列夫·托尔斯泰提笔创作史诗巨著《战争与和平》至今已150年。虽然大多数人认为他是19世纪最伟大的小说家之一，但鲜有人知他同时也是当时最具激进精神的社会和政治思想家之一。从1828年到1910年，托尔斯泰在漫长的一生中逐渐摒弃了贵族出身的传统观念，并接受了令同时代人震惊的、非同寻常的世界观。追溯他的人生历程，或许能为我们今天的人生艺术提供一些富有智慧且出人意料的启示。
托尔斯泰出身俄国贵族，家境殷实，拥有庄园和数百名农奴。这位年轻伯爵早年生活放荡不羁，沉迷于赌博，挥霍无度，最终倾家荡产。正如他在《自白》中所承认的那样：
我在战争中杀人，也向人发起决斗以求取人性命。我打牌输钱，榨取农民的劳动成果，判他们死刑，生活放荡不羁，欺骗他人。撒谎、抢劫、各种通奸、酗酒、暴力、谋杀——没有我没犯过的罪行，尽管如此，人们却称赞我的行为，我的同时代人认为我是一个相对道德的人。我就这样活了十年。
那么，托尔斯泰是如何摆脱这种放荡不羁、颓废堕落的生活方式的呢？他的经历又如何能帮助我们重新思考自己的人生哲学呢？
第一课：保持开放的心态
托尔斯泰的过人之处在于他能够且乐于根据新的经历改变自己的想法。这项能力他在19世纪50年代担任军官时就开始培养。克里米亚战争期间，托尔斯泰参加了血腥的塞瓦斯托波尔围城战，这段可怕的经历使他从一名普通士兵转变为一名和平主义者。1857年，他在巴黎亲眼目睹了一场公开的断头台处决，这件事对他产生了决定性的影响。他永远无法忘记被斩首的头颅重重地砸在断头台上的情景。这让他确信，国家及其法律不仅残酷无情，而且服务于富人和权贵的利益。他写信给一位朋友说：“事实是，国家是一个阴谋集团，其目的不仅在于剥削，更在于腐蚀公民……从今以后，我绝不会为任何地方的任何政府效力。”托尔斯泰从此走上了无政府主义的道路。他对俄国沙皇政权的批判如此激烈，以至于只有他的文学声誉才使他免于牢狱之灾。托尔斯泰会是第一个鼓励我们质疑我们从小被灌输的基本信仰和教条的人。
第二课：练习同理心
托尔斯泰是19世纪最具同理心的冒险家之一，他展现出一种非凡的渴望，想要设身处地地体验与自己生活截然不同的人们的生活。1861年农奴解放后，受席卷俄罗斯、颂扬农民美德的运动的影响，托尔斯泰不仅穿上了传统的农民服饰，还与庄园里的农夫们一起劳作，亲手耕田、修缮房屋。对于一位出身贵族的伯爵来说，这样的举动堪称非凡。尽管无疑带有家长式的作风，托尔斯泰依然乐于与农民们相处，并开始有意识地疏远城市里的文人雅士和贵族精英。他还创办了一所面向农民子女的实验学校，秉承卢梭和蒲鲁东的自由主义和平等主义思想，甚至亲自在那里授课。与许多声称与农村劳动者团结一致的贵族同僚不同，托尔斯泰认为，除非亲身体验过，否则永远无法理解他们生活的真实面貌。
托尔斯泰耕地（约1889年），伊利亚·列宾绘。托尔斯泰经常放下笔到田里干活。他的书桌旁靠墙放着一把镰刀和一把锯子。地上放着一篮修鞋匠的工具。
第三课：做出改变
作为一位出身名门的文人墨客，托尔斯泰在减轻他人苦难方面做出了令人瞩目的实际行动。他对农民的关怀在他参与的饥荒救济工作中体现得淋漓尽致。1873年粮食歉收后，托尔斯泰决定暂停创作《安娜·卡列尼娜》一年，转而组织援助饥民。他曾对一位亲戚说：“我无法从活生生的人身上抽身，去关心虚构的人物。”他的亲朋好友都觉得不可思议，一位世界顶级小说家竟然会搁置自己的杰作。但托尔斯泰意志坚定。1891年饥荒过后，他又一次这样做，并与家人一起，在接下来的两年里奔走于世界各地筹款，并在救济食堂帮忙。你能想象如今一位畅销书作家会放下手中的新作，投身人道主义救援工作两年吗？
第四课：掌握极简生活的艺术
托尔斯泰最伟大的天赋之一——同时也是他痛苦的根源——是他对生命意义的执着追问。他从未停止过自问：我为何而活？我该如何活？我所拥有的财富和名望究竟有何意义？19世纪70年代末，他始终找不到答案，精神崩溃，一度濒临自杀。然而，在潜心研读德国哲学家叔本华、佛教经典和《圣经》之后，他皈依了一种革命性的基督教，摒弃了所有有组织的宗教，包括他从小信奉的东正教，转而追求精神和物质上的极简生活。他戒了酒，戒了烟，成为了一名素食主义者。他还启发了人们建立乌托邦式的社区，倡导简朴自给自足的生活方式，财产公有。这些“托尔斯泰式”社区遍布世界各地，并促使甘地于1910年创立了名为“托尔斯泰农场”的静修处。
第五课：警惕你的矛盾
然而，托尔斯泰的新生活虽然简朴，却也并非一帆风顺，充满了挣扎与矛盾。他一方面宣扬博爱，一方面又与妻子争吵不断。这位平等主义的倡导者始终无法彻底放弃财富和优渥的生活方式，直到晚年仍住在仆人环绕的豪宅里。当他提出将庄园捐赠给农民时，妻子和儿女勃然大怒，最终他不得不作罢。但在19世纪90年代初，他不顾家人的反对，放弃了大部分文学作品的版权，实际上为此付出了巨额财富。晚年，当作家和记者前来拜访这位蓄须的智者时，他们总是惊讶地发现，这位举世闻名的作家竟然和一些工人一起砍柴，或者亲手缝制靴子。考虑到托尔斯泰出身的优越地位，他即便未能彻底改变人生轨迹，其个人转变也依然值得我们敬佩。
第六课：拓展你的社交圈
从托尔斯泰身上我们能汲取的最重要的教训是，要效仿他的做法，认识到挑战我们固有观念和偏见、发展全新世界观的最佳途径，就是让自己置身于与我们观点和生活方式截然不同的人群之中。正因如此，他才停止在莫斯科的社交活动，转而与田间劳作的人们朝夕相处。在《复活》一书中，托尔斯泰指出，大多数人，无论是富商、权贵还是小偷，都认为自己的信仰和生活方式既令人钦佩又合乎道德。“为了维护他们的人生观，”他写道，“这些人本能地会待在那些与他们拥有相同人生观和人生定位的人群中。”
如果我们想要质疑自己的信仰和理想，就需要效仿托尔斯泰，花时间与那些价值观和日常生活经历与我们截然不同的人相处。我们的任务必须是超越固有思维的局限。
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There are many inspiring writers, leaders, spiritual and religious figures.. We can learn from people from all over the world,Tolstoy, Gandhi, mother Teresa......etc. We can do little good deeds at a time, simply be compassionate and caring, make sure to do any kind of obligations we have towards ourselves and the people we love, keep a healthy and positive attitude towards ourselves and others while realizing that life is valuable , respect all manifestations of life.....it all counts
Faith in God,give us real peace,final stage is bliss
i don't really believe
ARE YOU SURE. AFTER 13 CHILDREN, RUNNING HIS ESTATE, HAND COPYING
HIS MANUSCRIPTS OVER AND OVER, LEO OUSTED HIS WIFE AND SECRETLY
REMOVED HER FROM HIS WILL AND ALIENATED THE CHILDREN AGAINST HER. ????
