Alexander Dugin: "We are a people prepared and reserved for the future"
What is the key to understanding Russian culture? How does our people differ from others? What place does Russia hold in world history? Alexander Dugin, Director of the Ivan Ilyin Higher Political School Academic and Research Centre, Doctor of Political and Sociological Sciences, and Professor, spoke about this in a conversation with the press office of the National Centre RUSSIA.
"The concept of 'culture' includes many elements, from which it is necessary to extract the spiritual core. These include traditions, literature, history, and much more, but first and foremost, of course, the Church — as an idea and the foundation of culture. Everything substantial and meaningful is embedded in our Orthodox culture. Therefore, in my view, what must first be revived is the fullness of Orthodox self-awareness of the Russian person. This will provide the key to folk traditions, to understanding our literature, to deciphering our art, to historical enlightenment, and to traditional values.
It should be noted that every people in the world has its own understanding of history. Some live in the past — they value what has already been done and live through this legacy. Others live only in the present. Americans, for example. They have discarded European history. Their own history is not astonishing, not substantial, not especially beautiful, not deep, but they live in the present. They use and experience the present to the fullest.
Russia belongs to the peoples who live in the future. Our country has a magnificent past and a contradictory present, but all this is nothing compared to what still to what lies ahead in history."
"We exist for the sake of the future, we live for the sake of the future. We must accomplish some most important, grand deed of historical scale, incomparable to what we have done before — and we have done much. We live for a great event that lies ahead, and this event is drawing closer to us. To decipher its meaning is extremely difficult, but this, in essence, is our history. Great minds, saints, warriors, rulers, monks, philosophers, people of great culture — all tried to anticipate this future event, this Russian moment of the world, and it is arriving. I am certain that it will arrive.
Russia has set a course towards renewing its social architecture. This process is associated with certain difficulties. But there is no need to fear this. On the contrary, the emerging challenges indicate that the country is awakening, beginning to see many processes in the correct light, and returning from historical unconsciousness to full-fledged existence in history. In this process, I place great hopes on Russia’s youth.
Young people are free from the evident mistakes, vices, and delusions of previous generations. I place my hopes in new Russian people who are emerging before our eyes. They will be this bright future. New Russian generations are coming to their senses, beginning to pose serious questions, to reflect on what truly matters, and to act, think, and create. It is precisely this that underlies my hopes for the revival of Russia."
