Lesson outline (senior group) on the topic: “Good and Evil.”

Good and evil... To learn to distinguish between them, children need years and people to follow as examples. Morality is not always a concept inherent in children; it is not inherent from birth.

The ball is rolling along the pavement. Four-year-old Misha runs after him. His six-year-old brother Dimu barely manages to hold the baby as a car rushes past.
« Well done! - Passers-by praised Dima. — You're taking good care of your brother!»
Dima replies surly: “I’m watching, otherwise they won’t let me watch TV in the evening.”

It turns out that Dima is not a hero, but just a heartless little devil? Is TV really more important to him than his brother’s life?

However, there is no contradiction here: Dima probably doesn’t want anything to happen to Misha, but he is much more interested in his own interests.
And this is completely normal for a child at his age.

Children think differently than adults. Our moral principles and an adult understanding of the topic of Good and Evil, children are not yet told anything about it.
They are still learning the rules of behavior in society, such as courtesy, tolerance and willingness to help.
From the cradle they learn only one thing: you have to do everything right so that your parents love you. Therefore good for small child- this is, first of all, something that benefits him, or something for which his parents do not scold him.

The extent to which children place their own interests above moral obligations is shown by the results of a study conducted by psychologists.

Children preschool age were faced with a choice: meet a friend with whom we had agreed in advance, or go to the cinema.
Everyone chose cinema. Why? Cinema is more interesting. What about the fact that they might offend a friend? They didn't understand this.

Everything is logical: children under ten or twelve years old do not have the most important prerequisite for moral behavior - the ability to enter into the position of other people, to perceive their feelings as their own.

How does a child come to be able to distinguish good from evil?
What is right, and therefore good, the child begins to understand by observing adults, especially parents.

IN early age kids perceive it something like this:
goodness is what I am allowed to do and for which my mother and father love me;
evil is what is scolded and punished for.
But knowing is one thing, but behaving in life accordingly requires learning and learning.

In front of her mother, three-year-old Anya scolds her friend: “You can’t pull the hair!” And as soon as mom left the room, Anya grabbed her friend by the braid.

Moral guideline - parental behavior
One thing is clear: we ourselves are a moral example for our children. Of course, we don’t want to raise brawlers and car burglars, but we don’t need losers, wimps or cowards. We would like to have confident, active children. They must be decent, well-mannered, but able to stand up for themselves. How can we convey to children our understanding of moral values ​​and rules of the game when communicating with other people? To do this, adults must be an example for children.

Parents should treat their children the way they would like their children to treat them.

Children learn willingness to help from adults

If we want to instill friendliness and tolerance in children, we must invite all their friends to visit, even those who are not very attractive to us, parents.

In order for children to learn to empathize with another, they must see how their mother and father, for example, console a stranger crying baby, help elderly people when crossing the street, give up a seat on the bus to disabled people. And, of course, be sure to tell your children how people helped you in trouble.
Everything seems simple and banal... But it is these everyday little things that will form an understanding of what Good is.
And children even without parents learn about Evil, thanks to our media (alas).

If we want to instill a sense of responsibility in children, we must first give them this opportunity: trust them, set tasks for them that they are obliged to complete, say, in the household or when caring for pets.

In order for children to learn to think correctly and critically about themselves and other people, they must be taken seriously and allowed to openly express their opinions and take part in a joint decision.
In order to instill in a child a sense of self-worth and self-worth, he needs an atmosphere in the family where warmth, mutual understanding and a sense of security become something taken for granted. This is the only way kids can become familiar with the moral values ​​of Good and Evil.

What is good and evil for a child

kind man

Everyone has at least once thought about the eternal question: “What is kindness?” Ozhegov’s dictionary gives the following definition of the concept of “kindness”: “Responsiveness, emotional disposition towards people, the desire to do good to others.” And before the article the definitions are listed: virtuous, good-natured, benevolent, good-natured, respectable, kind-hearted, conscientious. Probably a truly kind person has all these qualities. But how many of these are there? Thinking about friends and relatives who, of course, are kind to me and to each other, I seriously thought about difficult question: Is there at least one truly kind person in my environment? So that he is virtuous, and good-natured, and respectable, and conscientious, and kind-hearted... (No one will say to himself that he is evil.) But, having delved into my own soul and assessed others, I came to a disappointing conclusion: with many positive qualities, we are far from perfect. There are people among us who are stingy, some who are intemperate with their tongues, some who are irresponsible, and some who are selfish. One friend hates her mother-in-law, another hates her husband’s first wife, and a third hates her boss. I don't want to continue...

