“Art has always been a weapon in the struggle of man against matter,
threatening to swallow his spirit…”

What interests me about man is his willingness to serve something higher than himself, even when he cannot perceive the ordinary, shallow moral life. I am drawn to those who recognize that the meaning of existence lies primarily in the struggle against the evil within us, striving to rise spiritually throughout life, even if just a step higher. For, alas, the only alternative to the path of spiritual growth is spiritual degradation, and the ordinary existence we adapt to leads us down that path.

Only genius can save humanity today—not a prophet, but a genius who will define a new moral ideal. But where is this Messiah?

To live without distressing others, humanity needs an ideal—one that embodies a spiritual, moral concept of law. Morality resides within us; ethics, on the other hand, is an external construct created to substitute for true moral understanding. Where morality is absent, ethics takes over—poor and insignificant. Where true morality exists, ethics holds no power.

It’s strange how people live, as though they are masters of their own fate. They fail to see that life is an opportunity—a chance to live in such a way that we can be free. Everything in life is difficult, except for our free will. When we unite with God, that free will will be taken from us.

Man is shaped by love. But what is love? It is the ability to sacrifice, to give of oneself for others. When love is blocked, man becomes warped, tortured. And when one feels this love and sees the obstacles humanity has placed in each other’s path, suffering begins. It is like when lovers are separated—the one who has never known love has experienced the greatest defeat on Earth.

If we do not want to live like parasites on society’s body, consuming the fruits of democracy, or become conformists and consumers, we must be willing to give up much. We must start with ourselves. We are quick to blame others—society, friends, anyone—but not ourselves. Only when we are ready to sacrifice can we begin to make an impact on life. This comes at a price—our material comfort. To live according to your principles means turning them into actions, not mere words or demagoguery.

The hardest and most important thing is to have faith. Only the believer experiences fulfillment and realization. But truly believing is exceedingly difficult. There is nothing harder than passionately, sincerely believing, alone with oneself.

I am convinced that we stand on the brink of the death of civilization, as we have completely neglected the spiritual side of the historical process. We refuse to acknowledge that our sinful and hopeless materialism has caused immeasurable harm to humanity.

Still, I love humanity. And to make people happy, I am willing to sacrifice myself to prove the existence of God. To serve humanity and sacrifice myself for God—that is what I desire.

The world is not entirely exhausted by material life; there is a transcendental world yet to be discovered. I believe in divine predestination. Faith is the only thing that can save man. This is my deepest conviction.

The essential purpose of man is to seek truth through the pursuit of spirituality.

By spirituality, I mean a person’s search for the meaning of life. This is the first step—a person who questions “Why are we living?” “Where are we going?” “What is the purpose of this life on Earth?” cannot fall below this level. They begin to evolve. Anyone who does not ask these questions or has not yet asked them is an unspiritual person. Both art and the artist who are not concerned with these questions are not true artists, for they ignore one of the most fundamental issues that make us human. When we engage with these questions, we find what we call true art.

Perhaps the meaning of human existence lies in the creation of art—in an act of creation that is aimless and disinterested. In this act, perhaps, we express our likeness to God.

The task of art is to convey the idea of absolute spiritual freedom. In my view, art has always been a weapon in humanity’s struggle against the forces that threaten to devour our spirit. Art is prayer—it speaks for itself.

It seems to me that the drama of our time lies in the tension between the spiritual and the material. This conflict has brought us to the dramatic, tragic state of our civilization.

The greatest mistake we make today is that we want to teach others, but we are unwilling to learn ourselves. Therefore, it’s hard for me to say if my art can change anything. To change the world, I must first change myself. I must become deeper, more spiritual. Only then might I be able to make a difference. How can we expect change if we do not feel spiritually high enough ourselves?

Cinema has declined because it has become disconnected from the spiritual world of filmmakers. For many, it is simply a source of income and public recognition. I would tell young filmmakers to take moral responsibility for the actions they undertake through their films. This is crucial. They must understand that cinema is a serious, difficult art—it demands sacrifice. Cinema is not meant to serve you; you must serve it. You need to give yourself to art, rather than it belonging to you.

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~Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky was a Russian filmmaker, writer, and film theorist. He is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential directors in the history of Russian and world cinema.

Excerpts from Andrei Tarkovsky’s works. Translated into english by ©Excellence Reporter

©Excellence Reporter 2020