The Russian mentality was formed under the influence of the richness of natural landscapes and sharply contrasting climates. Prolonged cold and frosts, lasting almost six months, are replaced by lush flowering of plants and sultry heat. Historian Valery Ilyin believes that in this powerful amplitude of fluctuations in weather conditions during one season - the secret of the Russian character pendulum: decline is replaced by an incredible rise, long depression - by a huge surge of optimism, apathy and lethargy - by a surge of strength and inspiration.
There is also an anatomical feature that affects the Russian mentality: the Slavs have a more developed right hemisphere of the brain, which is responsible for emotions rather than logic, therefore we are often not rational. This feature of the Russian mentality is clearly visible in planning, say, a family budget. If a German meticulously calculates all expenses, including the purchase of napkins, for a month, six months and even a year, then a measured way of life is alien to Russian people.
The Russian mentality is shaped by sharp fluctuations in weather conditions.
We are unable to foresee everything that may happen in the near future. We may get carried away by a project; we can, without preparing in advance, suddenly make a rather expensive purchase; in the end, to our relative, friend or even almost to a stranger You may unexpectedly need help, and we will provide it without hesitation. After all, when considering the Russian mentality, one cannot help but mention such a feature as sentimentality. Unlike people of other nationalities who know how to keep their distance, we are instantly imbued with the feelings of other people. It is not for nothing that only in the Russian language there are expressions “intimate conversation”, “heart-to-heart conversation”.
We are keenly aware of someone else’s misfortune and joy, and we ourselves are often ready to reveal our innermost feelings to someone almost on the first day of acquaintance. An Italian will never tell a stranger about his family problems, an American will tactfully avoid personal topics - it’s as if you came to visit, and they only let you into the corridor. Russians tend to open all doors wide.
Russians are characterized by sentimentality and compassion.
That is why almost any Russian emigrant who left for Western Europe, USA or Canada, can’t get used to the fact that people around him are cold, dry, “buttoned up.” There, it takes years to establish close relationships, but here contacts between people develop much faster and warmer.
Moreover, we are very compassionate towards our smaller brothers. From time immemorial, Slavs have been willing to have pets and perceive them as full members of the family. And residents of Russian villages who keep cows cannot calmly lead them to the slaughterhouse and often continue to care for them until their death.
Our sensitivity has back side medals. We are quickly captivated by people, but soon we are often disappointed in them. These features of the Russian mentality manifest themselves in a sharp change in relationships– for example, fraternization after a fight and vice versa. And yet, if a quarrel occurs, a Russian person quickly forgets about it. We do not have traditions of “blood feud”, since easygoingness is one of the features of the Russian mentality. We are able not only to forget a momentary conflict, but also to endure serious grievances. Dostoevsky expressed it this way: “... and the entire Russian people are ready to forget whole torments for one kind word.”
Resourcefulness is one of the characteristic features of the Russian mentality
Another one peculiarity of the Russian mentality – social conformism. We like everything to be “like other people’s”, we take care that people don’t think badly of us. Satirist Mikhail Zadornov notes: “Only a Russian woman, when leaving a hotel, cleans the room before the cleaning lady arrives. This would not occur to either a French woman or a German woman - after all, the cleaning lady is paid for this work!”
And one last thing. Despite creative thinking, the way of acting we can be called conservatives. We perceive innovations with distrust and take a long time to approach them this way and that before we accept them into our lives. Compare: in the UK, 55% of older people can use a computer, in the USA - 67%, and in Russia - only 24%. And the point here is not only the lack of financial opportunity to purchase equipment, but reluctance to change the usual way of life.
In general, mentality is the prevailing schemes, stereotypes and patterns of thinking. Russians are not necessarily Russians. An individual may be proud of being a “Cossack”, “Bashkir” or “Jew” within Russia, but outside its borders all Russians (past and present) are traditionally called (regardless of origin) Russians. There are reasons for this: as a rule, they all have similarities in their mentality and behavioral patterns.
Russians have something to be proud of; we have a huge and strong country, we have talented people and deep literature, while we ourselves know our own weak sides. If we want to become better, we must know them.
So, let's look at ourselves from the outside, namely from the outside strictly scientific research. What cultural researchers note as specific features Russian mentality?
1. Sobornost, the primacy of the general over the personal: “we are all our own,” we have everything in common and “what will people say.” Conciliarity results in the absence of the concept of privacy and the opportunity for any neighbor's grandmother to intervene and tell you everything she thinks about your clothes, manners and the upbringing of your children.
