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Courage is a special quality of a person's personality and the ability to show Will, firmness, act decisively and confidently in extreme situations.
Manifestation and properties of Courage
In itself, Courage is a characteristic that combines a fairly large number of positive qualities of character.
A person with such a clearly manifested personality trait Courage has the following inalienable properties as part of this quality - Self-control, Fortitude, Endurance, Selflessness and a mature sense of one's Dignity.
The formula for courage is as follows:
Courage \u003d Self-control + Endurance + Fortitude + Selflessness + Dignity + Responsibility - Cowardice (minus)
Courage is based on life experience, established values in society. Courage is needed always, everywhere and in everything. The first thing they remember when they say Courage is the fulfillment of their direct duties of protecting the Motherland and the state, but this is not always the case. The concept of Courage extends to other, simpler life situations. Courage refers to the ability to overcome one's own Fear, endure Suffering, including physical pain.
Only a reasonable, strong-willed, mature and holistic person can be courageous
True courage is expressed in calm self-control and in the imperturbable performance of one's duty, in spite of any disasters and dangers.
Courage says: "A fight averted is a fight won"
Once the commander asked the warrior: - What is most needed in battle? He replied: - Courage is needed! What about strength and weapons? Or have you forgotten about them? - asked the commander. “If there is no courage in the heart of a warrior, neither his strength nor his weapons will help him,” he replied.
Difference Between Courage and Courage
A courageous person is not only brave, but also prudent. Unlike courage, courage implies responsibility and reasonableness. Courage comes from reason and awareness, not from feelings. Unlike impulsive Courage, Courage turns off its own senses.
Courage is impulsive
A courageous person at the subconscious level, he taught himself to perform his duties qualitatively in any extreme conditions, he did not leave his feelings a single chance to be afraid, worry, doubt, and calmly does what is necessary.
Courage can be impulsive, it can come from fear. As an example, a child can be brave, and in the stubbornness of a child there is also will, but what is its quality? This courage is called a defensive reaction. This record of false Courage was made by our previous generations, for the self-defense of children.
Courage reveals the quality of accumulated will
Having developed a responsible, positive and constructive view of the world, courage confidently asserts: “I am responsible for everything that happens in my life”
A courageous person takes responsibility for his actions. He will not shift the blame to other people, circumstances, bad luck, karma, heredity or bad luck.
Thanks to the indomitable Will, perseverance, a Courageous person is able to overcome all difficulties, learn all the lessons that life offers me, and accept any challenge of fate.
Courage is cultivated day by day in stubborn resistance to difficulties. A courageous person knows that every problem has a solution. Only two criteria are important for courage, a bad scenario and a good scenario. Courage makes an analysis, makes a decision, takes steps.
Courage and the antagonist Cowardice, closely coexist with each other. What separates them is their Determination, which lies in the space between the fear of danger and the reaction to it.
Both courage and cowardice can be frightening, the first in the face of dangerous uncertainty. Courage forces itself to do what it must, and therefore is called courage.
Cowardice either did not have time, or could not or did not want to do it herself. Seconds later, everything that Cowardice was supposed to do will be forced to do by other people. Therefore, this state of indecision and fear is called Cowardice.
It is these moments, short moments of life, that put everything in its place, it is these moments that give shame to someone, dishonor to someone, and immortality to someone.
Courage is inherent in the qualities of character - Gentleness, Mercy, Generosity.
Courage is not an insensitive stone block, it usually goes along with gentleness of character, special sensitivity to the difficulties and troubles of other people and generosity.
Russians are becoming less and less courageous people. Literally everything contributes to this. Television and show business are intensively creating a fashion for effeminate creatures. Children are brought up and educated exclusively by women, and far from the best of them. The last generations of Russian "men" are completely devoid of male education.
It is no coincidence that almost any truly masculine act falls under one article or another of the criminal code. To be labeled a fascist, it is often enough to be just a man.
Is it any wonder that a country where the male principle is suppressed in every possible way is on the verge of extinction and extinction?