I never realized how much I am like Tolstoy. Integrity is what matters, not the name of the building but that it was built with integrity. I see all religions as structures that when used to make the world a better place, they work. Just as you can learn anything in a good library, you could also hide in it and murder someone from a window. Does that mean that libraries are murderous places? Does Tolstoy following a religion, or you following one, make what you do with it right or wrong?
Tolstoy's story reminds me of another royal Russian who gave up his station: http://www.spartacus.school...
Yes! he was a great thinkder! And he died a Muslim, by the way.
Lesson 5 is the most important one which everyone thinks they'r okay with it... No, BEWARE YOUR CONTRADICTIONS.
My life changed after reading Tolstoy's "confessions".
The Russian Peasants which Tolstoy admired were the Doukhobors: http://www.slate.com/articl...
Leo Tolstoy helped finance my great grandparents' trip (both sides of my family and wife's great grandparents - both sides of her family) from Russia. Although Canadian laws and culture prevented the Doukhobors from living as they desired, after they arrived in Canada; nevertheless, equality amongst all plus a life of toil and peaceful existence has always been the goal of the Doukhobors. Unfortunately, for various reason, that was not always the case, in Canada, and certain historical events resulted in a checkered past. However, whether those events were positive or negative, depending on who you are and how you perceive life, the Doukhobors still had a profound world effect: http://walrusmagazine.com/a... Leo Tolstoy's actions, back when my great grandparents were alive, may have saved the world from catastrophe - super power nuclear annihilation. By coincidence, my friend Peter Repin helped me build my shop this year. Peter and I grew up together in the '70's , but never stayed in touch for decades. He told me, when we were growing up, that he had a famous relative in Russia who was a painter.
[Hide Full Comment]he was such a Thoreau fan
empathy, expand social circles and live in simplicity; such excellent advice from someone unexpected. thank you for the reminders. <3 Tolstoy!
.."History is shaped beyond our conscious wills, not by the cunning of reason, but by the cunning of desire."
-N.O.B.
(Finally, something tangible.., something of substance..!!)
I have come to a realization: life without meaning is easy. Also, life with meaning will present difficulties and will usually confound a finite person like me. Yet, I have experienced meaning through my friendship with God through Jesus Christ. He is my friend, yes, but He is also my Lord, and He is both loving and ruthless when evaluating my own prejudices and actions. My little brain struggles to make its good thoughts into good physical actions. Does anyone else share these struggles? Does anyone want to respond to my comment? I would love to hear your ideas and even those challenges you might have for me.
By killing, Tolstoy believed, "man suppresses in himself, unnecessarily, the highest spiritual capacity - that of sympathy and pity towards living creatures like himself - and by violating his own feelings becomes cruel."
"A human can be healthy without killing animals for food. Therefore, if he eats meat he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite." Tolstoy(http://www.angelfire.com/st...