Nostr notes by Wito

На рубеже эпох забвенья, — Рожден ...

2026-07-01T07:30:16Z

На рубеже эпох забвенья, —
Рожден был новый человек,
Его уму, его горенью
Не ведал равных целый век.
Он жил, вне суеты жестокой,
Иных узоров ткал миры,
Его душа, как свет высокой,
Не знала зол и мишуры.
Но старый род, в цепях порока,
Сквозь страх и зависть услыхал,
Что новый вид грядёт, жестоко
Сметая тьму их древних скал.
И вот огонь зажгли в подвалах,
Где гибли дети новых дней,
Где умирали те, кто малых
Сердец был чище и светлей.
Где ждали цепи, суд, проклятье,
Где истину топтала власть,
Где на кострах горело счастье,
Чтоб прежний мир мог удержаться.
Но в мраке хаоса и плена
Шептались души средь руин,
И сеял тайный плод вселенной
Священный, будущий один.
И он взойдёт, средь горькой муки,
Как феникс вспыхнет, сжав кулак,
И прошлый мир падёт в разрухе,
Лишь пепел ляжет на костях.

Pratchett was a master of intellectual smuggling. Rather than ...

2026-06-25T13:07:11Z

Pratchett was a master of intellectual smuggling. Rather than delivering tedious lectures, he employed universal, accessible tales.
Consider, for instance, one of his most compelling figures: Death. In the Discworld, Death is no sinister reaper in a black cowl, but a towering skeleton who SPEAKS ALWAYS IN CAPITAL LETTERS, harbors a profound affection for cats, and endeavors to comprehend human nature—all while attempting to cook curry. Pratchett subverts the traditional trope entirely: the anthropomorphic personification of life’s end becomes the most human character of the entire saga. Through Death’s earnest, almost childlike bewilderment at human folly, the author conveys a pivotal truth: life is precious precisely because it is finite. Mortality is not an evolutionary flaw, but the very element that imparts weight to our every action.
Delving deeper into his philosophy, one finds that Pratchett aligns seamlessly with classical secular humanism. The central axis of his conviction rests on a simple premise: the individual always supersedes abstract ideology, and goodness is not merely a box to check within a framework of correct thoughts, but a daily, deliberate act.
In the novel Hogfather (1996), a fundamental dialogue between Death and his granddaughter, Susan, perfectly elucidates this mechanism:
"HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE."
"Tooth fairies? Hogfathers? Little hoppy Things?"
"YES. AS PRACTICE. YOU HAVE TO START OUT LEARNING TO BELIEVE THE LITTLE LIES."
"So we can believe the big ones?"
"YES. JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING."
"They’re not the same at all!"
"YOU THINK SO? THEN TAKE THE UNIVERSE AND GRIND IT DOWN TO THE FINEST POWDER AND SIEVE IT THROUGH THE FINEST SIEVE AND THEN SHOW ME ONE ATOM OF JUSTICE, ONE MOLECULE OF MERCY. AND YET—Death waved a hand. AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME... SOME RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED."
"Yes, but people have got to believe that, or what’s the point—"
"MY POINT EXACTLY."

The world we wake up to every day is fundamentally broken. The ...

2026-06-23T06:30:10Z

The world we wake up to every day is fundamentally broken. The news is saturated with injustice, cruelty, and absurdity, while the universe’s moral machinery seems to have been switched off for nonpayment. Faced with such chaos, people inevitably slide into cynicism: “If darkness reigns everywhere around me, why should I even try to be good?”

It is precisely at the intersection of this existential dead end that the paradoxical philosophy of Sir Terry Pratchett emerges. Its central premise is both unsettling and remarkably simple: the universe has no obligation to be just—and that is exactly why we do.

For many years, Terry Pratchett was viewed almost exclusively through the lens of his commercial success: the author of the seemingly endless Discworld series, a writer of light-hearted comic fantasy produced in astonishing quantities. Bookstore shelves overflowed with brightly illustrated covers featuring wizards, dwarfs, and magical creatures, leading many critics to dismiss his work as little more than entertaining escapism.

Yet behind the façade of comedy lay a profound intellectual project. Pratchett chose satire and fantasy not as a means of escaping reality, but as instruments for dissecting it. He discovered that an absurd fictional world could expose the deepest and most dangerous flaws of our own society with remarkable clarity: religious fanaticism, bureaucracy, nationalism, racism, and blind devotion to tradition.

