“The foundations of national pedagogy can be established only through self-awareness the perfect image Ukrainian as a person and as a member of the nation. If we have such a separate ideal of a Ukrainian from other nationalities, then We can talk about national pedagogy. If it is not, then we have to to look for the ideal of someone else that we would like to imitate and accept as our own. If. not If we agree to one foreign model, then there will obviously be as many of them as there are directions or systems in different foreign models” (V. Shayan).
It is Skovoroda, as the Teacher of the nation, who will help us to realize our national ideal and national outlook. Skovoroda is still awakening the nation with his wisdom from a deep sleep to a new life, to the heights of spiritual and ideological awareness of the essence of its nation, its self-identification!
Hryhorii Skovoroda was a born teacher. It was the only title he fulfilled in a life he loved and lived for. He himself defined his task as a teacher – to be a Stone to be sharpened – a donkey who, although he does not cut himself, sharpens many knives and swords for battle! (Fable “The Donkey and the Knife”). “Skovoroda sharpened the character, mind, and thought of a whole generation of fighters so that the sharpened swords of their ideas, works, and rank could complete the great miracle in history called the Renaissance of the nation” (V. Shayan). Students of Skovoroda who continued his ideals: Kotliarevsky, Kvitka-Osnovyanenko, Gogol, Kostomarov, Shevchenko, Kulish! All of them became the awakeners of the Ukrainian nation! Skovoroda devotes his works “The Primer of the World,” “The Grateful Erodius,” “The Poor Lark,” etc. to pedagogical issues.
The main method of his teaching was based on direct and individual contact with students, in constant communication, conversations with them! In these conversations, Skovoroda gave his students the most by studying their character and abilities, and guiding their life ideals to the most appropriate path for their development!
Skovoroda strongly defended the principle of Innate ability, Talent, and then Innate labor. This innate Talent, according to Skovoroda’s teachings, is a hidden spark in the child’s soul, a manifestation of a secret spark of nature. In his work The Alphabet of the World, the teacher wrote: “…This secret spark that awakens the inclination to knowledge was called ‘Isias’ by the Egyptians, ‘Athena’ by the Greeks, and ‘Minerva’ by the Romans, i.e. ‘Nature‘. According to Skovoroda, a person who is in tune with Nature or Minerva is a person with talent. And this purpose is like the voice of nature, which comes out of the depths of one’s own soul and leads a person to his or her destiny as if by the hand. Therefore, Skovoroda taught that to be happy is to recognize your “Nature” and follow its voice. In his work “The Grateful Erodius” the teacher argued that An apple tree does not need to be taught how to produce apples: nature itself has taught it. It only needs to be fenced off from pigs and cleaned of caterpillars. Therefore, the main task of a teacher is to nurture and develop. The teacher should have studied in detail the best side of the child’s character and abilities and found a direction for the child’s development even before he or she was mature enough to consciously choose his or her title.
THE PRINCIPLE OF INNATE LABOR
Frying pan teaches that this particular principle is at the heart of building a happy society. To implement this principle, it is necessary to to radically change the entire social structure. Because the main cause of all social misery – is the neglect of the principle of Innate Labor. “Social misfortunes arise from the fact that people take up other people’s work. The one who should be in the orchestra is often the one who leads the military procession… It’s funny when a wolf plays a flute. It’s funny when a bear dances. But when the wolf has become a shepherd, the bear a monk, and the foal a counselor, it is no longer a joke, but a disaster” (“The Primer of the World”).
“Great social misfortunes arise from the fact that people undertake to fulfill a rank in pursuit of money. Fulfillment of a rank that is not in accord with Nature leads to inner turmoil…” (“Primer of the World”).
Skovoroda writes The Primer of the World, in which he closely links pedagogy to the advent of new society.
UNEQUAL FOR ALL EQUALITY
Skovoroda described his vision of a new society as follows: “…God is like a rich fountain that fills different vessels according to their capacity. Above the fountain is an inscription: “Unequal to all equality”! Pouring from different handles different jets in different vessels standing around the fountain. A smaller vessel has less, but is equal to a larger one in that it is equally full. And what is more stupid than equal equality, which fools are trying to establish in the world. How stupid is everything that is contrary to happy Nature?” (“Primer of the World”).
People have different abilities from birth, everyone has different abilities, and that’s what people are all about differ from each other, that is, they are not equal! But everyone has abilities inherent in Nature and the Creator, and everyone can develop these abilities. A person has the right to Happiness, and in this fullness of Happiness, people are all equal. In that Happiness – in its universal, national community – people are equal. But they are like different vessels, they have different capacity, depth, and capacity. They have different work, different responsibilities, different tasks. But they are all equal, …. like those smaller cups. Skovoroda simply rejects the attempt to equalize people in some mechanical way as nonsense.
More than Three hundred years have passed since the death of the brilliant teacher and philosopher Hryhorii Skovoroda, and yet it still does not dawn on the minds of the people that such brilliant world-altering truths are contained in the works of our brilliant thinker.
DO WE UNDERSTAND OUR TEACHER-GENIUS?
I THINK NOT!
We live today by the rules that Skovoroda fought against all his life! It’s a problem when a person pretending to be someone she is not. It’s a problem when a person thinks one thing, says another, and does another, because this is an imbalance, a split personality, and therefore society. We live in an era when lies win over the Truth. We live in an era in which there is no triumph of Justice. We live in an era of forgotten customary law. The mortal sin of our civilized generation is the breakdown of traditions between the younger and older generations, the loss of moral values, and the loss of youth education.
Therefore, we cannot yet achieve the HAPPINESS that Genius has been speaking, teaching, and writing all his life. This is the tragedy of our current life!
Frying pan proved to us by his teaching, how the world should exist harmoniously, so he titled his work The Primer of the World. These are the rules for building a new society. Each of us has his or her own natural gifts. And from this natural purpose, man cannot escape.
“Know yourself! ” Skovoroda urges! Because this is his life credo! People should live by this credo in order to be happy, to become a conscious and morally advanced nation.
P.S.
Once, in Slovakia (I won’t name the city), I had to defend a dissertation on Hryhorii Skovoroda. The dissertation was written by a Slovak, a gymnasium principal, and it was a wonderful work dedicated to the Ukrainian genius. On the day of the defense, I came to meet with the Rector of a Slovak university, he was also the chairman of the commission. After a while, the rector confessed that he had never heard of such a Ukrainian philosopher and asked if I could briefly tell him what the essence of Skovoroda’s philosophy was. I was surprised, because Skovoroda, while working and studying in Europe, was also in Slovakia I thought for a moment how I could briefly tell him the wisdom of this genius. There was a carafe of water on the table, and next to it glasses of water, and the secretary brought coffee in small cups. I took a decanter, then a glass of water and a small cup of coffee. And I told the rector that these vessels are all equal according to Skovoroda’s teaching, because they are all full. Similarly, people who have found their Happiness are full of Happiness, so they are equal, regardless, which work and what task they perform in life. This is one of Skovoroda’s principles – EQUAL EQUALITY FOR ALL. And she told Frying Pan’s story about the Eagle and the Turtle. The rector listened and said: “Why don’t you bring such an interesting philosophy to the world? I have never heard of such a wise Ukrainian philosopher.”
Why don’t we bring the wisdom of our national geniuses to the world? We are constantly looking at other people’s theories and concepts that seem more valuable to us. This is our worldview mistake!