atmosphere in many Russian schools, which was already mentioned above. All the vices of modern society flourish in them - drug addiction, the cult of power, disrespect and contempt for people, sexual promiscuity, etc. Therefore, parents from wealthy families tend to transfer their children to private schools to protect them from this harmful influence. The teaching profession is one of the lowest paid and least prestigious, which is why the best graduates of pedagogical institutes avoid working in schools (and also for the reasons mentioned above). The state urgently needs to develop a system of measures to improve the climate in schools, otherwise we risk raising spiritually sick generations, the consequences of which can be the most catastrophic. It is necessary to approach more carefully the development of selection criteria for persons entering teaching professions; it may even introduce a special moral exam for teachers, for which purpose the creation of special commissions on pedagogical ethics. It is necessary to raise the prestige of teaching, to review the system of payment and social security for teachers. In optimizing the school education system, it is necessary to join forces with the church. The Church must take charge of primary and secondary educational institutions! Its influence should be strengthened not only in terms of introducing the teaching of special disciplines, but also in extracurricular work! It is useful to remember the best traditions of children's and youth organizations, pioneer camps of the previous era! These organizations, as well as various clubs and sections of interest. As many children and teenagers as possible should be reached so that they do not spend their free time in hallways, with cigarettes and beer, or in search of drugs. To do this, it is necessary not only to support children's clubs, but also to create such clubs at schools, in every possible way encouraging useful initiatives of teachers. Of course, methods of involving children should not be formal, but based on their desires and interests. Everyone who works with the younger generation must be subjected to the most careful moral selection, because the future of the country is in their hands! Doctors should also undergo appropriate humanitarian and moral training, since many of them have forgotten what a human attitude towards their patients is! About environmental education. As already mentioned, environmental problems arise from problems of morality, or, more precisely, the immorality of people. Therefore, environmental education must play a vital role. Along with moral education, children should be instilled from an early age with a love of nature, taught to care for animals and plants, and cultivate neatness and a desire for cleanliness. It is necessary to actively involve the media in solving this problem, more often showing films and programs about nature, about the animal world, about our planet. Environmental clubs and organizations must be created in schools; it is useful to conduct environmental raids and tourist rallies. If new generations of Russians do not realize the importance of protecting the environment, we will soon lose our natural resources, and this will sooner or later lead to an environmental disaster, and then to the death of our civilization. On the principles of moral education. Moral education of children should include the formation of the correct worldview and corresponding character traits. The author of these lines conducted a survey among part-time students, that is, people who are already adults with families, what moral qualities they would like to instill in their children. It turned out that almost all those surveyed had very little idea of what they were teaching! Parents and teachers should clearly imagine the ideal image of a future person (pedagogical ideal) and cultivate the corresponding character traits in the younger generation. 1. In early childhood, parents must help the child understand his life tasks assigned to him from above, help him find his Path in life. In accordance with this, the choice of profession should occur. 2. It is necessary to instill in the child that he must develop his talents and abilities, which are given to him from above in order to fulfill his Destiny. 3. A person must strive for the constant development of his spiritual qualities, positive character traits and maximum self-realization. Everyone must understand this principle as one of the basic spiritual laws of human existence, since if development and spiritual growth stop, personality degradation occurs, the body is destroyed, the person gets sick and dies early. 4. Every young person should realize that his most important life task is to create a family and raise children. One should cultivate a conscious, balanced attitude towards the correct choice of a life partner, the main criterion of which should be love and spiritual community, and not passion or calculation. Every young person should prepare to become a parent and bear direct responsibility for their children, for their health and moral character. It is necessary to prohibit the propaganda of ideas of sexual freedom in the media and literature, as this disfigures the individual. 5. The principles of humanism should become fundamental in relations between people. It is necessary to cultivate respect and tolerance towards one’s fellow citizens, citizens of other states, and towards opposing opinions and ideas. One of the main principles should be the cultivation of a feeling of love - for yourself, as a part of the Universe, for other people, for nature and our planet. 6. Every person must understand that he is responsible for his words and thoughts. Man is part of the Universe, he is connected to it by a single information space, and it is necessary to remember that our incorrect and aggressive thoughts and words can cause irreparable harm both to the people around us and the planet as a whole, and to ourselves. 