THE “PRINCE” IDIOT from Fiódor Dostoyevski

THE “PRINCE” IDIOT

“I don’t believe in people’s energy, I believe in their actions”

Marlon Hampton, Housewives of Atlanta

I feel there is a fashion tendency in the world to believe in energy, which is good. But we should say to ourselves “We do not know anything about energy. Not even Albert Einstein knew everything.” This Coronavirus has shown us that humans are not necessarily the wisest species in the universe. I believe that creation has given us something special. The mind. However, if we do not use it wisely it can be our worst enemy. That said, I am going to discuss one of the greatest scientists of the human mind (for me), Fiodor Dostoevsky. And according to my father, Dostoevsky's best book is “The Idiot or the Prince Idiot.''

The Prince, as I like to call it, or the hero as Dostoevsky called it, sometimes is the example of pureness. Everyone wants to be around him. His imprudent words came out so genuine it does not bother anyone. He is, in the words of Lady Olenna of House Tyrell, the example of a good and gentle heart. But Dostoevsky proves that is not enough to live in a world full of chaos. If you want to survive in this world full of negative “energy” and you want to keep your good and gentle heart then you need to be wise and fight hard. Sometimes, when you think it is too much and want to turn to the evil side of the world, think that God/Gods give the worst battles to his/her best warriors and try to turn wounds into wisdom. Unfortunately, Dostoevsky’s hero never realized his inner power, his pureness, and the power he had in other people. Or perhaps he did not know how to use his mind and turned out to be his worst enemy. Also, please keep in mind that he suffers from epilepsy. I point this out for those who know about epilepsy. I admit as I write this critique, I know nothing about this neurological disorder.

My father explained to me that the Great Fiodor Dostoevsky suffered from epilepsy. I guess Dostoevsky decided to turn his “illness” into wisdom. Dostoevsky's father was a doctor and he was an autodidact who studied military engineering and ended up teaching philosophy, psychology, law, and offered the world pieces of art. Or as I like to call it, "Power of Knowledge" which is better than “Energy.” Because at the end of the day, everything is energy. Personally for me, the power of knowledge and yoga makes the perfect combination. After that, be yourself and do whatever you please. If you decide to go to the evil part of the world, which it is perfectly understandable “the devil always thinks he is doing right.” Deal with justice, and not human justice which is imperfect but divine justice. And by divine I am not referring to Jehovah, Allah nor Greek Gods. I am referring to the consequences of your actions. I know this sounds too deep but that's what Dostoevsky gives you when you read his books. At least for me, when I read Crime and Punishment in Spanish I could not stop thinking about Raskolnikov l and I did not want him to go to jail even though he killed two people. One an evil person and the other an innocent one. I must clarify I do not believe in murder. At least the law authorizes otherwise. By the way, I am a lawyer.

Now let’s focus on the book. I must say I read this book in two parts in two separate years. In my opinion, Dostoevsky's writings, The Idiot and Crime and Punishment have a lot of emotional reading. Therefore, I recommend reading them when you are in a state of peace of mind. That said, the ending is surprising and disturbing. It confirms to me that this book should be read by Psychologists. I think understanding the human mind is disturbing because the acts and the thought process in most people are not coherent. I hardly understand people’s minds. I prefer, as Dostoevsky wisely said, to follow the facts. In this book, Dostoevsky confirmed that the human mind is our own worst enemy. And that the devil or evil does exist but not as the Bible says. “In reality, the devil is a great and terrible spirit, with neither hoofs, nor tail, nor horns", and “The laws of self-preservation and self-destruction are equally powerful in this world.”

I think Dostoevsky has been one of the brightest minds the world has ever known. I want to give my opinion of the main characters of this great book. The conclusion, I believe, is that the real evil of the world is the actions of humans. This is because negative energy could affect other people's minds. Especially if they are weak-minded. However, when you act and do evil things, that’s when it scares me the most.

My favorite character is Lizavéta Prokófyevna (Mrs. Epanchin) who represents what I like to call a person who sees life how it really shows. She knows she belongs to the Russian Nobility but she is far from being first class. Therefore, as a person that has aspirations, she dreams to belong to this high class in this noble society by marrying her beautiful daughters to powerful people. Especially Aglaya.

In my opinion, Aglaya is the hero in this novel. I disagree with Dostoevsky who clearly sees himself represented in the Prince and calls him a hero. I think Aglaya challenges this society and wants to control her destiny and marry whoever she wants. She is also the only one who challenges one of the most disturbing characters of literature (for me), Nastasya Filippovna. According to Dostoevsky, Aglaya is the only one Nastasya fears.

Natasya Filippovna is a character who has the most disturbing mind in the book. That speaks volumes because the book has plenty of characters with disturbing minds. Natasya never turned wounds into wisdom. Although in my humble opinion she was a lucky person in life.

Prince Myshkin is the light of the book. He is a humble and great person.

Ganya is an example of opportunism. A person who does not believe in anything or anyone but himself. A person who does not respect even his father. He is the example of someone who believes he is God by his actions.

I will not dive deeply into each character because I would like all of you to read this marvelous book. Try to read it part by part or read at once, but take the time to read it.