What is dignity? (part 1)

Dignity is a moral, ethical category directed within the individual.
This is an individual’s respect for himself, his high and subjective assessment of his own importance. However, it should not be confused with excessive self-confidence and pride.

A person’s self-esteem is of great importance in the formation of dignity. Its cultivation begins in childhood and is cultivated throughout life.

A mature and adequate sense of self-esteem allows an individual to follow the intended path , realize himself and travel through life with his head raised confidently.

What is self-esteem?

The term “self-esteem and healthy self-concept” is often put on the same level with the concept of “self-esteem,” but there is a difference between them. Self-esteem refers to a person's inner feelings. The presence of self-esteem shows that not only the individual himself is aware of his importance, but also the people around him. Let's take a closer look at the signs of a person with self-esteem:

He commands respect from them and behaves with dignity. Making high demands on others, he demands the same behavior from himself. A person with self-esteem is distinguished by neatness in clothing, calmness, absence of dishonest actions, good upbringing and manners, and a sense of freedom. He clearly knows his personal boundaries and does not allow anyone to violate them.
This is not about pride or selfishness. Pride is a feeling of superiority over others when others are nothing compared to the proud person. A person with self-esteem does not assert himself at anyone’s expense. He is aware of his dignity and feels a sense of satisfaction from having something - individual qualities, achievements, success, abilities and skills. Full acceptance of oneself, plus awareness of the value of one’s own personality without infringing on the rights of other people - all this implies the concept of dignity.
This feeling can also be characterized as awareness of one’s importance, revealed, for example, in self-respect. A worthy person does not compare himself to anyone else, but only to himself. He understands that he is not perfect and strives to achieve success, capable of self-development and personal growth. Such a person is determined to achieve excellent results in any business he undertakes.
A worthy person has inner peace. He is collected, reliable and decisive. You can rely on him. He is distinguished by his ability to keep his word and be obligatory in business. Next to him, other people feel calm and confident. He does not humiliate those who are weaker and does not curry favor with the powerful of this world.
A person can worry inside, but remain calm outwardly, and knows how to restrain himself under any unforeseen circumstances. His thoughts do not “dance”, they are structured, his actions are thought out and his behavior is decisive.
A valuable and confident person does not worry about trifles. He does not compete with anyone, does not strive to be the best and first in everything. He knows how to say “no”, does not follow the crowd, does not explain or justify his own actions.
He is independent from others. He himself knows what to do and is responsible for his choice. Everything comes from his own views. He is self-sufficient and does not try to please others.
Such an internal position also causes corresponding behavior: a person knows firmly how he can and should behave himself, and how people around him and in relation to him should behave. Unacceptable behavior is immediately stopped, and ties with those who allow it in relation to him are systematically interrupted.

Dignity is...

The study of the concept is approached both from the legal side and from the moral and moral side.

From the moral point of view, dignity can be defined as a system of specific qualities that distinguish a person from the general background. From the side of law, this concept acts as something inalienable, inherent only to man. It is important that dignity is an intangible good.

Along with this concept, there is also self-dignity, which assumes that the individual treats himself with respect. The reason for this is a set of highly moral qualities.

Self-esteem is not narcissism, because it involves exalting a person with himself. The set of some qualities does not matter. For example, a person may be a delinquent who mocks all things, but he is also narcissistic.

A worthy person will treat both himself and other people with respect. He is, as a rule, educated, honest, well-mannered and intelligent.

Why is it important to have a sense of dignity?

I will list the main reasons why it is important to have self-esteem:

A person full of self-confidence evokes similar feelings in others. He is reliable, knows how to navigate in any situation, you want to listen to him, you want to follow him. Those around him respect him and do not tolerate unworthy behavior towards him.
If the sense of self-worth is reduced, a “victim” complex arises. An insecure and timid person realizes that he is pathetic and worthless. Those around him begin to treat him the same way. Development and achievements in such a situation are difficult.
Those who do not love themselves and feel unworthy are haunted by failure. Each time he becomes convinced of his own inadequacy and does not notice his successes. He simply doesn't see them. The entire focus of attention is focused only on problems. Such a person is not aware of his rights. The situation may get worse. A person who is not confident in his own importance experiences a feeling of despondency, he bends under the weight of problems. A depressed state can lead to disorders of the nervous system, psychosomatic manifestations and prolonged depression.
You pay for your lack of self-esteem with a lack of love and respect from others. Isn't the price too high?