According to the outstanding Russian teacher Vladimir Bazarny, all these things are more than interconnected:
“Ask prosperous, healthy, respectable young people of 30-35 years old living in stable Germany: why don't they have children? It is unlikely that you will hear something intelligible in response: you can’t take seriously arguments about a career, about the pleasures of a free life, about seeing the world, saving up money ... And at this very time, a wedding is being celebrated in the Chechen refugee camp. Young people have no housing - only a corner in a tent, a vague idea of where and when they can work stably, but there is no doubt that they will have children at the time due to nature.
If families would break up today because of material difficulties! But the thing is that there is always trouble, deprivation only rallied and tempered family teams. And today, both the poor and the rich are moaning and crying from marital torment. Violence is on the rise. We have hundreds of thousands (!) of social orphans, homeless children. Drunkenness. Addiction. And while explaining this family misfortune, we go over and over the factors of material life. And the factor of spiritual life is not taken into account. Meanwhile, the spiritual gap from generation to generation grows more and more.
Unfortunately, for us, brought up on rigid materialism, the thin veil of interpersonal relations is sometimes already inaccessible. Yes, there are a lot of reasons for the modern tragedy of the family, and in the end - the people and the state. But among them there is one most important, the root one. This is the genetic extinction of courage factors in boys, youths, men and the acquisition of purely female characteristics by them.
Even in ancient times, peoples realized that the masculine in a boy is initially enslaved and will not open on its own. Emancipation of male principles is possible only in tests aimed at overcoming fear in oneself, at developing strength, dexterity, courage, endurance, etc.
Look, with us every year young men become more and more feminine, and girls more and more “masculine”. And these processes have long unfolded at the hormonal-genetic level. According to foreign studies, the level of the hormone that determines male identity and male maturity - testosterone - in the blood of young men by the end of the twentieth century was 24-50%. While to ensure normal reproductive functions, it must be at least 80%! Here you have a prosperous West - and they eat well, and everything is in order with the environment ... ”.
Parables of the peoples of the world
What do you need most in a fight?(Indian parable)
Once Akbar asked Birbal:
What do you need most in a fight?
Birbal replied:
"Master of the Universe!" All you need is courage!
What about strength and weapons? Or have you forgotten about them? Akbar said.
- Sovereign! If there is no courage in the heart of a warrior, neither his strength nor his weapons will help him, - Birbal answered.
Sergei Polovnikov
Courage
Courage is usually understood as the quality of a person to endure difficulties steadfastly, to complete the work begun, not succumbing to circumstances, even overcoming, perhaps, physical suffering.
Courage in a more private sense is a set of qualities inherent in a man. In a broader sense, courage is the ability of a person to remain a Human in any trials and shocks, even if they threaten his health and life itself. From this point of view, it is believed that even a woman can be courageous. “Be courageous”, “take courage” - they say to her in difficult moments of life, giving strength to survive the shock.
So, courage is such behavior when a person acts without succumbing to fear, despair and other non-humanoid states. Does this mean that a courageous person knows no fear? Of course not. After all, fear is a person's reaction to certain signals. On the one hand, the signals of the instinct of self-preservation recorded in the physical body. This fear is also inherent in animals.
On the other hand, these are signals of a person who, assessing the situation, makes an unfavorable prognosis for himself, assuming that events will develop in a way that threatens her. The average person is subject to fear. People with certain mental disabilities may not experience fear. The ego of such a person, which has completely captured the physical body, sometimes with the help of alcohol or drugs blocks the danger signals coming from the body, does not allow them to break through to awareness. If at the same time the ego has aggressive, manic features, then it pushes a person to reckless actions, senseless risk. There is no courage here.
In a courageous person, fear becomes a signal warning of danger, an indicator that helps to choose an adequate course of action.
A similar situation occurs when other non-humanoid qualities try to subjugate a person. For example, despair - when vital supports, established stereotypes collapse. A person needs courage to abandon the old internal props and move on to a new worldview. Greed - it takes a lot of courage for someone to refuse, if necessary, $10 (or maybe even $10 million). Self-affirmation - a courageous athlete refuses a dishonest victory. The same is true for other qualities.