Husband and wife are not the only Satan

I can call only one friend of mine the purest example of spiritual beauty. Irritability and anger are unknown to her. When I was little, I envied this friendly family with four children. Mom loved everyone very much - she found time and the right words for everyone. And when someone came to the children, she was happy, as if a long-awaited guest had arrived. She asked with interest about all the children's affairs and problems, gave necessary advice, with a very modest income, she treated me to the most delicious thing that was in the house. Only years later did I find out that out of four children, only two were shared with my husband. And twins Igor and Masha are only husbands. Once he betrayed his wife and secretly started another family in a neighboring town. Naive, trusting, the woman did not suspect anything - she lived peacefully and took care of her husband, freeing her from the burden of everyday life. One day, returning from another “business trip,” he burst into tears: an unbearable burden fell on his shoulders - his mistress was gone, the twins were left orphans. It is difficult to say what kind of conversation took place between the spouses, but soon these babies appeared in the house, and the woman became a tender and caring mother for them. Where are the sources of amazing wisdom that extinguished resentment from betrayal, hatred and anger? My “underdeveloped” soul cannot understand! Her children grew up safely, only Igor “stumbled”, turning from an intelligent person into a drunkard. Igor’s entire family (both his wife and children) have turned their backs on him, and his mother (I can’t help but say “stepmother”) is the only one who is trying to support him.

Don't we need good upbringing?

Good manners. Unfortunately, this word (and concept) has disappeared from our vocabulary as unnecessary. “Good upbringing” is not in fashion. Only from books can we judge how tutors and nannies instilled in our great-grandmothers good manners, restraint, politeness, and neatness. These qualities, like kindness, are not transmitted genetically. They can only be educated - from an early age. It’s hard to believe in the kindness and decency of a person who spits at his feet, throws away a pack of cigarettes, cigarette butts. I can’t believe it either kind soul a teenager who draws on abominations in an elevator with a felt-tip pen. This is a disregard for those who live nearby. And these pranks are not as harmless as they might seem. I remember that one psychologist argued that the spirit of barbarism lives in us - our ancestors destroyed churches and palaces, destroyed works of art, burned books... Neighbors look askance at a woman who, from spring to autumn, tinkers at the entrance, building alpine slides and growing flowers . For everyone. And these “everyone” trample the flower beds, tear up the flowers and throw them away right away. But she does not give up - she does good in response to evil. In winter, he cooks porridge and feeds stray dogs. Her charity is perceived as strange: doing good for strangers is an unaffordable luxury. The fairy tale about the Little Prince has become a real utopia. Only small children are touched and believe her. But they grow up imitating indifferent adults in everything... Isn't it time for us to seriously think about this!

YANA ROSTOVA

Let's listen to the sayings of the wisest

Once upon a time, the great Chinese philosopher Lao Jun noted that people do not do small good things, believing that it will not affect life. But they are also in no hurry to correct small evils, believing that there is no damage from it. But little goodness, as well as small evil, have great creative or destructive power. “If you don’t accumulate goodness, you won’t get great Potency,” said the sage. - And if humanity does not have Potency, its health and flesh are destroyed, and people’s thinking becomes empty, neither seed nor breath is retained in it. A kind person feeds himself not only spiritually, but also physically.”

MAIN CAUSES OF SELF-DESTRUCTION:

Having borrowed, do not remember about retribution,
- helping people, hoping for reward,
- envy the rich
- to hate a lot, to love a little,
- wish someone dead
- rejoice in the mistakes and failures of others, - find flaws in famous people,
- complain about having to work,
- mistaking illusions for reality, - shifting responsibility to others,
- break promises
- blame a person for not doing you good,
- vilify and blame talented people,
- be jealous
- return in thoughts to old grievances,
- talk to a fool,
- act frivolously in a difficult situation,
- get rowdy after drinking wine,
- laugh at the blind, deaf, dumb, and wretched.

