ACT OF HEROISM

Boris Leonov

Concept: Heroism as the main notion connected with the spiritual activity of a human being, with his/her capacity to voluntarily, independently, consciously to reject him/herself for the sake of others and thus to surpass “the animal state of war”

Act of heroism, Heroic deed, “Podvig” in Russian – is a typical Russian notion that can not be translated into other languages. This act is seen not only in the context of War. There is a religious and the labor context to it as well. This is a special notion connected with the spiritual activity of the human being, with the possibility to voluntarily, conscientiously reject oneself for the sake of others. Military heroic act is connected with the overcoming of terror, of the “animal fear” which gets into a person, once he finds himself at the state of war. Many deeds performed out of self-preservation and despair can seem as heroic. Yet the essence of a heroic deed is the conscious sacrifice, it envelops and surpasses our “animal” within and thus overcomes the very State of War, transmitting us back into Humans again. This transmission is open not only to one man but to whole masses of people, that carry on their shoulders “the everyday” heroism of war, the insufferable labor of it. In literature this deed is connected with some typical features that a writer tries to single out of his personage and his crowd. This deed is being sought for, thought through, weighed and measured. Yet in final analyses it is mainly connected to the notions of Motherland, Homeland, born in the confrontation with an enemy. For one can accept one’s own death and the death of one’s closest people, but not the death of All. And thus gradually one must raise above oneself, go through the school of “manhood”, maturing enough as to level oneself with the possibility of a deed, an act that could carry the name of heroism.