More stunning many wonder. How to live after fasting? The other side of success

former governor New Mexico and a possible Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson was interviewed by RT host Sofiko Shevardnadze. During the conversation, the politician spoke about the situation in Syria and spoke about the upcoming elections.

Q: According to an Ipsos survey, 70% of Americans do not want the US army to fight Assad's troops. Why are American politicians so belligerent, if society clearly does not support them in this?

Answer: It seems to me that few people understand the difference between religious freedom and Islamic terrorism. I think that here in America, guided by the ideas of religious freedom, for some reason we considered Islamic extremism an acceptable ideology, but this cannot be done. We are a country of religious freedom. Freedom of religion is our fundamental principle, but it seems to me that lately we have become confused about the difference between politics and religion. We do not in any way support the policy of Islamic extremism.

Q: But why do you think politicians are so eager to fight when the majority of the population does not approve of this idea? Still, to start a war, you need to have support in society.

O: I think most people understood that the bombing and armed intervention did not work and will not work in the future. At the same time, many politicians are aware of the threat posed by Islamic extremism. And these two vectors intersected. But I would still suggest fighting Islamic extremism without bombs and without ground operations.

Q: Negotiations on this topic between the US and Russia have only just begun, four years after the start of the Syrian conflict. Now the US administration is interested in cooperation with Russia and possibly Iran. Why did they only now decide to take advantage of the opportunity they had all these four years?

O: I have nothing to say in defense, but we should generally keep in touch, we should have discussed all this a long time ago. This is exactly the difference between bombs and diplomacy, and we should look for diplomatic solutions to such problems as much as possible. And we must start from the root causes - any diplomatic solution must be based on the premise that Islamic terrorism in any form is unacceptable, so the world must take a hard line against it and draw a line between religious freedom and Islamic terrorism.

Q: Should the US move away from this conflict to avoid more destruction and bloodshed, or should they act even more actively to clean up the consequences of what they have already done?

O: It is necessary to act more actively through diplomacy. At the same time, moving away from the hostilities in which we are now involved. As I said, so far we have toppled some dictators because they are “bad”, only to be replaced by new ones who are no better, if not worse. Therefore, I would make a distinction here: we need to abandon armed intervention, but at the same time work more actively in the diplomatic direction. I do not want to say that the current administration did not work in this direction, but, in my opinion, it failed to draw a clear line between religious freedom and Islamic extremism, which should not be allowed. The current administration does not articulate and implement this message.

Q: How can diplomacy help make things right now that ISIS* is waging war across the region and even threatening to swallow Europe? Don't you think it's too late for diplomatic efforts?

O: No, it is never too late to clarify what is happening and declare to the whole world that Islamic extremism is unacceptable. At the same time, some American politicians talk about the support [that the US allegedly provided] to ISIS. If this turns out to be true, I don’t understand what could be good for Syria? I don't see anything good in this. The US could play a leading role in mobilizing diplomatic efforts to combat Islamic extremism. After all, it cannot be truly defeated by sending troops there, inflicting airstrikes or supporting new dictators in place of the old ones, if the new ones are no better, and often even worse.

Q: The military campaigns of the West in Iraq and Libya were once justified by the goal of making the world a safer place. In both countries, everything turned out the other way around. Do you think that no one thought about the possible consequences? I mean that if the authorities understood how their intervention would end, they probably would not have gone for it. Do you think Washington still does not think about the consequences of current actions?

O: I was against the American military campaign in Iraq because I foresaw that exactly what happened would happen. I'm talking about the obvious now. Iraq contained Iran, and when this deterrent was removed, the situation immediately escalated. It seems to me that this very accurately characterizes the actions of the United States today, and I also think that the country's leadership did not have a clear idea about the possible consequences of such actions. Obviously, there was no understanding of what the consequences might be. No one, of course, wanted this to happen, but, in my opinion, such a development of events could well have been foreseen and thought out in advance.

Q: The military lobby in Congress is as good as any other lobby. How to minimize the influence of arms suppliers, because without this it will not be possible to limit US participation in military campaigns? How do you get members of Congress to vote to withdraw troops from a particular conflict zone, even if it means closing military factories in their districts?

O: America's biggest threat today is $19 trillion in national debt, and we continue to spend more than we generate, so I'm proposing a 20% cut in defense spending - at current dollar rates. Are war planes and aircraft carriers the war of the future? I don't think. The future belongs to intelligence, and if you look at the United States today from this side, then there are contradictions all around, or at least we must explain what we are doing, convince people that we are acting wisely. As I said, it seems to me that many today are wondering if there is any common sense in the politics that America is now pursuing.