Is it possible to change the situation? No one is born already possessing a sense of dignity. A person gains self-worth and self-respect through education. If from early childhood he received a lot of love and attention, felt needed and valuable, he will remain so for the rest of his life. If not, then there is a high chance of having low self-esteem, which leads to a lack of self-esteem.

Meaning

The role of dignity in society is invaluable, because it helps a person to realize himself throughout his life in various fields of activity.

The concept is important not only in the social environment, but also in the legal environment, where full protection of reputation, personal status, and dignity is ensured. A person can resolve issues of self-respect in court if there has been an attack on the other side.

Thus, he publicly restores his dignity and receives compensation for all the moral damage caused. A person who violates this norm will be obliged to debunk his words and prove the opposite before the entire meeting.

How to develop a sense of dignity?

Self-esteem can be cultivated within yourself. To do this, it is important to understand that any person has personal rights and he:

is not obliged to justify one’s own actions and words to anyone;
can put his own interests first without infringing on the rights of others;
may be weak, upset and count on help if he needs it;
does not have to be perfect in everything he does;
has every right to be alone;
has the right to make a mistake and should not feel guilty when he makes one;
has the right to his own opinion;
worthy of love and respect, good attitude towards oneself;
should not maintain relationships that destroy him;
has the right to choose his own friends;
can count on support and good attitude from others;
may be imperfect;
does not have to be an expert in all areas of knowledge;
has every right to end relationships that do not bring him joy;
should not be liked by everyone all the time;
may be weak and depressed at times.

Psychologists say that cultivating a sense of dignity and worth is quite achievable. You need to focus on achievements, learn to notice them and believe that if something worked out, then it will work out in the future. Believe that a person is good as he is, accept himself with all his weaknesses and shortcomings. Everyone deserves the best by birthright.

Ways to increase self-worth:

Positive statements (affirmations) help to develop self-esteem. Someone who is trying to develop self-worth may argue that he deserves to be treated well, loved and respected, to have his own home and other things that increase his level of comfort.
An effective method of increasing self-esteem can be to write down your own achievements for the day and read this list to remind yourself.
The method of asking yourself questions helps a lot. They are built on the principle: “I am worthy of respect because... (I have the right to this, I am an intelligent and good person, and so on).”
Reading books and attending trainings to develop confidence and improve self-esteem can also develop self-esteem. Such trainings involve teaching confident and dignified behavior. You can start by reading an article about how to increase your self-esteem.
Coaching is one of the development tools. This type of self-development is valuable because the mentor does not decide anything for the client, but tries to lead him to making an independent decision. This is how the importance of the individual rises. A person learns to notice his desires, develop and behave with dignity. His personality can change dramatically thanks to his own efforts.

Thus, we can say that self-esteem is an indispensable foundation for a person’s development, happiness, fulfillment, and personal growth. Of course, lucky is the one who was taught to be worthy from childhood. But if you are not one of them, there is no need to despair and give up, complain about fate, or blame everyone around for your troubles.

Respect for human dignity

The state, first of all, ensures the protection of dignity; moreover, it must treat the individual with respect, as if setting an example for all citizens.

Art. 21 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation states:

Personal dignity is protected at the state level, and nothing can act as a basis for its derogation.

In view of this article, we can indicate the rights that are inherent to every citizen of the state:

No one has the right to torture a person, commit violent acts against him, inflict cruelty on him, or humiliate him.
A person has the right to refuse to conduct any medical experiments on him.
A citizen can defend his human dignity in court.
Enjoy the rights granted, regardless of race, gender, beliefs, or position in society.

True Dignity of Man

“All the glory of the king’s daughter is within” (Psalm 44:11).

Through a number of centuries, by special illumination from the Spirit of God, in the distance of time, one of the most powerful and most glorious kings of the chosen people of God saw the living branch of his family - a wonderful maiden - and now she appears to him without any external pomp, without any royal grandeur, in the very the modest lot that the simplest and most unremarkable person in human society is destined to bear; but at the same time he sees her shining with a special brilliance of her soul, adorned with all the virtues that replaced purple, gold and precious stones for her; that’s why he said about her: all the glory of the princess’s daughter is within.