From the same opera, the concepts of “public” and “collective”, which are absent in the West. “The opinion of the collective”, “don’t separate from the team”, “what will people say?” - conciliarity in its purest form. On the other hand, they will tell you if your tag is sticking out, your shoelace is untied, your pants are stained, or your grocery bag is torn. And also - they flash their headlights on the road to warn about the traffic police and save you from a fine.
2. The desire to live in truth. The term "truth", often found in ancient Russian sources, means legal norms, on the basis of which the trial was carried out (hence the expressions “to judge the right” or “to judge in truth”, that is, objectively, fairly). Sources of codification are norms of customary law, princely judicial practice, as well as borrowed norms from authoritative sources - primarily the Holy Scriptures.
Outside Russian culture more often they talk about law-abidingness, rules of decency, or following religious commandments. In the Eastern mentality, Truth is not talked about; in China, it is important to live according to the precepts left by Confucius.
3. When choosing between reason and feeling, Russians choose feeling: sincerity and sincerity. In the Russian mentality, “expediency” is practically synonymous with selfish, selfish behavior and is not held in high esteem, like something “American.” It is difficult for the average Russian citizen to imagine that one can act intelligently and consciously not only for oneself, but also for the sake of someone, therefore selfless actions are identified with actions “from the heart,” based on feelings, without the head.
Russian - dislike of discipline and methodicality, life according to one's soul and mood, change of mood from peacefulness, forgiveness and humility to merciless rebellion to complete destruction - and back. The Russian mentality lives rather according to the female model: feeling, gentleness, forgiveness, reacting with crying and rage to the consequences of such a life strategy.
4. A certain negativism: most Russians more often see flaws in themselves rather than virtues. Abroad, if a person accidentally touches another person on the street, the standard reaction of almost everyone is: “Sorry,” an apology and a smile. That's how they were raised. It’s sad that in Russia such patterns are more negative, here you can hear “Well, where are you looking?”, and something more harsh. Russians understand well what melancholy is, despite the fact that this word is untranslatable into other European languages. On the streets, it is not customary for us to smile, look into the faces of others, make indecent acquaintances, or simply start talking.
5. A smile in Russian communication is not mandatory attribute politeness. In the West, the more a person smiles, the more polite he is. In traditional Russian communication, priority is given to the requirement of sincerity. A smile among Russians demonstrates a personal affection for another person, which, naturally, does not apply to everyone. Therefore, if a person smiles not from the heart, it causes rejection.
You can ask for help - most likely they will help. It's normal to beg for both a cigarette and money. Man with constantly good mood arouses suspicion - either sick or insincere. Anyone who usually smiles affably at others is, if not a foreigner, then, of course, a sycophant. Of course, insincere. He says “Yes”, agrees - a hypocrite. Because sincere Russian man will definitely disagree and object. And in general, the truest sincerity is when you swear! Then you trust the person!
6. Love of controversy. In Russian communication it is traditional great place are occupied by disputes. Russian people love to argue on a variety of issues, both private and general. Love for debate on global, philosophical issues is a striking feature of Russian communicative behavior.
Russian people are often interested in argument not as a means of finding the truth, but as a mental exercise, as a form of emotional, sincere communication with each other. This is why in Russian communicative culture those arguing so often lose the thread of the argument and easily deviate from the original topic.
At the same time, it is completely uncharacteristic to seek a compromise or to allow the interlocutor to save face. Uncompromisingness and conflict are manifested very clearly: our person is uncomfortable if he did not finish his argument, could not prove that he was right. “As an English teacher formulated this quality: “A Russian always bets to win.” And vice versa, the characteristic “conflict-free” rather has a disapproving connotation, like “spineless”, “unprincipled”.
7. Russian people live by faith in the good that will one day descend from heaven(or simply from above) to the long-suffering Russian land: “Good will definitely defeat evil, but then, someday.” At the same time, his personal position is irresponsible: “Someone will bring us the truth, but not me personally. I can’t do anything myself and I won’t do anything.” For several centuries now, the main enemy of the Russian people has been the state in the form of a serving-punitive class.
8. The “keep your head down” principle. The Russian mentality has a disdainful attitude towards politics and democracy as a form of political structure in which the people are the source and controller of the activities of power. Characteristic is the conviction that people don’t really decide anything anywhere and democracy is a lie and hypocrisy. At the same time, tolerance and habit of lies and hypocrisy of their authorities due to the conviction that it is impossible otherwise.
