Залесский Владимир Владимирович : другие произведения.

The Culture of Tests and the Culture of Success. Reflections about books by successful travelers Joshua Slocum, Graham Greene, Alain Bombard, William Willis, Chay Blyth. Essay

Самиздат: [Регистрация] [Найти] [Рейтинги] [Обсуждения] [Новинки] [Обзоры] [Помощь|Техвопросы]
Ссылки:
Школа кожевенного мастерства: сумки, ремни своими руками
 Ваша оценка:
  • Аннотация:
    The Culture of Tests and the Culture of Success. Reflections about books by successful travelers Joshua Slocum, Graham Greene, Alain Bombard, William Willis, Chay Blyth. Essay Translation from Russian into English: March 29, 2018 - April 10, 2018. Владимир Владимирович Залесский "Культура испытаний и культура успешности. Размышления о книгах успешных путешественников Дж. Слокама, Грэма Грина, А. Бомбара, У. Уиллиса, Ч. Блайта. Очерк".
  The Culture of Tests and the Culture of Success. Reflections about books by successful travelers Joshua Slocum, Graham Greene, Alain Bombard, William Willis, Chay Blyth. Essay
  
  
  1. Short preface
  
  Humanity tends to reflect on success and successfulness.
  
  Treatise by Eratosthenes (apprx. 276-194 BC) "About Art to Live, Without Grieving" can be one of confirmations of this thesis.
  
  Books about rules, regularities of success are widely presented in the world literature.
  
  Some of them have purely informative character, others - are almost applicable.
  
  If you read, for example, the book by Brian Tracy "Hundred absolute laws of success in business", then not only you learn something a new, but also, with high probability, you get a useful practically applicable recommendations.
  
  The similar assumption can be stated concerning reading books in which regularities of success of outstanding persons are considered. We will call for an example the book "The textbook of literary success. Part I. Heinrich Shliemann and his lessons".
  
  The mankind forms the volume of knowledge about "success", creates "bank" of practical recommendations of achievement of success.
  
  It is possible to draw a conclusion on existence of culture of success.
  
  Familiarity with the culture of success - has a practical value?
  
  A usage of the car for movement doesn't mean a knowledge by all drivers of names of all elements, constructive knots, all car details.
  
  At the same time for certain situations (training, modernization, repair and others) such knowledge (knowledge of names of separate elements and details) can be necessary or useful.
  
  At all not necessarily successful person will think of regularities of success.
  
  Heinrich Shliemann, for example, has learned a set of foreign languages practically without teachers and using his own technique. But it doesn't deny usefulness for many people - during the learning of languages - occupations with teachers and of using of the standard techniques.
  
  The same way it is possible to perceive reflections about the culture of success.
  
  Someone is successful intuitively and isn't interested in additional knowledge. And for someone are useful the experience of others and a synthesis of other's experience.
  
  In this sketch is considered the theme "a culture of success".
  
  Naturally, the author does not claim to a comprehensive analysis, nor a formulation of some final judgments. It is clear, that the theme of "the culture of success" has the considerable potential of development.
  
  Books by successful travelers - Joshua Slocum, Graham Greene, Alain Bombard, William Willis, Chay Blyth - are used for an illustration of some thoughts, judgments . But these books - not only the means to 'illustrate' a judgments. These books became one of the inducing factors to writing of this essay.
  
  In this essay some conclusions from author's publication "Success and recognition . To the theme of successful travels of Georgy Baydukov, Chay Blyth, Alain Bombard, Nikolai Garin-Mikhailovsky, Maxim Gorky, Carl Gustaf Mannerheim, Joshua Slocum, Howard Hughes" are used.
  
  
  2. A culture of tests
  
  Forecasting - a necessary element of a human activity. But, to make a predictions, it is necessary to know on what potential it is possible to count. People tend to test themselves, to examine themselves, their qualities, to obtain experience.
  
  A test (a trial, a probation, an experiment, a proving, a proof, a checkout) is a possibility to learn more about himself, about own capabilities.
  
  The culture of tests was creating and was developing since an ancient times.
  
  In Ancient Greece, sports were widely developed.
  
  Tests were a part religious the practician. We may to remember monkhood, vows (promises, oaths), a religious obedience.
  
  Probably, the spiritual feats, labours of the Saints, of the humans-devotees of faith can be called as "tests".
  
  We won't forget knightly tournaments and competitions.
  
