Who are we, really?

September is on the way. The holiday of the beginning of school smoothed out into the everyday. Autumn came. People carry on with their personal food programme in order to survive the winter. We recognized two freshly born countries. And prices for gas, potatoes and sausages are on the rise.

People in the West don't bother making conserves for winter. They put their trust in supermarkets. It is already one of the contrasts between us and many democratic peoples. But is it the only difference?

Once Tyutchev said a phrase which became one of the most popular ones in the history of fatherland - "Russia is understood not by the mind..." This phrase somehow lifts the spirits: it is pleasant to think that we posses some sort of a secret which makes us mysterious and inexplicable. It also just makes for a nice thought. It's a pity that Feodor Ivanovich died, because I always wanted to ask him, what exactly did he mean. Whether it is the free orthodox spirit of Russian people which doesn't allow it to make life cosy and convenient, or whether it's something else? Tyutchev himself has noted, that "the cleverest German, when starts talking about Russia, will undoubtedly appear a fool". And what's to be said about the clever American? Regardless, it's hard to judge us from abroad: they see the new Russians and are afraid of our tanks. We tell jokes about the former, but the latter is simply insulting. So how do we understand ourselves and what do we think about us?

A survey took place this spring and summer called "The Name of Russia". Along with that in July there was a study done by Levada-Centre to "name the most outstanding people of all times and nations". If one is to believe the results of this study, some things become quite clear. Here are the 25 most outstanding people: Pushkin, Peter the Great, Stalin, Lenin, Putin, Gagarin, Zhukov, Lomonosov, Suvorov, Tolstoy, Mendeleyev, Kutuzov, Korolev, Napoleon, Lermontov, Brezhnev, Catherine the Great, Einstein, Nikolay II, Hitler, Sakharov, Yeltsin, Tchaikovsky, Gorbatchev, Esenin.

Firstly, where is it evident that in the year 988 Russia accepted Christianity? There is no prince Vladimir, nor a single Russian saint. There is no mention of Sergiy Radonejskiy, nor Serafim Sarovsky. How exactly is one to speak of orthodoxy if the main characters are all generals and statesmen, especially, with a rare exception, those who destroyed more, than they created? So it becomes clear about the tanks.

Secondly, we in general don't have any memory for history. The most ancient on this list is Peter the Great - about 300 years. (But Russia's history spans more than one thousand years.) That's possibly why Ivan the Terrible didn't get a mention: after all he was an excellent destroyer, it's only that he lived such a long time ago. And Alexander II didn't get in, along with Stolipin. Those were killed because they carried out the reforms incorrectly — tried to destroy less, and didn't cut the beards together with the chins.

Thirdly, world history has disappeared. Napoleon got 14th place, and that's only because he was dealt with in 1812. Same reason for Hitler. We've also forgotten Genghis Khan. He isn't great because he conquered us. And all those Alexander the Greats, Caesars, Leonardos and Raphaels, Platos and Newtons - in comparison with Leonid Ilich Brezhnev are all historical sprat.

In general, our historical and other education gives off its own fruits.

The puzzling one is Einstein. This is precisely where mind is useless in helping us understand ourselves. And then we also adore Pushkin who bequeathed love to the coffins of the fathers.

A Russian version of this article can be found here.