Courage is a person's ability to remain a Human in any situation, a constant conscious choice in favor of decency, honesty, sincerity. This is a choice that is made not only in serious trials or turning points, but also in small things, everyday. It is in the so-called trifles that the stock of courage and strength grows drop by drop.
Getting up early, escaping from the sweet embrace of sleep, doing a warm-up, overcoming the sucking inertia, pouring a bowl of cold water on yourself - this is everyday, “everyday” courage. It also manifests itself in the impeccable performance of everyday affairs, the duties assumed, in bringing to completion what has been started and the implementation of the plans built. Who is not familiar with this situation: at first, a new interesting business attracts, beckons with opportunities. Then difficulties begin, previously invisible circumstances arise, promises are not kept by someone, someone slightly deceived or let down. The case begins to wither and becomes as if no one needs it. Of course, one needs courage to invest one's strength, heart energy and "push" the matter. And after all, what a shame - at the same time, no one sees how much you work and what sacrifices you make, and no one will know about your "heroism"!
Courage requires any manifestation of sincerity, especially when it comes to the need to realize or admit one's shortcomings, the presence of destructive character traits.
Courage finds its manifestation in the appearance of a person, his manner of behavior. Such people do not fuss, because they do not need to seem like anyone and impress someone. They are modest, laconic, calm and balanced. They are quite open and sensitive and therefore capable of affection and tenderness. These are people you can rely on and trust. Their inner core gives them strength. The outward manifestation of courage can be called masculinity.
A courageous person will not betray. Beside him is calm and safe. He is responsible for his decisions, for his choices. You will not meet a courageous person who complains about circumstances and obstacles, or reproaches someone for "wrong" behavior towards him.
About one more aspect of courage: courage collective or single. When a group of people does one thing, then everyone performs his task, which is part of the general one. Collective courage is made up of the courage of each of the participants. Moreover, each of them, on the one hand, is heavier than if he was alone, and on the other hand, it is easier. It is more difficult because there is responsibility for the success of the common cause and for the life of all others, for the cowardice of one can nullify the efforts of all and even destroy them. And it's easier because your comrades will always help with their presence. Your inner core, merged with the common core of friends, becomes more stable and durable if you really sincerely work for a common cause.
What helps a person to be courageous? Love in all its manifestations. Love for a woman, love for the Motherland, love as the Idea of Life and its driving force, love as a way for a person to be a Human.
The soul of a person and a people contains male and female natures. The masculine principle is the bearer of activity, activity in itself. Eternal femininity is the potency of being, matter, a passive, protective principle. A truly creative act harmoniously combines both principles: matter and limitless possibilities. eternal femininity are identified and formalized by active action eternally courageous. A soul that has one principle is not viable, with overdominance of one of them, the soul is defective. An extremely feminine being is doomed to passivity, non-manifestation, unformedness. A hypertrophied masculine being gravitates toward destruction, up to and including self-destruction. Severity masculine and feminine, as well as their balance and harmony of relations with each other largely determine the nature and character of man and people. In rich souls, both principles are strongly expressed, in the most integral ones - one of them prevails without suppressing the other. The creative soul is ambivalent, with a certain predominance of the masculine, because the feminine reveals the depths of being, and the masculine is called upon to embrace and shape matter in a creative act. A strong manifestation of both poles is fraught with internal contradictions and instability of the general state, their dominance can change - which is why the soul is prone to permanent duality.
One can define the soul of, for example, the Greek people as clearly ambivalent, in which the male and female natures are maximally expressed and developed, while the dominance of one of them changes. Therefore, the Greek creative genius manifested itself in many areas of culture, philosophy, literature, as well as in social and state building. The excessive femininity of the Greek soul was reflected in the cult of male love, on the one hand, and the institution of hetaerae, on the other. Greek femininity did not allow the creation of a strong statehood capable of protecting the independence of the people. It took a reaction to the feminine relaxation of the Greek soul of the masculine Macedonian component in order for Greek culture not only to be preserved, but also to be voluntarily extended by Alexander the Great to almost the entire ecumene.