7. From a very early age, a child should learn to take care of his health, considering this as one of his main life tasks. Our body is part of nature, and we must treat it with the same care as the environment around us. The development of the individual as a whole should be determined not by the private interests of the state and the changing political situation, but based on knowledge of the Laws of the Universe! About CenterOhself-realization and spiritual development. In order to form the correct worldview in the younger generation, cultivate positive character traits and develop the best spiritual qualities, on the one hand, as well as to reveal the abilities and talents inherent in children and maximize the realization of internal capabilities, it is necessary to significantly reform the entire education and upbringing system. The author of these lines would like to propose the idea of creating special educational institutions, Centers for spiritual development and self-realization, combining preschool education (kindergartens), secondary school education and higher education in the humanities. To work in such institutions, careful training and selection of teaching staff must be carried out. These institutions will work not only with children, but also with parents, especially with those who are expecting a child, because the educational influence begins even before birth, in the womb. The fate of her future children largely depends on the mental state and health of a pregnant woman! All educators and teachers, leaders of circles must have the appropriate mental and moral qualities in order to instill in children from a very early age a correct view of the world, the principles of unconditional respect for oneself and another person, as well as a sense of love for oneself, other people, one’s homeland, and nature , planet and universe. In addition to kindergarten, school and university, Centers for Spiritual Development should have various clubs, sports sections, a music school, a theater, etc., so that every child can find himself and realize his inherent abilities to the maximum. Secondary school should be guided by the state educational standard with the mandatory inclusion of philosophy, religious studies, psychology and ethics. But the main thing is that these educational institutions must have a healthy moral climate, based on the principles of mutual respect, love and responsibility! The selection of teachers in the humanities must be especially strict, since they themselves must have the appropriate mental qualities and character traits that they will teach children! Labor education should be mandatory - caring for the garden, teaching girls sewing, knitting, cooking, basic housekeeping, boys - carpentry and plumbing, etc. The most important component should be environmental education. It is advisable to locate such Centers outside the city limits or to have sites and camps outside the city. Hiking, tourist rallies, and raids to clean up water bodies and forests are recommended. These Centers must exist in cooperation with the Orthodox Church and representatives of other churches. It is necessary to instill in young people tolerance and respect for representatives of other nationalities and religions. Cooperation with international humanistic and environmental organizations for the exchange of experiences and spiritual enrichment seems very useful. The author hopes that this idea will find the support of healthy forces among Russian entrepreneurs, concerned about the future of their children and their country, to sponsor such institutions. But, first of all, I would like to believe that our state realizes that the education of spirituality and morality is a task of national scale, and in the near future will take up its implementation in order to prevent further spiritual degradation, in order to improve the health of the nation, reduce the mortality rate and the mass departure of the best representatives of the nation abroad. Russian society contains enormous potential opportunities. Russians are very talented and have significant spiritual reserves that can lead our country to prosperity and contribute to the health of the entire planet.Spiritual and moral crisis in Russia: how to overcome?
"The sleep of reason creates a monster"
What does Russia stand on now? In my opinion, on that unique deep culture that was created by the united Russian people, in all the complex combination of its nationalities. This culture was created over the course of a whole millennium, on a single, ever-expanding territory, with a single state and cultural language, in the same fate of wars and economic and trade cooperation. All this developed among the peoples of Russia a similarity of mental structure, closeness in customs and character, unity in the perception of the world, people, and state. On this basis, Russian national culture was created and developed. And therefore, forced to fight two-thirds of its history, Russia remains a living, spiritual-historical, established organism, which, from any decay, is again restored by the mysterious ancient power of its existence.
Today we fully understand that the system of liberal values proposed to Russia has not justified itself. The intensified processes of globalization and technologization are increasingly deforming the consciousness of today's people, completely depriving them of moral criteria from their perception of the world around them, or replacing traditional moral psychology with primitive consumer psychology.
For us, this means a loss of continuity in spiritual and moral culture and ideology, since the traditional Russian view of the world for centuries was based on a fundamental idea that involves understanding life as a religious duty, universal joint service to the Gospel ideals of goodness, truth, love, mercy, sacrifice and compassion .