BEST MEDICINE FOR CORRECTING ERRORS:

Help the old, the sick and those crying for help,
- sympathize with the abandoned, have pity for the lonely,
- do not demand repayment of old debts,
- do not argue and do not judge who is right and who is wrong,
- having suffered an insult, do not be offended,
- do not remember the harm caused,
- give up the best and more to others, leaving the worst and less for yourself,
- don’t complain about hard work and don’t look for easy work,
- being poor, do not lament,
- sincerely rejoice in the successes of others, - blame only yourself for your troubles and illnesses,
- wish people fulfillment of their desires,
- do not interfere in other people's affairs,
- eat according to the needs of the body, and dress according to the needs,
- and most importantly: strictly guard yourself and closed door Houses.
Article provided by the magazine "My Baby and Me"

Lesson summary for preschoolers "Good and Evil"

Goal: To form an idea of ​​good and evil (good always triumphs over evil), to show the beauty of good deeds and not the beauty of evil ones, to teach how to correctly evaluate oneself and others, to teach one to see the positive and negative qualities of characters. Make it clear that everyone is given freedom of choice: to do good or evil. Learn to empathize. To cultivate in children such personality traits as generosity, honesty, justice, the ability to empathize and sympathize with other people. Learn to compose a coherent story together, using modeling techniques, and develop coherent speech skills.

Progress of the lesson:

Educator:

Is it easier to be good or evil?

It's probably easier for the evil ones.

Being kind means giving

Your warmth to others.

To be kind means to understand

Both loved ones and strangers

And sometimes you don’t know joy,

Caring for others.

Of course, it is more difficult for good

And yet look:

How many friends he has!

And there is always only one evil one...

Educator: Guys, what do you think is good? (children's reasoning). One good thing is treasures, books, jewelry, paintings, toys. You can see such goodness and even touch it with your hands. Another good thing you can hear is music, sincere poetry, gentle words.

Educator includes the song “On the Road of Goodness”:

What is the mood of this song (cheerful, cheerful, kind, bright).

How do you understand the words “On the path of goodness?”

How did you feel when you listened to this song?

Educator continues: - The “mood” of music, just like a person’s, can be different. (The “Pirate Song” sounds.)

What is the mood of this song (angry, angry).

What did you feel when you listened to this song (anxiety, fear, excitement, fear).

Which song did you like best? Why? How do kind people feel? (Joy, fun, good mood).

Educator: There is such goodness that cannot be touched, it cannot be seen, it cannot be heard, but every person should have it: you, and I, and your parents. This kind heart, a kind soul, kind words to help those who are in trouble. About such people they say “Good person”. (Kind – kind-hearted).

Educator: Look what wonderful snowflakes we have in our group! These are not simple snowflakes, but magical, fabulous ones. In the center of the snowflakes are the heroes of fairy tales. And here is the box! Fairy tales are also hidden in it. Maybe we should go on a fairytale journey? Think, heroes, what fairy tales are hidden in the snowflakes and in the box? How are these fairy tales similar? (Answers.) That's right, in these fairy tales the fox is main character. Why is she being punished? (For your evil deeds) What other actions are there? (Kind?) Who acted kindly in these fairy tales? What actions can be called good? (Answers) Let's think: what actions of ours can cause trouble for others? (Children's guesses)

Well done! And now we will go to the fairy tale “Three Ears of Rye”. Let's remember its plot, retell it using substitute objects, then decide together: what good deeds did the heroes do in this fairy tale?

And now we will go to another fairy tale, which also talks about good and evil deeds. I want to read this fabulous story to you. Listen carefully and decide which action is easier to commit: good or evil? Find the box and take one heart from it each.

Reading an excerpt from O. Wald’s fairy tale “The Star Boy.” Images of fairy tale heroes are attached to the board, with pockets under them.

Educator: Give your hearts to the hero you like. What does this fairy tale say? What did its author want to teach us? Which action is easier to do - good or evil? Why? (Answers) Yes, to do a good deed, you need to try, you need to make an effort. What new did we learn in class?

It is desirable that at the end of the lesson, the children, together with the teacher, come to the conclusion: each person decides for himself which way to go, what to do - good or bad, kind or evil. Offers to draw what you liked during the lesson.

Program content: consolidate children's ideas about the concepts of good and evil.

Develop thinking in the process of establishing cause-and-effect relationships: good feelings, good deeds, relationships and deeds evoke respect, friendship and love.

Develop children's coherent speech when composing short stories according to plot pictures; intensify the use of polite words and expressions. Exercise children in correctly constructing answers to questions asked, in composing dialogue.

