(462 words) On our way of life we often have to meet people who like to teach. They endlessly reiterate that you need to behave yourself, to delight others, to give up a place in public transport to those who need to sit more than us. Often such individuals try to forcibly instill in us the values of humanism and integrity and wonder why they can’t do it. I think the fact is that reading notations is easy, but not effective. It is much more valuable for a person than a word. Therefore, it is necessary to set a good example, and not the skill of eloquence, it was this wisdom that Seneca wanted to convey. To explain my interpretation, I will give examples.
In Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”, the protagonist had wonderful children who, unfortunately, had no one to raise. He lost his wife, and he worked all day long to provide for his family. Therefore, the guys grew up freely and developed independently, which Finch's relatives did not like. His sister was horrified when she saw that her niece did not wear a dress, as a young lady should, but in pants. The woman decided to teach the child how to behave, moralizing and advice.She rather harshly criticized the baby’s lifestyle and her manners, but did not achieve anything. Jim Louise behaved as she saw fit: she fought, was rude, and always gave back, because her uniform allowed her to do so. But as soon as the girl was faced with condemnation of the whole city because of the activities of her father, she realized that her behavior was no way out of the situation. Only the example of her father helped her cope with stress and gain self-control. Mr. Finch himself behaved with restraint and correctness, despite the criticism and direct aggression of the neighbors. Seeing the behavior of the pope, the daughter learned not only endurance, but also conscience, honesty and integrity. No aunt Alexandra's words helped her understand what the example simply and clearly showed. This means that it is precisely our deeds that are capable of teaching magnanimity and kindness, but moralizing is not so effective and useful.
Another example can be found in the novel by F. M. Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment." The heroine had to solve a difficult problem: how to return the true killer, who was inspired by the theories of permissiveness of the superman, onto the path? Rodion was poisoned by a fashionable worldview and could not get rid of filth on his own. The girl had to use both the Word of God and her gift of persuasion, but the young man in his soul still believed in these destructive ideas. Then Sonya decided on extreme measures: she packed up and went with him to hard labor, where she showed by her example what it means to help people. Raskolnikov realized that he could change the world without violence. Only in this way could he be cured of the harmful trends of soulless theorists.This means that it is precisely an example that helps us learn the correct interpretation of kindness and generosity, but words can completely confuse fragile minds.
Summing up, it can be noted that Seneca was absolutely right when he said that only a good example, and not moralizing, can lead people to good. I believe that a person can become truly kind only by having a positive example before his eyes.