Our firm belief is that positive changes can be achieved by cultivating and relying on such concepts as Faith, morality, spirituality, memory, historical heritage, and patriotism.
We want to build a strong state where the principles of human rights and freedom are respected, we are reviving faith, we are taking timid steps in search of ourselves in this world. We want to create a strong present so we can face the future with confidence. And here the cornerstone is awareness - without the past there is no future! The history of your country, memory, love for the Motherland. These concepts are not pretty words and slogans - they are the basis for the spiritual formation and preservation of the nation.
Our people must know and remember who we were, are, and who we must remain. The basis of the existence of the nation, people, Russian statehood is Orthodoxy, the cultural and spiritual traditions based on it. Holy Rus', Great Russia - these concepts arose and were built under the banners of the Orthodox faith and the leadership of the church. From time immemorial, Russia has been considered the House of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
It is no coincidence that such phenomena and concepts as holy places, holy roads, holy springs appeared on our land. Russia is destined for a special role - it is the cradle of the preservation of the true Orthodox faith. In such places, a person becomes spiritually enlightened and becomes aware of his involvement in the history and culture of his people.
From time immemorial in Rus', people who gave their lives for their homeland were considered holy martyrs. The Church constantly honors and remembers the names of soldiers who died on the battlefields of our country. These places constantly remind us of the terrible past so that it does not happen again in the future. Evidence of the heroism and feat of previous generations are the three military fields of Russia: Kulikovo Field, Borodino Field, Prokhorovskoe Field. On each of these fields, at a certain historical period, the fate and general existence of our Motherland and people were decided.
No people have such a strong sense of the Motherland as the Russians. This is embedded in our multifaceted Russian mentality throughout the course of Russian history. A sacred attitude towards memory and native history, towards holy places, towards the past and present determines our future.
Today our country is experiencing another turning point in history. It is associated with a crisis situation in the economy, politics, and national relations. The prerequisite for this situation was the state of society, called the “spiritual crisis.” Its essence, in the words of S. Grof, is “the inability to take the next step in one’s development,” and its obvious manifestation is moral and value disorientation and emptiness, first of all, of young people. Today, one can name many obstacles in the implementation of spiritual and moral principles on a traditional Orthodox basis. The main ones, in our opinion, are: the unpreparedness of the majority of the population of modern Russia to perceive the spiritual content of traditional culture, the destruction and crisis of the family, the extremely low level of spiritual and moral culture of the majority of modern parents, the loss of the family function of transmitting significant cultural and life values to children, lack of coherence influence on the spiritual and moral education of children and youth of various social institutions: family, educational institutions, the Orthodox Church, state and public structures.
The creation of a system of spiritual and moral education of children and youth is necessary for the revival of Russia and the restoration of the spiritual, moral and intellectual potential of the bearer of Russian culture - the Russian people. Current and future generations of the 21st century need the return of the Orthodox faith, freedom, family, and Motherland, which the modern world is trying to reject in fruitless doubt and delusion.
SPIRITUAL CRISIS IN RUSSIA AND WAYS TO OVERCOME IT
At the heart of the global crisis of earthly civilization in general and Russia in particular is the spiritual crisis of every person. S. Grof in his book “Frantic Search for Self” introduced the concept of “spiritual crisis”, understanding by it a state, on the one hand, that has all the qualities of a psychopathic disorder, and on the other hand, having a spiritual dimension and potentially capable of leading an individual to a higher level of existence /1/.
In order to understand the problem of spiritual crisis, it is necessary to consider it in the broader context of “spiritual self-discovery.”
Spiritual emergence is the movement of an individual toward an expanded, more fulfilling way of being, including increased levels of emotional and psychosomatic health, increased freedom of choice, and a sense of deeper connection with others, nature, and the entire cosmos. An important part of this development is an increased awareness of the spiritual dimension both in one's own life and in the world at large.
Spiritual self-disclosure can be divided into two types: immanent and transcendental. Immanent spiritual self-discovery is characterized by gaining a deeper perception of situations in everyday life; these experiences are induced, as a rule, by external situations and are directed outward (to comprehend the Divine in the world). Transcendent spiritual self-discovery is the ability to more deeply perceive one’s inner world (to comprehend the Divine in oneself).
