LCJ Author Corner Archives - Page 2 of 17

Our Resource and Holidays

Psychologists today talk a lot about our “resource”. You either need to build it, or to maintain it and, if worst comes to worst, to recover it. Resourcefulness, overall, is paramount to our success in life.

Apparently, the long holidays that we have in January is the opportunity to recover the lost resource.

But, of course, this is not just about recovering. This is about watching, reading or listening to something you have missed out on before. This is about visiting your friends and relatives, to share your positive emotions with each other.

Here’s a list of things that help me to recover my resource:

reading classical or professional literature;
watching a good film;
knitting;
silence;
taking a walk;
an unhurried day;
spiritual reading.

Still, what really helps me to recover is not the sleep as such, as the opportunity to slow down. During winter holidays I don’t want to travel or go anywhere, not to mention being in a hurry. Just calmness, peace, and quietude – these three work wonders for me.

Another aspect of building or recovering our resource is by generating positive feelings. This is not about positive thinking as such because, frankly, your current stage in life may be a bitter one, so imbuing good thoughts is probably challenging. Instead, try to focus on “good vibrations”: enjoy a sunrise or sunset, watch your favourite comedy, take a walk in the park where you are likely to meet some cute squirrels. The more goodness you learn to notice and feel, the more will come to you.

And how do you build or recover your resource?

January Wishes

Thinking about January wishes, I wish us, dear friends and readers, a good year. I won’t call it happy or prosperous, although I certainly want it to be such. But not all things can be foreseen, whereas goodness needs no foresight. It exists. And I wish you to have as much goodness in 2024 as possible.

I also wish you to find Love or to cherish the one you already have. Love makes the Earth go round, this is true, so I wish you to experience more of it in 2024.

Finally, I wish us peace – the peace of mind, the peace of your home, the peace in your country. It has to be good and lasting. I believe our January Wishes are similar on this one.

When we are at peace with ourselves, we let others be what they are. It doesn’t mean we approve of everything they say or do. It merely means that we take them for what they are, while remaining focused on ourselves. We take time and pleasure in our own work and development; and if others should remain with us, they will, and if not, it is better that we don’t keep them around for fear of remaining alone.

December Magic – 31: The End of 2023

I decided not to draw any results for the year 2023 nor to list my resolutions. As for the latter, I used to do this when I was in the first years of writing this blog. For one reason or another, this never worked, and looking back at my list I would realise that my best intentions never even got off the ground. I tried to use a Chris Brogan technique of identifying 3 words for the coming year, but this didn’t really work either.

In the last few years I have been drawing a list of goals for different areas of my life. My technique lies at the intersection of the famous Life Balance Wheel and the 12 Days of Solar Chart that follow one’s birthday and represent different aspects of life, personal and professional development. I then try to “schedule” some goals by quarter, by month, by week and, finally, by day.

And speaking of results, this technique has begun to bring the desired outcome in the form of accomplishments. So, if you like to know more, I shall write another article on this.

Instead of conclusions and resolutions I am drawing a list of things and people I am grateful for. I am grateful for many publications in the Russian online and offline media. I am grateful for many TV appearances. I am grateful for two books that I completed, for 2 academic conferences that I attended with a paper, and for 3 academic papers that appeared this year, in print as in an electronic version.

I am grateful for people I have in life, starting with parents and including many fantastic individuals throughout the world. I am grateful for my pets and for my students. I am grateful for so many things I shall not be able to mention all even if I try. In short, my results of 2023 are impressive even to me.

Most importantly, I am grateful for living in Russia. We hear from many foreign people that here we will reach the unprecedented heights in coming years. While this is true, I certainly don’t want the rest of the world to suffer at the hands of their globalist governments. I hope people will reassess the state of things and will start making a move towards a more conservative and balanced policy.

As always, I wish you a very happy New Year! S Novym Godom!

December Magic – 30 (Belgorod Attack)

I wanted to have a lazy day this Saturday, so I didn’t set the clock. Indeed, this is my best way to relax and recharge: to have no alarm clock go off when I haven’t slept enough.

Then I went to do some shopping because I really don’t like to do it on December 30th or 31st. And by that time we had already started getting reports about the Ukrainian forces attacking the city of Belgorod that borders on the Kharkov Region. Yet around 4pm it got worse. The Russian forces obviously worked well to counter the attack. Yet it still resulted in several deaths, including three children’s. Around 20 people are currently in hospital in life-threatening condition.

As I have a student from Belgorod this year, I messaged his mother to ask if they were fine – just in time to learn that she was going to go out for something. Apparently, my mission was to remind her that there are some important things at this time, especially her safety.

This is not the first time something atrocious happens days before New Year. In those years, despite tragedy, no celebrations were cancelled. This year the capital cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg cancelled fireworks, although the decorations and Christmas markets are in full glory. It is evident, however, that when our entire country is investing in our war effort lavish celebrations are inappropriate.

The case with Belgorod has been reported by the other side as an air raid of a military object. But as you can see in the photo the attack aimed at the central square with New Year tree and the Christmas market. Hence the casualties among civilians, including children.

I wrote last year that all the so-called civilized nations and allies had ever done was killing children. Not all children, of course, but certainly those they deemed unworthy of walking the Earth. Such was their treatment of the Soviet children, then the Vietnamese, then the Russian kids at the Nord-Ost musical and in Beslan, then the children of Donbass. In autumn this year we have witnessed a totally unacceptable destruction of Gaza in Palestine, resulting in mass killings of children. The truth is, the same conductors operate this devilish orchestra. And today they ordered an air attack on the Belgorod city centre, two days before New Year.

