"Right external considering is very important in the work. It often happens that
people who understand very well the necessity of external considering in life do not
understand the necessity of external consider-
ing in the work; they decide that just because they are in the work they have the right
not to consider. Whereas in reality, in the work, that is, for a man's own successful
work, ten times more external considering is necessary than in life, because only
external considering on his part shows his valuation of the work and his
understanding of the work; and success in the work is always proportional to the
valuation and understanding of it. Remember that work cannot begin and cannot
proceed on a level lower than that of the obyvatel, that is, on a level lower than
ordinary life. This is a very important principle which, for some reason or other, is
very easily forgotten. But we will speak about this separately afterwards." [...]
"It often seems to people of the 'way,' that is, of the subjective way, especially those
who are just beginning, that other people, that is, people of the objective way, are not
moving. But this is a great mistake. A simple obyvatel may sometimes do such work
within him that he will overtake another, a monk or even a yogi.
[Psyche: For example, I'm in the 'way' (that is, the subjective way) if I think that I'm so much better because I have so much good knowledge that those other deluded people don't have... Hmm, so to speak :)]
"Obyvatel is a strange word in the Russian language. It is used in the sense of
'inhabitant,' without any particular shade. At the same time it is used to express
contempt or derision—'obyvatel'—as though there could be nothing worse. But those
who speak in this way do not understand that the obyvatel is the healthy kernel of life.
And from the point of view of the possibility of evolution, a good obyvatel has many
more chances than a 'lunatic' or a 'tramp.' Afterwards I will perhaps explain what I
mean by these two words. In the meantime we will talk about the obyvatel. I do not at
all wish to say that all obyvatels are people of the objective way. Nothing of the kind.
Among them are thieves, rascals, and fools; but there are others. I merely wish to say
that being a good obyvatel by itself does not hinder the 'way' And finally there are different types of obyvatel. Imagine, for
example, the type of obyvatel who lives all his life just as the other people round him,
conspicuous in nothing, perhaps a good master, who makes money, and is perhaps
even close-fisted. At the same time he dreams all his life of monasteries, for instance,
and dreams that some time or other he will leave everything and go into a monastery.
And such things happen in the East and in Russia. A man lives and works, then, when
his children or his grandchildren are grown up, he gives everything to them and goes
into a monastery. This is the obyvatel of which I speak. Perhaps he does not go into a
monastery, perhaps he does not need this. His own life as an obyvatel can be his way.
"People who are definitely thinking about ways, particularly people of intellectual
ways, very often look down on the obyvatel and in general despise the virtues of the
obyvatel. But they only show by this their own personal unsuitability for any way
whatever. Because no way can begin from a level lower than the obyvatel. This is very
often lost sight of on people who are unable to organize their own personal lives, who
are too weak to struggle with and conquer life, dream of the ways, or what they
consider are ways, because they think it will be easier for them than life and because
this, so to speak. Justifies their weakness and their inadaptability. A man who can be a
good obyvatel is much more helpful from the point of view of the way than a 'tramp'
who thinks himself much higher than an obyvatel. I call 'tramps' all the so-called
'intelligentsia'— artists, poets, any kind of 'bohemian' in general, who despises the
obyvatel and who at the same time would be unable to exist without him. Ability to
orientate oneself in life is a very useful quality from the point of view of work. A good
obyvatel should be able to support at least twenty persons by his own labor. What is a
man worth who is unable to do this?"
[...]
"A good deal is incomprehensible to you because you do not take into account the
meaning of some of the most simple words, for instance,
' you have never thought what to be serious means. Try to give yourselves an answer to
the question what being serious means."
"To have a serious attitude towards things," someone said.
"That is exactly what everybody thinks, actually it is exactly the reverse," said G.
"To have a serious attitude towards things does not at all mean being serious because
the principal question is, towards what things? Very many people have a serious
attitude towards trivial things. Can they be called serious? Of course not.
"The mistake is that the concept 'serious' is taken conditionally. One thing is serious
for one man and another thing for another man. In reality seriousness is one of the
concepts which can never and under no circumstances be taken conditionally. Only
one thing is serious for all people at all times. A man may be more aware of it or less
aware of it but the seriousness of things will not alter on this account.
"If a man could understand all the horror of the lives of ordinary people who are
turning round in a circle of insignificant interests and insignificant aims, if he could
understand what they are losing, he would understand that there can be only one thing
that is serious for him—to escape from the general law, to be free. What can be
serious for a man in prison who is condemned to death? Only one thing: How to save
himself, how to escape: nothing else is serious.
"When I say that an obyvatel is more serious than a 'tramp' or a 'lunatic,' I mean by
this that, accustomed to deal with real values, an obyvatel values the possibilities of
the 'ways' and the possibilities of 'liberation' or 'salvation' better and quicker than a
man who is accustomed all his life to a circle of imaginary values, imaginary interests,
and imaginary possibilities.
"People who are not serious for the obyvatel are people who live by fantasies,
chiefly by the fantasy that they are able to do something. The obyvatel knows that
they only deceive people, promise them God knows what, and that actually they are
simply arranging affairs for themselves—or they are lunatics, which is still worse, in
other words they believe everything that people say."
"To what category do politicians belong who speak contemptuously about
'obyvatel,' 'obyvatels' opinions,' 'obyvatels' interests'?" someone asked.
"They are the worst kind of obyvatels," said G., "that is, obyvatels without any
positive redeeming features, or they are charlatans, lunatics, or knaves."
"But may there not be honest and decent people among politicians?" someone
asked.
"Certainly there may be," said G., "but in this case they are not prac-
tical people, they are dreamers, and they will be used by other people as screens to
cover their own obscure affairs.
"The obyvatel perhaps may not know it in a philosophical way, that is to say, he is
not able to formulate it, but he knows that things 'do themselves' simply through his
own practical shrewdness, therefore, in his heart, he laughs at people who think, or
who want to assure him, that they signify anything, that anything depends on their
decisions, that they can change or, in general, do anything. This for him is not being
serious. And an understanding of what is not serious can help him to value that which
is serious."
