What does the term "rotten people" mean? Who is called a rotten person?

There is such folk wisdom: the word roted from the rot of the heart. On the one hand, the meaning of the proverb is clear. The word "rotten" speaks for itself, no additional explanation is required. And only once again the marvel is given, how subtly, capaciously and precisely everything is noticed. And on the other hand, it is interesting to "get to the heart of it," to understand what "rotten" is and who is called a rotten person ...

Dictionary

In search of answers to worrying questions, one must first turn to oneself. To this we will return, but now we will rush to the explanatory dictionary. What will he tell us about the lexical unit "rotten"? Will there be a helping hand in understanding the phrase "rotten people"?

So, according to the "Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language" edited by Ozhegov, the adjective "rotten" has several meanings. The direct meaning is that it succumbed to the process of decay, became musty, spoiled, decaying. Anything can be rotten: apples, fallen leaves, and threads. The list can be continued indefinitely, because everything material is not eternal and sooner or later perishes. The second - raw, devoid of sun, heat, causing various ailments. As an example, you can quote such phrases: rotten weather, rotten November, rotten water. And, finally, the latter is a figurative meaning, according to which the lexeme of interest means absence, loss of the inner core, immorality, depravity. Just in such combinations as rotten people, a rotten heart, a rotten soul, rotten blood, and secondary significance is manifested.

Bible

And what about other sources of information? Biblical encyclopedia Brockhaus, one of the most important reference books on biblical studies, gives the following material. Jesus asks his disciples to guard against false prophets, for a good tree can not bring rotten fruits, just as a rotten tree is good fruit (Matthew 7:17). However, a man in faith can sin if he allows a "rotten word" to come from his mouth. Only a good word has the power to deliver grace to the hearers (Eph. 4:29). In other words, a rotten person is a false prophet, preaching the truth for his vanity and self-interest. Truth of this kind can not bring benefit not to the one who broadcasts, not to those who heed it. She can only poison.

Parable

And now the parable: how without it? After all, a good parable opens its eyes to something that a second ago seemed ordinary or, on the contrary, incomprehensible. And she does it simply, easily and beautifully. Let him tell us who are the rotten people.

So, the parable is the first. One day the disciple came to his teacher for advice: what he needs to do in order to be the same as he is, wise, always in harmony with himself and the world. The teacher willingly agreed to help him and asked him to bring a bag and potatoes.

- If you offend someone, get angry with him or harbor insult, take one potato and throw it into the bag. And so do it every time with the slightest conflict.

- And it's all? How can such an absurdity help me in such a great cause? The student asked in bewilderment.

"No," the sage hastened to explain, "you must always carry this bag with you." The pupil agreed.

Heavy burden

Time passed. Unfortunately, the bag was full. It was hard and uncomfortable to wear it always with you. And those potatoes that were thrown at the very beginning, began to rot, and already produced an unpleasant smell. What to do? Once again the disciple came to the teacher. But this time with indignation. The sage listened calmly to him and said: "But it's the same thing that happens inside you, just you do not see, you do not notice how much heaviness is in your soul, and how your misdeeds gradually turn into fetid vices." A rotten vegetable is a rotten man. You have been given the opportunity to observe this process from the side. "

Two lakes

And here is one more - no less interesting and no less instructive.

Once upon a time two underground springs spawned two beautiful reservoirs. But everything flows, everything changes, and the water came and came. And then came the day when they had to think about their future destiny. God invited them to choose one of two options. Either decrease in size, but at the same time become deeper, or, on the contrary, widely spread, but be small.

Two lakes have thought and decided as follows: one will be small, but wide, so that the bird can see it from the height of its flight, and the other, sacrificing its size, will keep its depth and purity. Well, as they decided, it did.

Testing

The first reservoir enjoyed its greatness. After all, there are so many birds, so many animals came to him for a watering. The second became so small that finding it amidst dense greenery was not an easy task. However, it is time for the great solstice. The water in the huge, but shallow lake became turbid, covered with greens and mucus. From it continually smelled of decay. All life has turned away from it. The water in a small but deep lake was not frightened by the hot sun, took its rays with grace, and became even clearer, more transparent, crystal. And no matter how hard it was, all the suffering people found a way to it.

Not a wonderful weather, and the scorching sun is a real test, it reveals the true essence of things: rot rotates rapidly, pure - is purified.

What of all this follows?

It follows one thing: a man with a rotten soul is a trifle, unreliable, gloomy, gloomy. But it's hidden deep inside. It seems that no one will ever reach, see or even guess about a possible foulbrood. After all, everything is fine, right, beautiful, like an apple ripe, ruddy in the picture. However, it is only necessary to bite an apple and immediately there is a taste of decay. And sometimes it's worse - you just touch it, and it breaks up, crumbles, cracks. As Shakespeare wrote: "Rotten does not tolerate touching." However, not only the great English poet wrote about such people. Many writers will find out about rotten people. For example, Oscar Wilde devoted a whole work to this topic - "Portrait of Dorian Gray", which tells how the image of a young man from high society took upon himself all the vices of a rotten soul. The face in the portrait was distorted, covered with ulcers and moss, and Dorian himself was still young, charming, handsome.

It is impossible not to mention the quote of another Englishman, Jack London. He said that in the den of traders of rotten people there is a great many, and in their midst it is impossible to preserve moral health. They are corrupt. In everyone only there is that stomach, and the spiritual needs of them, like amoeba. That's what a rotten person means. Perhaps, this is the most complete characteristic.

Is it possible to avoid meeting such personalities? First of all, you need to start with the smallest and most difficult - to watch yourself, your thoughts, feelings, desires, words, actions. Every time stop and ask yourself if there are any rotten people in my actions. And then already look around, listen to others and even sniff. After all, rotten people smell bad. And as Fazil Iskander noted, they do not feel their smell at all.