In comparison with the ambivalent Greeks, the character of the Romans was monistic, a masculine component prevailed in it. This allowed them to conquer vast territories, create the greatest empire. But the hypertrophy of the masculine principle blocked the possibilities for cultural creativity, which is why the Romans remained the epigones of the Greeks in everything except law, which expressed the desire of the masculine principle to formalize the achievements of Roman civilization.
The feminine element is strongly expressed in the German people, which contributed to the creation of a great and multifaceted German culture. But the masculine principle prevailed in the German spirit, which contributed, on the one hand, to many conquests, on the other hand, endowed the German character and way of life with rationalism. , orderliness and stability German order), which allowed the people to survive despite internal contradictions and external threats. Often, the masculine principle dominated the German soul excessively, and the German will to restore order turned to the outside.
“There is a categorical imperative before the German mind that everything be put in order. The world disorder must be stopped by the German himself, and to the German everything and everything is a disorder. World chaos must be ordered by the German, everything in life must be disciplined by him from within. From here, exorbitant claims are born, which are experienced by the German as a duty, as a formal, categorical imperative ”(N.A. Berdyaev). It was written during the First World War, two decades before the height of German racism.
Of course, the courageous German spirit saw in the vast expanses of Russia only "forever a woman in the Russian soul", which was the reason for the wars and difficult relations between Germany and the Russian East. “The Germans have long built a theory that the Russian people are feminine and sincere, as opposed to the courageous and spiritual German people. The courageous spirit of the German people must take possession of the feminine soul of the Russian people. The whole theory is built to justify German imperialism and the German will to power. In reality, the Russian people have always been capable of displaying great masculinity, and they will prove it and have already proved it to the German people. It had a heroic beginning. Russian quests are not spiritual, but spiritual. Every nation must be courageous, it must have a combination of two principles ”(N.A. Berdyaev).
For the same reasons, German and Russian religiosity differ greatly, and the Russian religious worldview is much closer to Christian than the German one. “This is a purely Aryan, anti-Semitic religion, a religion of smooth and insipid monism, without insane antinomy, without an apocalypse. In this Germanic religion there is no repentance and no sacrifice. The German is the least capable of repentance. And he can be virtuous, moral, perfect, honest, but he can hardly be holy. Repentance is replaced by pessimism. Germanic religion refers the source of evil to an unconscious deity, to primordial chaos, but never to man, not to the German himself. The German religion is the purest monophysitism, the recognition of only one and only nature - Divine, and not two natures - Divine and human, as in the Christian religion ... this world in bad infinity. The Germans leave the apocalypse entirely to Russian chaos, which they despise so much. We despise this eternal German order” (N.A. Berdyaev).
The drama of the Russian people lies in the fact that they are clearly endowed with a creative soul with all the complexities and contradictions ambivalent. The masculine principle for the most part prevailed in the Russian soul, because without it it would have been impossible to protect itself from endless invasions, to master the boundless expanses, to create a huge state and a great culture. But domination was not excessive, so the Russian people did not seek conquest and did not oppress the annexed peoples. The rise of the male principle was unstable, sometimes the female element overwhelmed, and Russian life plunged into a state of lack of will, dispersal, disorder, which ended in disintegration and Russian revolt. An overstressed fate demanded from the people the tension of a masculine character, but it oppressed the masculine component and provoked an overflow of the feminine element. If the soul does not have enough strength to courageously resist adversity, it tends to defend itself against them in feminine demobilization, relaxation, weak character, in the hysterical displacement of reality into fantasies.