Promote the development of children's communication abilities, develop communication skills with peers and adults. Develop children's ability to empathize; stimulate the operational side of thinking (comparison, analysis and synthesis) and develop memory.

Material: illustrations, cards with red and black hearts, paints, pencils, paper, brushes, toy microphone; for each child, three diagrams in which possible answers, mood masks are recorded (for scene No. 1), and four diagrams with possible options answers (to scene No. 2).

Progress of the lesson

Children have individual story pictures on their tables. The teacher shows cards with hearts:

Which of these hearts do you think represents kindness? Why did you decide this? If a person has a good heart, then what actions will he perform? What if it’s evil?..

Place the pictures with hearts into the plot pictures: a good deed leads to a good heart, and a bad deed leads to an evil one. There were more kind hearts. This means that people do good deeds more often, and this makes our world a kinder place.

Game "Interview".

First I will be a journalist. The teacher, in the role of a journalist, approaches the children with any question, giving everyone the opportunity to speak briefly. Then one of the children can play the role of a journalist. He asks a question to 3-4 children and adults in the group.

Sample interview questions:

Can you find out by appearance, does the person have a good heart?

By what criteria do we identify good people?

What definitions can be chosen for a kind person?

Is it possible to force a person to be good or evil?

Why do people respect kind people?

Guys, help us understand and evaluate the situations described in the stories of L. N. Tolstoy “Two Comrades”, “Kitten”, “Old Grandfather and Granddaughter”.

How can we understand which person is doing good and which is bad?

Our guys prepared scenes from life. Let's look at them and discuss them.

The first scene is called “Two Friends”.

“Two boys were sitting on the bridge and fishing. They had the same fishing rods and buckets, and they stood not far from each other. Dima kept pulling fish out of the water, but Seryozha couldn’t catch one at all.”

What do you think the boys were like? How would you behave in this situation?

Choose mood masks for Dima and Seryozha (sad and cheerful). How can we make Seryozha become cheerful, so that his mood improves?

Dima's behavior options.

1. Dima puts several fish into Seryozha’s bucket. (The teacher shows a picture of a bucket of fish.)

2. Dima invites Seryozha to take his place and take his fishing rod.

3. Dima releases all his fish and starts fishing again (in the picture there is a fish in the wave.)

During the conversation, children discuss these three options and offer their own.

The second scene is called “The Story with the Typewriter.”

“Vitya went outside and noticed that his friend Seryozha, who was playing in the sandbox, had forgotten his car.”

What can Vitya do in such a situation to help Seryozha and not make him worry about losing his toy?

The teacher offers options for boys' behavior.

1. Vitya himself played enough, and then took it to Seryozha.

2. Vitya hid the car in a secluded place to give it to a friend later.

3. Vitya hid it in his pocket, deciding that no one noticed it. In other words, he appropriated the typewriter.

4. Vitya immediately took the car home to Seryozha.

Rule: each child chooses the scheme that, in his opinion, corresponds the correct option behavior.

- And now we will play the game “Good - bad.”

I will say phrases that talk about good and bad deeds. When I tell you about a good deed, you clap your hands once. If I talk about a bad deed, stomp your foot once.

• Say hello when you meet.
• Accidentally pushed a friend and did not apologize.
• Interrupt the speaker.
• Say goodbye as you go home.
• Scream loudly indoors.
• Thank you for your help.
• Let the older person pass first at the door.
• Give up your seat on public transport to an elderly person.

People really value good relationships. Folk wisdom contains many proverbs and sayings about good and evil. Let's try to explain some of them.

• Everyone loves goodness, but not everyone loves it.
• Everyone is busy - he wants to do good for himself.
• Evil Natalya's people are all rascals.
• Heart with pepper, soul with garlic. (Evil man.)
• Remember friendship, but forget evil.
• There is no fruit from a stone (do not wait), nor from a thief there is good.

What kind of people we are in different situations! Let's listen to the beating of our hearts. Heart... What is it like in a person?

Which person is said to have a good heart, and which one is said to have an evil heart?

• Always helps people.
• Does good.
• Doesn't laugh at other people's grief.
• Cares about others.
• Harms people.
• Laughs at someone else's misfortune.
• Never comes to the rescue.

And at the end of the lesson, try to draw Good the way you imagine it.

