- How?
- A quarter of century they inspired to Ukrainian, that Russian people are their worst enemies, and Russian language can’t be a state language of Ukraine. When Russians living in the south-east part of Ukraine were tired from this, they declared their independence from Kiev. After that Kiev sent the troops to suppress disgruntled with its policy citizens.
- Well, such things were difficult to imagine in our time. At that time Russia stretched from Alaska till borders of Poland and Finland. And what processes are going in the East?
- The revolution in Russia, whatever is said about it, helped to people of China and India to become independent in the middle of XX century. Even at your time the “elite” of Russia demonstrated loyalty towards the West, and the West constantly reminded to the world that, that Russia is the part of the West. But meanwhile, the West for more than 1000 years regularly attacked this part: German dogs-knights, Poles, Swedes, then French. They already at your time argued with English – who has more rights to possess the world? You remember, during argue they came to liberate Russia. Then French together with their “enemies” even tried to confiscate Crimea. What did think about this people of Russia, nobody was interested. But especially the people of Russia together push back each invasion from the West. By themselves. The East was not to us a supporter; it by itself was suppressed by the West. And when the West went away from China and India, it left there a bone of contention – a small area in Tibet. From that time India and China are looking askance at each other. That gives a possibility to the West to provoke a clash between them at any time. Very nearly, on the 70th anniversary of Victory in the most terrible war of XX century, the military troops of China and India together with our troops marched on the Red Square in Moscow during Victory parade. This for the West meant that from now on, in case of invasion from the West, for the first time in history the alliance between Russia and the West is possible. At the same time, this parade is visual proof that Russia by itself is self-sufficient civilization like the East and the West. And that it has its own mission. The mission to combine the East and the West in one Earth civilization. This process is possible on the base of such ideas, which will be attractive for people of Russia, people of the East and people of the West.
- May be the West has such ideas?
- No, the West is not interested in combining humanity into one civilization. The West wants to rule the world, and the idea of ruling from their point of view is simple: divide and conquer! At the end of XX century English poet Kipling said: “O, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet, till Earth and Sky stand presently at God’s great Judgment Seat…”
- And have Russians such idea?
- Yes. It is simple and will clear for all citizens of planet.
- And how this idea is look like?
- People, be humans!
- This is too simple.
- But I have said that it had to be very simple. It originates from Russian folk wisdom. Your friend Vladimir Ivanovich Dal had written it in his remarkable work – “Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language”. Here it is: “All are people, but not all are humans”. That is the wisdom of Russian people indicated to the way of combining all people on Earth: “People become humans!” But the problem is in atheism which the mankind can’t understand.
- What does this mean? Me, for my atheism Alexander had exiled me to Mihaylovskoe under supervision of local priest and my father.
- Are you indeed an atheist, Alexander Sergeevich? We researched your dialogs with a dean of Svjatogorsky monastery – Iona and with priest Shkoda from Voronichey. Form these dialogs is clear that you are person who believes to God, and they just believed in God.
- Yes, I remember these disputants very good. Iona was simpler person, he accomplished orders of supervisors with high diligence. And Larion from Voronichey seems not occasionally had nickname “Shkoda”. Don’t put finger in his mouth, he will bite off a whole arm (Russian proverb). He liked to drink. Sometimes, after a glass of rum he told such nonsense thing, that even me accepted this as heresy. And how have you known about these disputes?
- From Akulina, the daughter of Larion.
- But she was a little girl, may be about six years old. What could she understand from your disputes, when we by ourselves didn’t understand each other, sometimes?
- She lived until 1927 and passed away when she was 108 years old. Your father told her about your disputes, when she was already adult. And her very vivid memories gave us a food for thought about character of your atheism. After that your disagreements with church hierarchy became understandable for us. These disagreements were reflected in “The Prophet”, which was written at the house of your uncle Vasiliy Lvovich after that significant meeting with Nikolay Pavlovich on September 8, 1826. I would like to ask you, who or what did motivate you to write “The Prophet”?
- Our chat with emperor was this motivation. He tried to get an answer to the question: “Why? For what I had written “The Gabrieliad”?” Since his brother exiled me to Mikhailovskoye for the atheism, then I had to explain him, that our church hierarchy was suffered by atheism. I had to take a Greek term – anthropomorphism, which means to give to nonhuman natures the human properties. With this anthropomorphism were obsessed all ancient Greeks. That why their gods in myths live almost like people and susceptible to lusts as people on the earth. But how do think all church hierarchy? The same as ancient Greeks. They look at the emperor, see his ministers, assistants and naive to believe that in the Kingdom of God everything is established in the same manner. That why I tried to explain to emperor, that in “The Gabrieliad” I just ridiculed the anthropomorphism of church hierarchy. And moreover, I had indicated to vicissitudes of Bible by words “with Moses’s story I will not agree…” But church hierarchy blamed me for atheism and demanded a punishment for me.
- And emperor, had he understood you?
- It seemed to me that first thing he had understood, but the viability of second thing he had not understood and had considered that as irresponsible hooliganism, which was a characteristic for everyone in teenager ages. At these ages people search themselves and violate world laws of really adult persons. As for me, I had fillings, that for discussing second thing our society was not ready. And what about first thing he asked me to write for this public something, that could convince the members of Synod in my sinlessness and non-involvement to atheism. However, as it was seen in his eyes, that he was shocked with my story and many times tried to interrupt me. But something held him.