MY World

Прорываясь через Достоевского      Достоевского раньше ненавидели по-тихому: все-таки икона в размере классического оклада. Сейчас ненавидят открыто, приписывая ему все грехи, которые у него действительно были: мазохистское наслаждение копанием в тине человеческой души, патологический шовинизм, бедный слог. И однако ж Достоевского продолжают читать, и все новые грани актуальности его героев и их депрессивной проблематики продолжают открываться читателю, который и хотел бы, да не в силах оторвать взгляд.      Почему? Почему именно Достоевский? Манера письма у него далека от совершенства – никаких художеств в этой литературе. Сюжет беден – Достоевский далек от того, чтобы восхитить читателя интересной историей. Набоков, единственный, пожалуй, мастер истории сочинять в русской литературе после Чехова, писал, что Достоевский - это «полицейские романы». Морализаторства, самого ненавистного для большинства читателей романов элемента, у него через край. Человеком ...

После нескольких дней войны смотреть жуткие новости из Украины стало невыносимым. Варварство неспровоцированного вторжения, жертвы среди мирного населения, документальная Герника фотографий… Как любой человек, выросший в Советском Союзе, я вырос на военных историях и не мог не заметить страшного сходства с той, другой войной, когда в 1941 году другой взбесившийся тиран напал на Украину в четыре утра, бомбил Киев и послал орды солдат грабить и убивать. Но на личном уровне больше всего бесила беспомощность: сегодня мы смотрим все в прямом эфире — и ничего не можем поделать. Все эти авианосцы, трансконтинентальные ракеты и другие дорогостоящие истребительные механизмы, которыми оснащены западные армии, как-то не остановили потерявшего разум диктатора. Украинцы остались одни-на-один с его танками и самолетами. Я взял отпуск, купил билет на самолет, арендовал семиместный микроавтобус и неделю помогал возить украинских беженцев по Польше и Германии, из центров для беженцев на границе с Украи...

After several days of war, watching the devastating news from Ukraine became unbearable. The sheer cruelty of unprovoked invasion, the mounting civilian casualties, the images… As anybody who grew up in the Soviet Union, I listened to a fair share of war stories, so I could not but see the eerie resemblance to that other war, when in 1941 another deranged tyrant attacked Ukraine before dawn, bombed Kyiv, and sent his well-equipped soldiers to murder and pillage. But, at a personal level, the most infuriating was the helplessness: we can watch everything today almost in live time - yet do nothing. All these air carriers and transcontinental missiles and other sophisticated war machines we pay for with our taxes to equip Western armies somehow did not deter the dictator-gone-mad, and Ukrainians are left alone to resist. It was this helplessness in the face of tremendous suffering that pushed me to act. I took a week off work, hopped on a plane, rented a minivan, and helped to drive Ukrai...

When I was seventeen, I had little respect for Western liberals. I lived in the USSR back then and was a member of an anti-government underground organization established by my friends that at its peak numbered a couple of dozen people. “Those little fucks,” I thought, using, of course, Russian expletives, “would come to Moscow to protest nuclear arms race without giving a second thought that whoever protests against the very same things in Soviet Union has a very good chance to end up never being capable to protest against anything. They would give interviews to ‘Pravda’ about the Native Americans imprisoned after the Pine Ridge incident, and not even cringe that this issue of ‘Pravda’ will be read by Ukrainians and Jews, Latvians and Estonians who were put in a close proximity with polar bears’ habitat for ‘offences’ that don’t come even close to what was done at Pine Ridge. Those liberal souls would be oh so outraged that Angela Davis did not get a proper shower in prison – well, h...

Choose some “Viewpoints” questions from Keen and Valley-Fox from Chapter 5 for developing the Goals Statement. Chosen: Play God and make this the best of all possible worlds (p85). My “best of all possible worlds” is the world of the Free Communicators. The conscious creatures of the world have the ultimate possibility to communicate with each other, instantaneously and with the ultimate efficiency. They all have the ability to understand each other’s messages and ideas immediately. This pertains both to the ability to pass them along and to understand them. The conscious creatures can also shield themselves from communication, if and when they wish. The conscious creatures – animals, people, other – are free. They are all endowed with the Free Will, the ability to direct their behavior to their own liking. The creatures are all born with a repertoire of behavioral skills at their disposal – ability to walk, communicate, etc. They can use and develop them as they please. There is pain,...

The value survey I went through showed some interesting things. First of all, it seems that my grouping would not coincide with the factorial analysis so far, as my evaluations for God/heaven related questions do not go in the same directions as the family/relationship questions. While the second group is very important to me, I could not but give 0s for the first group as I'm not convinced in the reality of the afterlife and salvation, not to mention the concepts behind them. Second, I found myself to be lower than the lowest average point on all variables. May be, it's because I was very cautious in giving 4s and 5s? If I look at the values I deemed most important, I would see a continuum between person- oriented values (marriage, for example) and humanity-oriented values (e.g., spreading philosophical knowledge). They all seem to be related, though: 1 - Enjoying a good marriage or lifetime partnership 28 - Working to educate children 32 - Providing a good life for your ch...

A. What are the last four things you have written (excluding short notes), and who read them? 1. Corporate review of my company – my lawyer 2. A self-made myth on the origins of death – my wife, kids, and the INO 501 professor 3. Learning autobiography for INO 501 – INO 501 class 4. Learning experience post on my blog for INO 501 – INO 501 professor B. In general, how do you feel about writing? I love writing and feel that I do it well. C. Do you find it easy to write papers that say what you wanted them to say ? In practical terms, is writing a relatively efficient process for you in which your time is in proportion to your intentions? I do find it relatively easy to express myself in writing. Writing is a relatively efficient process for me, more efficient than speaking most of the time. D. How many hours did you spend writing (including drafting, writing, revising) the last three papers you did? Give the number of hours and number of pages written. Is this "normal" for you...