As much as they understand the futility of these actions, they still undertake them, for their desire to annihilate those they consider their adversaries is stronger than any common sense. We just wait to see this desire finally turning against them.

Our condolences go to the Belgorod families.

December Magic – 19: St Nicholas

Today the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the Day of St Nicholas. In Europe, his day falls on December 6th; and in Russia it is otherwise called the Wintry Nikola Day. There is also the Spring Nikola Day, celebrated on May 22.

This saint was widely celebrated in both churches, however, the Western iconography supersedes the Eastern in many aspects. Western artists liked to portray him making one of the two miracles. First, was the Miracle of Three Sisters when the saint offered them 3 bags with gold to relieve them of an unnecessary marriage. In fact, these three bags have become the saint’s symbol. The second was the Miracle of Sailors when the saint saved the ship caught up in tempest.

Later on the saint became a favourite character of children’s celebrations, and it is through this tradition that he eventually became a staple of today’s popular culture.

So below are some pictures from the Renaissance period and the 19th century, showing the change in the saint’s role.

Girolamo Macchietti, The Charity of St Nicholas

Nicholas Falco, St Nicholas and St Denis

St Nicholas Saving the Sailors, from Les Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry

Incidentally, my father’s name is Nicholas (Nikolai), so my paternal name is Nikolaevna (daughter of Nikolai, i.e.). My parish church and the one where I got baptised 5 years ago in another parish in the centre of Moscow are both consecrated to him. So I certainly believe that this saint plays an important role in my life, too.

December Magic – 9

I don’t often write about my birthday on this blog. I am very grateful to all my Russian and some foreign friends who sent their greetings. I spent this day with my father at the performance of the Nutcracker Ballet by Saint-Petersburg Mariinsky Theatre at the Hall of All-Church Congregations of Christ the Saviour Cathedral. After the performance I went to the Cathedral to attend a part of the service and came home. It was a roller-coaster day but I chose to live it on my terms although in someone’s opinion it was totally heartless.

You see, we are often so hard on ourselves, and in time this burden becomes unbearable. I had to make a difficult decision, but when I spoke to my good friend he suggested this was a leap of faith for me. Either I would choose myself, especially on a day like this, and enjoy the ballet; or I would stay home and sink in tears. So I went to enjoy the wonderful music of Tchaikovsky. I did cry during the performance, and it is obvious now that I wasn’t totally heartless, but I firmly stood by my decision, and this clearly counts.

I shall write about my 2023 in this year’s final post. Now I’d only say that it takes courage and determination to follow your dreams, but the payoff is massive.

November Thanks – 20

“Find Love…, and Love will come looking for you”

I love this line from Paul McCartney’s Young Boy. It succinctly tells about the principal source of all bountiful things in this world. It is Love. We often mistake other things for it, but, as the new world is presently unraveling, it is necessary to get back to where it all began.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

So, Love never fails, and this is what we should aim for: to never fail those whom we love and who love us in return. Be it people or animals, buildings or trees, they all last only as long as we love them. Sadly, we spend eternity waiting for Love whereas the task is to find it, to open our hearts to receive it, and to take it further, to spread it far and wide.

When we learn to be proactive in this, our world will have changed forever.

November Thanks – 19

Warmth is something we take for granted. A house should be warm, and so should our tea and meals, and winter clothes, and a hot water bottle. Little do we think, though, about the warmth of our hearts and souls. The cold we sometimes feel has nothing to do with the lack of clothes or low heating. It comes from within; it comes from other people. It causes loneliness and insecurity, frustration and disenchantment.

I’m grateful for people who shared their warmth with me when I needed it. Today I share my warmth with others to make them more confident, to let them feel love and acceptance. It is a great power – to give others what you have in excess.

November Thanks – 13

Of all things I’m most thankful for I’d single out the friends that I acquired after 2014. The year when the Crimea reunited with Russia, a massacre in Odessa happened and a Malaysian Boeing’s catastrophe orchestrated.

I came to realise then that a few people I thought were my friends turned out to be quite alien. And I’d cope with that had it not been for their hell-bent determination to put me straight. As far as they were concerned, I was a victim of the state propaganda. In my turn, I couldn’t come to terms with the fact that we used to read the same historical texts and learn the same dates, and all graduated “cum laude”, yet for some inexplicable reason the opinion of the so-called global community mattered more to them than the actual facts.

In the end I decided I wanted more like-minded people in my life, and in the years that followed I found a lot of them, indeed.

Many of us avoid changes for fear of losing what we’ve got. To think about it, this is how a deficiency thinking is formed: we convince ourselves that unless we keep to what we have now there will be no more in future. And so we choose to persist in misery lest we experience happiness. What do you choose?

November Thanks – 12

In expressing our gratitude we should not lose the sight of one, most curious fact. We thank God and the Universe for providing us with opportunities. We are capable of thanking ourselves for grabbing those opportunities. But rarely do we acknowledge, or even realise, that a person or people we help and serve are also god-sent. They are an opportunity, too, and we should be thankful for having them in our life. By experience, it can take a while to figure this out; once you did it, though, you will always be thankful for being surrounded by people and things.