Social and charitable activities of knyaz Alexander Nevsky
In: Social'naja politika i social'noe partnerstvo (Social Policy and Social Partnership), Heft 3, S. 222-232
Power is a heavy, but great cross, which not every person is capable of carrying. It is both the right to decide the fate of the country and people, and a great responsibility. This is the choice to serve one's people, accompanied by numerous trials and overcoming of considerable life challenges. With the words «power» or «ruler», we see the image of a person endowed with a life grasp and willpower, who always retains a fi rmness of mind and is not afraid to oppose anyone. If he is gifted with the talents of a commander, strategist, politician and diplomat, the power is often able to shift all spiritual values to the background, and to put forward material desires and the possibilities of their realization. That is why, with all the fullness of one's power, it is important to remain a virtuous, merciful and humane person. However, history shows that even in our Orthodox land such statesmen are very rare. Alexander Nevsky is a striking example of a great, humane and just ruler. A great number of works of both church and secular nature have been written about the noble knyaz. Meanwhile, his outstanding personality will not cease to attract attention, and after hundreds of years, this topic will always be relevant to us, especially from the point of view of the social orientation of his activities.