"We'll get along somehow" - as a Russian national idea

Mikhail Yezhov, journalist, publicist, musician

How many times each of us in a dispute heard from an opponent: "Nevermind, we'll get along somehow!".

Personally, I have heard this in my life even more than a dozen times. I heard it at the dawn of perestroika. I heard it in the early nineties. In the mid nineties. In the late nineties. I heard it in the middle of the 2000s. At the end of the 2000s. At the beginning of two thousand tenths. After Crimeanash, generally everywhere. After the first sanctions I heard - Nothing, we'll live somehow.

And now I hear it again. Don't care about these sanctions. It doesn't matter, we'll be living somehow.

I heard it in a different interpretation from my own brother. When I asked him - How is life? He answered me - Normal, tolerable...

Fine. Tolerable. Only in these words lies the truth. Normal is tolerable. And I always thought that tolerance is not normal...

And then it dawned on me. It was just mental bookkeeping. And what else can our people do, besides living their own lives somehow? Seriously? What else can we do besides this? And why did he decide that this is the meaning of life, to live it somehow? No travel, no education, no peaceful coexistence with neighbors. Namely, somehow. We'll live somehow.

There are six acres, potatoes, there is some kind of work, there is a crust of bread and a bladder of water. Let's live somehow...

“Would there be a piece of bread” (c). This is a line from a poem about Ilya Muromets. This phrase has stuck in my mind since childhood.

Nevertheless, after all, this is a complete, total and hopeless end. It's just philosophy. This is a mantra. Prakshalana of the Russian people. He's so used to living. And the government itself chooses the appropriate. If it can.

The one that at least once every five years will provide him with the conditions under which he will sincerely exclaim - Nothing, we will live somehow !!!

I have a strong impression right now that the authorities have come to an agreement with these people. They have a barter. it gives them a sense of greatness, and they answer him - “We support it. Nothing, we'll live somehow!!!"

And there are no other schemes in this exchange. There are none. Greatness in exchange for a life somehow. As with the scoop, in fact. As in the case of emperors and kings.

And the fact that now there are countries that live without any greatness, but not somehow, but an order of magnitude higher, does not bother them. The fact that there are countries in which the "greatness" at least eat, but they also do not live somehow, does not bother them. They are not even able to compare it. Just because we have our own way. And if someone is against our unique way - He is a traitor. We will kill and we will continue to live somehow ...

And so from generation to generation. We ate a little, drank cola and again on the rails - Let's get out of here! We have our own way. We'll live without you somehow.

McDonald's is leaving? Nothing, we'll live somehow. Adidas is leaving? Nothing, we'll live somehow.

And I still remember those days, with the scoop, when Adidas fartza sneakers sold for 200 rubles. With an average salary of 120. And even then the janitor in the hostel told me that - It's stupid to spend that kind of money on shoes. There are also good boots made of drape for 6 rubles. We lived without your Adidas somehow!!!

That's how it appeared in my life - Somehow.

And so in everything. After the scoop, we were raised a little, washed, cleaned, dressed, fed, cars were given to us (with power steering, ABS and toshi-boshi), they gave us the Internet, technology, smartphones. Why, we were given three-layer toilet paper. The world was opened to us - fly wherever you want, look at what you want. We were given washing machines and vacuum cleaners. If anyone remembers the scoop, he will understand what I mean. We were given everything. But we, having eaten a little, decided that this was a given. So now it will always be, no matter how we behave. And stomped back into their "somehow." To your comfort zone. To your greatness. True, on the road to greatness, we forgot what this reality consists of.

Now dozens, hundreds of companies are leaving the Russian market. They don't just leave. They run, only the heels sparkle. Nobody wants to deal with us. I'm wildly sorry, but even the manufacturers of condoms and toilet paper do not want to deal with us. It's generally the top. Nowhere above. We have reached the pinnacle of our greatness. We'll soon be wiping our asses again with cut squares from the Pravda newspaper.

Separate path...

And now I have just one question - was it worth it? Was it worth it to take such steps, having nothing but greatness behind the soul and body? Doom the nation to life "somehow". Not for a year or two. For decades. It was worth it? If so, why didn't you, who are happy about this, go to North Korea? To Venezuela? In Somalia?

If you so want to sit in this mantra - "We will live somehow", why are you doing this for other people? WHY? If you want to live somehow - wellcome. Somali resorts are waiting for you. There people only do this, that they live somehow. If you need a leader, the father of nations, North Korea. Why the hell to invent it here? He already is. Go there and kiss him on the heels. If you want to oppose America, then why in Russia? There is Venezuela. There is Cuba. Leading countries in opposition to the United States. Go there and resist. At least until blue in the face. But why here??? Why do you think a country rich in resources and talents should resist rather than cooperate? Constantly fight, and not live in peace? Constantly threaten and live "Somehow"! Paycheck to paycheck, check to check. No travel, no emotions, no impressions. Just "somehow"...

We do not have a country - but a sale in Pyaterochka. Discounted buckwheat, chicken, milk, eggs and mayonnaise. Somehow we'll live...

Original is here.