Leo Tolstoy
one
"Seven people were sentenced to death: two in Petersburg, one in Moscow, two in Pinza and two in Riga. Four people were executed: Hellson, Villeno and Odessa. "
This is in the newspaper every day. This kind of thing has been going on for more than a week, a month, a year, but several years. This happened in Russia, and people thought that every sinner was unfortunate. Until recently, there was no death penalty in law.
I remember that I used to be proud of myself in front of Europeans, but now the death penalty, death penalty, and death penalty keep appearing in the second year and the third year.
I have the latest newspaper.
Now, May 9th, there is a terrible thing. The newspaper printed a few short words: "Today, at Bitzky Field in Streler, Helson, twenty farmers were hanged for robbing Ye Li Shavit's landlord manor in Gele County."
These twelve people are such people: we live by their labor, we used to corrupt them with all our strength, and now we are corrupting them, starting with vodka venom, until we don't believe it but try our best to instill in them terrible lies of faith. These twelve men were hanged by the ropes of those who gave them food, clothes and shelter, and they were and are corrupting them. Twelve husbands, fathers and sons, whose kindness, diligence and simplicity support Russian life, were arrested, put in prison and put on fetters. Then, in order not to let them catch the rope that will hang them, they tied their hands behind their backs and took them under the gallows. There are several farmers like them who will be hanged, but these people are armed, wearing good boots and clean uniforms, with guns in their hands, accompanying the sentenced people. Next to these sentenced people, there was a man with long hair, wearing a robe, wearing a scarf and holding a cross in his hand, standing motionless. The host of all the affairs said a few words, and the secretary read out the official document. After reading the official document, the man with long hair said something about God and Christ to those who were about to be hanged by a rope. With these words, the executioner-there are several of them, and one person can't do such complicated work-immediately washed soapy water and put it on the noose to tighten those who are wearing shackles; Then he put a shroud on them, took them to the wooden platform of the gallows and put a plain cover around their necks.
In this way, one after another, these living people, as the stool was pulled out from under their feet, collided with each other, and the weight of their whole bodies immediately pulled the noose tightly around their necks, thus suffocating painfully. A person who was alive before this, in a short time, became a dead body hanging on a rope, began to shake slowly, and then stopped, motionless.
All this was enthusiastically arranged and thought out by upper-class people and learned civilizations for their human brothers. They suggest doing these things quietly at dawn so that no one will see them; They suggested that the executors should share the responsibility for these atrocities, so that everyone would think and say: He is not a sinner. They put forward ideas, collect depraved and unfortunate people, force them to do what we think and agree with, and pretend as if we hate people who do such things. The idea they came up with was even so subtle that some people (military courts) only made judgments, but it was not soldiers but civil servants who had to attend the execution. Unfortunate, deceived, depraved and despised people go to work. All they can do is to soap the rope, make it tighter, drink the poisoned wine sold by these civilized gentry, and forget their souls and their titles more quickly and thoroughly.
The doctor looked at the body, touched it here, touched it there, and reported to the boss that the work had been completed and everything was done. Twelve people were undoubtedly dead. The boss feels that the work is done seriously, even if it is very heavy and necessary, he goes back to deal with daily affairs. People took down the stiff bodies and buried them.
Isn't this terrible!
This happened more than once, not only to twelve unfortunate deceived people of a kind class of Russian people, but to hundreds of deceived people, which lasted for several years. It was those who deceived them who did such terrible things to them.
They not only did such terrible things, but also created all kinds of sufferings and atrocities in the same cruel prisons, fortresses and exile places under the same excuse.
This is terrible, but the most terrible thing is that it is not out of a whim, not out of overwhelming feelings, just like in a fight, battlefield, or even robbery. On the contrary, it is out of rational requirements and out of intention beyond feelings. So these things are particularly scary. It is terrible because nothing is as widely known as all these things, from judges to executioners to people who don't want to do such things; Nothing can show so clearly the harm of tyranny to the human soul and the harm of some people ruling over others.
When a person can take away the fruits of another person's labor, his money, cows, horses and even his children, we feel angry. -this is irritating, but what is even more irritating is that one person can take another person's soul, force him to do things that hurt his spiritual "I" and deprive him of spiritual happiness. Those who do such things arrange all this for people's happiness with a clear conscience, and force people from judges to executioners to do these things with insidious injuries, threats and deception, which will inevitably deprive them of their true happiness.