We Christians know this mysterious person, who, long before the time of his appearance, was honored to be shown by the Spirit of God himself as an extraordinary person among other people; we know who this princess’s daughter is, whose glory and greatness are within her. This is she, better and more excellent than whom was not found in the sight of God in all the multitude of daughters of men; - this is the one who was chosen in the destinies of God to the supernatural honor of being the mother of the Lord; - This is the blessed Virgin Mary. She is the daughter of the Tsarev due to her special, unimaginable closeness to God - the King of Heaven; She is the daughter of the king by descent from the royal tribe of David. To her, above all people, belongs the inner glory of virtues, for which she was awarded the greatest election of God, exalted above all creatures, and became the queen of earth and heaven.

The inner glory of the Tsar's daughter gave her incomparable greatness. How did she acquire this wonderful, inner glory? Inner, hidden life. Having abandoned everything visible - earthly, surrendering entirely to the invisible - heavenly, she ascended through this secret path, invisible to mortal eyes, to a height inconceivable even to the eyes of angels! Her first step to this height was her entry into the temple of the Lord, where she was introduced by her parents after she was three years old for education, and where she devoted herself entirely to serving God. From this early time, fulfilling the sacred vow of her parents, she leaves the company of people, secludes herself from the world, forgets her parents' house, according to the prediction of the king's prophet about her, hear, daughter, and see, and incline your ear, forget your people and your father's house, and the King will desire your kindness (Psalm 44:11).

Leaving and forgetting everyone, she settles in the house of God and begins here her mysterious life for the Lord, in the sacred silence of which this wonderful beauty of her soul develops, attracting to itself the fullness of God’s love.

If each of us has an innate desire for greatness and glory, if we also want to be adorned with some true, and not imaginary, virtues, and have direct human significance not only before people, but also before God: then no other is possible for us. or the path to achieving such a desire as the path of inner and hidden life, turned to God, with which all the amiable qualities of the soul are connected, attracting the attention and arousing the surprise of everyone. In order to position our hearts to enter this path, let us focus our attention and thoughts on the superiority of the inner and hidden life for God over the outer life for the world.

People's lives have two directions: one outward to the world; the other inside – into the depths of one’s spirit for God. There are people who would like to reveal all their perfections to the world, to present them on display, in order to collect tributes of surprise and glorification from everyone. If they are devoid of perfection by nature, then they try to give themselves perfections from outside, which do not belong to their nature and depend on art alone - on human invention alone. If they cannot do this due to lack of means and methods, then at least they occupy themselves with sweet thoughts, imagining themselves to be what they would really like to be. The life of such people is all directed towards the world - outwardly. There is another kind of people who want to be unnoticed by others - they want to remain unknown to the world; they try to hide their perfections from the eyes and attention of the world. If their perfections somehow shine through the veil of obscurity and appear to the light on their own, like the rays of the sun, then they try in every possible way to avoid human surprise. Which of these two kinds of people should be given preference? Which of them is more exalted and more worthy?

It is impossible to think that anyone, maintaining common sense and respecting the voice of truth, would dare to speak openly about the superiority of external life over internal life and would begin to praise visible and temporary blessings over invisible and eternal ones, earthly over heavenly ones. Therefore, it seems that there is no need to defend these latter before the former. But focusing on the inner disposition of people, delving into the very desire of their spirit and the direction of life, one cannot help but see that most of them give preference to external - worldly - benefits over internal and spiritual ones. Which of us can say about himself that he would be completely free from attraction to the world and its beauties? Which of us does not dwell with our hearts on this appearance of the world and is not more or less occupied with it? Some people are so enslaved by worldly appearance that all their thoughts and desires revolve in it, all their pleasures and joys are determined by it, all their sorrows and sorrows depend on it. What does this show? The fact that many of us lack the inner conviction of the superiority of the inner life over the outer life, lacks a clear view of the beauty and perfection of the spirit that surpasses all outer beauty. From here we can see not only all the importance of the subject we have chosen, but also all the difficulty in revealing it. For what does it mean to reveal the secret of spiritual life, to present its incomparable glory to the eyes of everyone, to force people to love it, so that the minds and hearts of people are directed towards it? This means shaking the life of the world at its foundation, shaking its customs and rules, abolishing pleasures and joys, bringing about a general change in the occupations and activities of people of the present century. Is this possible? “We see all the power of the ruler against whom our word is directed, we know that it is irresistible to everyone and everyone, and we do not restrain ourselves from our intention to speak against his possession. The more the world dominates the hearts of people, the greater the need to expose its violence; - the more people drown in the waves of the world’s addictions: the stronger the pity felt for the unfortunate victims of its drowning, the more ardent is the desire to provide help to those who are dying - help that, if not always and not for everyone, is decisively true and useful, then at least sometimes for someone very timely and beneficial.

