the power of words

When I am in difficulty, when doubts about my own strength bring me to tears, and when life demands quick and bold decisions which I am unable to make due to my weakness of will, - I I am reminded of an old story that I heard a long time ago in Baku from a man who was exiled 40 years ago.

Pavlenko ( Translated by Yake)

When I feel Difficulties, when doubts about my own strength bring me to tears, and when life demands quick and bold decisions, which I am unable to make due to my weakness of will, - I am reminded of an old story, This is what I heard in Baku a long time ago from a man who was exiled 40 years ago. This story had a very useful influence on me. It inspired my spirit and strengthened my will. It made me regard this short story as my talisman and mantra, as the kind of inner vow that everyone has. . This is my anthem. What follows is the story, shortened to a fable that can be told to anyone. It happened in Siberia 40 years ago. At a secret joint meeting of exiles from all parties. The person who gave the report had to come from a neighboring village to attend the meeting. This is a young revolutionary, very famous and prominent, and a man with a bright future. I'm not going to name him. Everyone has been waiting for him for a long time. He didn't come. Postponing the meeting, the situation at the time did not allow it, but those who belonged to different political parties with him insisted that the meeting should be held even if he did not come, because, they said, he would never be able to come in such weather. The weather is really bad. Spring came early this year, and the snow on the bare slopes in the south of the mountain was softened by the sun, making it impossible to ride a dog sled. The ice in the river is also thin, turning green, and has floated in some places. Under such circumstances, it is very dangerous to ski, and it is too early to sail upstream: the ice will crush the boat, in fact. , even the strongest fisherman cannot withstand the impact of ice. Yet those in favor of waiting did not compromise. They always knew who was coming. “He will come,” they insisted. “If he has said, ‘I will come,’ then he will come.” “Circumstances are more powerful than we are."The former person said impatiently. Everyone started arguing. Suddenly there was a noise outside the window, the children playing in front of the wooden house also became excited, the dogs barked, and the anxious fishermen rushed to the river. The exiles They also walked out of the house. A surprising scene appeared in front of them. There was a small boat going around the bend and slowly upstream against the broken ice. There was a thin man standing on the bow of the boat, wearing a short fur coat and a fur coat. Ear cap; He held a pipe in his mouth, and with calm movements, he used the pole to push away the ice flowing towards the bow of the ship. At first, no one noticed that this small boat had neither sail nor motor, so how could it go against the current? But when people approached the river, everyone was surprised: it turned out that several dogs were dragging the boat forward on the shore. No one had ever tried such a thing here, and the fishermen shook their heads in surprise. Among them An older man said: "Our ancestors and fathers have lived here for many generations, but no one has dared to do this. " When the man with the ear-hat came ashore, they bowed deeply to him and said: "Here comes a man who has better ideas than any of us. He is a brave man! The visitor shook hands with those waiting for him, pointed to the boat and the river and said, "Comrades, please forgive me for being late." This is a new mode of transportation for me, and it’s a bit difficult to manage the time. Whether this is actually the case, or whether the poetic story everyone told me is a fabrication, I don’t know, but I hope it is all true, because for me, it is no longer true. There is nothing truer or more beautiful than this story about trust in a word and about the power of a word.