When all this has happened in various parts of Russia for several years, the culprits of these things, those who ordered these things and those who could stop them, righteously thought these things were beneficial or even necessary, or came up with some words to talk about why Finns should not live as Finns hope, but must be forced to live as some Russians hope; Or issue some orders, saying, "In the cavalry, the sleeves should be turned over, the coat collar should be the same color as the coat, and the clothes you get should not be edged on the raw edges of the cuffs."
Yes, this is terrible!
two
The most terrible thing here is that all these inhuman atrocities and massacres will not only cause direct harm to the victims of atrocities and their families, but also cause great harm to all the people, and at the same time spread the degeneration of all walks of life in Russia as fast as haystack fires. And this kind of depravity will spread especially quickly among ordinary working people, because all these crimes are more than 0/00 times than ordinary thieves and robbers/kloc-0. All revolutionaries have committed and are committing crimes, and they have an excuse to create these crimes, saying that it is necessary, good and necessary, as well as those facilities that are inseparable from justice and even sacredness in people's minds, such as the Privy Council, the Religious Institute, the Duma, the church and so on.
This depravity is spreading at an unusual speed.
Not long ago, there were not two executioners among all Russian people. Not long ago, in the 1980s, there was only one executioner in Russia. I remember, when Vladimir? Solovjeff was glad to tell me that there was no second executioner in Russia, so he wanted to transport the only one from this place to that place. This is not the case now.
A businessman who opened a small shop in Moscow, after his business failed, was willing to work for * * * when he committed murder. For every person hanged, he got 100 rubles. In a short time, he revived his family business and soon did not need to engage in this sideline. Now do his business as usual.
In the past few months, as in other places, the province of Orel needed executioners, and immediately someone came out and agreed to do so, and agreed with the officials who presided over the killing to pay 50 rubles each. But after he negotiated the price, he knew that the money would be higher elsewhere, so the volunteer executioner put a shroud on the prisoner during the execution, but instead of taking the prisoner to the wooden platform, he stopped and walked up to the police officer and said, "Your honor, please add a ticket of 25 rubles, or I won't do it." Someone gave him money, and he did it.
Then five more people will be executed. The day before the execution, an unknown person came to the official who presided over the murder, hoping to negotiate in secret. The host came out. The unknown man said:
"Not long ago, someone asked you for three tickets, each for 25 rubles. I heard today that I decided to execute five people. Please tell me to leave it all to me. I only need fifteen rubles each. Don't worry, I will do it well. "
I don't know whether this suggestion has been adopted, but I know there is this suggestion.
These crimes caused by * * * act on some very bad and immoral people. But these terrible events have to affect most people with ordinary morality. A large number of ordinary people, especially young people who run their own personal businesses, because they keep hearing and reading about the appalling and inhuman cruelty caused by the authorities, that is, those who are used to being respected as outstanding people, not only can't understand that the people who made these hateful incidents are not worthy of respect, but also unconsciously make the opposite judgment. They think that if people who are respected by everyone do what we think is disgusting, then these things may not be as disgusting as we think.
Nowadays, people write and talk about death penalty, hanging, slaughter and bombs in articles, just as they used to talk about the weather. Children play a game of hanging people. Children or middle school students, deprived of property, almost dare to kill people, just like hunting in the past. Killing big landlords and occupying their land is now considered by many people to be the most reliable way to solve the land problem.
In a word, because of what * * * has done, it allows killing for its own purposes and any crime, such as robbery, theft, lying, torture and slaughter. These unfortunate people who are corrupted by * * * think it is a natural thing, something that human beings have done.
Yes, no matter how terrible the events themselves are, the moral, spiritual and intangible disasters they cause are even more terrible than others.
three
You said you created these horrors to establish peace and order.
You build peace and order!
How on earth did you make it? You, the representatives of Christ's power, the teachers and teachers praised and encouraged by the church, have destroyed people's last faith and morality, committed the biggest crimes: lies, betrayal, all kinds of torture, committed the worst and most terrible crimes, and violated every human conscience that has not been completely corrupted: that is, not a single massacre, but most massacres, endless massacres, and you should quote all kinds of stupid ones.
You say this is the only way to make the people peaceful and destroy the revolution, but this is obviously a lie. Obviously, this is not to meet the minimum justice requirements of all Russian farmers: to eliminate private ownership of land. On the contrary, it is to affirm private ownership, to anger the people in various ways, and to anger those reckless people who wage violent struggles with you. Since they are physically and mentally tortured, exiled and imprisoned, and women and children are hanged, you can't calm them down. You know, no matter how hard you try to destroy your reason and love, they still exist in your heart. You should wake up and think about it, so that you will see that if you act like this, that is, you participate in these terrible crimes, you will not only be unable to cure the disease, but also aggravate it and get into it.