The feminine dominant is expressed in how the Russian man called his Motherland - mother Russia, or its main river - Mother Volga. Ivan Ilyin noted that the feminine element in the Russian people was intensified by the influence of boundless and diverse spaces, setting up a feeling of boundless diversity, honing spiritual sensitivity. At the same time, the struggle for existence in a harsh, rapidly changing climate cultivated courageous activity and hardiness. “The Boundless ... strives to your soul from everywhere, forcing it to taste, to become involved in this infinity, formlessness, incalculable wealth. The nervous system in this case is tense and, as it were, charged, becomes extremely sensitive and is forced, it is forced, to search for and find balance. Life becomes intense and tenacious, yet flowing in epic calm. A person has to constantly mature, delving into everything that is happening around. As a result, he becomes intuitively richer, fitter, more inventive, more assertive. To this must also be added Slavic temperament, especially prone to intensification” (I.A. Ilyin). In addition, the “Slavic, discreetly harmonious, benevolent soul” went through the formidable school of the Tatar-Mongol yoke, which contributes to the desire for Christian purification and self-deepening. As a result, the fate of the people contributed to the fact that the Russian soul “absorbed in excess and completely absorbed the rays of the eternally feminine, being exposed to the rays of the eternally masculine to a much smaller, more limited extent” (I.A. Ilyin).
N.A. also wrote about the excessive femininity of the Russian soul. Berdyaev: “The great misfortune of the Russian soul is in ... feminine passivity, turning into “woman”, in a lack of masculinity, in a tendency to marry a strange and alien husband. The Russian people live too much in national-spontaneous collectivism, and the consciousness of the individual, his dignity and his rights has not yet been strengthened in him. This explains the fact that Russian statehood was so saturated with Germanism and often indulged in foreign dominions. This characterization is true in relation to the weakened and painful states of the national soul. Severe conditions did not allow feminine effeminacy, weak-willed non-personality. As for being soaked in German, the feminine openness of the Russian soul, in harmonious combination with masculinity, made it possible to accept influences and infusions, while maintaining self-identification. Of the foreign dominions that would have been ready to be accepted by the people, there was only one - Polish in the Time of Troubles of the 17th century, due to the pathology of the male and the painful hypertrophy of the female. In other cases, dominions ended in a strong-willed and courageous cessation.
The feminine nature in the national soul was revealed and refined in history. “The inner life act became in its structure more and more sensitive and contemplative, more receptive and dreamy, more melodic and poetic, more deeply believing and praying, more and more extensive and passive; in all aspects of life - contemplatively calm, not prone to observing strict rules of everyday life, capable of long-suffering, clearly showing their will in matters of service and performance, feeling happy only in a frank, open, outpouring of their heart to another, as well as seeking, from the deepest inner motives, beauty around you - in the word, line, structure, paint, melody ”(I.A. Ilyin). At the same time, the character of the people does not become stagnant, but “it turns out to be extremely flexible, malleable forging, diverse. The eternally feminine, in fact, makes it flexible, versatile and malleable - the hammer of fate has in its face a grateful, rather persistent material of the spirit ”(I.A. Ilyin).
Dialectics of male-female builds a lot in Russian life: “The Russian soul is permeated and impregnated with a ray of the eternally feminine, but everywhere, in all spheres of life, it seeks the norm of the eternally masculine... The eternally feminine is given to it, and the eternally masculine is given” (I.A. . Ilyin). In this dimension, the Russian soul differs from the European one, “which is gradually threatened by the decadence of the eternally courageous: formalism, overorganization, excessive sobriety, harsh intensity, rationalist prose, empiricist relativism, unbelief, revolutionary and warlike spirit” (I.A. Ilyin). The female element in a Russian man and the masculine element in a Russian woman are especially pronounced: “The Russian peasant bears in himself the makings of the eternally feminine in a masculine and masculine way. Yes, he is inclined to respect the status quo, to a passive and calm perception of things as they are, to saving cunning; he is unusually dynamic, fast, offensive; think before saying anything; he measures seven times before cutting off once... Good-natured, passive slumber is his weakness even when he is extraordinarily active... Only very often his masculine intensity slumbers in him in an extensive form; the centripetal in it appreciates its own harmonic peace and does not always take on a centrifugal swing, but if this happens, hold on! (I.A. Ilyin).
