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Life in Orthodoxy and the Modern World
In past centuries, for example in 19th-century Russia, the Orthodox worldview was part of Orthodox life and was supported by the surrounding reality. There was no need to even speak of it as something separate—everyone lived Orthodox lives, in harmony with the surrounding Orthodox society. In many countries, the government itself professed Orthodoxy; it was the center of public activity, and the Tsar or ruler himself was historically the first Orthodox layperson, whose duty it was to set an example of Christian life for his subjects. Every city had Orthodox churches, and in many of them, services were held daily, morning and evening. Monasteries existed in all large cities, in many smaller towns, and beyond them, in villages, and in remote and deserted places. In Russia, there were over a thousand officially registered monasteries, not counting other communities. Monasticism was a universally accepted part of life. Indeed, in most families, someone—a sister or brother, an uncle, a grandfather, a relative—was a monk or nun, not to mention other examples of Orthodox life, such as wanderers and fools for Christ. The entire way of life was permeated with Orthodoxy, the center of which, of course, was monasticism. Orthodox customs were part of everyday life. Most widely read books were Orthodox. Everyday life itself was difficult for most people: they had to work hard to survive, their hopes for survival were slim, death was not uncommon—all of this reinforced Christ's teaching about the reality and nearness of another world. In such circumstances, living an Orthodox life meant having an Orthodox worldview, and there was little need to talk about it.
Now everything has changed. Our Orthodoxy is an island in a world that lives by completely different principles, and with each passing day these principles are increasingly changing for the worse, alienating us further from it. Many people are tempted to divide their lives into two categories: everyday life at work, with worldly friends, in worldly affairs, and Orthodoxy, which we live by on Sundays and other days of the week when we have time for it. But upon closer examination, such a person's worldview often represents a strange combination of Christian and worldly values that truly do not mix. The purpose of this report is to show how those living today can begin to make their worldview more valuable, to make it wholly Orthodox.
Orthodoxy is life. If we don't live Orthodoxly, we are simply not Orthodox, regardless of our formal faith.