Q: Let's talk a little about the upcoming elections. Donald Trump was unexpectedly included in the list of contenders. He, as usual, brings a lot of excitement to the election campaign, but the fact that he seriously claims to be nominated as a candidate from the party is noteworthy. What is happening with the Republican Party and in general with US politics?

O: It seems to me that Americans are tired of traditional politics, and Donald Trump offers something alternative. I think it's because they don't listen very carefully. Now, if Trump does not further correct his speeches on the topic of immigration, then this will ultimately have an effect - people will understand what his ideas are. But if we talk about America at all, we are mostly just lazy. We are accustomed to uncritically perceive the information that is provided to us, and do not try to find out more and therefore do not delve into the essence of many issues. This is the real scourge of America. However, perhaps in Russia the situation is exactly the same.

* A terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation

Orthodoxy teaches that the will of God is the fulfillment of the commandments always and in any place. We often read in the lives of the saints how they prayed for a long time and performed feats, before making any decisions they tried to understand whether it would be pleasing to God. Please tell us what it means to surrender to the will of God when making any decisions, when choosing a life path.

I want to remind you once again that Orthodoxy differs from other confessions in that it proceeds from the patristic understanding of the answers to the questions that life offers us. Yes, many people are wondering how to act according to the will of God? Answer: “There is no virtue higher than reasoning,” said Anthony the Great, when three ascetics came to him and began to argue which virtue is the highest. One said that fasting, the second that prayer, the third that obedience. Anthony answered: “And by foolish fasting one can kill oneself, and by foolish obedience one can become slaves of men, and not God’s servant, and by prayer one can both ascend to heaven and fall into the abyss of pride and error.” Where there is no reason, there is no virtue. So, a person should always act according to reason and conscience. According to reason, based on the knowledge of the ideas of Christianity that he has, and according to conscience, since conscience is a subtle and living indicator of our actions, according to reason and conscience, and the intersection of these two lines gives the desired point. If a person does this, then at the same time, as Isaac the Syrian writes, we must say: “Lord, this is what my crazy reasoning says, this is what my very burned conscience says, but, Lord, Thy will be done, and not mine” . If a person sincerely turns to God with such a prayer and makes a decision in accordance with his understanding, then even if a person makes a mistake, God will correct it. Why? Yes, because he places sincere hope in God, and not in himself. Then the Providence of God takes place. It is especially important to rely on the will of God when people in prayers ask for some earthly things, for health, for external well-being. The Holy Fathers say: "If you can, don't ask God for anything." But sometimes we cannot help but ask, and even then ask like this: “Lord, You know what I want, but Thy will be done, Lord, and not mine.” Such an appeal to God can receive the most favorable, positive response. But when we insist, reject the Providence of God, the will of God, albeit with tears, but demand that it be our way, then, of course, we will not receive anything. Most people seem to be praying, asking for one thing, another, a third, and getting nothing. For two reasons. The first reason: they persistently ask God: “Give me this, Lord.” The second is that there is no faith. They ask and they don't believe. And so a person spends his whole life and remains without a fetus. The providence of God is accomplished when we surrender ourselves to the will of God, but not inactive: here I sit in an armchair and say: “Lord, I wish my garden would grow. ..". No, we must do what we can, but leave the results to the will of God. Here is the solution to the issue.

I work for success. I like to experience success. I feel significant, respected and even loved. Everyone smiles at me, even those who are envious. And I become confident, witty and irresistible. For the sake of success, I am ready for a lot, a lot, almost everything ... Could you subscribe to these words?

Many men and women, especially under the age of 35, are puzzled by the question of how to become more successful. At the same time, everyone understands this task in their own way. Someone, for example, wants to achieve success in business and be successful with women. Another - to make a career, become famous, save a fortune. The third is to successfully marry, have children and settle in a country house. There are many formulas for success, books on the topic "How to become more successful", trainings that develop the ability to achieve. Achievement motivation is one of the priority areas of psychology. The psychology of success, personal effectiveness trainings are actively represented in the market of psychological and near-psychological services. Does everyone want to learn the formula for success, achieve it, become more successful?

How success works

Not every achievement is a success. Success has three characteristics.

1. Success is what I planned myself, the achievement of my dream or the realization of my plan. Not someone else's, mine. Of course, I can work on the overall result. But if I don’t see anything of my own in it, then most likely I will treat it as my help to another person (a team) or as a well-executed assignment. But not as a personal success.

2. Success is different from luck and fortune. We consider success what is achieved as a result of our efforts, calculations, work. Moreover, a subtle psychological law is known: “The more labor and time something cost me, the higher the subjective value of the result for me.”

