Lessons I’ve learned from living in Russia
https://gregreese.substack.com/
There are many claims that Russia has fared better than most big countries during this deadly era of fake pandemics and experimental mandated shots. And so I traveled to Russia last December to see for myself. What I learned was that this is true, but the government is not to credit for this. While elements of the Russian Federation do protect and preserve the Russian people and their culture, the evidence shows that they were administering the same deadly shots as we’ve seen in the West.
The number of deaths in Russia during the roll-out of their vaccines exceeded 2.4 million people, making it the worst year of deaths since 1945. Data shows a correlation between vaccination and the increase in morbidity and mortality. And the head of the Russian ministry of health urged pregnant women to get the shot, saying it will contribute to a more comfortable and safe pregnancy.
It’s not the government that is saving the Russian people, it is the people themselves. What I noticed the most about the Russian people is that they are far more united than the American people. And everyone I’ve talked to here has told me that during the mask mandates and vaccine push, the majority of people unitedly ignored them. The police wore their masks below the chin and didn’t enforce them on the people. And employers were forging documents to show vaccination when there was none. They were not fooled, and they had each other’s back.
Many have told me that this unity is a result of generations of hardship that has embedded the importance of community into every Russian psyche. And I am sure that this is a big part of it, but there is another big factor that has contributed to their unity which can be adopted by anyone – Repentance.
Orthodox Christianity used to be the official religion of Russia. It was made illegal during the Soviet Union, and when Communism fell, Orthodoxy reemerged in a massive way. Within the first few years, over twenty million Russians were baptized. And many of these people believe that the nation must repent for allowing the Romanov family to be brutally executed by Bolsheviks during the revolution. Millions of Russians believe that repentance is the only thing that will save Russia. I’ve heard many American Christians say that America must repent as well, but before I came to Russia, I did not understand what repentance was.
According to St. John Chrysostom, the purpose of repentance is for healing and transformation. There are five paths and they are so simple that they can be practiced by anyone without submission or conformity to any dogma or belief.
The first path of repentance is contrition, or the condemnation of your own sins. In order to improve at anything, you must be aware of your weaknesses. If you want to become a better carpenter, then you need to be aware of what makes you a poor one so that you can change those things. The same goes for everything. And so if you want to become a good person, you have to be aware of your own shortcomings.
The second path of repentance is forgiveness. It is the overlooking of another person’s sin. This is not saying that laws and justice should not be upheld, it is saying that when you are focused on other people’s shortcomings, you are wasting time that should be focused on your own. We have no right or power to compel others, but we do have the power and the responsibility to change ourselves.
The third path of repentance is prayer. Specifically, prayer that is impassioned, focused, and comes from the heart. Taking the time to turn our thoughts away from worry, desire, and the mundane, and cultivate the frequency of love and gratitude. The power of prayer has been scientifically measured. And consistent group prayer has lowered crime in the areas it was practiced in.
The fourth path of repentance is kind deeds towards others. The world is full of opportunities to show compassion and generosity to others in need.
And the fifth path of repentance is humility. Becoming more humble in our thoughts, words, and actions.
According to these teachings, one must simply choose at least one of these paths each and every day. This is about taking responsibility, which is the root of every healthy society. And the outcome is quite clear, the more people practicing these five simple paths, the more their society will heal and transform.