  At a boundary between the 1400th and 1500th years of our era in the culture of tests there were essential changes.
  
  The long period of many centuries, filled with pessimism of destruction of the Roman Empire, has come to the end. On May 29, 1453 Constantinople has been taken by storm by army of the Ottoman Empire.
  
  The Christian European civilization appears under a powerful pressure from the South direction.
  
  There is a lot of reasons for pessimism yet.
  
  Suddenly and distinctly the interrelation between (1) belief (a spiritual basis, firmness), (2) knowledge (seaworthy school of Prince Henry the Navigator), (3) long sea voyages (implementation of knowledge - travel, tests), (4) increment of power and finding of welfare - becames the clear.
  
  "Almost suddenly Portugal became the first sea power of the world. Achievements of her seamen have attached to her not only new areas, but also the whole continents. More one decade - and the smallest nation of all European nations will lay claim on dominion and management of the spaces, surpassing territories of the Roman Empire in the period of her greatest power" (Цвейг С. 'Магеллан. Человек и его деяние'. ([Zweig S.] Zweig S. "Magallanes. Hombre y su obra.')).
  
  The European centers of force changed, with the specification of maps also the political map of the world was changed.
  
  It appears, "test" is not only a way of spiritual self-improvement, not only a way of honor - and, is frequent, also victories - on fields of battles, but also a way - not in all, but in rather many cases - to make the life more financially respectable, sated with adventures and impressions, a way to see the world.
  
  
  3. Travel - an outstripping test
  
  Such type of tests as rather distant, rather long, rather difficult and rather hard travel enters the European culture.
  
  Of course both the level of severity, and level of complexity of travels are very a various.
  
  First, very a conditional border separates such concepts as a foot walk, a trip, a floating by sea, or by a river, from the concept "travel".
  
  Secondly, the very "journey" for someone and in some specific circumstances ceases to be a "test" (however if to remember crashes of enormous ocean tourist liners, then it is possible to present that the small, latent element of test in a travel, even extremely comfortable, remains).
  
  Travels became the practical, socially approved tests.
  
  From number distant travel to a separate "category" the travels round-the-world (circumnavigations) were marked out.
  
  
  4. Pessimism and optimism
  
  So, a boundary between 1400th and 1500th years of our era.
  
  Powerful pressure upon Christian European civilization from the South proceeds. Still ahead the battle near Vienna in 1683 and a victory.
  
  But absolutely not the pessimistic type of the personality already appears. In some cases it is possible to see the Italian a vigor and a mobility (Christopher Columbus). In other cases the extreme decisiveness, in essence - optimistical, distincts more and more (someone can notice the some melancholiness - life was very difficult) (Ferdinand Magellan). To vigor, mobility and determination was added the indestructible obstinacy. This obstinacy is turning into effective hardness (Juan Sebastian del Cano). In historical fog appears the cheerful, invincible, predatory (they tired to live poorly!) the adventurism and the luckiness of sir Francis Drake.
  
  The tireless representatives of the Welser trading house are moving after the Conquistadors.
  
  An activity of a new, - optimistical, - the personality is documentary describing in logbooks and personal diaries.
  
  The rationality and systemacity are not fruitless.
  
  Having taken aboard the 'Hope' ship (in structure of an expedition) of Swiss "astronomer" Horner, the captain I.F. Krusenstern bends around the Cape Horn, and then and all the globe, in three years of sailing almost does not lose, as a dead, of any crew member, and almost nothing from a rigging ("On "Hope" in all the time of our swimming it isn't lost not only masts, neither steng, ... nor anchors, nor a rope") (he mentions some participants got healthier of three years' swimming), sends from Kamchatka to St. Petersburg through Siberia the count Fedor Tolstoy, and after the return to Russia almost half fills out his book about a global cruise with records about navigation calculations.
  
  We will return mentally to the first round-the-world travel (years of a round-the-world expedition of Magellan of 1519-1522). Ferdinand Magellan goes to cruise. The cadre of an expedition is constantly reduced. This process of "elimination" "captures" also the Magellan, who perished during floating. Magellan's persistence is succeeded by del Cano's obstinacy. There is an effect of accumulation of persistence. This integrated persistence proves to be successful.
  
  It is possible to think also of such hypothetical question: and if del Cano remained onboard alone, then Magellan's expedition in a format of single (single-handed; solo) floating could come to the end? It was depended of circumstances. But we may imagine somewhere or near the Spanish coast the found the caravel on which, under a small sail, seeks to finish a global cruise the stubborn (optimistical?) del Cano.
  
