“You know, my whole life has gone into making sure that banal truths are right,” said Miss Palmer.
From fiction
Here’s another banal truth for you. I decided to call it «The Float Theory». I even drew a special float, for clarity. Someone draw better — I’ll replace it. For now, let it be.
«Float» is humanity. You see, it is divided into categories of different sizes, from the first to the eighth. The first is white, then the whiteness gradually decreases, and the eighth category is hopelessly black. These are the gradations of personality, from beautiful to terrible, depending on good or bad behavior. To be clear, «bad» we will consider behavior about which a person knows with all certainty that it is bad. We will not consider good intentions that led to hell as obvious and undoubted Evil. If someone wanted the best, but it turned out horror-horror, we declare an amnesty.
1. People of the first, highest category — those who do good, even if it promises imminent immediate death. Let’s say Jesus, if you treat him like a historical character. Or, I don’t know, Janusz Korczak. In general, devotees, of which there are only a few in the world.
2. Then follow those who do good, even if it threatens them with prison and a scrip. For example, the best of the Decembrists and Narodnaya Volya, or the six dissidents who took to Red Square in 68. There are a few more such people, but still few.
3. The third group is more numerous: people who do good, even if it creates inconvenience for them or puts their well-being at some risk.
4. A very large category is the fourth. It has people who are willing to do good — but on the condition that it is completely safe and not too burdensome.
5. The fifth stratum is not inferior in size to the fourth. This includes people who do good only if it is profitable.
6. Next come the people who calmly do bad things if it promises dividends. (Apparently, such are the majority of deputies of our State Duma).
7. Even lower are those who do bad things completely disinterestedly, for their own pleasure, but only if this is not fraught with punishment. (Uria Gip, Old Woman Shapoklyak… I wanted to name some of my contemporaries again, but okay, I won’t — not about that post).
8. Finally, the most nasty and dangerous variety, fortunately rare: degenerates who do bad things, even if they take great risks. (These are malignant sociopaths — Jack the Ripper, Chikatilo, Hannibal Lecter).
Note that the «water» line runs between the fourth and fifth categories. It is the boundary separating people who are wholly or predominantly good from those who are wholly or predominantly bad. It is to the 4th and 5th categories (“neither fish nor meat”, but some are still rather “fish”, while others are still rather “meat”) that the vast majority of the inhabitants of the planet belong to.
Here’s something else that’s important to know. The composition of «water» (socio-political and moral environment) at different times and in different societies is not the same. In the heinous periods of history, «water» draws the float deep, and then its strips sink. The worse the times, the lower. (Anglers and physics experts, don’t be boring. My float is figurative).
At the same time, the second group breaks up into those who have sat down and become silent, the third group is trembling, the fourth is begging, the fifth is knocking, the sixth is guarding, the seventh is torturing, the eighth is ruling the ball. All people become worse than nature created them — except, of course, the first category, which will not remain without its cross. From the whole «float» only this tiny white pommel sticks out, it will never hide under water.
But sometimes, thank God, and vice versa. When the composition of the «water» improves, the «float» goes up. If decent behavior is encouraged in society, the entire fifth category becomes so glorious that it is a pleasure to look at. The sixth category is unprofitable to foul, the seventh is afraid. Well, the police are hunting for the eighth (the one that “serves and protects”, and not “steals and protects”).
The degree of health of this or that society is determined by a very simple indicator: the behavior of the fourth and fifth groups. If it is safe to do well in a given country, the country is no longer sick. And if so, wow! — profitable, it means that the country has excellent public health. It is in such a Russia that one would like to live.
Now, if you will, a small test (including honesty with ourselves):
(I omit the first and eighth, because the ascetics will be ashamed, and the cannibals will be afraid)
Which of the above categories do you belong to? (question from Boris Akunin)