This is very clear.
The reason for this kind of event is not the events in the material world, but all the problems are in people's mental mood and have changed. No matter how hard you try, you can't make it back to its previous state, just as you can't make adults become children again. The anger or peace of society never depends on whether Petrov is alive or hanged, or whether Ivanov is not living in Tangpov, but living in Nebuchadnezzar Chu and living in slavery. The anger or peace of society can only depend on how not only Petrov or Ivanov, but also the vast majority of people view their own situation, how the majority treat the ruling authorities, private land and the beliefs they spread, that is, what the majority think is good and what is evil. The power of events lies not in material living conditions, but in people's mental emotions. If you slaughter and torture even one tenth of the Russian people, the mental state of the rest will not be what you want.
So, what you are doing now, together with your search, investigation, exile, imprisonment, hard labor and gallows-all these will not only lead the people to the state where you want to lead, but will increase anger and eliminate any possibility of peace.
You said, "So what should we do? What should we do now to calm the people? How to stop those atrocities that are happening? "
The answer is the simplest: stop what you are doing.
If no one knows what needs to be done to make the "people"-the whole people peaceful (many people know very well that the most important thing to make the Russian people peaceful is to abolish private ownership of land, just like abolishing serfdom 50 years ago), if no one knows what needs to be done now to make the people peaceful, it is still very clear, and there is absolutely no need to do anything that will only increase people's anger. And that's exactly what you're doing now.
What you do is not for the people, but for yourself. In order to protect what you think is beneficial because of your fallacies, it is actually your poor and despicable position. So, don't say that what you do is for the people. This is a lie. All the despicable things you do are done by yourself, for your own selfishness, for fame and fortune, for vanity, for personal revenge; In order to live a few more days in the corruption that I live in and think is a kind of happiness.
But no matter how many times you say that everything you do is for the happiness of the people, people always know you better and despise you more and more, and don't look at your suppression and suppression measures as you wish. You want to see this as the * * * action of some high-ranking people, but they see it as a bad thing done by some malicious and selfish people in private.
four
You said, "It was not us at the beginning, but revolutionaries, and the terrible atrocities of revolutionaries can only be suppressed by being tough (you call your atrocities like this) and tough measures."
You said the atrocities caused by revolutionaries were terrible.
I won't argue. I'll add this. Their career is not only terrible, but also stupid, and they can't hit the target, just like yours. But what they do: all these bombs and assassinations, all these extremely hateful activities of killing people for money-all these things, no matter how terrible and stupid, are far from what you know.
They did exactly the same thing as you, for the same reason. They share the same fallacy as you (I want to say ridiculous, if its consequences are not so terrible). Some people just draw up a plan according to their own opinions. How desirable a society should be, then they have the right and the possibility to arrange other people's lives according to this plan. The fallacies and heresies are exactly the same, and the means to achieve the purpose of imagination are exactly the same. These means are all kinds of violence until people are killed. The reasons for the atrocities are exactly the same. This excuse is bad for the happiness of most people, not immoral. Therefore, if we can realize the imaginary happy situation that we imagine, foresee and hope to set for most people, we can lie, rob and slaughter without violating moral rules.
You people call the cause of revolutionaries atrocities and heinous crimes, but they didn't do it in the past, and now they haven't done what you didn't do, and you haven't done it to extremes. Therefore, when you use those immoral means you use to achieve your goals, you have no reason to blame the revolutionaries. What they do is exactly what you do; You hire spies, deceive people again and again, spread lies in newspapers, and they do the same; You use all kinds of violence to seize people's property and dispose of it according to your own will, and so do they; You killed people you thought were harmful, and so did they. Everything you can use for self-defense, they also use it for self-defense, what's more, you have done many bad things that they have not done, such as squandering people's property, preparing and conducting wars, conquering and oppressing foreigners, and so on.
You said you had ancient legends you followed and examples of great people's activities in the past. They also have ancient legends that predate the French Revolution. There are many great men, models worthy of emulation and martyrs who died for truth and freedom.