Lessons for children on the topic of good and evil were prepared by L. Ladutko, S. Shklyar

A parable is one of the most ancient types of edifying stories. Instructive allegories allow you to briefly and succinctly give any moral statement, without resorting to direct persuasion. That is why parables about life with morality - short and allegorical - have at all times been a very popular educational tool, touching on a variety of problems of human existence.

The ability to distinguish between good and evil distinguishes a person from an animal. It is not surprising that the folklore of all nations contains many parables on this topic. They tried to give their own definitions of good and evil, explore their interaction and explain the nature of human dualism in the Ancient East, and in Africa, and in Europe, and in both Americas. A large corpus of parables on this topic shows that, despite the difference in cultures and traditions, the idea of ​​these fundamental concepts among different nations general .

Once upon a time, an old Indian revealed to his grandson one vital truth:

– There is a struggle in every person, very similar to the struggle of two wolves. One wolf represents evil - envy, jealousy, regret, selfishness, ambition, lies... The other wolf represents good - peace, love, hope, truth, kindness, loyalty...

The little Indian, touched to the depths of his soul by his grandfather’s words, thought for a few moments, and then asked:

– Which wolf wins in the end?

The old Indian smiled faintly and replied:

– The wolf you feed always wins.

Know it and don't do it

The young man came to the sage with a request to accept him as a student.

– Can you lie? - asked the sage.

- Of course not!

- What about stealing?

- What about killing?

“Then go and find out all this,” exclaimed the sage, “but once you know, don’t do it!”

Black dot

One day the sage gathered his students and showed them an ordinary piece of paper on which he drew a small black dot. He asked them:

-What do you see?

Everyone answered in unison that it was a black dot. The answer was not correct. The sage said:

- Don’t you see this white sheet of paper - it’s so huge, bigger than this one? black dot! This is how it is in life - the first thing we see in people is something bad, although there is much more good. And only a few see the “white sheet of paper” right away.

Wherever a person is born, whoever he is, whatever he does, in essence, he does one thing - seeks happiness. This internal search continues from birth to deathbed, even if it is not always realized. And on this path a person faces a lot of questions. What is happiness? Is it possible to be happy without having anything? Is it possible to get happiness ready-made or do you need to create it yourself?

The idea of ​​happiness is as individual as DNA or fingerprints. For some people and the whole world is not enough to feel at least satisfied. For others, little is enough - sunbeam, friendly smile. It seems that there can be no agreement between people regarding this ethical category. And yet, in different parables about happiness, common ground is found.

A piece of clay

God molded man from clay. He sculpted an earth, a house, animals and birds for man. And he was left with an unused piece of clay.

- What else should you make? - God asked.

“Make me happy,” the man asked.

God didn’t answer, thought for a moment and put the remaining piece of clay in the man’s palm.

Money doesn't buy happiness

The student asked the Master:

– How true are the words that money does not buy happiness?

The master replied that they were completely correct.

- It's easy to prove. For money can buy a bed, but not sleep; food - but not appetite; medicines - but not health; servants - but not friends; women - but not love; home - but not home; entertainment - but not joy; teachers - but not the mind. And what is named does not exhaust the list.

Khoja Nasreddin and the traveler

One day Nasreddin met a gloomy man wandering along the road to the city.

- What's wrong with you? – Khoja Nasreddin asked the traveler.

The man showed him a tattered travel bag and said plaintively:

- Oh, I'm unhappy! Everything I own in the infinitely vast world will barely fill this pitiful, worthless bag!

“Your affairs are bad,” Nasreddin sympathized, snatched the bag from the traveler’s hands and ran away.

And the traveler continued on his way, shedding tears. Meanwhile, Nasreddin ran ahead and placed the bag right in the middle of the road. The traveler saw his bag lying on the way, laughed with joy and cried out:

Oh, what happiness! And I thought I had lost everything!

“It’s easy to make a person happy by teaching him to appreciate what he has,” thought Khoja Nasreddin, watching the traveler from the bushes.

The words “morality” and “morality” in Russian have different connotations. Morality is rather a social attitude. Morality is internal, personal. However, the basic principles of morality and ethics are largely the same.

Wise parables easily, but not superficially, touch on these basic principles: the attitude of man to man, dignity and baseness, attitude towards the Motherland. Issues of the relationship between man and society are often embodied in parable form.

