Suheil Farah, Lebanese scholar, philosopher, academician of the Russian Academy Of Education, and chief editor of the Arabic version of the website of the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia – Islamic world” on the role of personality in the development of dialogue of civilizations.
Aitmatov: the role of personality in the dialogue of civilizations:
Genius of personality
Each nation has its genius who has an enormous creative consciousness. Such geniuses reveal in their works the historical spirit of the nation in its dynamics, foundation and ability to create material and cultural values. Aitmatov is one of the greatest genuis minds of Kyrgyzstan and the Soviet Union. Grateful readers elevated him to the status of the leader of writers and philosophers who managed to put in practice the Eurasian and planetary spirit…
He seemed to symbolize the moment of truth as a process as well as the beauty, power, history and eternity of Kirghiz and Eurasian spirits, which is so open to aesthetic revelations, literature and dialogue between East and West.
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It seems that Russian and Kirghiz love for Aitmatov is equivalent to their love for nature and history of its nations.
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His works emphasize the role of personality in developing dialogue between Eurasian nations. Aitmatov’s talent revealed itself in the rapprochement of Western and Eastern cultural spirits, in the mystery of his nation’s being, in the deepest features of his creative essence.
This speech will reveal in details the nature of such creative work.
Different approaches to the role of personality
Various philosophical and political institutions focuses on the specific place of personality. This role contributed to the development of history, the development or destruction of relations between the individual, society and nature, relations between different cultures, religions and nations. It is impossible to cover all points of view. I briefly remind you some of them.
We observe that the presence and role of personality in the history of the countries with democratic culture and institutions are not a phenomenon but a certain case in a certain period or occasion. Though we clearly observed the role of personality in those countries, which do not have such a tradition and such historical democratic institutions. There the role of personality plays a crucial role in pursuing a certain vector of development or, on the contrary, becomes an obstacle to the progress.
Moderate philosophers are constantly moving away from extreme approaches and conclusions.
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I consider personality to be simultaneously the reason for progress and creativity and also the product of historical development.
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In this regard, Chingiz Aitmatov is the reason and product of the Kirghiz and Soviet historical creative process. He is a personality of a high level. He is the son of boundless expanses of the Eurasian land. For almost eight decades of his life this wise man seemed to put in his words all the Kirghiz nature – a tender spring breeze of the mountains, dazzling whiteness of the snow, sweetness of fruit and slenderness of pine trees.
Unique features of his creativity
Everyone who read his works carefully, such as “Jamila” (1958), “The Camel’s Eye” (1961), “The First Teacher” (1962), “The Mother’s Field” (1963), “Cranes Fly Early” (1975), and such novels as “The Day Lasts More than a Hundred Years” (1980), “The Scaffold” (1986), “Cassandra's Brand” (1994), “When The Mountains Fall” (2006), will certainly appreciate his bright personality, his creative work which absorbed the essence of the Eurasian spirit. His works reflect man’s desire to comprehend eternal human and universal values. He was a personality of a global scale. He was worthily adopted in the stream of human history.
His works continue to resonate deeply in hearts and minds of writers, philosophers, culture researchers and diplomats. As a powerful cultural heritage, his novels continue to fascinate a wide range of readers all over the world.
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What is the secret behind the creativity of this outstanding person?
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First of all, like no one else Aitmatov managed to glorify the beauty of the land and spiritual values of his people.
Second, he could gain the trust of reader’s visual and mental world, he managed to help readers to perceive features of people, animals and plants of their region.
Third, his works represent a combination of the Kyrgyz, Russian, Turkish and world culture achievements.
Fourth, Aitmatov was an ethical person of the highest stature. For him conscience was the highest point of moral duty: “conscience is a great heritage of human kind, human consciousness, and human spirit. Conscience makes human beings human”. These words belong to Aitmatov, who was the conscience of the Kyrgyz people.
Fifth, in his works he revealed himself as a great visionary writer, a rational and wise philosopher and as a brilliant diplomat and intellectual at the same time.
Sixth, he was a spiritual person in the global sense, who didn’t limit himself to a specific religion or religious movement but dreamed of a single human and divine religion.
Seventh, he was against any aggressive policy, religious fanaticism and military doctrine, which had a destructive influence, divided people and provoked all kinds of conflicts between different nationalities and cultures. Therefore, Aitmatov actively strived for the development of cultural dialogue between different civilizations, religions and spheres of knowledge.
Eighth, he was among those great initiators, who had close intellectual contacts with representatives of different Western and Eastern cultural institutions. In this regard, he was and still remains a person open to dialogue and a worthy citizen of the world.
Ninth, he perceived life on the earth as a global laboratory closely connected with the space laboratory. Therefore, he is on the list of outstanding cosmist writers of the 20th century.
Tenth, Chingis Aitmatov is a man of the future. He is an intellectual of the future humanist-noospheric civilization.
In conclusion, I would like to stress that a bright personality determines the vectors of development and essence of such creativity, for which such words as beauty, culture, conscience, dialogue and partnership between civilizations, universal noospheric and cosmic intelligence are fundamental.
Definitely, Chingiz Aitmatov’s works and image have all these human and divine features.
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Chingiz Aitmatov, YOU are eternity. And our deepest love for YOU will remain forever.
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Thank you for attention.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"