So, if there's any difference between you and them, it's just that you want everything to stay the way it was and they want to change. When they think that everything can't stay the same forever, if they don't take away the absurd and harmful fallacy from you. It is more correct than you to think that some people can know the unique lifestyle of all people in the future and can establish this lifestyle through violence. Everything else they do is just the kind of thing you do, and the means used are the same. They are all your students. As the saying goes, they are just a few drops in your fruit. They are not only your students, but also your products and your children. Without you, there would be no them. So, when you want to suppress them by force, what you do is like a person trying to open the door.
If you have differences with them, it will never be good for you, only good for them. You can give them a lighter reason. First, their atrocities are carried out at great personal risk, which is much greater than yours. In the eyes of gullible young people, adventure and danger can justify many mistakes. Second, most of them are young people who are easy to make mistakes; However, most of you are mature people, old people, and you can be frank and generous with people who make mistakes. Third, they can be given a lighter punishment, because no matter how odious their killing behavior is, it is not as cruel as your Fort Richter, slavery, gallows and shooting. Article 4. The reason why revolutionaries can be relieved of their sins is that they don't accept any unquestionable religious teachings and think that the purpose can prove the right means. Therefore, it is completely reasonable for them to kill one person or several people for the imaginary happiness of most people. However, you people, from the executioners at lower levels to those in charge at higher levels, all defend religion and Christianity, and Christianity is incompatible with what you do anyway.
You, the elderly, the leaders of others, Christians, you said, "We didn't start it, they did." This is like what a fighting child says when he is scolded for fighting. As rulers of the people, you can't and can't say anything better than this. But who are you? You are the ones who admit that such a person is a god. He not only forbids any slaughter in the clearest way, but also forbids any anger against our brothers. He not only forbids court and punishment, but also forbids blaming our brothers; He abolished all punishments in the clearest language, and admitted that it was inevitable to forgive forever, no matter how many times the crime would be repeated; He ordered to give the right face to the person who hit your left face, and not to repay evil with good; He told the story of a woman who was sentenced to stoning, which showed very simply that some people could not blame and punish others. Those of you who admit that this mentor is a god can't find anything else to show that you did the right thing except "They started, they killed people-come on, we killed them".
five
A painter I know very well wants to draw a picture of the death penalty and needs an executioner as a model. He found a porter in Moscow, when he was the executioner. He went to the janitor's house. Today is Easter. The family were all dressed up and sitting at the coffee table, but the owner was not there. I learned later that he hid when he saw strangers. The wife looked embarrassed and said that her husband was not at home, but the little girl told me everything about him.
She said, "Dad is in the attic." She doesn't know that her father knows that he has done bad things, so he should be afraid of everyone. The painter explained to the hostess that he needed her husband as a "model" to draw a portrait according to his appearance, because his appearance was suitable for the painting he wanted to draw (of course, the painter didn't say what he needed the servant's appearance to draw). After chatting with the hostess for a while, the painter made a suggestion to her out of personal feelings, saying that he could take the little boy back to learn painting. This suggestion obviously won the favor of the hostess. She went out, and after a while, the man came in frowning, very gloomy and a little scared. He has been asking the painter for a long time, why and why he is needed. When the painter told him that he met him in the street, he thought his appearance was suitable for painting. The servant asked him where he saw him. What time? What clothes to wear? Obviously, because of fear and suspicion of something bad, he completely refused.
Yes, this hands-on executioner knows that he is an executioner and that what he is doing is a bad thing. Because of what he did, people hated him and he was afraid of people. I think this consciousness and fear in front of people can at least wash away some of his sins. And all of you, from court clerks to chief ministers and czars, who are indirect participants in atrocities that happen every day, don't seem to feel guilty or ashamed, but should be ashamed of participating in creating terror. Yes, you are afraid of people, too. Just like the executioner, the greater your responsibility for the crime, the more afraid you are: the prosecutor is more afraid than the secretary, the president of the court is more afraid than the prosecutor, the governor is more afraid than the president, and the prime minister is more afraid than anyone else. You are all afraid, but not because you know you are doing bad things, like executioners, but because you think others are doing bad things.
Therefore, I think, no matter how hopeless this unfortunate servant has fallen, compared with you, compared with the participants in these terrible crimes and those who are somewhat guilty, those who only complain about others without complaining about others and remain arrogant are, after all, morally superior.
six
I know that everyone is human, we are all weak, we all have mistakes, and one can't blame another. I had a long struggle with my feelings. My feelings are aroused by the initiators of these terrible crimes in the past and now, and the higher these people climb on the social ladder, the more aroused they are. But now I can't. I don't want to fight this feeling anymore.