Bucket of apples

The man bought it for himself new home– large, beautiful – and a garden with fruit trees near the house. And nearby, in an old house, there lived an envious neighbor who constantly tried to ruin his mood: either he would throw garbage under the gate, or he would do some other nasty things.

One day a man woke up in good mood, went out onto the porch, and there was a bucket of slop. The man took a bucket, poured out the slop, cleaned the bucket until it was shiny, collected the largest, ripe and delicious apples into it and went to his neighbor. The neighbor opens the door in the hope of a scandal, and the man handed him a bucket of apples and said:

- He who is rich in what, shares it!

Low and worthy

One padishah sent the sage three identical bronze figurines and ordered him to convey:

“Let him decide which of the three people whose statues we are sending is worthy, who is so-so and who is low.”

No one could find any difference between the three figurines. But the sage noticed holes in his ears. He took a thin flexible stick and stuck it into the ear of the first figurine. The stick came out through the mouth. The second figurine's wand came out through the other ear. The third figurine has a wand stuck somewhere inside.

“A person who divulges everything he hears is certainly low,” the sage reasoned. - Anyone whose secret goes in one ear and comes out through the other is a so-so person. The truly noble one is the one who keeps all secrets within himself.

This is what the sage decided and made corresponding inscriptions on all the figurines.

Change your voice

The dove saw an owl in the grove and asked:

-Where are you from, owl?

– I lived in the east, and now I’m flying to the west.

So the owl answered and began to hoot and laugh angrily. The dove asked again:

– Why did you leave your home and fly to foreign lands?

- Because in the east they don’t like me because I have a nasty voice.

“It was in vain that you left your native land,” said the dove. “You don’t need to change the land, but your voice.” In the West, just like in the East, they do not tolerate evil hooting.

About parents

The attitude towards parents is a moral task that was solved long ago by humanity. Biblical legends about Ham, gospel commandments, numerous proverbs, and fairy tales fully reflect people’s ideas about the relationship between fathers and children. And yet, there are so many contradictions between parents and children that to modern man From time to time it is useful to remind about this.

The constant relevance of the topic “Parents and Children” gives rise to more and more new parables. Modern authors, following in the footsteps of their predecessors, find new words and metaphors to again touch on this issue.

Feeder

Once upon a time there lived an old man. His eyes were blinded, his hearing was dull, and his knees trembled. He could hardly hold a spoon in his hands, he would spill soup, and sometimes food would fall out of his mouth.

The son and his wife looked at him with disgust and during meals began to sit the old man in a corner behind the stove, and the food was served to him in an old saucer. One day the old man's hands were shaking so much that he could not hold the saucer of food. It fell to the floor and broke. Then the young daughter-in-law began to scold the old man, and the son made a wooden feeder for his father. Now the old man had to eat from it.

One day, when the parents were sitting at the table, their little son entered the room with a piece of wood in his hands.

-What do you want to do? - asked the father.

“A wooden feeder,” answered the baby. – When I grow up, dad and mom will eat from it.

Eagle and eaglet

An old eagle flew over the abyss. He carried his son on his back. The eaglet was still too small and could not make it this way. Flying over the abyss, the chick said:

- Father! Now you carry me across the abyss on your back, and when I become big and strong, I will carry you.

“No, son,” the old eagle answered sadly. - When you grow up, you will carry your son.

suspension bridge

On the way between two high-mountain villages there was a deep gorge. The residents of these villages built a suspension bridge over it. People walked on its wooden planks, and two cables served as railings. People were so used to walking across this bridge that they didn’t have to hold on to these railings, and even children fearlessly ran across the gorge on the planks.

But one day the ropes and railings disappeared somewhere. Early in the morning people approached the bridge, but no one could take a single step across it. While there were cables, it was possible not to hold on to them, but without them the bridge turned out to be impregnable.

This is what happens with our parents. While they are alive, it seems to us that we can do without them, but as soon as we lose them, life immediately begins to seem very difficult.

Everyday parables

Everyday parables are special category texts. In a person’s life, every moment a situation of choice arises. What role can seemingly insignificant little things, unnoticed little meanness, stupid provocations, absurd doubts play in fate? Proverbs answer this question clearly: huge.

For a parable, nothing is insignificant or unimportant. She firmly remembers that “the flutter of a butterfly’s wing echoes with thunder in distant worlds.” But the parable does not leave a person alone with the inexorable law of retribution. She always leaves the opportunity for the fallen to rise and continue on their way.