A harmonious combination of male and female is more characteristic of a Russian person, which gives the character an extraordinary integrity: “A Russian, in order to want, must love; to believe, one must contemplate; to fight, one must love and contemplate. But it’s better not to fight him” (I.A. Ilyin). Despite the richness of female nature, “the Russian peasant is not feminine, he is courageous and lives according to all the norms of masculine nature ... But all vital-male manifestations stem from the depths of heart contemplation, warmed by the rays of the eternally feminine, moderated by them, softened, ennobled; the eternally feminine vital contents blossom and shine; the eternally sought-after masculine form was found, received its fulfillment, reached its destination” (I.A. Ilyin).
The Russian woman is endowed with a rich and reverent female nature. “Since time immemorial, Russian women have been portrayed as being sensitive, compassionate, cordial, chaste, timid, with deep religious convictions, stubborn patience and, to a certain extent, subordinate to a man. She loves, she serves, she suffers, she yields” (I.A. Ilyin). Cruel fate demanded manifestations and masculine nature from the Russian woman. “Destiny from a tender, like a flower, female creature requires a new way to adapt to life, to transform, requires a male form, will, firmness of character, intensity. In the future, all these qualities of character are inherited, gradually improved, consolidated - and manifested. Literally in all spheres” (I.A. Ilyin). Russian life and Russian literature are overflowing with images of strong-willed, resolute, active women, "who have absorbed the eternally courageous in order to radiate it in a more active and creative form." At the same time, “a Russian woman knows how to present and realize her character that has become masculine in the form of an eternally feminine one. She remains a flower, she remains centripetal, sensitive and tender, sometimes so touchingly tender that one wonders where such spiritual and spiritual power comes from in such a fragile body. She is modest, natural, friendly, honest, easily excitable, sometimes quick-tempered like gunpowder, but never falls into a state of passion ”(I.A. Ilyin).
External tragedies and internal dramas could not help but distort the mental image of a Russian person, including in the field of the ratio of male and female. Riots and social unrest occurred in Russia due to the collapse of the organic correlation of these principles in the national soul. During such periods, the national "I" - the center of self-identification of the people - was deprived constructive crystallization and limply fell either into totally masculine states - unbridledly destroying, then into hopelessly feminine - passively surrendering to aggressive encroachments from outside. These beginnings rebelled against each other and in blind self-destruction pushed the various layers, classes and groups of the people together. The civil war begins in the national soul and then spills over the expanses of the country.
The element of manic tyranny of Ivan the Terrible is a painful manifestation of the boundless pride of male nature, which destroys not only its wives, but also rapes the feminine nature of the people. The guardsmen were protected in the "order-monastery" from the beneficial effects of femininity. The split of the androgynous nature of the national soul led, on the one hand, to the unbridling of the presumptuous male element in the oprichnina, on the other hand, to the feminine lack of will of the ruling Shuisky clan. The fatal swing of the destructive pendulum in the national soul did not stop the wise rule of Boris Godunov. In the Time of Troubles of the 17th century, one can see the unbridled male element of the Cossacks, robbers and robbers in their own country, and feminine lack of will in confronting foreigners. The male nature of the people degraded in that era, was not capable of self-defense, and the female nature fell, in order to gain some kind of order, it was ready to surrender to the dominion of foreign masculinity in the person of self-styled "princes". Only the Nizhny Novgorod militia showed the reconciliation of feminine sacrifice and masculine wisdom, will, with which the improvement of the national body - the state - begins.
The tyranny of Peter I expressed the ugly hypertrophy of the masculine principle, which violates the feminine nature of the nation and jealously destroys the manifestations of a healthy masculine nature next to it. An example of this is the murder by Peter I of his son, Tsarevich Alexei.
In the subsequent era, the pendulum swung to the other extreme: the 18th century turned out to be the “Indian century”, when women on the throne played the first roles in good and bad, in creation and destruction. Men were assigned the role of favorites or servants of crowned ladies.
In the revolutions of 1917, the Februaryists showed an amorphousness, giving way to the hysterical impulsiveness of a femininity of character, whose irresponsible convulsions plunged the country into chaos. In response, the ugly hypertrophied male character of Bolshevism appeared, with an unprecedented iron, ruthless, totally manic will.
