By Aleksandr Khaldey
Translated by Ollie Richardson and Angelina Siard
cross posted with
https://www.stalkerzone.org/aleksandr-khaldey-the-positive-results-of-a-negative-year/
source: http://www.iarex.ru/articles/63102.html

There is such a rule in the psychology of groups: the group puts pressure on an individual via its authority and opinion and demands from every member to obey its unwritten directives. The individual searches for safety, and therefore has a need to belong to a group, and in exchange for being accepted into the pack they submit to the demands of the group. The entire animal kingdom, from dogs to humans, is built on this.

This is the most ancient mechanism of the structure of mentality. It is called group conformism. I.e., in order to be like everyone else, the individual seeks to avoid intra group conflicts and even participates in the persecution of those who opt for conflicts. And this is explainable – the group is needed by its members, its rules are preserved by members, and the main rule is the unification of the norms of the behaviour of group members, without which the group falls apart and individuals find themselves without group protection. And the isolated person cannot survive outside of the group.

A similar mechanism is the cornerstone of the formed rule of modern Russian society: people speak about the situation in the country either in a bad way or not at all. Non-conformists are threatened and pursued to the extent that they are removed from the group. The real conformal member of society knows that everything is bad and will only get worse. If they see something that doesn’t correspond to this social group norm, they simply disregard retention of this fact and don’t even notice it in their consciousness.

And since subconsciousness registers everything, including what was rejected by consciousness, a conflict is felt but forced out to subconsciousness and serves as a reason for the emergence of neurosis, because when affirming something lopsided, the individual has the unconscious feeling that they lie. And our mentality doesn’t accept the lie for precisely psychological protection.

Thus, an internal conflict of directives leads to mainly negatively-mooded citizens expressing their opinion in exaggerated overwrought tones, as if warning in advance “don’t try to object me” and passing it off as civil indignation at shortcomings in the country. For this same reason, overexcited like-minded people perceive the overexcitement of a colleague similarly because they justify their neurosis and reaction to events in the same way.

This is absolutely true, because emotionality isn’t needed for an objective assessment of life. There is no person who was more negative towards capitalism than Karl Marx, however he in his research objectively also saw a positive historical function of capitalism at the stage of its establishment in the conditions of the decaying of feudalism, and then described the reasons for the destruction of capitalism.

However, nowhere did Marx ever consider it necessary to accompany his negative arguments with hysterics, which even such an ingenious Marxist as Vladimir Lenin sometimes stooped to. Not to mention other negativists of any level of thinking and any political orientation… As is said in the Far East, force doesn’t need aggression, but since a one-sided position is always vulnerable to academic objectivity, it is subconsciously defended by aggression. This is a defensive reaction due to their understanding of their own weakness. The Caucasian Shepherd Dog seldom barks as it doesn’t feel fear, but little dogs bark so much because they are always afraid.

And since a one-sided assessment – any variant, whether it be negative or positive – is always not only unconscious stupidity, but also a conscious lie, the desire to know the truth demands balanced arguments because one’s interior prompts: in life every medal has two sides. A positive and a negative always happen equally because there isn’t one without the other. There isn’t one morning for two nights, one summer for two winters. There is no one exhaustive version of life. Those who search for it are a fool infecting with their stupidity the people around them for the sake of making others like them. If people around them resist, they receive insults and even threats. The household experience of everyone confirms this.

Having come to this understanding, it is necessary to recognise that besides the negative known to all, in our life there is also something positive. Well, there must be, even if it isn’t visible. After all, there are minerals in the earth, although the experience of every summer house owner says that there is nothing else besides dirt. It is simply necessary to be not a summer house resident, but a geologist, and to be able to explore. And if in your vegetable garden there isn’t a source of oil or a gold mine, then it doesn’t mean that they can’t be found anywhere. It exists somewhere, it is just necessary to expand the search zone. And if you don’t find gold, then you will for sure find some limestone, quartz, or granite. This also isn’t bad.