The world has a strong and irresistible effect on us; our attraction to him is deep and irresistible: however, we cannot help but realize the futility of such a direction of our spirit, we cannot help but please with the minds of those who have so much intelligence and wisdom that they rejected this brilliant and noisy appearance of the world, and devoted themselves to silence and silence spiritual life, hidden from all. The innermost life, turned inward, is superior to the outer in that it has high dignity, and it leads a person to true greatness. The true greatness of our nature is not in appearance, but in spirit; appearance has its price only insofar as the depth of spirit is manifested in it. Without this, the appearance, even if it were the most brilliant and majestic, is nothing more than one tempting emptiness, which soon loses its brilliance and entertainment before our eyes, soon ceases to amaze us with itself; for only the spirit has within itself an everlasting, never-exhausting attraction for our consciousness and feelings. The true greatness of our spirit has a purpose in itself; why it does not need to appear on display, does not seek the attention of others at all: for in itself it contains great bliss. That dignity, which is drawn to the appearance and attention of others and is supported by the opinion of people, the surprise of the world, is false and empty; for in itself it is nothing, and exists only for the eyes of strangers. True greatness always surrounds itself with intimacy, which is therefore found even in the visible world; for here, too, everything great and wonderful is hidden under a veil of impenetrability. We, for example, see life in nature, its various phenomena, wonderful beauties and an immense wealth of gifts; but the very origin of all this and the repository is hidden from us. We do not see where these forces are concentrated, in what secluded temple they perform their wonderful works; We don’t understand where the wonders of nature that amaze us, with which we are surrounded on all sides, come from? Look, is it not in deep solitude that something is being prepared for us that captivates our gaze and delights our feelings in spring and summer? Young spring nature, full of all the beauties, appears to us in its splendor and decoration from the mysterious winter solitude, and, entertaining our gaze during the day, does not cease, however, at its usual time to hide from us in the solitude of night. As if dissatisfied with the gaze of lovers of her beauty, fixed on her in the shining sunlight, she hastens, after her daytime triumph, to indulge in the mysterious, silent night, from which she then returns in a better and more attractive form. – If the perfections of the external world are covered and protected by mystery: what can we say about the perfections of the spiritual world? Confidence is their main law. The spirit, turned into appearance, has already fallen from its greatness; he does not acquire, but only squanders his perfections and gifts - he becomes empty and exhausted. And nature provides us with a living example of this. Look what happens to her when she wears out all her wealth from her mysterious womb, when she is exposed to everyone in her perfections and reveals to everyone what she previously hid in herself? She is deprived of her wealth; her beauty falls away and is lost. Why must she again go down into her winter solitude to once again prepare for herself beauty and wealth. Doesn’t this mean that our spirit, even if it had high qualities and great perfections in itself, as soon as it reveals them to others, it is already deprived of its property, loses its wealth, having squandered it outside itself, it must again delve into himself in order to acquire some pure treasure. True greatness in itself is always mysterious and is revealed in appearance out of necessity, since it cannot be contained within the confines of secrecy; glory is necessary to follow it, but it does not seek glory at all. Consequently, those who have lost the direction within their spirit, and yet want to appear as something great and glorious from the outside, are they not doing the same thing as if someone, having sown nothing in the field, wanted to reap abundant fruits? You must first plant greatness in the secret of your spirit; then the fruit of glory outside will grow and ripen. That is why the saints of God we glorify, rejecting everything external, led a mysterious life, hidden from everyone. This way they came to true greatness.