  And after the returning goes with a candle in a hand for a prayer to the temple.
  
  In such hypothetical option there is nothing improbable. And such hypothetical option could become an additional illustration to a tendency of increase of potential of success, increase of level of optimism.
  
  "The finest Odyssey in the history of mankind is the ocean travel of two hundred sixty five courageous people from whom only eighteen have come back by the semi-broken ship, but with the flag of the greatest victory flying on a mast", - Stefan Zweig writes about the expedition of Magellan - del Cano [Zweig S.].
  
  It may seem, that after travels and distant sea voyages in spiritual life of Europe optimism more and more distinctly begins to be shown.
  
  After the moment of the victory near Vienna in 1683 not so much time passes, and Europe, generally, is an optimistical.
  
  Vienna is whirling, rotating in dances, listens to Franz Josef Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's music.
  
  But, probably, the optimism, dances and music not "have moved off in archive" the memories of "hard times". Practice of tests, practical benefits of mobility and dynamism haven't disappeared.
  
  
  5. A travel as supersport
  
  The outpacing tests are the kinds of activity, - activity, we may say, elitist. They - for the most ready, most skilled, most viable people. They assume not only physical, but also spiritual achievements. One of signs of the outstripping tests - need to work in the changing environment.
  
  A sport - is a comparison of the achievements expressed in quantitative indices (in meters, kilograms, seconds, points, etc.). A testing, a travel checks a condition of a body and spirit.
  
  Naturally, between a sport, on the one hand, and a supersport, tests, on the other hand, - there is none an impassable border. If to agree that the sport - it's the distilled tests, then and extent of distillation can be different.
  
  Eventually, and a foot travel can be distilled before an orienteering lasting several hours. And a military battle march can be complicated and extended to the level of a foot travel. Sports marathon (more than 40 km) can make on someone an impression of a small travel.
  
  
  6. From "tests" - to "the outstripping tests"
  
  The culture of (outpacing) tests in the format of a travel become an integral part of European culture.
  
  The culture of tests - not only the culture of overcoming of difficulties, but also the culture of the outstripping knowledge and self-knowledge. What is the difference between the "ordinary" tests and the "outstripping" tests?
  
  It is possible to make the history of accidents, difficult situations with the description of behavior of people at the time of the events. It is possible to generalize the relevant information, to make recommendations. Such description and generalization are useful for a cultural movement.
  
  But the culture of the outpacing tests, the outstripping knowledge and self-knowledge assumes not "expectation" of any accidents or adverse situations with their subsequent an evaluation and analysis, but the "promotion" towards to these situations, the outpacing accumulation of experience, knowledge, skills, useful qualities.
  
  That's the question! It is nessesary to get difficulties and pessimism ahead. They must be neutralized! And in this an outstripping movement - one of important recipes of success.
  
  The culture of the outpacing tests - it is, on the one hand,something an ephemeral. On the other hand, it a very real. It becoming an ownership of all the European civilization.
  
  In this sense the help of MASS of people for travelers about which we know from books by Joshua Slocum (the first single global cruise on the Spray yacht ["Joshua Slocum"]), William Willis (he have alone crossed the Pacific Ocean on a self-made sailing raft in 1954 and 1964 ["William Willis"]), Chay Blyth (a alone global cruise on "the British Steel" yacht on very difficult route without calling ports ["Chay Blyth"]), other solo seafarers, this help is not only a philanthropic desire to help, not only respect for courage and fearlessness, but also, I assume, an intuitive pragmatic reasonable egoism. Travelers put on themselves inoculations of pessimism, difficulties, trials. Travelers do optimism and success the common cultural property.
  
  We will distract from a theme of seafarers, but we will remain in the theme of "travel", for some time we will switch to (pedestrian) travel across Africa. The British writer (and the public servant - during some periods) Graham Greene in the book "Travel without Map" describes "delights" of a travel in the remote regions of one of the African countries in 1935: it's impossible to eat and drink normally, there are none standard opportunities of ordinary hygienic procedures (food isn't qualitative, water without filter is unfit), it is impossible to sleep normally (rats and insects are), it is impossible after an awakening to become carefree on a floor (an infection with a tropical flea follows), it is impossible to go across the rivers safely, it is impossible to bathe in reservoirs (a real risk of infection with parasites). The travel is followed by various disorders of health of Graham Greene and his disease of tropical fever. Around Graham Greene - the mass incidence of the population of infectious diseases. Nevertheless, the Graham Greene's travel comes to the end with achievement of goals.
  