The way out of the new turmoil is possible through crystallization and harmonious reunification of male and female nature in the national soul. It can be stated that “the problem of the Russian character remained unresolved: it lacked form, activity, and discipline. The eternally feminine endowed us with its gifts; the eternally courageous had to make up for it: the character remained weak, the organization weak, the state weak. And the revolution began by turning decadence into chaos, in order to then hand over the reins of government to the super-masculine willful tangle of non-religious totalitarianism. It has always been my firm conviction that there is only one sure way to sanitize the existing - from within, through the eternally feminine, through love, fidelity, patience, prayer and purity of thoughts ... The revolution in Russia with all its monstrosity, unbridledness and baseness will be overcome and sanitized by the Russian woman. After all, the revolution in Russia took place because the supra-masculine doctrine curled up in super-masculine Europe into a violent volitional ball and chose Russia - confused with a will paralyzed due to the war - as a testing ground for its experiments ”(I.A. Ilyin). Feminine relaxation in the national character was strengthened before the war by the creative elite - in the cult of decadence that corrupted masculinity.
A genuine and complete national revival is possible through the restoration of the fragile androgynous harmony in the people's soul. On the way to this, we are sentenced by previous history to new convulsions. The recurrence of pathological manifestations of the masculine principle was the phenomenon of Yeltsin, who played the role of a bulldozer-destroyer of the former regime - together with the country. On the other hand, hysterical femininity, incapable of reflection and self-control, was shown by the creative intelligentsia, enthusiastically surrendering to strong-willed pressure. uncontested president.
This side of life in the people's soul is full of drama and contradictions, which is inevitable in the relationship of pronounced opposite principles.
Any nation is going through a time of active wars and expansions. But there are tribes in which militancy and cruelty are an integral part of their culture. These are ideal warriors without fear and morality.
The name of the New Zealand tribe "Maori" means "ordinary", although, in truth, there is nothing ordinary about them. Even Charles Darwin, who happened to meet them during his journey on the Beagle, noted their cruelty, especially towards the whites (English), with whom they fought for territory during the Maori wars.
The Maori are considered the indigenous people of New Zealand. Their ancestors sailed to the island approximately 2000-700 years ago from East Polynesia. Before the arrival of the British in the middle of the 19th century, they had no serious enemies, they "amused" themselves mainly with civil strife.
During this time, their unique customs, characteristic of many Polynesian tribes, have developed. For example, they cut off the heads of captured enemies and ate their bodies - this is how, according to their beliefs, the strength of the enemy passed to them. Unlike their neighbors - the Australian Aborigines - the Maori participated in two world wars.
It is known that during the First World War, with the help of their combat dance haka, they forced the enemy to retreat during an offensive operation on the Gallipoli Peninsula. This ritual was accompanied by warlike cries, stomping and frightening grimaces, which literally discouraged the enemies and gave the Maori an advantage.
During the Second World War, the Maori themselves insisted on the formation of their own 28th battalion.
Another warlike people who also fought on the side of the British are the Nepalese Gurkhas. Back in colonial times, the British classified them as one of the "most militant" peoples they had to face. According to them, the Gurkhas were distinguished by aggressiveness in battle, courage, self-sufficiency, physical strength and a lower pain threshold. For these proud warriors, even a friendly pat on the shoulder is considered an insult. The British themselves had to surrender under the pressure of the Gurkhas, armed with knives alone.
Not surprisingly, as early as 1815, a massive campaign was launched to recruit Gurkha volunteers into the British army. Fearless warriors quickly found the glory of the best soldiers in the world.
They managed to take part in the suppression of the Sikh uprising, in the Afghan, First and Second World Wars, as well as in the Falklands conflict. Today, the Gurkhas are still the elite fighters of the English army. They are all recruited in the same place - in Nepal. And I must say that the competition, according to the modernarmy portal, is crazy - 28,000 candidates apply for 200 places.
The British themselves admit that the Gurkhas as soldiers are better than themselves. Maybe because they are more motivated. Although the Nepalese themselves argue, the point here is not at all about money. They are proud of their martial art and are always happy to put it into practice.