It should be noted that the concept of “spirituality” is interpreted differently by the authors. But this does not make this problem any less, since the atmosphere in the family he creates, as well as in society as a whole, depends on the spiritual state of a person.
The problem of spirituality is directly related to education. In this regard, it is important to take into account that Russian education has its own uniqueness, which lies in the fact that it is inseparable from the spiritual education of the individual. This applies to both Christian pedagogy of pre-revolutionary eras and the Soviet era. It is no coincidence that the outstanding Russian philosopher V.V. Zenkovsky saw a great closeness between religious and Soviet pedagogy /2/. But, unfortunately, modern education is also experiencing a deep crisis, and approximately only two students out of twenty, having received a minimal educational basis of knowledge and information, spend personal time on self-development and the formation of a “spiritual core.” Thus, at the moment, getting an education at a university can only help by 30% in personal self-development, and this is provided that humanitarian subjects are taught by teachers who are “passionate” about their work, who completely dedicate themselves, their wisdom and knowledge for the benefit of knowledge student of the world, history, man and society. Due to the reduction of hours in the humanities, this opportunity and percentages are rapidly decreasing.
Recognizing, following the representatives of Russian religious philosophy, the need for spirituality as a metaphysical core, without which the picture of the world is not holistic for the Russian person, we come to the contemplation of what is present and given - the logic of decay, deconstruction and destruction of personality - all that one is proud of Today is the era and culture of postmodernity. In the modern world, sadly, there is no place for spirituality.
An important problem facing a person on the path of spiritual growth and self-knowledge is the problem of finding true meaning, which is difficult in a culture where these meanings are replaced by simulacra, information garbage, and equivalent discourses. Throughout his life, an individual encounters a huge number of idealizations, stereotypes and other attitudes and parameters by which he evaluates the years he has lived. If we take into account that demands for the world appear already in childhood and are actively applied during communication, then with age people become deeper and deeper mired in their grievances, which ultimately result in latent or actualized confrontation with social groups, with themselves. Confirmation of our words is found in V. Frankl’s book “Man’s Search for Meaning.” It talks about the modern person's sense of loss of meaning: “Here in America, I am surrounded on all sides by young people my age who are desperately trying to find meaning in their existence. One of my best friends recently died, and he was unable to find this meaning” /3, p. 24/. All these people about whom V. Frankl writes, who had made a career, lived outwardly quite prosperous and happy lives, did not find spiritual harmony and continued to complain about an overwhelming feeling of a complete loss of meaning. The above-mentioned author, the famous creator of logotherapy, i.e. word therapy, cites shocking statistics in his book: “It is known from statistics that among the causes of death among American students, the second most common cause of death after road accidents is suicide. At the same time, the number of suicide attempts (that did not end in death) is 15 times higher” /3, p. 26/. And we are talking about a very prosperous group of people in terms of material income, who lived in full harmony with their family and actively participated in public life, having every reason to be satisfied with their academic successes.
According to official statistics, 1,100,000 people die from suicide every year in the world. Russia ranks 3rd in the group of countries in terms of high and very high suicide rates, after Lithuania and Belarus. In our country, approximately 36 people per 100 thousand people commit suicide, which once again confirms the seriousness of the current situation. A. Einstein quite accurately noted that anyone who feels his life is devoid of meaning is not only unhappy, but also unlikely to be viable. In light of the seriousness of the problem of a person’s spiritual crisis, often leading to suicide or frustration, we will try to analyze various options and methods for resolving it.
One part of people finds a “way out” of the spiritual crisis in positioning individuality, believing themselves to be unique and isolating themselves from those who do not like this. Such a group tries to consolidate its position with exclusive branded items, i.e. by what E. Fromm called the principle of “having”, i.e. consumer attitude towards the world. In this regard, the popular policy of “individualization” in the United States (a policy that reduces the value system to the “American Dream” - the dream of material well-being and consumption) does not contribute to solving not only the problems of an individual person, but also the problems of social relations in general. One has only to imagine what would happen if everyone took this position.
