Gandhi lessons. About the next "turn to the East"

Mikhail Blinkin, HSE professor

We don't like the West, to be more precise, we don't like it again. Relying on "one's own spiritual and moral values, historical and national-cultural traditions" is on the agenda. Asia in a nutshell...

About Mahatma Gandhi, only the lazy does not remember. Yes, and how not to remember "a man with a pilgrim's staff, in the traditional clothes of a hermit", who has been trying in vain for almost 40 years to cross Lomonosovsky Prospekt. The attitude of European intellectuals to this Tolstoyan philosopher and inspirer of national liberation movements depended heavily on the degree of familiarity with the subject.

The view of a humanist scientist: “We are grateful to the fate that gave us such a brilliant contemporary, showing the way for future generations” (Albert Einstein).

The view of a well-informed politician: “... the sight of Gandhi, a rebellious lawyer, now acting as a fakir of the type that is widespread in the East, rises half-naked up the steps of the Viceroy's palace in order to ... negotiate on equal terms with representatives King-Emperor" (Winston Churchill).

The view of a contemporary writer, not yet fully rammed by Soviet censorship: “...in the large hall sat Caucasians in Circassians, Afghans with turbans in oilcloth robes, Bukharans in bright skullcaps, Persians in fezzes ... The Persian, who was sitting in the back row, after listening to a report on the consequences of the economic crisis, kindly said to the young Indian: “It is very pleasant to cut an Englishman”, to which he, putting his hand to his lips, whispered: “Very much.” (Ilya Ehrenburg, "Julio Hurenito").

I note that the Gandhian type of worldview is realized in our country without proper integrity, which involuntarily leads to a certain decline in the genre. Gandhi is known to have left "two pairs of sandals, glasses, a staff, a bed on the floor and a stack of books" after his death.

No one remembered about Khan Sary-Kene. Yes, and a monument in Moscow has not yet been erected to him. Meanwhile, this mythical hero of Olzhas Suleimenov has an indisputable priority on some of the current political ideas. In particular, the leader of the Scythians was the first to attend to the problem of protecting sovereign biomaterial and introduced appropriate prohibitions: "...do not give the seed to strangers, do not make enemies like yourself". The archaic indivisibility of the PR slogan and the guide to direct action led to tragic consequences:

"He could live in captivity for many years,

The royal maidens were led into his tent,

So that, having acquired the Scythian seed,

They, strangers, could conquer the world.

And rejected them, who gave us a vow,

Raising the dagger, he cut off the source of troubles .

Fortunately, the "Scythian" type of world outlook, as well as the Gandhian one, is realized in our country without proper integrity.

I do not presume to predict how far we will go in our journey through Asia: step by step (English: step by step), where the curve will take us, or simply, immediately to Pyongyang. Let me remind you only the edification of the classic: “in Asia, boots are the first thing that is stolen…”. And I’ll add from myself: marshal’s boots, in contrast to “two pairs of sandals, glasses and a staff” - with special excitement and pleasure. So, if this specific property is especially dear to someone, then even it is better to store it in the West.