Here I read numerous stories about theft in state-owned companies, kickbacks in 30-70% and all that. Horror, horror, of course. The theft system makes the country less competitive, efficiency decreases, resources are squandered, instead of investing in innovation, blah blah blah. All right. Here ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
navalny deals with this and I support him.
But I’m thinking about this ... phenomenon in this context:
In the time of Peter I, the country made a sharp turn, profound transformations were made, everyone knows that. Did they steal then? I think yes. Just sure of it - they stole millions, i.e. very, very much. Where did these "new" capitals go? Yes, they resolved in 300 years, settled somewhere in the country in the form of mansions of landowners, palaces of nobles. And abroad, too, admittedly - villas and all that. So what? The factories built under Peter worked, territories were developed, a fleet was being built, the army was winning, the country was steering in the right direction, and thieving officials made the right decisions (the wrong ones too, but more the right ones).
Yes, corruption and theft of officials is terribly unfair and personally offensive. But on a scale of 100-300 years, this is not so important. More important is whether society is developing in the right direction. Looking around I have a complicated feeling, but I hope that it’s right. And the consequences of corruption will dissolve. This thought calms me and reconciles with reality
