A lot has been said about the revival of spiritual, cultural values, morality, and not only in recent decades. The revival of morality is a topic that always pops up when a state of crisis develops in any country or global changes occur. For example, the need to revive spirituality, culture, and morality in Russia was discussed at the turn of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They also remembered this during the time of the Pugachev rebellion and other popular unrest. The tendency to discuss the loss of morality and culture in society is characteristic not only of Russian public figures, but also of those living in other countries too. For example, the leaders of the French Revolution spoke and wrote a lot about the loss of the moral core, the loss of morality and being in licentiousness. And the most impressive example of the spiritual revival of the culture of the nation, the acquisition of a moral core,probably is the story of the life of the Messiah, that is, Christ.
Paradoxical as it may seem, arguments that the country needs a revival of morality, culture and other human values, as a rule, are combined with some kind of bloody events. Of course, the clearest example of this relationship is the execution of Jesus. If you do not turn to religion, then any of the revolutions, popular unrest and riots, terrorist activity, bursts of crime and so on can be a historical example of mutual combination.
What is morality?
The term "morality" is often perceived as a synonym for such concepts as "morality" and "ethics". Meanwhile, this is a completely independent concept, moreover, it is one of the components of morality.
According to the definition, morality is a combination of certain internal qualities of an individual or society as a whole. The list of these qualities directly depends on the historical features of the development of a nation, its cultural and spiritual values, customs, traditions, accepted way of life, predominant occupation, and so on.
In general, moral qualities are what an individual or society is guided by when making any important decisions. That is, morality dictates behavior and actions. It also determines what a person does every day. For example, leisure activities. The choice of entertainment is always determined precisely by morality. Method of carrying outholidays and weekends are also determined by a set of corresponding qualities.
Morality can be different?
The moral revival of Russia, the principles of which were partly outlined in the President's speech in 2006, is considered by many citizens as a necessity. The President's speech was titled "On State Support for Traditional Folk Culture in Russia" and was published in the press.
The greatest value of the theses formulated by the President is that the morality, traditions and culture of our country are not monolithic. A large number of people of various religions, occupations and customs live in Russia. Accordingly, their cultural and moral values differ. Ethical norms, requirements for appearance and behavior are not the same.
But, despite the differences, the Russians are also characterized by a set of moral, moral and cultural values common to all of them. The President spoke about the need to preserve and revive them.
Government supports moral concerns?
The revival of cultural and moral values is part of the domestic policy of the Russian government. This is a fairly broad area, which includes education, restrictions on certain advertising, the organization of city holidays, festivals, the promotion of a he althy lifestyle and religious celebrations, even the improvement of yards and streets.
That is, the revival of culture, spirituality, moral and moral qualities is inextricably linked with the way of life and, of course, its quality. Thus, social policy, education, the organization of places of leisure and entertainment, and much more are important for moral issues. Society is an organism in which everything is interconnected. It is impossible to expect highly moral deeds from people who are not confident in the future, who are afraid to let their children go for a walk, or who do not have a job with an official salary, and much more. It is impossible to arouse interest in the spirituality and culture of their native country among people who count every penny and are not always full.
Accordingly, without the direct participation of the authorities, the revival of morality is out of the question. At the same time, not only the line outlined by the government of the country is important, but also the direct actions of the local authorities. Of course, an important point in the policy aimed at reviving the culture of the nation is the cooperation of secular officials with the clergy, heads of religious and public organizations.
What is hindering the revival process?
When TV or the press talk about how they are trying to discredit the idea of the revival of morality in our country, they usually lose sight of simple factors. That is, covering rather controversial statements that the very idea of reviving traditions, spirituality and moral qualities will inevitably lead not to the development of people's self-awareness, patriotism and other things, but to racism, they do not talk about what directly interferes with this process.
It is possible to discredit the idea of the revival of moral qualities in people on philosophical and political debates, or directlyactions. For example, the forced imposition of a he althy lifestyle in provincial cities. Any violence against the will of a person causes opposition from his side. Thus, the local authorities are seeking not the growth of morality among the townspeople, but its even greater decline. But at the same time, everything looks great in “paper reports”.
An example of discrediting an idea with excessive enthusiasm
A striking example of such a planting of a he althy lifestyle, which will inevitably lead to the revival of spiritual and moral values in society, is the dominance of bicycles. Moreover, if in Moscow bicycles are quite organically inscribed in the general urban environment, then in the provinces the situation is completely opposite. Bicycling is heavily promoted by the local media, with occasional stories featuring government officials getting to work.
Bicycle rentals are springing up like mushrooms after the rain, renting this vehicle in the center of a provincial town is much easier than finding a parking space. Meanwhile, there are no bike lanes. There are no signaling devices on the bicycles themselves. Of course, how many strolling pedestrians were frightened by supporters of a "he althy lifestyle", how many elderly people had high blood pressure or a heartache, of course, is unknown.
Thus, the main discredit of the revival of morality is not at all due to the efforts of opponents of theseideas, but because of the actions of local officials.
Does everyone share these ideas?