  The "early" history of mankind demonstrates the formation of a human's need - "need in the tribe".
  
  Security concerns and providing with food couldn't almost be solved without of community.
  
  A time passed. There is an accumulation of knowledge, abilities, experience, cultural potential. There is a figure of Alexander Selkirk, the native of Britain, who has all alone lived on the island Juan Fernandez during four years and four months (1704-1709). And behind him and the literary image of Robinson Crusoe, created by Daniel Defoe. (One of options of dating of the first publication of "Robinson Crusoe" - April, 1719).
  
  The human, as it appeared to be, is a self-sufficient. It is capable to a self-assessment, self-organization. He is capable to independently organize, arrange, to create, to do comfortable own life.
  
  
  7. From the outstripping tests to (comfort, pleasure and) success
  
  A qualitative leap in the accumulation of the cultural potential of the outpacing tests in the format of sea single-handed voyages is a curious.
  
  The J. Slocum and W. Willis's sea experience was accumulating (each of them "began" as "the ordinary sailor", gradually increasing qualification, level of the personal "sea experience").
  
  J. Slocum, apparently from his book, has grown from the level of the ordinary sailor to the captain's level ("the captain of the merchant ship"). With a little joke J. Slocum writes about himself: "I am an old seaman of merchant marine fleet ...".
  
  J. Slocum and W. Willis have gradually accumulated a marine experience. They became seafarers, navigators.
  
  Both Slocum and Willis had an experience of the boatmaker, shipbuilder.
  
  Each of them in many respects independently modelled the future floating crafts (J. Slocum - the yacht, W.Willis - two rafts for two consecutive the single Pacific journeys).
  
  J. Slocum had the greatest qualification of the ship builder. That can be seen from his book.
  In fact, he himself restored his yacht from the old donated (or sold for a symbolic payment) copy (as a matter of fact - he have anew constructed the yacht).
  
  Later he repeatedly repaired and modernized the yacht (even during a global cruise).
  
  The shipbuilding experience of J. Slocum has allowed to turn a very first in the history three-year single-handed (solo) global cruise in the period of accumulation of experience and modernization of the yacht.
  
  And experience of "the seaman of merchant marine fleet" has allowed him to start business processes, lecture programs and to provide himself with finance directly in the course of floating.
  
  W. Willis has almost independently constructed the first raft (of seven the balsa trees). He participated in construction of the second raft (from the metal pipes filled with the hardening polyurethane).
  
  Connection of experience of the ship builder and experience of the seafarer both in case of J. Slocum, and in case of W. Willis has yielded the results.
  
  First, their experience became property of other seafarers.
  
  The J. Slocum's experience hasn't been creatively absorbed and realized, for example, by Alain Bombard?
  
  Alain Bombard was making in the course of transatlantic sailing on the inflatable boat constant actions for maintenance of the boat in a "capable" state.
  
  It is possible to believe that by the time of floating of A. Bombard in 1952 the culture of navigation absorbed J. Slocum's experience, and Alain Bombard partly was psychologically ready to constant actions for maintenance of the boat in working order.
  
  A repair of the vessel during a voyage - not news. It is possible to remember, for example, the circumnavigation (the second in the history) of Francis Drake.
  
  But a single (single-handed) navigator - has a other psychological context of activity. The solo seafarer always has a set of options.
  
  Choosing a hard unrationed work, he has a spiritual support and a cultural reference point - the examples of the predecessors. They have found forces and managed to solve problems were arising on the course of an ocean journey.
  
  Secondly, if to compare such a subjective defined factor as the level of pleasure from a floating, - for J. Slocum and W. Willis this level was the highest.
  
  In other words, considerable cultural potential of a single ocean travel was accumulated. And a test, - without having stopped being a trial, - has turned into a pleasure.
  
  Especially distinctly it is visible according to the book J. Slocum. His first-ever solo global cruise lasted nearly three years. His circumnavigation has been filled with difficulties, lucks and pleasures. His experience of the seaman and a design of the yacht, constructed and repeatedly modernized by him, allowed him for the long periods of time to distract from control of the yacht (the yacht was going during these periods independently on the scheduled course).
  