The reason why I can't and won't, first of all, is that these people who can't see their sins need to be exposed, and they themselves need to be exposed. Under the influence of these people's superficial rewards and praises, countless ordinary people who sponsored their appalling deeds and even tried their best to imitate them also needed this exposure. Secondly, I can't and don't want to fight again because (I admit this publicly) I hope that my exposure to these people will lead to my being removed from their circle in some way, which I very much hope. Now that I live among them, I can't help but feel that I am a participant in the crime that happened around me.
You know, everything we are doing in Russia now is for the happiness of all people, and for the people living in Russia to have enough food and clothing, peace and tranquility. If so, then all this is done for me living in Russia. However, for me, this is the poverty of the people, deprived of their basic and natural human rights-using the land where they were born. For me, this is that hundreds of thousands of peasants put on military uniforms, were trained to kill people, and lost a happy life; For me, this is a person who pretends to believe in religion with the main responsibility of distorting and concealing the true Christianity. For me, this is to drive people from one place to another; For me, this is a hungry worker in Qian Qian, and they are definitely wandering in Russia; To me, this is an unfortunate man. He died of typhoid fever and plague, in a fortress and prison that is not enough for everyone in Qian Qian. For me, this is the pain of the parents and wives of those who were deported, imprisoned and hanged. For me, it is these spies and conspirators, these policemen who kill people, who are rewarded for killing people. For me, this is burying dozens or hundreds of people who have been shot; For me, this is a terrible job. For executioners who used to be hard to find, they don't hate this kind of thing so much now. For me, it is these gallows and the women, children and men hanging from them; For me, this is a terrible resentment between people.
No matter all this is done for me, I am a participant in these terrible things. How ridiculous it is, I can't help but feel that there is no doubt that my spacious room, my lunch, my clothes, my spare time, and trying to eradicate the terrible crimes committed by those who want to take away what I enjoy. Although I know that without the threat of * *, these homeless, resentful, corrupt and depraved people will take away everything I enjoy, all of them are made by * * *, but I still can't help but feel that my peace today is actually caused by the terror made by * * * now.
When I realized this, I couldn't stand it any longer. I can't. I should get rid of this painful situation.
You can't live like this. At least I can't live like this. I can't and won't.
Therefore, when I write this article, I will try my best to spread what I have written in Russia and abroad, so that I can choose one of two things: either end these inhuman events, or destroy my connection with them, so as to reach or put me in prison, where I will clearly realize that all these horrors are not made for me, or it is best (so good that I dare not hope to have such happiness) to dress me up as twenty or twelve farmers.
seven
Now, in order to achieve one of these two purposes, I appeal to all participants in these terrible events, and I appeal to all of you to start with those who wear hats and lassos for human brothers, women and children; From the warden to you, the main commander and licensor of these terrible crimes.
Human brothers! Wake up, reflect and understand what you are doing. Think back. Think about who you are.
You know, before you became an executioner, a general, a prosecutor, a judge, a prime minister and a czar, you were one of the first people. You appear in God's world today, and there will be no you tomorrow (you, all kinds of executioners who have been and are particularly hated now, you need to remember this especially). Don't you, a fleeting person in God's world-you know, if you are not killed, death will always stand behind us-don't you see that the mission of your life can't be to torture and kill, but you are afraid of being killed; Can't you see that you are deceiving yourself, people and God, but you must believe in yourself and people. You are doing an important and great thing for the happiness of millions of people by participating in these things? Don't you know-if you are not intoxicated by the environment, flattery and common sophistry-that the purpose of coming up with all these words is just to make yourself a good person even if you do something bad? You can't help but know that you, like each of us, have only one real thing that contains all the rest-to follow the will that sent us to this world, to live the brief moment given to us, and to leave this world according to that will. And this will only wants one thing, that is, everyone loves each other.
But what are you doing? What do you do with your spiritual strength? Who do you love? Who loves you? Is that your wife? Your children? But this is not love. The love of wife and children is not human love. Animals will also love like this, and more strongly. Human love means that everyone loves each other and everyone, just like God's sons and brothers.
Who do you have such love for? No one. So who loves you? I love no one.
People are afraid of you like executioners or wild animals. People flatter you because they look down on them and hate you-how much they hate you! You know that. You're afraid of people.
Yes, you all think about it. People who participated in the massacre from senior to junior, think about who you are and stop what you are doing. Stop-this is not for yourself, not for yourself, not for people, not for people to stop blaming you, but for your own soul, for the God who lives in your heart no matter how you destroy it.