"Light Flame" (a thriller for two) - the story is written in the genre of "montage novel", a lyrical, intellectual narrative. The story of a girl, Masha, who has known two young people, Kirill and Slavka, since childhood. She has been in love with Slavka from the very moment when they met on the seaside, in Jurmala, and with Cyril, a young man from a “good” family, she is brought together by fate, everyday fuss and life's vicissitudes. The real world and the invented, virtual world, their interaction. Memories of the 90s in the Northern capital, a story about trips to the United States of America, Tunisia, London, Amsterdam. Sometimes the heroine does not understand when she communicates with Cyril, and when the image of Slavka appears before her eyes. In his interviews, the author writes that “the Japanese writer H. Murakami did this in one of his novels”: the reader will have to find out whether the main character had this most important meeting at the end of the book or not. The effect of unexpected flashbacks and a detective story, a beautiful embodiment of the game and the power of consciousness.
Everyone knows the Ten Commandments
not all perform.
1. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; may you have no other gods before me
(Ex. 20, 2…3).
In pursuit of "advancement of religious views", many today are trying to connect the incompatible. Occult literature and non-Christian mysticism generates a complete "mess" in the minds of the newcomers. Here you have the Jesus Prayer, and Agni Yoga, and Buddha and Krishna in one package. Here and advice to gather more often - "to cleanse the chakras"! Ignorance of one's faith and a proud desire to know other people's beliefs gives rise to complete confusion of the soul. And, as a result of this confusion, - instead of "I believe in the One God the Father Almighty ...":
Well, I don't really believe in God. I just believe that there, from above, someone is there and knows everything about everyone.
Judging by your description, you believe in Aunt Klava from the 10th floor, - the priest noted.
2. Do not make for yourself an idol and no image of what is in the sky above, and what is on the earth below, and what is in the water below the earth; do not worship them and do not serve them, for I am the Lord your God, a jealous God (Ex. 20, 4…5).
Today, hardly anyone will carve an idol out of stone. But talismans and amulets are sold in every stall. However, it is not at all difficult to turn into an idolater without them. Shamemaking is a popular entertainment for the townsfolk. "Cult book, cult film, cult band" is heard from all sides. Modern mass culture has already spawned thousands of "cults" and "cults". A teenager with eagle vision suddenly starts wearing "Harrypotter" glasses. The girl sincerely wonders why the vegetable shop does not understand simple elvish words. And someone might get angry if they hear from you that in Rammstein's songs there are no answers to all life's questions.
When the charm is replaced by disappointment, the idols collapse. But, collapsing, they injure the fans standing at their feet with fragments. And therefore, “take a calmer attitude to the hits of the season!”
And in conclusion. If all your free time you run around the swamps in search of the "great Jedi teacher" - immediately stop watching Star Wars!
3. Do not pronounce the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave without punishment the one who pronounces His name in vain (Ex. 20, 7).
Many, having barely crossed the threshold of the church, at every step say: “Lord, Lord!” Not for the sake of praying to the Almighty - just like that, for the sake of a saying, "for a bunch of words in a sentence." But the Name of the Lord is a strong tower(Prov. 18, 10) - here, don't mess around with it.. Otherwise - a bunch of eloquent words - and not one sincere.
Or like this:
Father! Sorry, bless!
Why forgive? You haven't done anything to me yet.
Forgive me for everything, for all sins ...
With sins - for confession. Bless for what?
Well, bless me to go to my cousin's cousin in Zaporozhye, to sell the house.
Dearest! What godfather, what house, what Zaporozhye? I see you for the first time in my life...
We need to remember well the words of the Savior: Not everyone who says to me: “Lord! Lord!” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven (Matthew 7:21). Better to be than to seem.
4. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy; six days you shall work and do all your works, and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God (Ex. 20, 8…10).
Not attending the temple today is often justified by the lack of time. Like, "you need to earn money." But you can't earn all the money! Or maybe because there are not enough of them all the time, because you rarely go to the temple?
5. Honor thy father and thy mother (Ex. 20, 12).
“Ancestors got it!!!” - we declare, defending our right to a three-day spree with friends. And we completely forget about “dostacha” when, washed and ironed, we leave the house. We turn to parental life experience only when parents have to urgently solve our problems. Problems arising from our own stupidity and carelessness.
6. Don't kill (Ex. 20, 13).
“But I didn’t kill anyone!” Many will calmly say. Really? By prior agreement, without the slightest hesitation, hundreds of couples in Ukraine “get rid of unplanned children” every day!
But even without this legalized infanticide, there are enough murderers among us. How many times have we wished our neighbor: “May you die!” How many times itched hands to break someone's head. Are we afraid of God? We were afraid of the policeman! And it would not have been… But for one who lives without the fear of God, even a policeman soon ceases to be an obstacle. Every year, crime reports are increasingly filled with reports of senseless, unmotivated murders.
7. Do not commit adultery (Ex. 20, 14).
Everyone knows that adultery and fornication are sins. However, the cohabitation of future spouses before marriage is becoming a sad fact today. And then they wonder why their children get sick.
The church calls this "marriage robbing." For many, it has become the “norm” to get acquainted in bed, and to remember the wedding only when you get tired of fornication. That is why it turned out that modern marriages are not stronger than spring “dog weddings”.
When the world is shaken by sexual revolutions, the Orthodox join the ranks of the counter-revolutionaries.
8. Don't steal (Ex. 20, 15).
If we do not climb the windows and do not smash the safes, this does not mean that we are “clean on hand”. We rarely encroach on someone else's, but, without hesitation, we put in our pocket "not our own." We "forget" to pay the fare, stupidly justifying ourselves, they say, "others steal more." Anyone who encroaches on someone else's, imagines himself a "noble Robin Hood", in fact, turns out to be a banal swindler. Nobody wants to be robbed, but many try to steal. And then they are still indignant: “They stole everything!” If you don't want thieves to get in, train yourself to at least pay on the bus. For as you want people to do to you, so do you to them, for this is the law and the prophets (Matthew 7:12).
9. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor (Ex. 20, 16).
10. Do not covet your neighbor's house; Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, [neither his field,] nor his male servant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, [nor any of his cattle,] anything that is your neighbor's (Ex. 20, 17).
Tell me, Shura, honestly, how much money do you need to be happy? - Asked Ostap - Just count everything.
One hundred rubles,” Balaganov answered, regretfully tearing himself away from the bread and sausage.
Unfortunately, many people cannot, like Shura, answer this simple question. And that is why they continue to survey the surroundings with an unsatisfied eye, exuding waves of envy.
If only I had such a Lexus!
Well, what would you do with it? Would you think where to put it, how to protect it, how to refuel, where to repair?
Our desires can be limitless. Only we can limit them. It is always worth remembering that God, by His mercy, gives a person not what is desired, but what is appropriate. That is, what will be good for his soul. Determine the "necessary and sufficient" that you need, and learn to be content with it.
Even in everyday practice there is this wisdom. "The system should be adequate to the user", - experienced computer scientists believe. Really, do you need the fastest processor just to spend hours playing solitaire and chasing monsters in the virtual world?
But if your soul is pure, God will certainly give you everything you need to serve the Lord and your neighbor for the good. Seek the Kingdom of God most of all, and all this will be added to you. Fear not, little flock! for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom (Luke 12:31…32).
What a joy for a rooster of the first step to be appointed the chief rooster of the country, if he saw true skill?! If he saw a rooster of the fourth step!
But man is strange. Climbing the social ladder of a vertical career, he forgets about a horizontal career. The path to unhappiness seems attractive. These are stars on shoulder straps, diplomas and titles, positions and salaries. It is a way of appearing successful, significant or happy.
Horizontal careers are stages of professional excellence. The ability to do what others can't. This is the knowledge and skills that are inside a person, which cannot be taken away as quickly as you can remove stars from shoulder straps. Who is jealous of whom - the answer is clear.
But the horizontal career is visible only to the initiates. Who is the master and who is the apprentice? It's not so easy to figure it out. But both the master and the apprentice know who is who.
When life presents a choice, what step to take? In a horizontal career or vertical? Of course, in the horizontal. And you need a vertical one, you just need to take it like an apple from a branch. If it doesn’t work out, then mastery is still not enough, you still need to study, still step on the steps of mastery.
Better to be than to seem.
Better to be capable than to be.
I had an acquaintance, a good friend and friend - Sanya. It seems to be a good man, decently dressed, from the outside it seemed - a wealthy man, director of the St. Petersburg branch of one of the Moscow offices. In general, by his 36th career, he seemed to have developed and the chickens did not peck money, but on the personal front everything was somehow muddy and unsettled. A decent-looking guy… ordinary… not handsome, but not ugly either… he was married, but for some reason he divorced his wife… he had a mistress, but for some reason he divorced his mistress. He explained all this with the negative accumulated over the years of his life and communication with these people, and that money was pulled from him for all sorts of gifts, fur coats and perfumes ... He often complained about the lack of warmth and care, complained that there was no love in life, and everything around was mercantile and only money has meaning for others ... "Better to be than to seem!" - flaunted on the back of his business card. The motto that he never forgot and often mentioned in conversations and when evaluating this or that person.
I looked at him and couldn’t understand why everything in a person’s life doesn’t go well ... why no one loves him, why he is deprived of attention ... he seems to be so nice and good, and he’s not lucky in life for warmth, love, care and attention...
He was very categorical. He boldly gave sharp descriptions to all my acquaintances, which usually boiled down to the fact that “it’s not Men who surround me, but all some kind of dishonorable rags.” So we communicated with him, meeting from time to time, not intersecting either for work or business, for a long time, until at one moment he showed himself as a real MACHO, revealing to me all the richness and fullness of his personality, as well as answering his act to questions that have long worried me about his loneliness and uselessness to anyone!
I got together, as you know, to make repairs ... and the money was there and the work seemed to be in full swing, but suddenly the dollar rate went down sharply ... I thought, thought and decided to turn to this very Sana, who was “into fire and water” for me and in general, a reliable person, with a request to help me with a loan of rubles for a month - another, so as not to change the bucks I had at that time at an unfavorable rate. And then something happened to him. It began with the fact that accusations fell upon me from his side about the commercialism of my attitude towards him, they say, it’s only because of the money that I communicate with him ... but I didn’t refuse to give money. Type people are not strangers.
We met. He told me for a long time about warm countries and business trips to Europe, about the fact that business is in full swing, contracts are concluded and chickens do not peck for money ... Again he recalled the eternal topic about the lack of human warmth in life ... and in the end, when it came to money, to to my great surprise, got the contract. Everything is in the form, as in adults - the borrower and the lender, the data of both parties, a place for signature, the interest on the loan is 2.5% ... Dear mother! The person is not a stranger, I even thought that he was my own, i.e. close, and even before that there was no talk about interest ... I didn’t take money from the surprise of what I saw, and it wasn’t so necessary ...
Later, on the way home, when the shock passed and thoughts gathered in a heap, I thought - taking into account all the percentages, I should have returned him only $ 250 more in two months ... And then I understood everything! And about his life so useless to anyone ... and about the lack of love and care for him ... and about accusations against someone else ...
... and inside I thought - an "INEXPENSIVE" friend turned out to be! ;)
- In contact with 0
- Google+ 0
- OK 0
- Facebook 0