After New Year an inflationary jump awaits Russia, and the country will digest its consequences from three to six months. Then everything will be stabilised at the new price level, and nobody knows how the main actors of macroeconomics will behave. But do we have in our lives what is sung in the well-known song “With what the Motherland begins” – “Nobody can take it away from us”? Yes we do. Let’s try to look at these phenomena. Why? Because they are the basis of long-term changes that happen more slowly than those that we see, but will turn our lives in the direction where there will be less of the negative of the present – there won’t be any basis for it. There will be another negative – it can’t happen otherwise, but this one will be consigned to the past. And a positive will come in its place. What are these events?

1. The power of Russia passed through an epoch-making revolution. This should be said not just in one word. Despite the fact that these governors are the same governors as before, they have now radically changed their main political directives. In what way is it expressed? In the fact that the real construction of a Union State of Russia and Belarus started. For 20 years it was impeded by the Russian authorities because of the uselessness of creating a structure with supranational governing bodies. It has now become so vital that it is possible to begin productive negotiations on real progress in this direction with the head of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko.

Besides a joint coat of arms, flag, and anthem, allied bodies of power, cabinet of ministers, and a general legislative base will also be created. A joint constitution – with the preservation of their own respective republics, a joint currency, and a joint state bank, and it means that all of this will lead to a joint Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a joint army. And joint special services. If our elite in every way resisted a revival of the USSR, then now it in every way forces it.

And these efforts will for sure give results. Moreover, these results will be so positive that they will be felt by every inhabitant of the Union. And even if at first it will be the most loose confederation, then it’s already something that we didn’t have before. Success comes with tenacity. The most important thing is that it has begun. So far nobody has noticed it among the topic of the day. But it exists. You can laugh, remembering the joke about the gopher, but believe me, our “partners” aren’t laughing now at all. And this is the most important thing.

The purpose of our integration efforts is the creation of such a situation where it becomes unimportant what persons will be the head of Belarus and Russia. It will be unimportant who is at the head of the Russian Ministry of Finance or the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Whoever will have these positions, they won’t be able to cancel the course. Either they will integrate, or they will be differentiated and subtracted. This is the higher mathematics that will have effect here. The logic of common interests will overcome the logic of a separate existence. The time of separatism has passed. It is always more profitable to multiply than to divide. The most important thing is to understand this in time. Elementary rationalism will win.

I was born and grew up in the Soviet Union, I was always proud of it, I want to die in it and continue to be proud of it. This won’t not that, former Union, but this is only the beginning. And the USSR wasn’t built all at once. And when at sports championships we will kick the ass of our sworn “partners”, we will again say the word “Union”, as was the case earlier. What Union? I don’t know yet. But it will be a Union – a word that gives them goosebumps. And we have vigour. Those who lived that era, do you remember? When the proud punchy phrase “Soviet Union!” was added to the name of every champion. And everyone proudly threw up their fists – like saying: just look at us. And now it will be the same. We gradually move towards it. The West will peel, which I sincerely wish for them. And what were they thinking? They thought that everything would be smiles and laughs? No, after a Christmas comes a Lent. Every business has its beginning and its end. Play time is over.

2. The Russian Central Bank set a record – it bought 92.2 tones of gold. Having thus left the American treasuries. This is besides the fact that every year we extract 300 tons. Why do we need it? Here is why. There are such organisations – the IMF and the World Bank. It is they who are the source of our troubles and problems. Everyone knows what they are. And so, BRICS countries are preparing to create an analog of the World Bank in order to receive a powerful tool in the fight against the US and their financial dictatorship in trade. Is it normal? It is very normal. It’s not somewhere outside of our lives, it will be felt by everyone, including first of all the citizens of our reviving Union, because it won’t any more be necessary to do what is being done today. And this is good.

3. Having the lowest level of investments in the American national debt has been achieved. US crediting stops. Is there a need to comment on what benefits this brings to us? I think that there is no need.

4. The budget of Russia is being made with a record surplus. Everyone will say “So why was the obscene pension reform made?” Hang on a minute, please. You’re right. But.

4a. The creation of a Union with Belarus will demand the unification of many systems, including the pension one. And in Belarus things are different. There is a reason to cancel our one, and a very serious one too, because there is no worst diversion for the Union being created than the introduction in Belarus of our pension system. This means that there is a need to create a joint protest base, not a joint treasury. So the Union is our chance to create a new Central Bank and another pension system at minimum.