These were never merely fairy tales. They were a vast philosophical inquiry into human nature, carefully disguised as therapeutic humor.

To be continued...

The main idea of Bertolt Brecht's play "Mother Courage ...

2026-06-09T18:33:14Z

The main idea of Bertolt Brecht's play "Mother Courage and Her Children" is the exposure of war as a destructive force that not only destroys lives but also distorts human morality and values. Brecht shows that attempts to survive and profit from war lead to moral decline and the loss of the most precious things—family, love, and human dignity.

▌ Key ideas of the work:

War is not heroism, but commerce. Brecht portrays war as a continuation of business by other means, where even a mother's love is subordinated to the thirst for profit and survival. Mother Courage, in an effort to keep her business, loses all her children, which symbolizes the meaninglessness and tragedy of such a choice.

The destruction of human qualities. War turns the best human qualities—honesty, kindness, courage—into weaknesses that lead to death. Each of Mother Courage's children embodies a different path to survival, but all end tragically.
Critique of passive acceptance of war. The ending of the play emphasizes that Mother Courage never learns from her losses and continues to follow the war, which serves as a warning to the audience: one must actively resist war, not reconcile with it as an inevitability.
Epic Theatre and the effect of alienation. Brecht uses the techniques of epic theatre to ensure the audience does not just empathize but analyzes and critically reflects on what is happening, pondering the causes and consequences of war.

Nostr event nevent1qqsdeu07nst7seez080edyga74xr5anafv0laa4yycvaknq5kjhx9fgzyz9anzp8yv3nz2xj85nr62eqsmehmklqvu3arfrfsrakn7tetf0qw98zlcg

2026-06-07T01:05:52Z

Mikhail Bulgakov’s (The Master and Margarita) is a timeless masterpiece of world literature, weaving together political satire, profound philosophy, and dark mysticism. Written during the darkest years of the Soviet regime, this immortal novel blends the absurd reality of 1930s Moscow with a tragic love story and a philosophical retelling of Pontius Pilate's encounter with Yeshua Ha-Nozri.
The Asylum: A Refuge for Truth
In a society where speaking the truth is deemed insanity, the psychiatric clinic in the novel becomes a symbolic sanctuary. It is here that the Master, broken by Soviet censorship, seeks refuge from a hostile world. Ironically, the asylum is the only place in Moscow where sanely thinking individuals—like the poet Ivan Homeless and the Master—can safely speak about the devil's arrival and the true nature of Soviet reality.
Satan's Grand Ball and Cosmic Mysticism
The peak of the novel's supernatural brilliance is Satan's Grand Ball, hosted by Woland. It acts as a mystical, upside-down mirror of human history, where resurrected historical villains, murderers, and tyrants gather to pay homage to the devil. Transformed into a witch by her boundless love, Margarita reigns as the host, embodying absolute grace. This sequence transforms the narrative into a gothic phantasmagoria where the laws of time, space, and gravity completely dissolve.
Floods and Apocalyptic Elements
Water and floods serve as powerful apocalyptic and cleansing motifs throughout the book:

* The Moscow Storm: A torrential downpour washes over the city after Woland's retinue completes their chaotic judgment, symbolizing the spiritual cleansing of a corrupted capital.
* The Yershalaim Deluge: In the historical chapters, a terrifying storm and flood engulf Jerusalem immediately following the execution of Yeshua, representing cosmic grief and the washing away of a monumental historical sin.

Incredible Stories and Dark Satire
The book is packed with unbelievable, darkly comic stories orchestrated by Woland’s mischievous retinue, particularly the giant, chess-playing cat Behemoth and the chaotic Koroviev. From a corrupt theater manager being physically teleported to Yalta in the blink of an eye, to a greedy audience left completely naked in the streets after magic money turns into worthless paper, these absurd events serve a deeper purpose. They expose the greed, hypocrisy, and spiritual emptiness of the Soviet elite.
Ultimately, The Master and Margarita proves its own famous thesis: "Manuscripts don't burn." It remains a brilliant, immortal testament to the triumph of free art, love, and faith over tyranny and oppression.