The innermost life, turned inward, is better and preferable to that which is directed outward: for in it is the secret of our sanctification, the source of purity and holiness. What is purity and holiness in a person? We assimilate the purity of a thing when it retains the entire integrity of its nature, when something alien and incompatible with its properties is not mixed in with it: otherwise the nature of the thing is deprived of its purity and represents some kind of confusion. And the purity of a person consists in preserving his spirit from any admixture alien and incompatible with his nature. The nature of our spirit can be mixed with earthly things through attachment to them. The human spirit, drawn downwards, seems to become grounded, coarser and darkened, constantly having images of the world in its thoughts. On the contrary, he who has risen above this world, rejected its temptations and loved inner beauty, remains in purity of spirit. Purity leads our spirit to another highest perfection - holiness. Holiness is not only the negation of everything worldly and earthly, but also the acceptance of the heavenly and divine. Rising above the earthly, we are drawn to the heavenly, unite with the most holy God, perceive His qualities, sanctifying our being. Such is the wealth of people who have deviated from the visible and sensory to the invisible and spiritual! The properties of the Eternal Being are imagined in them, His great image is imprinted, His Spirit descends upon them and indwells them, imparting His life to them. In what image does the soul of a person occupied with the appearance of the world develop itself? What does his life consist of? Unclean earthly images crowd into it; sin lives and reigns in him with all its seductions and lures. How great this misfortune is for our spirit, our conscience feels, our consciousness comprehends. Having become attached to something earthly, we very clearly understand our moral humiliation when we try to hide the secret of our passion from others, we do not dare to announce to anyone what has prevailed over us, and we always want to appear free. – There are, of course, those who, having lost their sense of moral purity and perfection, look at their passions as something natural and legal. The reasoning of such people in this case is, apparently, the most thorough and correct, especially when they want to seem decent in their thoughts and do not step outside the bounds of well-intentioned people. What do they say in defense of their attractions and attachments to worldly objects? “The world is a beautiful work of God, reflecting the great properties of its most perfect artist. Is it possible not to love him, and what evil is that?”

But in such reasoning of people there is a lack of distinction between the world of God and that which is not of God. The world of vanity, flattery and spiritual corruption that reigns over people should not be confused with the world of God, which bears the perfections of its creator. Peace, as the work of God, does not distract our hearts from God, but elevates us to Him. The world that draws us down and holds back our aspiration to heights is not God’s; for if he were God’s, then how could he distract us from God and arm us against Him? We hear what St. says. Apostle: The love of this world is enmity to God: for whatever desires to be a friend of the world, there is an enemy of God

(James 4:4).
And indeed, the one who is bound by addiction to the world has already become an enemy of God; for he cannot think about the divine and is incapable of perceiving it; everything holy and heavenly weighs on his soul; he wouldn't want to hear about it! The peace of God does not lead a person to such a hostile feeling against God. No, no matter what the admirers of the world may say in defense of their passions for it, the world, praised by them and captivating their spirit into its region, is devoid of the holy seal of divine perfections; he bears another stamp of sin and spiritual corruption. If they entered into themselves and looked more impartially at the foundation on which their love for the world rests, they would certainly see that this foundation is either the pleasure of the flesh caressed by sensual pleasure, or the pleasantness of the eyes, amused by tempting visions, or pleasing their own self-love, striving for exaltation over others and possession of them; i.e. this foundation is determined by the divine word of St. the Apostle John, who said: love not the world, neither those in the world;
For all that is in the world is the lust of the flesh, and the lust of desire, and the pride of life (1 John 2:15). Everything in the world is lust, impurity, sin! Just as God is an immeasurable sea of purity and holiness, so the world is an unsearchable abyss of evil and darkness. That is why now the further a person is from the world, the purer and brighter he is in spirit. The tendency to appear in front of others and do things that are subject to their sight and surprise is already a sign of mental damage and damage to the heart, thirsting for sinful sweetness.

