Page 197 - Russian History Viewed through Distorted Mirrors, Vol. 1

Nicolai Levashov. Russian History Viewed through Distorted Mirrors. Vol. 1

peared when any product was estimated in units of another one. All this resulted in
blacksmiths, joiners and carpenters, potters, tailors, hunters and fishermen, warriors,
etc. appearing in every community or tribe. They made up a relatively small percent-
age in relation to the number of inhabitants, but their labour provided the community
with what it required for the cultivation of sown fields and vegetable gardens.

This brought about a state of affairs where grain growers could dedicate more
time to their work on the fields and cultivate larger areas. Everyone who earned a liv-
ing by their own labour profited: the division of labour according to types of activity
allowed not only the sowing of greater areas, and therefore the growing and gathering
of richer harvests, but also giving every person who possessed some claimed talent
the possibility to develop it dedicating time to its perfection. It impelled masters to
find new answers and solutions and perfect the tools and instruments they created. In
the course of time every master acquired his secrets of craftsmanship which were
passed on either by right of succession or to the most talented relatives. Gradually
professional dynasties appeared. In addition to the abovementioned, I would like to
note that every profession left a certain psychological imprint on a person-
transmitter and formed a certain psycho-type in him.

The professional psycho-type was superimposed upon and merged with the in-
dividual one, either strengthening it or causing conflict and usually tension between
them and upon reaching a certain level, man had no choice but to change his type of
activity and start searching for the one which maximally resonated with his internal
world. Often a person succeeded in finding his life-work, and then he worked with
joy in his soul and became a creator: sometimes a person attuned his internal world to
an activity psycho-type which was necessary for the community, but lost his creative
spark; and sometimes a person did not want to change, to destroy his inner self be-
cause of necessity, and rebelled. This kind of rebellion was caused by the desire to
realize his true talent, which for one or another reason was not claimed by the inter-
ests of the community, and sometimes man simply had no talents and was unwilling
to break his back in the fields. One way or another, these people rebelled, were ban-
ished from the community and became derelicts. Many of them set forth for other
lands wishing to find a place in life for themselves and their unclaimed talents. But
most derelicts were spongers and criminals who became robbers on a large or small
scale, i.e., became minor social parasites 135 .

But let us come back to the various types of activity and their influence on man.
The fact that any type of human activity influences man’s character does not need
any proofs – it is obvious even to a child. Those for whom it is not obvious can in-
quire of any psychologist and he (she) will explain it in detail. Therefore, we will
spend neither paper nor time on this subject. However, we will spend them on a mat-
ter which not a single psychologist or psychiatrist is able to explain. How does a
man’s activity influence him? In fact, the human psycho-type is real which means
that the influence of a human’s activity on his psycho-type and development must be

135 Nicolai Levashov Spirit and Mind, Vol. 2, Chapter 8.

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