9. Habit of theft, bribery and deception. The conviction that everyone steals everywhere, and that it is impossible to earn big money honestly. The principle is “if you don’t steal, you don’t live.” Alexander I: “In Russia there is such theft that I’m afraid to go to the dentist - I’ll sit in a chair and they’ll steal my jaw...” Dahl: “Russian people are not afraid of the cross, but they’re afraid of the pestle.”
At the same time, Russians are characterized by a protest attitude towards punishment: punishing for minor violations is not good, somehow petty, it is necessary to “forgive!” will sigh for a long time until he gets angry and starts a pogrom.
10. Following from the previous paragraph characteristic Russian mentality - love for freebies. Movies need to be downloaded via torrent, pay for licensed programs - it’s a shame, the dream is the joy of Leni Golubkov in the MMM pyramid. Our fairy tales depict heroes who lie on the stove and eventually receive a kingdom and a sexy queen. Ivan the Fool is strong not because of his hard work, but because of his intelligence, when Pike, Sivka-Burka, Little Humpbacked Horse and other wolves, fish and firebirds do everything for him.
11. Taking care of health is not a value, sports are strange, getting sick is normal, but it is categorically not allowed to abandon the poor, and it is also considered morally unacceptable to leave those who did not care about their health and, as a result, became essentially helpless and disabled. Women look for the rich and successful, but love the poor and sick. “How can he live without me?” - hence codependency as a norm of life.
12. In us, pity takes the place of humanism. If humanism welcomes care for people, placing them on the pedestal of the free, developed, strong man, then pity directs care to the unfortunate and sick. According to statistics from Mail.ru and VTsIOM, helping adults is in fifth place in popularity after helping children, the elderly, animals and environmental problems. People feel more sorry for dogs than for people, and among people, out of a sense of pity, it is more important to support non-viable children, rather than adults who could still live and work.
In the comments to the article, some agree with this portrait, others accuse the author of Russophobia. No, the author loves Russia and believes in it, having been engaged in educational and educational activities for your country. There are no enemies here and there is no need to look for them here, our task is different: namely, to think about how we can raise our country and raise children - our new citizens.
The time has come to determine the main, in my opinion, features of the Russian mentality.
One of the primary properties of the Russian people is their kindness. Kindness in all its layers is expressed in the absence of rancor. Often a Russian person, being passionate and prone to maximalism, experiences a strong feeling of repulsion from another person, but when meeting him, if specific communication is necessary, his heart softens, and he somehow involuntarily begins to show his spiritual softness towards him, even sometimes condemning himself for this if he believes that this person does not deserve a kind attitude towards him.
“Life according to the heart” creates openness in the soul of a Russian person and ease of communication with people, simplicity of communication, without conventions, without external instilled politeness, but with those virtues of politeness that arise from sensitive natural delicacy...
However, positive qualities There are often negative sides too. The kindness of a Russian person sometimes prompts him to lie due to the reluctance to offend his interlocutor, due to the desire for peace and good relations with people at all costs.
The Russian people amaze us with the versatility of their abilities. He is characterized by high religious talent, the ability to higher forms experience, observation, theoretical and practical intelligence, creative ingenuity, ingenuity, subtle perception of beauty and the aristocracy associated with it, expressed both in Everyday life, and in the creation of great works of art.
Among the especially valuable properties of the Russian people is a sensitive perception of strangers. states of mind. This results in live communication between even unfamiliar people. “...The Russian people have highly developed individual personal and family communication. There is no excessive replacement in Russia individual relationships social, there is no personal and family isolationism. Therefore, even a foreigner, having arrived in Russia, feels: “I am not alone here” (of course, I am talking about normal Russia, and not about life under the Bolshevik regime). Perhaps, these properties are the main source of recognition of the charm of the Russian people, so often expressed by foreigners who know Russia well...”
Passion and powerful willpower can be considered among the basic properties of the Russian people. The willpower of the Russian people is revealed in the fact that a Russian person, having noticed any shortcoming of his and morally condemning it, obeying a sense of duty, overcomes it and develops a quality that is completely opposite to it. Passion is a combination of strong feelings and willpower directed towards a loved or hated value. Naturally, the higher the value, the more strong feelings and it causes energetic activity in people with a strong will. This explains the passion of the Russian people, manifested in political life, and even greater passion in religious life. Maximalism, extremism and fanatical intolerance are the products of this passion.
