So, what's your opinion on it? What does it say about you?
I think it's simultaneously a critique/satire of and an appeal to the 'rightness' of Puritanism, if you don't catch the satire. This posits that those who can do little and receive bounty, are both morally and materially superior to their fellows. If God blesses those who have his favor, and I have much and you have little, God wants me to have it, and you to not. In the context of it's time it immediately brings to mind the luxury of a ruling class, the aristocracy and usually religious leaders. The Bible, for example, can be quoted I'll leave the modern context alone to get off my soapbox. Suffice to say that if one takes the satirical view (As I suspect is intended, although I'm going to admit I haven't read War and Peace all the way through yet) a person could see how it uncompassionate and short-sighted of a world it will create. Or even a perception of that world. I would say it says 'Here lies a cynic.' Because I cannot imagine a word more apt for the ideas I've espoused. To be completely honest, when I was younger I had a certain acceptance and pseudo-hedonistic belief in the idea that 'He who dies with the most toys wins' and for a while considered myself not in total agreement with Ayn Rand, but at least being sympathetic to the idea of objectivist libertarianism. To paraphrase Professor De la Paz from The moon is a Harsh Mistress 'I can get along with a Randite.' But then, that's all just my interpretation.
As well as 'Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God,
and those that exist have been instituted by God.'
-Romans 13:1 ESV
And here, directly condoning slavery 'Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who
will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of
no advantage to you.'
-Hebrews 13:17 ESV
And a few other places. 'Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ,
-Ephesians 6:5 ESV
I don't think Tolstoy meant it in a satirical way, but at face value - he was using a parable to talk about how man feels guilty when he is idle. This particular comment is at the opening of a chapter in which one of the characters returns to military service. Anyway, I really don't think, from reading it, that Tolstoy was justifying class divisions based on Divine providence.
After following minimum_wage's link and a little extra research, you're exactly right.Anyway, I really don't think, from reading it, that Tolstoy was justifying class divisions based on Divine providence.