3. This is success for me, and this is the third feature of success. Success is very subjective: what is success for me may be failure for someone else. Whether the result will be a success, I determine myself. Psychologist Eric Berne believed that among people there are winners, non-winners and losers. The criterion is as follows: in life everyone sets tasks for himself, calculates how to become more successful. Based on this, at the end of life, you can sum up whether he achieved what he wanted. If you wanted and achieved - the winner. I wanted the best, but it turned out as always - a loser. I wanted to, but did not reach the goal, stopped halfway or one step away from it - a non-winner. According to this theory, a person who wanted to become president, but became prime minister, is just a non-winner. And the one who dreamed of raising three children and did it is the winner.

Components of success

One of the most important and non-obvious truths about how to become more successful is the following: a person cannot guarantee one hundred percent success. As long as we do something, we cannot be sure of anything. Only half of the success depends on our efforts and abilities. The second, little respected by arrogant people, is not subject to human will. In industrial relations, in business, talking about the latter is a bad form. Not everyone has the courage to accept that a person is not the creator of this world and some circumstances are beyond our control. And if so, one can only hope, wishing a fair wind or good luck. We can only prepare the conditions for success, try and learn how to become more successful, but we cannot guarantee anything. For success, no matter how you look at it, is the result of two components - diligence and luck.

The other side of success

Can I? What is my plank? Will I reach my limits? In other words, personal effectiveness is what a person constantly checks if he takes himself and his life seriously. Accomplishing the task of "become more successful" means that we not only accepted the challenge, but also proved to be worthy in the face of it. And if we cannot realize our projects, we feel bad. So bad that we begin to need a quick and bright success. And the worse our affairs are, the less satisfied we are with ourselves, the more success we need. And we are no longer so attentive to the choice of means, because we need success more and more.

For some people who have not experienced success for a long time (whether they actually had it or went unnoticed), the need for great success develops into the phenomenon of "waiting for a miracle." A person no longer hopes for himself, but he acutely feels that fate owes him a lot and justice can be restored only if a miracle happens. Therefore, he decides on an adventure, ceases to see the situation realistically, and it is so easy to deceive him.

Dependence on success is the surface part of the big problem. This is an example of a psychological addiction similar to a drug or alcohol addiction. But if drugs and alcohol are the lot of people with a weak will, then dependence on success is dangerous for hardworking and strong-willed people. As a rule, these are those who do not know how to fairly evaluate themselves. And he is looking for external evidence of his viability. For them, self-worth is determined by the external attributes of success: position, brand of car, belonging to the prestigious and accomplished. It is these people who come with their problem to the best psychotherapist, because they deserve the best.

Successful patient

Here he is - a respectable, ambitious and sometimes cynical man with money. He talks about emptiness, the crisis of the genre, depression. Sometimes this is presented as a midlife crisis: you have already proved everything to yourself, but you don’t know what’s next. Such people are very reserved in their feelings, so their favorite word is "discomfort". I work a lot, but the excitement is not the same. I am considered an outstanding and tough leader, but what is perceived from the outside as my charisma is a heavy burden from the inside: you need to meet expectations, radiate enthusiasm and confidence, carry your image.

These people have a lot, but they do not have a sense of happiness. They do not immediately manage to admit that they are constantly experiencing anxiety before failure, which they now cannot afford. Every year stress grows, tension from the fact that only a new task, more difficult than the previous one, fascinates - easy tasks have become boring.

Uncertainty in your own good attitude towards yourself, that you will not become an empty place if you remain without positions, you will lose your fortune, your beloved woman will leave ... A specific defense mechanism that masks this uncertainty is the need for one hundred percent control. Whether it's a job, a partner or a partner, children or fate - nothing should be left to chance or another person. Everything should be on a short leash.

Achieve success

But also be yourself! First, try to change your attitude towards success. Agree: there are forces that are not subject to anyone. An unfavorable set of circumstances can turn a fully prepared success into a failure. How our will and forces independent of us combine into favorable circumstances is still a miracle. We can not only change it, but also understand it. But the more we strive to promote this secret process, the more we disrupt it. What is the real recipe for success? How to become more successful and not lose freedom? Success refers to that amazing side of life, which includes joy, happiness, the gratitude of children and grandchildren, and that very deep feeling - fulfillment. But there is a detour leading to it. By all means trying to experience an orgasm, a person blocks its achievement. Determined to have fun tonight, a person will look tense. So is success: for it to become a natural consequence of our lives, we must pay attention to something more - the meaning of our lives. And then we can allow ourselves to be pleased with ourselves, justify ourselves and respect ourselves, even if we do not succeed. After all, we have worked hard for the sake of the value that we serve all our lives.