There is another way to “solve” problems – psychological training. They teach love for your neighbor, acceptance of life, only the argument is not religious dogma, for example, “it’s written in the Bible” or “everything is God’s will,” but gender-biological argumentation, which boils down to the principle: no need to impose on your spouse personal habits, since by nature men and women have different ways of thinking. If men think in concepts and take everything literally, then women express themselves abstractly and act on the wave of an emotional impulse, which is completely incomprehensible to logically thinking husbands. A person who has successfully completed such training, however, does not practice the acquired skills for long, since they very often end up buried under a layer of grievances or demands. In this case, either he behaves as before, or he needs a repeat course.
The practice of participating in many different seminars and trainings shows that many psychologists put a person into a trance, using certain techniques that help identify hidden causes of mistakes, grievances, shortcomings and complexes within his psyche. However, this kind of training only “tears into pieces” and stirs up a hornet’s nest of the subconscious, without giving a recipe for further assembling one’s Self, without working through all life situations, since this would take too much time. After all, our development proceeds in a spiral, and at each level we must work through the same problems. Due to lack of energy, time and money, a person is eventually forced to stop his psychological training. There are other moments, but the result is the same - a person is left alone with his problems and again collects himself piece by piece as best he can. Thus, it turns out that psychological training is ineffective and can only motivate for a short period of life.
The third group of people follows the path of quest, i.e. development. From the position of philosophy, development is an irreversible, directed, natural change in objects, as a result of which a qualitative change in the state of their composition and structures occurs, taking into account time indicators, i.e. complication of the human-nature-world system. In relation to higher and secondary education, this characteristic has become irrelevant, since knowledge not only does not correspond to qualifications, but also rarely has an impact on changing the consciousness of students, and the receipt of a diploma itself is dictated not by the interest of self-improvement, but by fashion. If previously it was necessary to engage in self-development, and this was part of the educational system in the USSR, today self-education and education are in a gap. The first does not follow from the second. At the same time, the huge flow of information and the complication of social, political, and economic processes confront a person with the need for development, since it is necessary to learn to process and systematize information, and therefore to think broadly and have a worldview system. This path simultaneously leads to awareness of oneself, one’s place in the world.
In the process of the formation of society, a person, along with the ability to cognize, set and implement goals, formed self-awareness and, on its basis, a worldview. Everyday worldviews and worldviews, based on common sense and containing prejudices and mythical elements, are not distinguished by the depth of insight into the essence of phenomena, systematicity, and validity. The theoretical worldview, to which philosophy also belongs, gets rid of the above-mentioned shortcomings. In the worldview, knowledge leading to the search for truth is presented in an integral form; values as people’s attitude to everything that happens; life positions (person’s beliefs), formed on the basis of cognition and assessments and transformed through emotions and will into actions.
Worldview is embodied in the individual as the unity of his philosophical, moral, political, aesthetic and other ideas. It reveals the place and role of man in society and in the world as a whole, gives meaning to the history of mankind, provides general orientation in the totality of existence, and guides life strategy and behavior program. The worldview function of philosophy ensures that a person understands his place in an increasingly complex world. The methodological function of philosophy, closely related to the worldview, guides a person in his relationship to the world, teaches life strategies, “what you need to be to be a person.”
One of the allies of development is productive criticism, which shakes outdated views and at the same time preserves everything truly valuable in rejected forms of worldview, since a person stops “walking in circles”, and his development begins to move in a spiral. But relying only on reason is ineffective, which can be seen from an analysis of the history of philosophy, as well as the characteristics of the Russian mentality, for which the spiritual component has long been a priority.
Another path of development is religion, since believers transgress their own pride, learn to love their neighbor, accept this world as it is, and perceive problems as lessons necessary for unity with God. The movement that followed the film Pay It Forward took a similar path, with characters doing good deeds out of heart and humanity rather than out of a desire for individualization and self-discovery. But relying on sensory experience, as modern life shows, is not enough, since people most often carry their personal faith to fanaticism. Thus, the optimal synthesis of philosophy and religion, especially since they have a common goal - to take a person out of the sphere of everyday life, give his life meaning, open the way to the most sacred values, and captivate him with ideals. The most significant general problems of religion and philosophy are spiritual and moral.
Religion and philosophy, having a certain kinship, at the same time chose different ways to reveal the secrets of existence. The basis of a religious view of the world is faith, recognition of a miracle, i.e. voluntaristic manifestations of God, not subject to the laws of nature. Philosophy reflected the growing need to understand the world and man from the position of “secular” knowledge, “natural” reason. Religion, according to B. Spinoza, achieves the acceptance of life as it is, and remains at the level of imagination, and philosophy sets as its goal the comprehension of truth.