Love of freedom. Among the primary properties of the Russian people, along with religiosity, the search for absolute good and willpower, one can include the love of freedom and its highest expression - freedom of spirit. He who has a free spirit is inclined to put every value to the test, not only in thought, but even in experience. Due to the free search for truth, it is difficult for Russian people to come to terms with each other. Therefore, in public life Russians' love of freedom is expressed in a tendency towards anarchy, in repulsion from the state.
Cruelty. Kindness is the predominant feature of the Russian people. But at the same time, it cannot be denied that there are also many manifestations of cruelty in Russian life. There are many types of cruelty and some of them can be found, paradoxically, even in the behavior of people who are not at all evil by nature. The cruelty can be explained by the prevalence of poverty in Russia by a variety of grievances and oppressions. Until the last one quarter of the XIX century building family life merchants, townspeople and peasants was patriarchal. The despotism of the head of the family was often expressed in actions close to cruelty.
Laziness, “Oblomovism”. Russian people are characterized by a desire for an absolutely perfect kingdom of existence and, at the same time, excessive sensitivity to any shortcomings of their own and others’ activities. From here arises a cooling towards the work begun and an aversion to continuing it; the idea and general outline of it are often very valuable, but its incompleteness and therefore inevitable imperfections repel the Russian person, and he is lazy to continue finishing the little things. Thus, “Oblomovism” is in many cases the flip side of the high qualities of the Russian person - the desire for complete perfection and sensitivity to the shortcomings of our reality.
In a book about Germany and the German mentality (“Watching the Germans,” “Germany without Lies,” etc.), which was republished with updates, I had to compare the Germans with us. Not all readers agreed with me, but I am grateful to them all: the book you are holding in your hands was born out of debate. Who is it written for? For every inquisitive person who is not in the happy confidence that he already knows everything. This book is intended primarily for residents of Russia. It can also help foreigners understand Russians and get along with them. mutual language, adapt faster and easier in Russia.
Who are we, why are we like this and where we are going? How do we amaze and attract foreigners? Is it true that the Russian soul is mysterious, and what are its secrets? Is it true that the Russia we lost was completely different? Why was it in Russia that the state first declared the goal of building communism? How did the Russians influence the rest of the world? Why in Russia, the richest country in terms of its resources, do people live poorer, and most importantly, not as comfortable as in developed countries? Is it possible, having understood the Russian character, to answer the question of what to do and predict what awaits us? Centuries, rulers, laws change, but do we understand where we are moving and what is stopping us? Maybe for this we need to understand ourselves and look in the mirror again? Unpleasant? Let us remember Gogol - he took as an epigraph to his “The Inspector General” the proverb “There is no point in blaming the mirror...”. Someone will say that the mirror is crooked? But even in an attraction with distorting mirrors, it’s interesting to look at yourself from the outside, and it doesn’t hurt to laugh at yourself. I had the opportunity not only to live in Russia for a long time, but also to spend a lot of time abroad. After this, a lot of things become clearer here. This book is based on my personal experiences, consistent with the research of social scientists. They are supplemented with materials from foreign and Russian press.
In the West, Russians are accused of laziness, drunkenness and lack of culture, while domestic authors sometimes deny real problems. Discussions do not stop - hundreds of books and articles have been and will be written about the Russian mentality: the topic is inexhaustible. I am grateful to the authors with whom I was able to meet, and I regret that it is not possible to list them all. I will mention at least some of the humorists - Zhvanetsky, Zadornov, Irtenev, Gorin, Shaov, Yankovsky, Melikhan, the authors of apt statements on this topic.
Traditional ideas do not take into account the fact that Lately The Russian way of life, mentality and value system are changing noticeably. It is extremely important in which direction these changes are going and what they will lead to. People on the Internet ask: “Is it possible to average all Russians? Everyone was very mixed up. My friends and I have ancestry from Uzbeks and Chechens to Germans, British and Balts.” I will answer: the purpose of the book is to identify the main, common traits of Russians, which do not necessarily belong to each of them. It's about about traits that, in my opinion, are inherent in the majority or even the minority, if such traits occur and significantly influence our lives. If the book compares Russians with anyone, then first of all with developed peoples and especially European countries. Because Russia is a country high culture, close to European. Every nation has its pros and cons, and you will not find even two completely identical people. To some, the word “mentality” seems like a petrified rule into which they personally try to squeeze him, and this is nothing more than “ average temperature in the hospital,” which is changing even before our eyes and which everyone measures in their own way. Each reader probably has his own opinion about the Russian mentality, and he will find something to object to me. I tried to harmonize my thoughts with the research of sociologists, supplement them with materials from the foreign and Russian press, and yet the book is based primarily on my personal impressions. Everything said in the book is just my views and value judgments. Everyone has the right to other views, and I do not claim to be the ultimate truth. On the contrary, it is desirable that this book give rise to thought and debate. In a dispute, truth is born - provided that both sides argue with mutual respect.
