Smoking in Russia

It is reported that recently, Beijing “Tobacco Control Bill” program formally submitted to Municipal Standing Committee, and strive at the end of next year through a consideration. Earlier Expert Group “Tobacco Control Bill” will substantially increase penalties for illegal smoking, while smoking areas will be fully expanded. It reminds me of smoking history of Russia.

In Russia, the streets have a very special phenomenon, you walk in the street, passersby often see people ask for cigarettes. Ask for cigarettes, both makeup girl, but also military uniform in the body of soldiers; childish juvenile is not off, just like there are elders of the instrument. Is generally not refuse to ask, all generosity, showing that this “cigarette ritual” Russia has long been on the road convention.

Russian smokers “smoke wind strong,” people smoke, the atmosphere thick. According to the Russian state news agency statistics as the number of smokers in Russia, a conservative estimate is 20000000-3000 million, the population of Russia for over one hundred million, this figure is very scary. Russian writer about security in his writings said: “cigarette market, is one of the world’s largest market trade, thousands of people in order that more people can smoke cigarettes, in order to allow gas enveloped his head and entire body and sleepless nights to work with. ”

According to records, the worship of the civilized world against tobacco began in 1492. Is October 12, 2009, ocean rafting team arrived in Columbus San Salvador, a landing, he and his companions Jibei sight shocked: the natives are out of breath from his mouth and nostrils smoke! Later, Columbus and his party through understanding to know, it was the Indians to celebrate their own festival, in taking a plant, but also in taking the course has been in a state of dizziness, very intoxicated. About Ann said: “The people in taking up this plant, they start to communicate with the devil, smokers seem to hear someone tell them that you have a great soul!”

Columbus return, the tobacco back to Europe, this will soon be smoking tobacco “spiritual pleasure” spread throughout Europe. Human smoking, so popular in Europe and Asia began. Although the court and the church tried the approach of European and Asian countries, can not stop the epidemic of smoking. In 1623, Pope Urban VIII th teaches life, where the church will be caught snuff excommunicated. In 1625, the Turkish Sultan Amu LVL IV decree, where smokers are to be applied on a rope through the streets, after strangling will not be threatened. Abbas ordered the Persian king’s lips and nose cut off smokers and tobacconists, and together they sell tobacco thrown into the fire burned. Swiss law is more severe, they will tobacconists as God’s commandments in “The Killers”, all sales of cigarettes people are sentenced by homicide.

Russian law in the history of smokers have extremely harsh. In 1634, Tsar Mikhail Herald: “Smokers will be mercilessly located to capital punishment.” After his son Alexei bit, inherited his father’s tradition, continue smoking. In 1649, he decreed tobacco trafficking who once discovered, punishable by flogging on the spot, the nose broken. After the execution, but also the prisoners exiled frontier, never shall return. But even such a harsh law, who also failed to stop the Russian smoker greed, they hid in the forest, or, or hidden into the cellar, and the devil in the smoke back quietly talking.

Even so, until the 17th century, tobacco was still widespread in Europe, can not be prohibited, and ultimately it has become a European symbol of life’s terrible.

Known as the revitalization of Russia’s Peter the Great, Russia’s tobacco epidemic is the culprit. In 1697, he canceled the Russian ban, allowing free trading of tobacco, smokers no longer be subject to any penalty. However, in the Russian folk, voice never stopped smoking. Especially the Orthodox Church firmly oppose tobacco, called it the “smoke of Satan.” Russian literature in the 17th century, there have tobacco is “growing on the graves of incest and prostitutes,” the evil plants argument. In Russia, the Orthodox Church and the first to resist smoking tobacco imports, it is inconsistent with the policy of Peter the Great. Peter the Great Church condemns respected tobacco, said he was “anti-God, pro-devil” people.

1679, a Russian national tobacco buyout tobacco companies the right to operate, Pope Adrian put his excommunication, and announced to his family, children and grandchildren will never be condemned. 17th century, a man named Berry Westerners traveling in Russia, he wrote in Travels:. “Today, a Russian priest will no puff into the room.”

After 2005, I had visited the Russian religious shrines Aopujinna (俄罗斯卡鲁什 state), was surprised to find that nobody in the state of smoking, it is not Russia a unique tobacco harassment city, it is rare ! Writers 尼卢斯 about over in his “God banks of the river,” a book 卡鲁什 State Archbishop Gregory oppose tobacco story.Gregory has always treats others with generosity, love as children in the seminary.However, he has not changed the iron law that students who want to hand Zhu Shengcheng by him as a priest, definitely not picking up the smoking habit.

One of the top students have the opportunity to become a priest seminary candidates, this day, he came to the priest’s room, with Archbishop Gregory agreed to hold a ceremony ordained time.

Gregory and his cordial conversation, agreed after a good time, and finally Gregory Lee asked him: “Brother, you smoke?”

“Dear Archbishop sir, I do not have this hobby.” The student said.

“It’s wonderful.” Gregory said happily, “You’re my good student, a good preparation go, God bless you!” When students leave, as usual, on his knees, to accept Gregory blessings. Students salute in time, even a cigarette from his jacket pocket, a then a ground fell out. Archbishop seeing rage, wrist and said: “?!?!! Why do you lie to me you kept saying that you are an honest man out of here without you position the”

Why the Russian Church is so against smoking? Because smokers are from the “pleasure dependence” sins, no matter what the motivation of people smoking is (relieve fatigue, enhance friendship, social activities, seeking self-confidence), the final result can only be devoid of wisdom and emotions. If people indulge in the pleasure of smoking, is always the temptation to repeat smoking tobacco, then develop a smoking habit, deadly greed will gradually make smokers fall into the cocoon, become paralyzed.Writers Ni Lusi opinion, people attribute view, smoking and drinking, like, a non-natural symbol of our humanity. Or, smoking and spiritual life are opposing things, it will significantly impede “the human mind to breathe.”

Ni Lusi said, people pray, revere their minds focused on prayer brings peace of mind and reason clearly, bring spiritual strength and vigor. And smoking, but the flesh breathing, smoking only alternative “strength and vigor” in a moment and the moment.Symbol of prayer, the church where the priest comes out of the hands of fragrant incense aroma, this fragrance and the devil confuse people’s tobacco smell out of tune. Russia has lamented the great 圣哲科隆什塔 Tesi Ji said: “ah, completely misinterpreted the keen pleasure, distorted sense of taste and smell, misinterpreted the meaning of breathing, when people smoke, almost uninterrupted breathing thorn in nose and choking smoke, so it goes, as if the devil is throbbing in his flesh while burning incense, so that sin through the smoke smoked himself and his family., ah, to spend every moment with your tobacco emotions and your mind, and obviously devouring your sincere expression of emotions and replace them with sensual, shabby and sensitive components. ”

Russian religious believes the Bible has made commandments not to kill. And smoking, are killing too. From experience, this is a sin, and intractable bad habits. As the years passed, the habits of mind attached to gradually become a habit. This habit will continue to continue, stubborn, so that the most logical arguments and most earnest persuasion, they can not convince people to get rid of this evil. Eventually, people no longer recognize that smoking is harmful vices and hobbies, began to escape conscience, as the Holy predecessors have said, over time, devoid of human conscience, the “evil hidden in the hundreds of thousands of times, like rhetoric and importune excuse being. ”