As a rule, in the spiritual exploration of the world, the role of a mentor was emphasized, designed to help the seeker follow the right path. The emphasis was on understanding the value and meaning of phenomena and the desire for personal self-improvement while observing the traditions of the social group to which the individual belongs. Philosophical searches were aimed primarily at man and his soul, at developing ethical issues.
Having studied the history of philosophy, one can give a sufficient number of examples of people who were able to combine philosophy and religion together. For example, Francisco Skaryna, the pioneer East Slavic printer, humanist philosopher, writer, public figure, entrepreneur and medical scientist, said that the attachment of living beings to their native places is a natural and universal property, a pattern of existence, while the life of an individual becomes rational and purposeful . As a result of the connection of a living being with the clan, and the individual with the people, a person is woven into his native land, into society. This thinker exalts his native places and defends his native language as a source of national identity and patriotic pride.
An example is Kant, who argues that the human mind is characterized by constant questioning. But where there is a lack of theoretical knowledge and experience, a void arises that can be filled with faith, since it is not possible to prove the immortality of the soul or the existence of God in a rational way.
Another example is Erich Fromm. He considers alienation, dehumanization and depersonalization of a person in a consumer society to be the main causes of conflicts underlying human existence in the modern world. To eliminate these negative phenomena, it is necessary to change social conditions, i.e. build a more humane society, as well as liberate a person’s inner abilities for love, faith, and reason. Due to the impossibility of changing social foundations at the moment, a person can still change his personal attitude towards a given situation, i.e. accept life and people as they are, then a person will acquire an even greater gift - a feeling of love, mercy and compassion. Compared to animals, humans have the ability to make decisions, but confrontation with alternatives creates a state of anxiety and uncertainty. Despite this, a person is forced to take responsibility for himself and his actions, otherwise those around him begin to mirror him until the soul comprehends what is necessary (for example: the relationship between husband and wife, mother and son, etc.), and only after realizing the problems, coming from within, we observe a change not only in the situation itself, but also in behavior in our environment.
You can quote the words of V.S. Solovyov, who argued that private sciences in their search for truth are based on known data taken on faith. In general, Russian religious philosophers of the 19th-20th centuries. believed that faith is the most important phenomenon of human spirituality, it is a condition and stimulus for creativity, it is the direct acceptance by consciousness of life’s meanings as the highest truths, norms and values.
Having studied the biographies of creative people - artists, writers, inventors, scientists and others - we can see that many were deeply religious people. For example, Einstein’s statement that a little knowledge moves us away from God, and a lot of knowledge brings us closer to him.
As for Russia, it should be noted that in Russia, development since the times of Kievan Rus was understood as the knowledge of God, therefore, for the mentality of our people, this path is closer. However, modern conditions in other areas make general philosophical knowledge necessary. A valuable example in this case can be some Chinese traditions. According to Chinese sages, the ideal person has a love of humanity. Society is based on moral standards that are of heavenly origin. The principle of morality - “what you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others,” formulated by Confucius - was subsequently reproduced many times. The main task of man on earth is to care for other people, or rather souls. And all things are born and change thanks to their own path; in the process of change they turn into their opposite. We also find these thoughts in the aphorisms of Lao Tzu: “The perfectly intelligent person strives to make his existence full, and not to have beautiful things” /5/. Many authors from different fields admit that no one has yet been able to comprehend the truth of life deeper than the teacher Confucius. And the result of such knowledge is a systematic view of the world, i.e. a harmonious combination of philosophy and religion.
Thus, our society needs not only to realize that the crisis that has arisen can be overcome only through personal quest and self-education, but also to learn to isolate valuable experience both from personal history and from the stories of other cultures, adapting and taking into account the individuality of the Russian mentality.
As for the West, many scientists and other authoritative people argue that it is unnecessary to mindlessly copy their models, since, despite the achieved standard of living, the problems of injustice and human suffering have not been resolved there. After all, the main task of any state is not to change the world, but to promote the spiritual self-improvement of the individual.
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