One cannot help but admire our people, who managed to develop a vast territory and create great culture in the most difficult conditions. Although most Russians are nice and nice people, this, of course, does not exclude contradictions or flaws in the Russian character. I want to reassure the reader - the author was not recruited or bribed by anyone. If, dear reader, your soul hurts for your country and you want life in it to become better, then you are certainly a patriot and this book is addressed to you. What if you don’t want to change anything because you are convinced that everything that surrounds you here is the best in the world? If you think that only enemies can talk about shortcomings? Then you are also a patriot. But a patriot is of a different kind, and I advise you not to read this book: it is not for you.
In parts one and two we will talk about the first impressions of foreigners when meeting Russians, that is, about those features of Russians that catch the eye. Gradually we will move on to features that require closer acquaintance.
I am grateful to my wife Galina Tomchina for her invaluable and main assistance in editing the book, as well as to Olga Papysheva, Maxim Tomchin, Leonid Zakharov, Mikhail Itsykson and Lev Shapiro, who read the book in manuscript, for their valuable comments.
Part one. Foreigners about Russia. First impressions
Russia is recognizable to western man, but at some points it is completely unpredictable. This is a completely different culture, a completely different society... Looking at you, as in a mirror, we see ourselves in a new way.
E. Miller
Russia is inhabited by people of more than a hundred nationalities - Russians. But I prefer the word “Russians”. This is what I will call everyone who considers the Russian language and culture native and considers themselves Russian. Abroad, all residents of Russia are called Russians. There is a joke: two Japanese, a Tatar, a Russian, a Ukrainian and an Armenian are riding in a hotel elevator. One Japanese quietly says to another: “Look at these Russians - they all look the same!” Whatever different residents No matter the Russians, they have a lot in common.
“Whoever thinks in what language belongs to that people,” said Vladimir Dal. Tsar Nicholas II did not have even one hundredth of Russian blood, but he was a Russian man. Many “foreigners” made important contributions to Russian civilization. Among them are Pushkin, Lermontov, Fonvizin, Karamzin, Levitan, Bagration, Witte, and Dahl himself. According to journalist L. Parfenov, “Germans, Georgians and Jews were especially massive and bright in converting to “Russianness.” The Jew Levitan was a Russian artist, and the German Catherine II was the Russian empress. “One cannot assume that anyone brought up in Russian culture (whether he is Chinese or an Armenian with the last name Khachikyan) can consider himself a Russian. Even if his nanny read Russian fairy tales to him as a child,” Natalya V. writes on the Internet. And Nadezhda K. did not like Pushkin’s statement about Russians, and she assures that “he is just not Russian.” She considers herself a real Russian, although her Russian language is lame. What's the point of arguing with them? Let fighters for the purity of Russian blood consider our classic an Ethiopian poet. And Okudzhava is a Georgian or Russian-language poet, but not Russian.
The indigenous inhabitants of Russia famously renamed foreigners. Hamilton? So, you will be Khomutov. Koos von Dahlen? Kozodavlev! The hero of M. Weller's story, an English engineer, married a Russian and stayed to live in Russia. Walter (we have Bolt) got drunk and learned to knock down two kopecks from the store. Everyone loved him “as a kind, harmless fool who made life more interesting.” The Chinese living in Siberian cities, already in the second generation, begin to drink, take steam in the bathhouse and work without the same zeal. “In Russia, even Jews grow Slavic cheekbones,” noted F. Engels. Russians show a rare ability to understand people and recognize their own at first sight. The philosopher Vasily Rozanov said a hundred years ago: “If you look at a Russian with a sharp eye, he will look at you, and everything is clear, no words are needed. This is what you can’t do with a foreigner.” Jokers say that Russians are the people who manage to survive in Russia. Maybe people are united by common difficulties? A common destiny and language are what unites all Russians.