Inner life, taking place in the mystery of the spirit, is higher and more excellent than outer life, facing the world; for she attracts to herself, and the benevolent gaze of God rests on her. God does not look down on anything external; He looks at one internal thing. If someone were to collect all the lordships and treasures of the world for his decoration; - if someone ascended to the very top of earthly greatness so that in the whole world he would seem like one above all; - if someone had comprehended all external wisdom in such a way that there would not be a single secret left for him in all the sunflowers; - if someone had such power that he could command the seas and move mountains from place to place: then all this would be nothing before God! He looks from the height of his greatness at those who seek Him with all their hearts, are not carried away by anything earthly, and keep in the purity of their spirit the heavenly treasure, that is, the truth in which He revealed to people His thoughts and will about them. And it is not difficult to understand why God distinguishes these people from all others living on earth, and focuses on them with the gaze of his love and favor. The reason for this lies in the incomparable height of the heavenly compared to the earthly, which is what the human soul strives for and desires for itself, turning this into the goal of its life. What seems incomprehensible here is the very way of life of people who dedicated themselves to God and locked themselves in the depths of their spirit from everything external. How is it possible to live in the world and remain among it, as in the middle of a solitary desert? Man is not created to be alone; it is intended for society; why his life is incomplete in itself; its value and sweetness are maintained by unity and fellowship with others; alienation represents nothing to us except a painful and unbearable emptiness for the heart. How can a person maintain himself in such alienation of spirit from everything, and what does his heart feed on in this terrible desert? The heaviness we feel in rejecting the world and moving away from all its temptations stems from the attachment of our heart to the world. He who has not acquired it and is free from it may not feel boredom in separation from that which does not at all captivate him and is not sweet to him. In order to bring closer to our understanding the deep secret of hearts that do not want to appear to the world and share their feelings with it, let us imagine some traveler passing through wild and distant countries. Will he display to the wild inhabitants of these countries what he has in his own country? Will he seek the attention of foreigners? Will he be carried away by the gaze of those with whom he constantly meets and separates while making his way? What is this world we see if not the wild country of our earthly journey? What are the people living with us if not the mysterious faces that appear to our eyes along the path of life? We don’t know who these faces are that we see before us; We only know that they are all sinners and guilty before God, and therefore inevitably face death, judgment and the unknown of future retribution. What does the attention, praise and surprise of these people mean? But these ideas are not yet strong enough to restrain our attraction to the world and destroy the sorrow of our heart at being deprived of its consolations. The source that pours out an abundant and sweet stream into a soul that has deviated from the world is God himself. He allows those who love him to feel his closeness to them, touches their hearts; why they are filled with heavenly delight. And this unimaginable delight is only a premonition of the joys that await them in the next century; their soul is full of the infinity of heavenly hope; Why does she not only not grieve over her deviation from everything earthly, but wonders about her state of grace, wonders where and how she received such grace that she severed all her ties with the world and lives in unity with God? In people who have given themselves over to God, sorrow and regret are possible, except for those who are carried away by the deceptions of the world and do not know the sweetness of living for the Lord; they sometimes mourn from the depths of their souls the plight of such people; for they see them fallen away from the purest and highest joys, they see them bound by earthly passions, hiding within themselves a deep abyss of the greatest suffering for them. Such and such sorrow and such and such crying sometimes overwhelms hearts that have surrendered to the Lord! But this sorrow is more blessed than all earthly joys - these tears are the desire for all worldly amusement.

Life turned to the innermost nature of the spirit is higher and more excellent than that which is directed to the external: for with it all external benefits and advantages will be united in due time. The inner glory of a person will one day shine forth in appearance and come into manifestation; it will transform the very body of our humility, making it incorruptible, strong, pure and luminous. Will his external advantages, with which his whole heart is now occupied, always remain with a person? No; they often betray us during life, but will certainly leave us after death; because they do not constitute our essential property and are like one external accessory that can move away from us and be taken away. In ancient times, the Lord threatened his people, who deviated from purity of spirit to outward splendor. taking away all his glory and leaving him with only his ugliness and darkness. This is what the Lord said through the mouth of his prophet: “Because the daughters of Zion have been exalted, and walk with their heads raised up, and anointing their eyes, they step with great dignity and make themselves all kinds of decorations: therefore the Lord will strike the daughters of Zion and reveal their shame. At that time, the Lord will take away all the decorations and embellishments, patterned items and all shine, fine fabrics, gold chains and pendants, headdresses with veils, curtains and all refined delicacies, rings and necklaces, and all the equipment of elegant clothes, and mirrors and shiny covers. , and entwinings and subtlest inventions. And instead of fragrance there will be stench, and instead of girdle there will be tearing, instead of the most precious clothing there will be nakedness, instead of shining attire there will be rags, instead of beauty there will be disappearance” (Isa. 4:16-24) Such threats of Divine indignation are often committed in our eyes against the fortunate of the earth . If the happiness of some remains with them for the rest of their lives, then it will surely meet its end in the grave. You only need to place yourself on that small and secluded expanse of earth, which serves as the last refuge for the poor wanderers of present life, who have completed their temporal course, in order to see in all their astonishment what our earthly advantages are and what is their end? Some, during their lifetime, surprised others with their beauty, captivated them with the liveliness of their eyes, the pleasantness of their speech, the captivating movements; but now he has decayed and disappeared into the dust, in which there is no difference between beauty and ugliness. Another was distinguished by strength and courage; but his soulless ashes lie motionless along with those who, during their lifetime, were considered weak and infirm. Another rose above other virtues and commanded them with authority; but his crumbling flesh mingled with the dust of those over whom he towered. Another was adorned with light clothes and owned great treasures; but here in the earthly womb he has nothing superfluous or special compared to those who barely had enough rags to cover their bodies. Another caressed his flesh with tasty foods and did not know the extent of his satiety; but his crumbling bones are as bare and dry as those of the last sufferer, melting away from hunger. In the grave there is an end to all earthly advantages; here all the greatness of the world is extinguished and lost! That is why those who shine with only external glory are like those deceptive stars that shine before our eyes on high, but suddenly fall and disappear in the darkness.