  J. Slocum had a time for a sleeping, for a rest, reading, preparation and acceptance of food, maintenance, survey of a marine nature views, generally, for comfortable life.
  
  Rather distinctly the pleasure from sailing is shown also in books by W. Willis.
  
  A. Bombard, Chay Blyth weren't designers and builders of the floating means (Bombard - the inflatable boat, Blyth - the unique steel yacht).
  
  In my opinion, in their books there are significantly more reasonings about those constructive problems which were found during floatings, than in the book J. Slocum and in the books by W. Willis.
  
  J. Slokam, W. Willis, A. Bombard, and Ch. Blyth have successfully finished the ocean journeys. Graham Greene has successfully finished the African foot travel which has taken place in 1935. Have coped with tests, became a successful people.
  
  Each of them either during the travel, or after the voyage has gained recognition.
  
  Each of them has shown the work of the model - "experience plus knowledge plus firmness during tests equal a success" - in practice.
  
  
  8. "Experience plus knowledge plus firmness equal a success"
  
  Individual success was perceiving by the European community with interest, was absorbed, became a collective success.
  
  Such statement can look as a hypothetical.
  
  But we may remember the model of success which was implemented in the outstripping tests: "experience plus knowledge plus firmness in tests equal a success". Someone on this model made discoveries, spending many years to laboratories. Someone, despite fatigue, during military operations looked after wounded. Someone fulfilled the duty in severe, unusual conditions.
  
  A cultural potential of outpacing tests was accumulating. The comfort, optimism, success were appearing.
  
  In some sense this continuous process of individual tests was process of social control of adaptedness to the environment.
  
  This process was a continuous reorganization of the existence environment.
  
  In some cases it was reorganization - in consciousness. But in necessary cases change of the environment was becoming a reality.
  
  The individual success was becoming for many observers a possibility of "involvement" in success, a possibility of consolidation in the course of a recognition of success.
  
  
  9. Recognition of success - element of culture. A self-recognition (recognition of own success)
  
  Reading, for example, books by Graham Greene, Ch. Blyth, A. Bombard, J. Slocum, W. Willis we can come to a conclusion that the recognition of success becomes a separate element of culture of success and culture in general.
  
  In a certain cases, for example, in societies with communal psychology, we can meet also adverse reactions to success, attempts of stealing of success.
  
  In more detail the theme "recognition of success" is presented in my essay "Success and recognition".
  
  Independent logical point of the theme "recognition of success" - is a self-recognition (recognition of own success). A form of such self-recognition is a writing by the successful person, for example, by the successful traveler, of a book or books about tests and about success.
  
  Graham Greene, and Ch. Blyth, and A. Bombard, and J. Slocum, and W. Willis became authors of books in which their travel have been described.
  
  
  10. The short epilogue
  
  "(Outstripping) tests" - "success",
  
  "pessimism" - "optimism",
  
  "sport" - "supersport",
  
  "adverse reactions to success, attempts of stealing of success" - "indifference to success" - "recognition of success"
  
  - these concepts as shows reality, are interconnected and characterize the culture of success.
  
  Naturally, only by these - listed notions, - the characteristic of culture of success isn't exhausted.
  
  It is possible to assume that in process of development of culture of success there is an accumulation of success, and society becomes more and more successful.
  
  For certain cases, probably, it is possible to formulate also other (contr) thesis: about a losing of potential of success and about a less and less successful society.
  
  Perhaps, the history of Conquests (La Conquista) (approximately a boundary between 1400 and 1500 years of our era) shows an example of interaction of societies with a potential of accumulation of success and societies with communal psychology.
  
  Naturally, the stated generalizations and conclusions don't claim for indisputability.
  
  
  December 2, 2016.
  
  
  Translation from Russian into English: March 29, 2018 - April 10, 2018. Владимир Владимирович Залесский 'Культура испытаний и культура успешности. Размышления о книгах успешных путешественников Дж. Слокама, Грэма Грина, А. Бомбара, У. Уиллиса, Ч. Блайта. Очерк'.
 Ваша оценка:
Связаться с программистом сайта.

Новые книги авторов СИ, вышедшие из печати:
О.Болдырева "Крадуш. Чужие души" М.Николаев "Вторжение на Землю"

Как попасть в этoт список

Кожевенное мастерство | Сайт "Художники" | Доска об'явлений "Книги"