Thread by @thechrisbuskirk

Confronting oppression.

“A universal spiritual death has already touched us all & physical death will soon flare up & consume us both & our children—but as before we still smile in a cowardly way & mumble w/o tounges tied. But what can we do to stop it? We haven't the strength?

We have been so hopelessly dehumanized that for today's modest ration of food we are willing to abandon all our principles, our souls, and all the efforts of our predecessors and all opportunities for our descendants—but just don't disturb our fragile existence.

We have been indoctrinated in political courses, and in just the same way was fostered the idea to live comfortably, and all will be well for the rest of our lives.

You can't escape your environment and social conditions. Everyday life defines consciousness. What does it have to do with us? We can't do anything about it?

But we can—everything. But we lie to ourselves for assurance.

And it is not they who are to blame for everything—we ourselves, only we. One can object: But actually toy can think anything you like. Gags have been stuffed into our mouths. Nobody wants to listen to us and nobody asks us. How can we force them to listen?

Now that the axes have done their work, when everything which was sown has sprouted anew, we can see that the young and presumptuous people who thought they would make out country just and happy through terror, bloody rebellion and civil war were themselves misled.

No thanks, fathers of education! Now we know that infamous methods breed infamous results. Let our hands be clean! The circle—is it closed? And is there really no way out? And is there only one thing left for us to do, to wait without taking action?

Maybe something will happen by itself? It will never happen as long as we daily acknowledge, extol, and strengthen—and do not sever ourselves from the most perceptible of its aspects: Lies.

And the simplest and most accessible key to our self-neglected liberation lies right here: Personal non-participation in lies. Though lies conceal everything, though lies embrace everything, but not with any help from me.

This opens a breach in the imaginary encirclement caused by our inaction. It’s the easiest thing to do for us but the most devastating for the lies. Because when people renounce lies it simply cuts short their existence. Like an infection, they can exist only in a living organism

It's dangerous. But let us refuse to say that which we do not think.

This is our path, the easiest and most accessible one, which takes into account out inherent cowardice, already well rooted. And it is much easier—it's dangerous even to say this—than the sort of civil disobedience which Gandhi advocated.

Our path is to talk away fro the gangrenous boundary. If we did not paste together the dead bones and scales of ideology, if we did not sew together the rotting rags, we would be astonished how quickly the lies would be rendered helpless and subside.

Let us make a choice: Whether consciously to remain a servant of falsehood—of course, it’s not out of inclination but to feed one's family, that one raises his children in the spirit of lies—or to shrug off the lies & become an honest man worthy of respect both by one's children

And from that day onward we:

1. Will not henceforth write, sign, or print in any way a single phrase which in his opinion distorts the truth.

2. Will utter such a phrase neither in private conversation not in the presence of many people, neither on his own behalf not at the prompting of someone else, either in the role of agitator, teacher, educator, not in a theatrical role.

3. Will not depict, foster or broadcast a single idea which he can only see is false or a distortion of the truth whether it be in painting, sculpture, photography, technical science, or music.

4. Will not cite out of context, either orally or written, a single quotation so as to please someone, to feather his own nest, to achieve success in his work, if he does not share completely the idea which is quoted, or if it does not accurately reflect the matter at issue.

5. Will not allow himself to be compelled to attend demonstrations or meetings if they are contrary to his desire or will, will neither take into hand not raise into the air a poster or slogan which he does not completely accept.

6. Will not raise his hand to vote for a proposal with which he does not sincerely sympathize, will vote neither openly nor secretly for a person whom he considers unworthy or of doubtful abilities.

7. Will not allow himself to be dragged to a meeting where there can be expected a forced or distorted discussion of a question Will immediately walk out of a meeting, session, lecture, performance or film if he hears a speaker tell lies, purvey ideological nonsense or propaganda

8. Will not subscribe to or buy a newspaper or magazine in which information is distorted & primary facts are concealed. Of course we have not listed all of the possible & necessary deviations from falsehood. But a person who purifies himself will easily identify other instances.

It will not be the same for everybody at first. Some, at first, will lose their jobs. For young people who want to live with truth, this will, in the beginning, complicate their young lives because the required recitations are stuffed with lies, & it is necessary to make a choice

There are no loopholes for anybody who wants to be honest. Each of us will be confronted with at least one of the above-mentioned choices even in the most secure of the technical sciences. Either truth or falsehood: Toward spiritual independence or toward spiritual servitude.

If we are too frightened, then we should stop complaining that someone is suffocating us. We ourselves are doing it.”

From Live Not By Lies by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. The whole thing is here: orthodoxytoday.org/articles/Solhe…