4b. Surplus is the phenomenon whose timeframe nobody can foresee. It isn’t known what the oil prices will be tomorrow. And the allocated expenditure of trillions in the May decrees of Putin is for a long time. That’s why the budget has been in the center of attention so far, and the pension reform still remains. But the new prerequisites to reform a reform appeared. And this is good.

5. There were record-breaking low interest rates on mortgages. This would’ve been much appreciated if the level of the income of citizens had remained the same. But it fell, and it fell strongly. However, this isn’t a reason to not say “well done” concerning the decrease in mortgage rates. In reality it is good.

6. Having the lowest level of state debt in the world was achieved. Half a trillion dollars. The state debt of the rest of the world is measured in the trillions. What does this mean for us? This is a reason why world investors ignore sanctions in the sphere of operations with our state bonds. They are highly reliable and therefore there are investments in them, despite the US Treasury Department’s attempts at sabotage. And this is the money of our budget, and all of us, in one way or another, feel the effect. This is our pensions, subsidies, social sphere, and state employees. Our defense industry and army, budgetary units of medicine, science, and education. So having a low national debt is good.

7. A record on oil production was set by our oil industry workers. And although they deserved the mass of angry reproaches because of their insatiability in the domestic market, nevertheless growth in economy production is good in any structure. We shouldn’t forget that volumes of export are nevertheless also the volumes of budgetary income. And geopolitical positions for expansion in other spheres. And it means that so far this is also good.

8. Gas is our everything. Record gas exports to Europe not only kicked the US out from there, but also increases the chances of solving the problem of Ukraine. I will remind – our Union without Ukraine is incomplete and it will certainly end with the restoration of allied relations with Ukraine following the example of relations with Belarus. And then the world will see a completely different reality. Yes, it won’t happen tomorrow. But it will happen, and we take convincing steps in this direction. Including with the help of the battering ram of Gazprom. Whatever we now do we must always keep in mind the benefits of our Union that is being restored. It is now the main criterion for everything. And it is very good.

9. A record export of wheat. Bread is fundamental, and its surplus is a guarantee of prosperity. I live in Novorossiysk, the city where we have the main port in the south of Russia. In the USSR there was always a lack of grain, and the quay complex was constructed so that the belt of the conveyor moved from the quay to the conveyor. So a few years ago, for the first time in 70 years, there was an obligation to rebuild it in the opposite direction – from the conveyor to the quay. Now we don’t import grain – we export it. And to hell with those who say that this isn’t good. It is very good.

10. There is such an “enemy” rating agency as Bloomberg. It, like all such agencies, is in the hands of the US and is used as an information weapon for their domination. So even they put Russia in 2nd place in their 2018 ranking of developing economies. Don’t be so fast to shout that they lie. Let them lie. It is that case when they lie to our advantage, if indeed they lie. The conditions of attracting investments into Russia depend on this ranking. And 2nd from top is not 2nd from bottom. Is this good? Yes, it is good. And those who say that this isn’t true, let them re-read the beginning of the article. And understand who they resemble in their one-sided deaf negativism.

Everything that was said doesn’t at all cancel the existing problems. And the existence of new ones that trail behind them. But this isn’t a reason to deafly refuse to budge and not see behind these trees the new forest that slowly grows – silently and imperceptibly, but inevitably, like any forest. When we suddenly notice that it grew, we will be surprised – and how didn’t we notice it during all this time? And we will admit that we were a little bit mistaken in our assessment of events. And this also will be good, because the ratio of bad and good in the world is counterbalanced, while counterbalanced people are much fewer.

Perhaps, they have their reasons. But then they have also their reasons to understand it one day. Let them not admit it out loud. But in the depths of their soul something will let go and will stop to oppress and poison their life. And this is the best thing that can only give the ability to look at events objectively. Not only difficulties await us, they always existed – they exist and they will continue to exist, if not one, then another. But besides difficulties, great things await us. We haven’t had them for a long time. Now we have them. And this is good. Happy New Year, comrades!