Everything is in your hands

In a Chinese village there lived a sage. People came to him from everywhere with their problems and illnesses, and no one left without receiving help. For this they loved and respected him.

Only one person said: “People! Who do you worship? After all, he is a charlatan and a fraudster!” One day he gathered a crowd around him and said:

– Today I will prove to you that I was right. Let's go to your sage, I will catch a butterfly, and when he comes out onto the porch of his house, I will ask: “Guess what I have in my hand?” He will say: “Butterfly,” because anyway, one of you will let it slip. And then I’ll ask: “Is she alive or dead?” If he says that he is alive, I will squeeze his hand, and if he is dead, then I will release the butterfly to freedom. In any case, your sage will be made a fool!

When they came to the house of the sage, and he came out to meet them, the envious man asked his first question:

“Butterfly,” answered the sage.

- Is she alive or dead?

The old man, smiling into his beard, said:

- Everything is in your hands, man.

Bat

A long time ago, a war broke out between animals and birds. The hardest thing was for the old Bat. After all, she was both an animal and a bird at the same time. And therefore she could not decide for herself who it would be more profitable for her to join. But then she decided to cheat. If the birds prevail over the animals, then she will support the birds. Otherwise, she will quickly go over to the animals. So she did.

But when everyone noticed how she was behaving, they immediately suggested that she not run from one to another, but choose one side once and for all. Then old Bat said:

- No! I'll stay in the middle.

- Fine! - said both sides.

The battle began and the old Bat, caught in the middle of the battle, was crushed and died.

This is why he who tries to sit between two stools will always find himself on the rotten part of the rope that hangs over the jaws of death.

Fall

One student asked his Sufi mentor:

- Teacher, what would you say if you found out about my fall?

- Get up!

- And next time?

- Get up again!

– And how long can this continue – keep falling and rising?

- Fall and rise while you're alive! After all, those who fell and did not rise are dead.

Orthodox parables about life

Also Academician D.S. Likhachev noted that in Rus' the parable as a genre “grew” from the Bible. The Bible itself is littered with parables. It was this form of teaching the people that Solomon and Christ chose. Therefore, it is not surprising that with the advent of Christianity in Rus', the genre of parables took deep roots in our land.

Popular faith has always been far from formalism and “bookish” complexity. Therefore, the best Orthodox preachers constantly turned to allegory, where they generally transformed the key ideas of Christianity into a fairy-tale form. Sometimes Orthodox parables about life could be concentrated into one phrase-aphorism. In other cases - into a short story.

Humility is a feat

Once a woman came to the Optina hieroschemamonk Anatoly (Zertsalov) and asked him for a blessing for a spiritual feat: to live alone and fast, pray and sleep on bare boards without interference. The elder told her:

– You know, the evil one does not eat, does not drink and does not sleep, but everything lives in the abyss, because he has no humility. Submit in everything to the will of God - that’s your feat; humble yourself before everyone, reproach yourself for everything, bear illness and sorrow with gratitude - this is beyond any feats!

Your cross

One person thought that his life was very difficult. And one day he went to God, told about his misfortunes and asked Him:

– Can I choose a different cross for myself?

God looked at the man with a smile, led him into the storage room where there were crosses, and said:

- Choose.

A man walked around the storehouse for a long time, looking for the smallest and lightest cross, and finally found a small, small, light, light cross, approached God and said:

- Lord, can I take this one?

“It’s possible,” God answered. - This is your own.

About love with morals

Love moves worlds and human souls. It would be strange if the parables ignored the problems of relationships between men and women. And here the authors of the parables raise a great many questions. What is love? Is it possible to define it? Where does it come from and what destroys it? How to find it?

Parables also touch on narrower aspects. Everyday relations between husband and wife - it would seem that what could be more banal? But here too the parable finds food for thought. After all, it’s only in fairy tales that things end with a wedding crown. And the parable knows: this is just the beginning. And keeping love is no less important than finding it.

All or nothing

One man came to the sage and asked: “What is love?” The sage said: “Nothing.”

The man was very surprised and began to tell him that he had read many books that described how love can be different, sad and happy, eternal and fleeting.

Then the sage replied: “That’s it.”

The man again did not understand anything and asked: “How can I understand you? All or nothing?

The sage smiled and said: “You yourself just answered your own question: nothing or everything. There can be no middle ground!”