About the mysterious Russian mentality A lot of words are said, both flattering and not so flattering. The mysterious Russian soul has pleasant traits, but there are also dark, unkind ones. Upon closer examination, a rather ambiguous picture emerges, but looking at it is still interesting and very informative, at least in terms of understanding yourself and the environment in which you grew up.
One of the main Russian character trait believe the primacy of society over the individual. A Russian person feels himself to be a part of society and does not imagine himself outside of it. He is just a grain of sand, a drop in the endless ocean of his brothers. The concept of community goes far beyond the boundaries of a few neighboring houses; it traditionally embraces the entire village. A Russian person is first of all “Lukoshkinsky”, “Tulupkinsky”, “Medvezhansky”, and only after that he is Vasily Stepanovich, Ignat Petrovich and so on.
Positive moment in this approach it is manifested in the ability to very quickly cooperate against a common one, to present a united front against the enemy. Negative is erasing one’s own personality, constant desire transfer one’s own responsibility to the collective, to the “optchestvo”.
Russian world quite polar, in the consciousness of a Russian person there is “truth” and there is “falsehood”, and there are no half-tones between them. Even the processes of modern globalization still cannot level this line, smooth it out by mixing cultures; our people still try to see the world like a chessboard: there are black ones, there are white ones, and all the fields are clear and square.
Of course, everyone worthy member of society strives to live “in truth”, this term is reflected even in legal documents. One of the first legal documents Kievan Rus it is called “Russian Truth”, it regulated trade relations, inheritance rules, norms of criminal and procedural legislation. He explained how to live in truth.
While with Germans traditionally associated with pedantry, strict adherence to rules, discipline, all this is deeply alien to the Russian person. He is rather inclined to the absence of any discipline, he is more attracted to free spirits, sincerity, he prefers deep feeling to reason. This also sometimes leads to troubles, disorder in everyday life and life in general, but in other cases it can become truly strong point. And certainly living with emotions gives a Russian person much more happiness than blindly following instructions written by someone for him.
Generally written by other people instructions by Russian people are greatly despised. Traditionally, such a feature of mentality has been developed as opposition between oneself and society - the state and governing bodies. The state is perceived as an inevitable evil, as a kind of apparatus of oppression. And man, society, survives and adapts under the conditions of the state. That is why a Russian is not as offended by someone who has directly insulted him as by someone who has entered into a conflict with the state. These have always been called different equivalents modern word“informers” and were considered outright scoundrels, traitors to the people, sellers of Christ.
Okay, I'm sure Russian man, achievable, it exists. Somewhere there, far away, but it is there, and one day it will definitely come. Maybe not in this life, but someday it will happen, appear, come a good life. Faith in this warms the Russian people in the darkest times, in war, in famine, in times of revolutions and rebellions. There will definitely be good. And the Russian himself always strives to be a kind person.
The negative side faith into some higher good that will come one day on its own - personal irresponsibility. The Russian person himself does not consider himself at least to some extent strong enough to bring closer this moment of the descent of good from the heights of heaven, so there is no point in trying. The Russian not only does not take an active part in approaching the hour of victory of good, but does not even think about how to do this.
Love of controversy- another characteristic touch to the portrait of a person. In this, the Russian character echoes the Roman one, in whose culture there was also a sincere popular love for discussions. And in both cultures, an argument is perceived not as a way to show off or convince the interlocutor that one is right, but as an intellectual exercise, exercise for the mind and a form of table entertainment. Contrary to popular belief, it is not at all customary to move from words to fists; on the contrary, Russian people are usually quite tolerant of the opinions of others if they do not see in them direct aggression towards themselves.
Attitude to your own health A Russian person definitely doesn’t give a damn. To receive treatment or take care of the condition of your body, to exercise physical culture, is seen by the Russian mentality as a kind of effeminacy and spoiling.
Well, we can’t help but mention extraordinary loyalty of the Russian man to theft and bribery. As already mentioned, opposing oneself to the state, treating it as an enemy, develops a similar attitude towards bribes and theft. From historical information we can conclude that this has been the case at all times.
It is no secret, however, that with time even the mentality of peoples may be changed significantly. After all, it comes not only from geographical location places of residence of the people, but also on many other factors that determine their consciousness. All this gives hope for a brighter future, for eradicating or mitigating the shortcomings of our mentality and manifold strengthening of its advantages.
