146% lies

Recently, quite by accident, I discovered Solzhenitsyn’s article “Live not by lies.” It was first published on February 18, 1974 in the English newspaper Daily Express. 18 years before the collapse of the USSR. Quiet, peaceful time. Nothing foretells chaos and devastation, a change in the social system, or destroyed ideals. “Live Not by a Lie”, if it had been published not in the distant 74th, but in the summer of 2012, in my opinion, it would have most subtly shown the deep changes in our consciousness.

Why did I draw a parallel between the 74th and the 12th? Because both then and now there are “dissenters”. By the standards of modern society, “those” had pitiful ideals and a complete lack of understanding of fashion. They went on vacation to Sochi, not to Turkey. They wore Chuguevsky suspenders, and not the “outfit” from Kira Plastinina. But they had books and confidence in the future. They are so different for us and so close to us. In spirit. They were called "dissidents". We are called "hamsters". Foreign agents and hirelings. I am often asked what makes us go out into the streets, participate in rallies, be civically active, and write on the Internet. They ask why we don’t like priests and the President? What do we need? Who are we?

Many people have a prosperous life, family, children, good jobs, several cars. We regularly pay taxes, go in for sports at World Class, relax in the Czech Republic, visit theaters, watch movies, read magazines, go to vote, and let pedestrians cross the zebra crossing. We are liberals, nationalists, leftists. We are different. At some point, we begin to understand that life in Russia is different from what is happening in the world, over the hill. In Finland, the President drives without flashing lights. The governor of California has no flashing lights and no security. Steve Jobs lived in the most ordinary house on the most ordinary street. Billionaires in the US and Europe are proposing to increase taxes on the rich, since the GDP of their countries does not reach the required values. If a policeman takes bribes, the Minister of Internal Affairs resigns. The US Department of Education aims to make higher education free in the country. Officials in Europe live on one salary and taking bribes is not camilleaux there. We have people like Tsapok and Shamshura joining United Russia. In our prison, Magnitsky can die and Tolmachev dies. And many more reasons...

And we were all very upset by the fact that signatures are being massively forged during elections. This fact was especially upsetting for residents of the Rostov region, where Solzhenitsyn studied at the Russian State University in Physics and Mathematics and where United Russia received 146% of the population’s support in the winter of 2011. This is especially upsetting for people who respect statistics and the Criminal Code. We also don’t like that they are pumping the Caucasus with money. And we also don’t like that they wipe their feet on the titular nation of Russia. In Russia, being Russian is a shame, but in Ukraine, being a Ukrainian is not a shame. In our country, Leo Tolstoy is recognized as an extremist. On September 11, 2009, in Taganrog he was convicted under Article 282 of the Criminal Code of Russia. In Chekhov’s homeland, this is exactly how the authorities decided to deal with the unwanted Lev. I am ashamed that Leo Tolstoy has become a “non-person” in his homeland, while films are being made based on his novels all over the world, and his works are studied by children in European schools. We are sad when officials give away primordially Russian territories to the United States, China, and Ukraine. We are surprised why some are “more equal” than others before the law. We don’t know the answer to why churchmen can do everything, but commoners can do nothing. We don’t understand why in Russia you can take the editor-in-chief into the forest and talk to him “about life” with the barrel of a gun to his temple. Or you can simply rape a person with a champagne bottle, passing recertification and receiving the title of “good cop.” And we don’t understand why in Rostov on the first of September, on the “Day of Knowledge”, on the day of remembrance of the victims of Beslan, Caucasians dance the lezginka on the embankment, and mothers with frightened eyes have to hide their tear-stained babies behind their backs? Why should schoolgirls walk the streets of Rostov with fear, for fear of being raped? We also don’t understand why the children of officials study abroad. And the officials themselves are advocating for the revival of Russia. And why do officials buy real estate abroad? Joseph Vissarionovich, who was unloved by our authorities, had a son, Vasily, who served in the Army. Like everyone else. The heir to England also served. In Afghanistan. In a hot spot. But for some reason I did not see the children of Russian officials in the Russian army. They are not on the armor of armored personnel carriers in Dagestan or Chechnya. But for some reason I saw them in England. Driving a Maybach. And there are many more reasons.

Our opponents have their main trump card - “who else if not Putin”? Yes, this makes a certain sense. This trump card is strong precisely under the presidential form of government. If we have a unitary state with a parliamentary form of government, then the concept of “Putin_our_everything” (as a symbol of authoritarian power) disappears as unnecessary. All political parties of Russia will be represented in our parliament, and the parliament will appoint the president. This saves the opposition from having to field one single fighter (and the strength of our entire movement lies precisely in the fact that there are many of us and we do not have an unconditional leader). Accordingly, through a parliamentary unitary state there is no need for an absolute leader. In this form of government, the President has minimal power. This is more of a decorative figure rather than a real player. We all know Angela Merkel, but does anyone know the President of Germany? And he is. And his name is Christian Fulf. By giving all parties the opportunity to enter the Russian Parliament and carrying out changes to the system through constitutional means, Putin could adequately prepare his departure, remaining until the end of his life as a “wedding” President, but transferring the rule to adequate politicians in Parliament. And such a proposal should not be perceived as something strange and unthinkable. For my subscribers on my page, I conducted a survey: “The optimal form of government for Russia.” 19.18% were in favor of the presidential form of government, and 80.82% were in favor of the parliamentary form of government.

It is the desire for freedom, the desire to be a free citizen in OWN country that connects us, the “network hamsters” of the 21st century, with the dissidents of the Soviet era. Freedom, for which they sacrificed everything back in 1974...

Don't live by lies. A. Solzhenitsyn.

“...Once upon a time we did not dare to rustle even in a whisper. Now we write and read Samizdat, and when we meet each other in the smoking rooms of the research institute, we complain from the bottom of our hearts: why don’t they play tricks on us, wherever they drag us! And unnecessary cosmic boasting during the ruin and poverty of the house; and strengthening long-distance savage regimes; and inciting civil wars; and they recklessly raised Mao Zedong (at our expense) - and they will drive us after him, and we will have to go, where can we go? and they judge whoever they want, and drive the healthy into the insane - all “they”, and we are powerless.

It has already reached the bottom, the general spiritual destruction has already descended upon us all, and the physical one is about to flare up and burn us and our children - and we still smile cowardly and babble tongue-tied:

- How can we interfere? We don't have the strength. We have become so hopelessly dehumanized that for today’s modest feeding trough we will give all our principles, our souls, all the efforts of our ancestors, all the opportunities for our descendants - just not to upset our fragile existence. We have no strength, no pride, no warmth left. We’re not even afraid of universal atomic death, we’re not afraid of a third world war (maybe we’ll hide in a crack) - we’re only afraid of the steps of civic courage! We just don’t want to break away from the herd, don’t take a step alone - and suddenly find ourselves without white loaves, without a gas water heater, without Moscow registration.

Just as they drilled into us at political circles, it has become ingrained in us, it’s comfortable to live, it’s good for the rest of our lives: the environment, social conditions, you can’t jump out of them, being determines consciousness, what do we have to do with it? we can't do anything.

And we can do everything! — but we lie to ourselves to reassure ourselves. It’s not “they” who are to blame for everything—we ourselves, only us!

They will object: but you really can’t think of anything! Our mouths are gagged, they don’t listen to us, they don’t ask us. How can we get them to listen to us?

It is impossible to convince them.

It would be natural to re-elect them! — but there are no re-elections in our country. <...>