Anton and Viktoria Makarsky: "A family means being one whole"
A family is not about "what makes me happy" but about "being one whole". That was the message shared by Anton and Viktoria Makarsky during a meeting with participants of the All-Russian Civil Society Development Forum "Dobrino" at the National Centre RUSSIA branch in Yugra. The audience enjoyed an open conversation featuring personal stories, reflections on family life, answers to questions and favourite songs.
"It is very important to find your place in life. For a long time, I kept asking myself: people build cities, extract oil and gas, bake bread. And what do I do? I recite poetry and sing songs. But today I truly feel how important our profession is and that we are exactly where we should be. That is why our conversation was so genuine — none of us knew in advance what topics, poems or songs would emerge as we talked," Anton Makarsky shared.
Known to millions of viewers, the performers appeared as lecturers for the Russian society Znanie, but chose to forgo formal speeches in favour of an open and sincere dialogue. They spoke about how to preserve love over the decades, avoid losing oneself in parenthood, and find joy in any circumstances.
The central theme of the meeting was love as the foundation of healthy relationships. Viktoria Makarskaya shared several simple yet effective "secrets" of a happy marriage that she had learned from her great-grandmother: pay attention to how a person treats children and animals, and focus not on how much money they have but on their aspirations and goals. Her husband echoed this idea: "When young people are asked why they are getting married, the answers are usually, 'because it's time', 'because we should', or 'to be happy'. Very rarely does anyone say, 'to make someone else happy'. But that is what love really is — not what you receive, but how much of yourself you are willing to give to another person."
Anton and Viktoria also discussed professional burnout and the search for meaning with the audience. They encouraged forum participants never to give up, to find joy in life's small moments, and to remember that a joyful person transforms the world around them.
"A joyful person works in a completely different way. Our task, wherever we go, is to lift the spirits of everyone around us. If we are joyful, each of us will approach our work differently, whatever our role may be. Joy, kindness towards one another and love for one another are the foundation of our society's prosperity," the famous couple said.
The discussion on parenting and raising teenagers particularly resonated with participants. Viktoria Makarskaya offered practical advice on building stronger relationships with children: love them unconditionally simply because they exist, and give them choices more often instead of issuing orders. In her view, when parents ask for a child's opinion, children feel respected and develop as individuals. The couple believe the same principle applies to marriage: take an interest in each other's views, speak openly about problems and never allow resentment to build up.
Anton and Viktoria also performed several musical pieces, creating a genuinely warm and family-oriented atmosphere. They concluded by encouraging young people to remember that happiness and harmony are something we create within ourselves and in the world around us every day.
The open dialogue "Forms of Love: Literature and Art" formed part of the educational programme of the III All-Russian Wedding Festival "Russia. Uniting Hearts".
The People's Front Forum is dedicated to the fourth anniversary of its work under the slogan "Everything for Victory!".
On 13 July, the National Centre RUSSIA hosted the opening of the "Everything for Victory!" Forum of the People's Front.
