Take care of the dress again, and honor from the youth: the meaning of the proverb and the cases of its application

Every time we hear any saying, for example, "Take care of the dress again, and honor from the young age", we are interested in its roots and significance, provided that we are sufficiently inquisitive. In this article, we propose a reflection on the proverbial theme mentioned above.

Origin of proverbs

The people accumulate wisdom of life for centuries. Everyone is noticing the smart peasants: when to check the weather for the summer, and how to plant wheat and rye, and how to distinguish one horse from another. Have noticed and the behavior of plants, and habits of animals, and the main features of people. Each observation was expressed in accurate, vivid and capacious verbal utterances. They were well remembered due to the internal rhythm, and even rhyme. The proverb "Take care of the dress again, and honor from the youth" is no exception.

Kinds of proverbs and sayings

And, basically, proverbs and sayings are needed for prognostic function or defining something after the fact. For example, when a person repeats the unseemly acts of their parents, they say about him with a sigh: "The apple does not fall far from the apple tree". But this means that a person has already committed something bad, and nothing can be done now. But there is a separate kind of saying - edifying. They are called to tell people how to act, so that life is more "right" and meets the expectations of others. The saying "Take care of the dress again, and honor from the youth" refers precisely to such. It was created for the younger generation to understand the general canon of behavior adopted in society.

The meaning of the saying: abstract and concrete

This expression compares, on the one hand, the everyday and understandable statement that it is necessary to take care of the dress from the moment it was sewn. The fact that a particular word is used here does not mean a particular piece of clothing. It is rather a collective image, the name of any clothing in general, things in principle.

Every diligent master knows that a shirt, boots, and even a sack of grain should be used strictly for the purpose and not contain in the wrong conditions. After all, if a shirt to wipe the newborn calves, it will quickly deteriorate. And if the grain is not stored in a special well-ventilated barn, but behind the stove, it will damp and it will not be eaten. And so those more expensive things, like boots, caftan, sheepskin coat, carpet, which were bought not only once in their life, but also inherited. They must be protected so that they have served as long as possible. Accurate attitude to things is the guarantee of her "long and healthy life".

On the other hand, the saying goes about such a complex and abstract notion as honor.

And this contrast is created intentionally. People rarely think about abstraction, especially young ones. Their blood is hot, all prohibitions and limits seem to them nothing more than the fiction of those who have become obsolete. But it is in youth that most people commit acts that could be described as dishonest. Therefore, this proverb also arose, as a lesson and a lesson for the younger generation.

Such are the reflections on the topic: "Take care of the dress again, and honor from the youth: the meaning of the proverb and its analysis."

The use of sayings

In the modern world, as a rule, the second part of the saying is used. Since the boundaries of morality and the notion of "due" have recently been eroded, now people usually say this to people who disgraced themselves, tarnished with some unworthy act. And if the one who is chided like this, suddenly ask: "Take care of the dress again, and honor from the young age," - who said? " He will be angrily answered: "The people!". You know, as in the song: music - author's, words - folk.

Honor and etiquette

So what is honor and why should it be protected? Honor is a set of rules of conduct adopted in the society in which a person lives. "Maintaining honor" means behaving in a way that is acceptable to others. However, do not confuse honor with etiquette. The latter is a set of external rules: how to sit at the table, as is, how to greet. And honor means that a person occupies a certain internal position and behaves in accordance with it, however, honor presupposes a certain external canon of behavior. This places the notion of "honor" between "etiquette" and "dignity". Human dignity itself may not manifest itself at all.

But we digress, so we continue. Take the wrong fork at dinner - embarrassment, and poke this neighbor's fork into the eye - dishonor and hooliganism. To kill a speaker is ugly, blaming him for stealing means "dishonoring". The first can happen by inattention, the second in any case, a conscious choice.

The history of the concept of "honor"

Today the concept of "honor" is considered morally obsolete and in the course of only in some specific structures in which there is a rigid hierarchy (army, criminal world). Now usually speak about dignity. The notion of "dignity", thank God, is still relevant, we hope his sun does not set.

But in the days of knights and beautiful ladies of honor was an inalienable attribute of man. At least in high society. Under the honor of the lady understood her proper behavior first with respect to her parents, and then to her husband. Manners and the ability to behave in society were also included in the concept of "honor." Even imagine it is impossible that at that time two ladies quarreled, they would cling to each other's hair!

If there was an open conflict, we made it easier - we did not meet. One did not receive another at home, and they did not go to the same events. And the honor of the organizers of the event was supported by the subtle ability not to invite two such ladies at the same time. It was also considered a dishonorable act to snag them.

The honor of a man was a much more subtle and complex concept. You can not be a liar and a thief. It was forbidden to blame other people for this without good reason. Violation of subordination (appropriate relationship between a subordinate and a superior) was equated in most cases with a loss of honor. The code of honor also included permissible treatment of women, and even with his wife, a person had to handle a certain way. For some suspicion that his husband hit his wife, let alone a strange woman, a man was excluded from a decent society. No event took him, no friend invited to visit. All the doors immediately closed before him.

And to wash off the shame of dishonor could only be blood. True, especially aggressive men found any reason to be insulted and fight.

Thus, the saying "Take care of the dress again, and the honor from the youth" (the author is unknown) not only instructed the young people on the right path, but also saved their lives. After all done in early youth on a hot head dishonest business could float out. If someone found out about this and told, then it was necessary to summon him to a duel in order to defend his honor. Such a hot temper was before.

We hope that our article helped to understand the meaning of the proverb "protect the dress again, and honor from the youth." The meaning of it has ceased to be a mystery to the reader.