The opinion of the guys from the yard.

     As a child, I lived in an apartment building. Each of these buildings had its own yard and its own company of boys.

     I remember a boy living in one yard. I think his name was Nurlan. He was stronger and larger than his peers, and he was a bully. He kept the whole yard in awe. All the guys played only his games and according to his rules. If someone tried to resist, Nurlan quickly put him in place with cuffs and kicks.

     So, this company gradually developed such a situation that on any issue Nurlan’s opinion was correct and final. And since his character was erratic, and his mood changed frequently, his views on the same things changed with it. For example, a boy fell in the middle of the yard. Nurlan could mock him, saying “Such a goof-ball! Where do your legs grow from?!”. All the gang of boys immediately began to laugh and hoot. And they tried so hard that they sometimes even outstripped their leader in their malice. The next day, in the same situation, if some other boy stumbled, sometimes even the same boy, Nurlan could have a different mood, and accordingly the opinion on the event was completely different. He said to his entourage, “Well, what are you staring at?! He is our friend. Help him!”. And the whole gang ran to help the fallen boy. And those who yesterday mocked him, today could selflessly bring him home in their arms. So, everyone tried to curry favor with a tough and self-willed dictator.

     It got to the point that the boys in the yard completely lost such a notion as their own opinion. It did not exist. They have lost their own moral guidelines. They could not decide for themselves what was good and what was bad until Nurlan expressed his opinion. And only when he deigned to utter at least one word in support of something or against something, or even showed his attitude with an expression of his face, the entire suite vied with each other to prove his rightness and to fulfill his will. Sometimes even crossing the line.

     So, I often went to play in the next yard.

     There was a different atmosphere. There was not one clear leader. There were several of them. None of them had absolute power. Any of them could correct his friend, point out his wrong, argue and even quarrel. But on the whole, they all remained friends and like-minded people. That is, they thought and looked at things the same way. If something was good in their general idea, they considered so sincerely. For this they did not have to wait for what others would say. And vice versa. No one could do bad things with impunity, no matter how much authority he had.

     And what kind of yard do you live in?