Not all people are close and understand the idea of moral revival. What is it - resistance to spirituality, the desire to indulge in debauchery and commit immoral acts? Not at all. As a rule, thinking people believe that the very idea of reviving national values is regressive. Since our country in the current period of time is literally actively “building capitalism” according to the Western model, cultural and moral values that are not traditional for it will inevitably penetrate into society.
The clearest example of this is historically alien to Russians holidays - Halloween, Valentine's Day and others. Among activists, the idea of national revival is also criticized by the mass celebration of Christmas in December, with the entire Western world and in accordance with traditions. The dominance of Santa Claus and other Christmas characters in the West is discussed in the media quite seriously. In recent years, a curious trend has begun to be traced, which, according to many, illustrates the successful revival of morality. In the media, the image of Santa is almost absent, but the words "Veliky Ustyug" and "Father Frost" begin to sound already in November.
Should we abandon Western values?
The denial of Western cultural and moral values is not a guarantee of the revival of one's own. If we talk down to earth and simply, then it’s rather strange to have pancakes on the street, and not hamburgers or hot-dogami.
Opponents of the ideas of revival rely on the fact that their implementation will leave people no choice. And there is a reasonable grain in such fears. The enthusiasm of supporters of any particular views often includes the rejection of everything that does not correspond to them.
Do these ideas rule out choice?
The revival of traditional morality is often understood as a return to certain values that are now massively missing. Of course, we are not talking about wearing bast shoes or kokoshniks, but when choosing between cola and kvass, you will have to give preference to kvass. Of course, the process of reviving the national identity, the moral and moral qualities of the people is much more difficult than the choice between drinks, but this example most clearly demonstrates its essence.
Thus, the ideas of the revival of morality in Russia do not mean depriving a person of the choice of spiritual, cultural values or something else. It's just about people remembering what country they were born in, knowing and loving their own culture, and not just blindly adopting everything that comes from the West.
Do I need to revive something?
The appearance of any idea has a basis, a premise. Any process occurring within society also has them. Thus, the question of whether a revival of morality is needed arises when it is really needed.
The fall of the bar of morality is characterized by the absence of internal moral qualities or their substitution. It is the change observed inrecent decades in Russian society. In fact, there is only one value in the country - consumption in all its forms and variations. People consume literally everything - from food to the results of artists' creativity. And the artists, in turn, consume viewers by supplementing their creativity with the sale of T-shirts, pins, crowdfunding fees and more.
Measure of consumption is money, or rather their quantity. People spend more than they earn, which leads to the search for additional sources of income and sinking into debt. As a result of such a whirlwind in life, there is simply no time left for morality, and many do not just not think about any values that are not related to material aspects, but do not even remember.
Are there clear programs for such a revival?
Programs devoted to the need to revive the culture of Russians, moral and spiritual values in people, appear with enviable constancy before each election. Their names are so consonant that for many inhabitants they merge into one thing. There are similar programs related to moral issues, and various public organizations.
Such projects exist and are implemented in schools and other educational institutions, although not in all. The Ministry of Education does not have an official mandatory program on moral issues.
What is written in the programs of public organizations?
Such programs, as a rule, are the core element around which people unite. However, not all of them are distinguished by loy alty, tolerance and adequacy.
As a rule, the program of the revival of morality of any of the public organizations consists of the following theses:
- stop using the media to promote violence, depravity and perversion;
- use moral censorship that stops attempts to accustom to the destruction of families and promiscuity;
- prohibit by law the production and distribution of erotic and pornographic products;
- stimulate the production of spiritually healing art works.
As a rule, there are quite a lot of theses, but all of them are sustained in a similar vein. Some public figures also show more radical views, calling for a ban on abortion, the return of criminal liability for homosexuality, and more.
What is the position of the church?
It may seem paradoxical, but members of the clergy are much more tolerant than many public organizations.
The Church supports the idea of the need to revive spirituality, morality and moral qualities in people, but does not call for radical measures. The clergy believe that everything is in the hands of the Lord, and a person only needs help to find the way to the temple, and God will save his soul.
Probably, this is the most reasonable attitude to issues related to the moral and spiritual development of the nation in modern times. For example, in the "decaying" and complete "morally corrupt" West of believersthere are many more people than in modern Russia. There are shelters, schools and hospitals attached to the monasteries. Nearly every parish has open Sunday school doors with no shortage of students.
Is the church important for moral revival?
In the question of the formation of morality, the set of ideals received in childhood, the list of values that remain with a person for life, is extremely important. Without such a core, the very appearance of moral principles or moral principles is impossible.
After the revolution, the role of the church, in the traditions of which the children were brought up, was taken over by the party. That is, the ideals have not disappeared anywhere, just the communist ones have replaced the Christian ones. Now, most of the growing children, in principle, do not have ideals that would help in the formation of moral qualities.
The directions of the revival of morality are first of all:
- shaping ideals;
- providing a spiritual foundation;
- observance of traditions;
- providing an example for behavior.
Of course, we are talking about raising children. And the role of religion in this matter cannot be underestimated. Moreover, trying to instill moral qualities, moral principles and traditional values in children, adults unwittingly begin to follow them themselves.