When some small peoples actively integrate into the modern world, others prefer to preserve traditions, even if they are far from the values of humanism.
For example, a tribe of Dayaks from the island of Kalimantan, who have earned a terrible reputation as headhunters. What can you say if, according to their traditions, you can become a man only by getting the head of your enemy. At least that was the case back in the 20th century. The Dayak people (in Malay - "pagan") is an ethnic group that unites the numerous peoples inhabiting the island of Kalimantan in Indonesia.
Among them: Ibans, Kayans, Modangs, Segai, Trings, Inihings, Longvais, Longhats, Otnadoms, Serai, Mardahiks, Ulu-Aiers. Even today, the only way to reach the place of residence of some of them is by boat.
The bloodthirsty rituals of the Dayaks and the hunting for human heads were officially stopped in the 19th century, when the local sultanate asked the Englishman Charles Brooke from the White Raja dynasty to somehow influence the people, whose representatives do not know any other way to become a man, except to cut off someone's head.
Capturing the most warlike leaders, he seems to have managed to set the Dayaks on a peaceful path through the policy of carrots and sticks. But people continued to disappear without a trace. The last bloody wave swept across the island in 1997-1999, when all the world agencies shouted about ritual cannibalism and the games of small Dayaks with human heads.
Among the peoples of Russia, one of the most warlike nationalities are the Kalmyks, the descendants of the Western Mongols. Their self-name is translated as "breakaways", Oirats means "those who did not accept Islam". Today, most of them live in the Republic of Kalmykia. Nomads are always more aggressive than farmers.
The ancestors of the Kalmyks, the Oirats, who lived in Dzungaria, were freedom-loving and warlike. Even Genghis Khan did not immediately manage to subdue them, for which he demanded the complete destruction of one of the tribes. Later, the Oirat warriors became part of the army of the Mongol commander, and many of them intermarried with the Genghisides. Therefore, not without reason, some of the modern Kalmyks consider themselves descendants of Genghis Khan.
In the 17th century, the Oirats left Dzungaria and, having made a huge transition, reached the Volga steppes. In 1641, Russia recognized the Kalmyk Khanate, and from that time Kalmyks were constantly recruited into the Russian army. It is said that the battle cry "hurrah" was once derived from the Kalmyk "uralan", meaning "forward". They especially distinguished themselves in the Patriotic War of 1812. Three Kalmyk regiments numbering more than three and a half thousand people took part in it. For the battle of Borodino alone, more than 260 Kalmyks were awarded the highest orders of Russia.
Kurds, along with Arabs, Persians and Armenians, are one of the oldest peoples in the Middle East. They live in the ethno-geographical region of Kurdistan, which after the First World War was divided among themselves by Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria.
The language of the Kurds, according to scientists, belongs to the Iranian group. In religious terms, they do not have unity - among them there are Muslims, Jews and Christians. It is generally difficult for Kurds to agree with each other. Another doctor of medical sciences E.V. Erickson noted in his work on ethnopsychology that the Kurds are a people merciless to the enemy and unreliable in friendship: “They respect only themselves and their elders. Their morality is generally very low, superstition is extremely great, and real religious feeling is extremely poorly developed. War is their direct innate need and absorbs all interests.
It is difficult to judge how relevant this thesis, expressed at the beginning of the 20th century, is today. But the fact that they never lived under their own centralized authority makes itself felt. According to Sandrine Alexi of the Kurdish University in Paris: “Every Kurd is a king on his mountain. Therefore, they quarrel with each other, conflicts arise often and easily.
But for all their uncompromising attitude towards each other, the Kurds dream of a centralized state. Today, the "Kurdish question" is one of the most acute in the Middle East. Numerous unrest organized by the Kurds in order to achieve autonomy and unite in one state have been going on since 1925. From 1992 to 1996 they waged a civil war in northern Iraq, and permanent uprisings still occur in Iran. In a word, the "question" hangs in the air. Now the only state formation of Kurds with broad autonomy is Iraqi Kurdistan.