So small and insignificant is outer life for the world compared to inner life for God, insignificant despite all the benefits and blessings that can be associated with it. And what can we say about those pathetic worshipers of the world who serve it with all the strength of their spirit and for such service do not receive the desired reward? For are there not those who, having given themselves up entirely to earthly views, do not achieve the goal of their desires, and are left with nothing but futility and poverty? What is more miserable and deplorable than the lot of these people? By the grace and mercy of the Lord, we are all called to the life of the inner spirit required of us by our most holy faith. With what joy of heart, with what gratitude to God, we must enter the saving path of God’s life! With what readiness we must turn away from everything that is most precious to us in the world and turn with our whole being to the secrets of the spiritual world! In relation to the external world, we must behave as if it did not exist for us at all. Why, according to the commandment of the Apostle, even the wives who have property should also be those who have no property;
and those who weep as if they were not weeping;
and rejoice even as one does not rejoice; and buying, as if not containing; and demanding this world as if it were not demanding (1 Cor. 7:29-31). No one should bind his heart to anything earthly, the depths of which should be dedicated to the Lord.
since not everyone has such a disposition of spirit, since many, in the very depths of their souls, are tied to the world and united with it in the closest union: here lies the secret of our enslavement of worldly appearance. The world rules over us because we have our own secret connections with it -
we have our own inner covenant of the heart. Consequently, in order to overthrow the shameful slavery of the world, you need to break the unity with it in the very depths of your soul, reject any desire to be something between others and have any meaning in their circle; that is, we need to die for a community with light that is dead for spiritual life: then all our countless worldly worries will collapse at once, and our life will take a completely different direction.

“I can’t,” you say, force myself to do this; I am unable to lag behind the community with the light to which I am drawn with my soul.” – You cannot lag behind the light: can you enter with a sound mind into reasoning about your attractions to it, in order to see what they are in our hearts and where they lead us? Delve into yourself and consider what attracts you to this tempting light? Desire to either console yourself with the light, or wish to console the light with yourself. Both are lies—deception!

1) We falsely think to find our solace in the noisy light. Light really is a lot of entertainment for our senses; but these entertainments for us are also like strangers who were alien to us, who were and went; but we still have to stay with ourselves –

with my boredom and poverty of heart. In order not to encounter the secret ruins of your spirit, you can sacrifice your whole life to the entertainment of the world; but this means wasting the time of life without benefit and coming to eternal poverty of the spirit: for sooner or later it will be necessary to part with all the delights of the earth and remain with our abandoned and forgotten inner world. Imagine yourself at the last limit of your earthly life, imagine that the number of your days has been fulfilled, the last hour has already come for you to pass from here: what will you feel in your heart then? Will you regret your past joys? No; Then you will grieve with all your soul for a life killed for empty joys, you will desire to have some precious time that you could use for something useful and good for your soul. Then you will gladly give up all the pleasures and amusements of the world in order to stay with yourself and think about what essentially belongs to us.

2) Our thoughts are false, drawing us into the light for the sake of the pleasure of others, which we can give them with ourselves. There are such lucky people who console others, and who serve, as it were, to animate society: but this is nothing more than a pleasant deception. The world has never had such a favorite whom it could not forget, or which it could not do without. It seems that others are consoled by us and we seem to be necessary for them: but this is flattery, playing with us like child’s play. The time will come when we will not be there, the light will forget about us; new favorites will appear on his stage - other characters, and our ashes will be trampled upon without attention; Flowers of merriment will fall over our graves to seduce new victims of vanity, who will face the same end. So, think that you are no longer in the world, you have long been buried in the ground and forgotten in the memory of people, one wild plant rises above your ashes, abandoned by everyone: and you will feel a cooling towards this false light, you will feel in your soul all the need to live for one Lord. Exactly, if we live: then thanks be to God; this is the great gift of His love for us. But our life could have been cut short several years earlier: and now we would really be forgotten to the world. That is why, when you are drawn into your whirlwind of light, then imagine yourself having long ago descended into the earthly womb, from which they no longer emerge and appear on the stage of light, and have life in the hiddenness of your spirit for the Lord.

