Page 541

[Alexandr Korol]

Alexandr: No, that’s not it. There’s another factor — a psychological one.
When you used to get burned, it was so rare and the cause was so obvious.
Your entire family, your circle, the whole system would react. If you made
a mistake, everyone would ask: “You made a mistake; do you understand
that?” and you’d say “I understand.” They’d say, “We made mistakes once
too, but do you understand why you can’t do that?” And you’d say “Yes.” It’s
as if the system was tuned that way. But now, you make a mistake, you look
around, and no one says a word — in fact, everyone else is making even bigger
mistakes. They didn’t just get burned; they didn’t make it to the toilet and
peed their pants, they left the iron on and the house is burning down. And
other people just say: “That’s normal, my house burned down yesterday too.”
It’s as if this is the new normal. Back then, it was abnormal, and you had
to learn a lesson. Now, it’s like: “Whatever, who cares? It broke? Just step
over it and keep going. You’re bleeding, you’re rotting? Just keep walking
until your legs fall off. And if they do? Well, no one has legs anymore.
What’s the big deal?”
Friend: Well, yes, there is this issue of attention — for some reason, it doesn’t
focus on things, as if they don’t matter. For me, those moments were always
important. I paid attention to them.
Alexandr: Okay, Alex. Now, here is my point. I need you to test my theory —
confirm it or add your own. Why is it that 100 years ago we didn’t have “electricity,”
phones, laptops, or TVs, and the first motor cars were just appearing...
essentially, 150 years ago, everyone rode horses by kerosene lamplight. But
the people then... look at their conversations, their dialogue, their vocabulary.
I believe that the way a person speaks reflects how detailed their view of
the world is. There was such detail, such structure to everything. Clothes
were perfectly tailored. Their posture, the way everyone followed rules and
traditions. It was extremely important. It’s as if they weren’t backward; on
the contrary, it feels like there are no people more highly developed or high-
status than those of that period. Even though we consider it the “old past” and
we are in the “technological 21st century,” people today are like primitives.
Twenty-year-olds are starting to complain about dementia. There is this
insane immorality, scattered attention, laziness. Values are crumbling — no
respect for family, no one wants children, no one wants to work or achieve
anything, and no one is ashamed of being a loser.