06/24/2016

The well-known Russian Orthodox philosopher Victor Trostnikov is glad that the English have despised material benefits by voting for a way out of the dying European Union.

Under the rule of Margaret Thatcher, I had for some time to live in the provinces of the UK, amid the purple-covered heather of South Wales. Of all my experiences overseas – and they apply to America, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland – it was the most powerful and stable and touched the soul the most. I saw wonderful people, courageous, discreet and not just hard-working, and thousands of the population who did not have a slacker. In it, I felt an echo of the great nation that gave the world Newton, Shakespeare and Francis Drake, that gave humanity the Pacific Ocean and its own language, which has become a means of planetary communication. At the same time I caught in this kind of people the “Stockholm Syndrome” – surrender to the incoming of people from former colonies – Pakistanis and Africans. This surrender so upset me that I wrote an article similar to an epitaph, called something between the “English, I have loved you”, and “where once lived the British.” The article was immediately translated into English and the first Briton who examined it said: «It is exactly what I think».

Since then the years have passed. The sadness for a bygone great nation gradually weakened. Well done – I thought – everything comes to an end. Take, for example Norwegians. What people they have! – Abel, Grieg, Nansen, Amundsen! And now – Breivik …

And a referendum. In a pragmatic sense, for England to leave the EU is not very profitable, it is threatened by economic crisis. But the British, whom I had given up on, have despised material benefits and do not want to continue to be mixed up with migrants and infected by the poisonous corpse of a dying Europe. It turns out that I hastened to bury the British – they are still alive and want to continue to live. In this they are similar to us. Politically, we have always been antagonistic, not counting a brief stay in the Entente. But this opposition is led by our inner relationship. British politicians have always said: “We do not have friends, we have interests,” – and the same was repeated by Alexander III: Russia has no friends, except for the army and navy.

The English nation, who have a unique sense of humour, have played a joke with everyone who had buried her, including me, but I am very happy.

Viktor Trostnikov , Orthodox philosopher, theologian, writer

http://ruskline.ru/news_rl/2016/06/24/anglichane_ya_snova_vas_polyubil/