Divine and Human and Other Short Stories by Leo Tolstoy - Peter Sekirin
All the questions I have on God, Socialism, and a variety of other issues have obviously risen in Tolstoy’s mind too. And, he has written these short stories for people like me who have a lifestyle that will not accomodate reading long essays. I liked every story in this collection.
1. The Son of a Thief: Only God can judge others, we only have the right to forgive and love.
2. The repentant Sinner: If you ask for forgivance, God will will forgiv you, no matter what. I found this a little against my own philosophy and faith, according to which you reap what you sow.
3. The Archangel Gabriel: Means of worship is not as important as the heart that does it.
4. The Prayer: "Why pray to God if he can do such terrible things?" I have asked this question a zillion times and have even questioned the presence of God. but now I think, Tolstoy was correct in this story…We humans can never understand the masterplan and it is not right for us to question the happenings of life, just give it our best.
5. The Poor People: poor fisherman’s family with a daily struggle to feed 5 kids adopts 2 more neighbor’s children when they are orphaned. Are they really poor? No.
6. A coffeehouse in the city of Surat: My favorite. People from different religion fight about one true God.
7. Kornei Vasiliev: Story of Cheat, forgivance, repentance.
8. A grain of rye, the size of a chicken egg: Work is worship
9. The Berries: I did not read it. know not why.
10. Stones: Confess our sins no matter how small they are. Like a sculptor of your own statue, keep hipping away the sins.
11. The Big Dipper: charity is great.
12. The power of childhood: An accused is freed as the society cares not to create an orphan.
13. Why did it happen:
14. Divine and Human: Same situation between 2 people brings out different outcomes, based on ego & belief. The one who storngly believes in an ideal while reducing self to zero becomes divine. Whereas, the other, leader of the first is a mere human due to denial.
15. Requirements of love: it is UNCONDITIONAL.
16. Sisters: I do not understand why Tolstoy thought prostitutes need to be treated like sisters…