Mind and heart

One person argued that the mind on the street of love is blind, and that the main thing in love is the heart. As proof of this, he cited the story of a lover who swam many times across the Tigris River, bravely fighting the current, to see his beloved.

But one day he suddenly noticed a spot on her face. After that, while swimming across the Tigris, he thought: “My beloved is imperfect.” And at that very moment the love that held him on the waves weakened, in the middle of the river his strength left him, and he drowned.

Repair, don't throw away

An elderly couple who had lived together for over 50 years was asked:

- Probably, you have never had a fight in half a century?

“We were arguing,” the husband and wife answered.

– Maybe you never had any need, you had ideal relatives and a full house?

- No, everything is like everyone else.

– But you never wanted to separate?

– There were such thoughts.

– How did you manage to live together for so long?

– Apparently, we were born and raised in a time when it was customary to fix broken things and not throw them away.

Don't demand

The teacher learned that one of his students was persistently seeking someone's love.

“Don’t demand love, so you won’t get it,” said the teacher.

- But why?

- Tell me, what do you do when uninvited guests break into your door, when they knock, scream, demanding to open it, and tear out their hair from the fact that it is not opened for them?

“I lock it tighter.”

– Don’t break into the doors of other people’s hearts, as they will close even more tightly before you. Become a welcome guest and any heart will open to you. Take the example of a flower that does not chase bees, but by giving them nectar, attracts them to itself.

Short parables about insult

The outside world is a harsh environment that constantly pits people against each other, striking sparks. A situation of conflict, humiliation, or insult can unsettle a person for a long time. The parable comes to the rescue here too, playing a psychotherapeutic role.

How to react to an insult? Give vent to anger and respond to the insolent? What to choose – the Old Testament “an eye for an eye” or the Gospel “turn the other cheek”? It is curious that of the entire corpus of parables about insults, the Buddhist ones are the most popular today. The pre-Christian, but not Old Testament, approach seems most acceptable to our contemporaries.

Go your own way

One of the disciples asked Buddha:

– If someone insults or hits me, what should I do?

– If a dry branch falls from a tree and hits you, what will you do? – he asked in response:

– What will I do? “It’s a simple accident, a simple coincidence that I found myself under a tree when a branch fell from it,” said the student.

Then the Buddha remarked:

- So do the same. Someone was mad, angry and hit you. It's like a branch falling from a tree on your head. Don’t let this bother you, go on your way as if nothing happened.

Take it for yourself

One day, several people began to viciously insult Buddha. He listened silently, very calmly. And that's why they felt uneasy. One of these people addressed the Buddha:

– Don’t our words hurt you?!

“It’s up to you to decide whether to insult me ​​or not,” replied the Buddha. – And mine is to accept your insults or not. I refuse to accept them. You can take them for yourself.

Socrates and the insolent

When some impudent person kicked Socrates, he endured it without saying a word. And when someone expressed surprise why Socrates ignored such a blatant insult, the philosopher remarked:

- If a donkey kicked me, would I really bring him to court?

About the meaning of life

Reflections on the meaning and purpose of existence belong to the category of so-called “damned questions”, and no one has a definite answer. However, deep existential fear - “Why am I living if I’m going to die anyway?” - torments every person. And of course, the genre of parable also touches on this issue.

Every nation has parables about the meaning of life. Most often it is defined as follows: the meaning of life is in life itself, in its endless reproduction and development through subsequent generations. The short-term existence of each individual person is considered philosophically. Perhaps the most allegorical and transparent parable in this category was invented by the American Indians.

Stone and bamboo

They say that one day a stone and a bamboo had a heated argument. Each of them wanted a person's life to be similar to his own.

The stone said:

– A person’s life should be the same as mine. Then he will live forever.

Bamboo replied:

- No, no, a person’s life should be like mine. I die, but am immediately born again.

The stone objected:

- No, it’s better to be different. Let better person will be like me. I do not bow to the wind or the rain. Neither water, nor heat, nor cold can harm me. My life is endless. For me there is no pain, no care. This is how a person's life should be.

Bamboo insisted:

- No. A person's life should be like mine. I die, it is true, but I am reborn in my sons. Isn't that right? Look around me - my sons are everywhere. And they too will have their own sons, and all will have smooth and white skin.

The stone was unable to answer this. Bamboo won the argument. This is why human life is like the life of bamboo.