Reduce calves and ankles - how?
Many people wonder how to reduce calves and ankles, but do not always find the answer. Let's try to figure it out. The first step is to take care of the selection of an effective fitness program. It is worth noting that most girls suffer from inexpressive ankles or plump calves, and this does not depend on the presence or absence of excess weight. The reason lies in heredity. Young girls with joy and great desire show their slender legs by putting on miniskirts. Such is the nature of women. And with the help of special exercises, you can achieve an amazing effect! Correcting the shape of the legs is quite real. Let's get started. We need to take the "Load-stretch" method into service. With it, achieve positive effect much easier. Only from constant loads of caviar will begin to increase. It is better not to practice running and jumping, as this also changes the shape of the leg and not for the better.
First exercise: feet together, toes apart, heels together. Raise your body on your toes, do it gradually. The exercise is repeated 10-20 times.
Second exercise: Noi together, socks brought together, heels looking in different directions, imagine yourself as a clubfoot. Raise your body on your toes. Repeat 10-20 times.
Third exercise: get close enough to the wall to lean against it with outstretched arms. Start stepping back without letting go of the walls. Having reached the maximum distance, stop in this position for two minutes.
Fourth exercise. Bring your legs together. Start lowering your body, but slowly, and try to reach your feet with your fingers.
All exercises will take no more than ten minutes a day.
"Collecting Items" Scatter 20 marbles or other small objects on the floor. From a standing position, using only your toes, pick up the items one at a time and put them in a jar. Do this exercise at least twice for each leg. For fun, you can compete on best time with your friends or kids!
"Short foot" This exercise allows you to strengthen the arch of the foot. From a sitting position, place your feet on the floor, curl your toes, squeezing the arch of your foot. Hold the contraction for 5 seconds, then release. Do three times for each leg. Over time, you can perform this exercise, from a position - standing on one leg.
"Climbing on a support" For this exercise, you will need a step. Leaning with one hand on the wall, place the feet so that most of them hang from the step. Do calf raises (2-3 sets of 15-20 reps). To increase the difficulty, this exercise can be performed while standing on one leg.
"Toe walking"
Stand on tiptoe and walk for 30 seconds. Repeat two times. This exercise strengthens the calves, ankles and feet. "Walking on heels" Get on your heels and walk for 30 seconds. Repeat two times. This exercise strengthens the muscles of the lower leg, ankle and foot.

Many people ask the question - how to fast? And I don’t understand another thing – how not to fast? During the post, everything is clear what is possible and what is not. But now the fasting time is over - and what's next? With each post, we strive to rise to a new step in our spiritual life. And this spiritual baggage accumulated during the fasting period is not to be lost. But how to do that?

Priest Alexy AGAPOV, Rector of the Church of the Archangel Michael in the city of Zhukovsky, Moscow Region:

Perhaps you do not dream of such a purely feat, but simply want to preserve the special mental attitude achieved during fasting. In this case, start with the simplest: do not gorge yourself at night. As you know, food eaten before bedtime has a negative effect on both the mind and the soul. So try to eat a couple of tablespoons less than usual in the evening, and see how possible it is for you. But do not rush to make vows before God. Leave the freedom to refuse the experiment if you find that it is beyond your power.

Another way to maintain precious reverence is through prayer. Try adding a few prayers or psalms to your regular routine. Here, too, you need to act reasonably, not taking on more than you can bear. It happens like this: a person has read the prescribed rule, feels that he has the strength and desire to read more. I read the troparion to one saint, to another. For tomorrow he thinks: let me read to today's saint. And there are quite a lot of such additional prayers. But suddenly the circumstances of life change. Yesterday there was time for a long prayer, but today there is not a single extra minute. And the feeling of guilt begins to crush - before those saints whom I did not have time to pray today, before God. There is such a law: words are easily added to a prayer, but it is very difficult to subtract them later. Therefore, any additional effort, beyond the generally accepted church prescriptions, must be dealt with with caution. It’s better to tell yourself in advance: this is not part of my rule, not an obligation, but only an attempt, a “one-time experiment”. According to the words of the Apostle Paul, test everything, hold on to what is best (cf. 1 Thess. 5:21). This applies to both food and prayer.

The main thing to remember is that those who want to maintain reverence forever will have to work all their lives. Search all your life, try to learn to fulfill Christ's commandments. The Monk Silouan called it “to miss the Lord”: “My soul misses the Lord, and I tearfully seek Him. How can I not seek You?..” It will never happen that you once and for all “catch” the gift of grace to your heart - and calm down. It will not be possible to calm down here by finding a universal recipe. And the desire to fast continuously can sometimes be caused by just such a deceptive hope for a speedy and final deliverance from all spiritual storms.