“But what would happen to the light, someone might ask, if everyone took this direction and began to live for one spirit? Is this world really supposed to turn into a desert, and everyone living in it into hermits? Leave your concern for the light, and do not ask what will happen to it when you leave it: think better about what will happen to you when you do not leave it, when you remain in its servile service? You see how you are exposed to evils through your addiction to the world: you fall away from your true greatness, you darken the beauty of your soul with sinful impurity, you become unworthy of God’s love, and you imperceptibly approach the final limit, beyond which the most false ghosts that amuse you will fly away from you. now your soul; This is what we should think about! What would happen to the light then, when everyone would change their way of life - earthly and sensual to heavenly and spiritual? Then the kingdom of God would open on earth, we would see a new, supernatural world of people, a world of love, unanimity, God-loving purity and holiness; then all temptations would disappear from the face of the earth, we would not provide one another with stumbling blocks and snares on the path to eternal life, but would build each other up in faith and piety; assisted one another in achieving perfection of the spirit; Then there would be no need to separate from such a society: for everyone would be like-minded, like-willed and united in action, everyone would form one kindred family, based on the love of God, which would inspire, strengthen and lift each of its members into the mysterious realm of eternally blessed beings and saints. Our life does not at all imply any need to submit to the demands and influence of the present century; because a course of action based on the rules of this age and governed by its spirit cannot be justified by anything.

"But what should I do? –

speaks a man who bases his justification not in the truth of God, but in the wickedness of this age;
what should I do when I am in this world of evil? It would be nice to live in a holy, God-loving society: but what is my fault for being associated with this false light, which has its own rules, laws, customs, morals, demands, life, spirit, influence, necessity? How is it possible to be among him and not obey him, to live in him and not relate to him? Where to run so as not to share the evil of the world, to maintain your loyalty to God? – Stay among this very world, but do not live for it; Don’t run away from it, but don’t mix with it either. Whatever you do, whatever you undertake, always keep in mind God, His holy will, your blissful eternity - this is enough for you to live in the world and not belong to it! Is this really difficult for you? Poor and pathetic creatures we are! Then, as the only ones from our race, people like us, bearing on themselves the whole burden of this flesh and constituting a small part of the sons of God, with all tirelessness, with all the zeal of their reverent spirit, rush to the Father of light, are illuminated by His rays and ascend from glory to glory, from perfection to perfection, we still hesitate, or even do not hesitate, to enter the path of God, but to leave our dark and unclean area, from which we are sorry to part! We still remain within the false age, the evil light, the ungodly world, and therefore have not yet taken a single step towards eternal life! What? Have we doomed ourselves to eternal deprivation of it? Have you really entered into a covenant with death and hell? Do we really refuse the glory and bliss of belonging to God; or do we hope to be God's while remaining in the community of God's enemies? Woe to us! Our illness is incurable! Having been connected in spirit with this world, having mortally wounded our hearts with it, we don’t even know how to leave it behind in order to solely belong to God! We have not reached the extreme of wickedness, we do not rebel directly and openly against God and His demands, we still remember our duties to pray to the Heavenly Father and ask His mercy to forgive us our sins. But if we are internally immersed in impure love for the world, if we are secretly attached to it with our hearts, then what do all our prayerful cries and appeals to the Heavenly Father mean? What shall we pray to Him for? Why do you cry, says the Lord;
is your illness incurable (Jeremiah 30:15)? What should one cry out to God for who does not want to lag behind earthly things, who is not warmed by love for heavenly things?
Let us at least cry out to God to receive the strength and courage to leave behind everything that we see in this century, so that later in purity of spirit, in the peace and tranquility of a healed heart, we can strive for the perfections and beauties of the spirit; for it is easy and convenient for the Lord to heal us from all our wounds and illnesses when we seek this healing: for I will heal your wounds, and heal you from your wounds, says the Lord (Jer. 30:17).
Those who bury themselves alive for the world by renouncing it and rejecting its vain pleasures stand tall and accomplish great things! These people, in the secret of their spirit, ripening and becoming beautifully adorned for the Lord, are likened to a hidden bride who, in a secret temple, is preparing for marriage with her groom. We are expecting a great event in the world, when the Lord himself will appear on earth with all the multitude of heavenly powers, when all the people who have died from time immemorial will rise and gather together. Then a worldwide, immense triumph will be revealed: then glory and dignity will be required from everyone, so as not to be put to shame in the face of earth and heaven; many will then feel the full necessity of a bright robe, and will have to remain with all the horror of their nakedness!