I had been wondering about how the Russian word mir means both peace and world. A history book has inadvertently answered the question. Earlier Russian peasant society very strongly relied on a certain degree of communal cooperation (mutual aid) to survive... it was generally recognised that they must all help one another, because resources were finite (much of Russia being covered in woods and being a less than thrilling prospect for agriculture) and disaster always looming (which perhaps is why the Russian word for safety is literally without-danger). When disaster hit an individual family, the rest would come together and help out... if people were able to reward these helpers it was generally accepted as proper etiquette to do so, but those too poor to do so were expected to be helped as well. Due to the relatively precarious situation of Russian peasants, the need for peace and cooperation was paramount. This concept of peace, mir, subsequently ended up getting equated literally into the whole community being called mir as well. Apparently, somewhere in there, so it came to be that the whole world turned into mir as well. Which Im not so sure Russia has been doing a very good job at living up to, a concept of being the peacekeeper of the world, ensuring the survival and prosperity of all individuals so that the whole remains in peace : / But its a very pretty, romantic, and rather touching concept nonetheless. Hoping perhaps to see the time of true mir, of kind days and peaceful nights...
Posted on: Sun, 24 Nov 2013 08:33:11 +0000