Much depends on on who your parents are, what is your neighborhood and which generation you belong to. But one thing is absolutely certain: the Russian civilization is there to shape you up into a very tough human being.
Krútost
During the last two decades, the notion of krutói (“tough”, “hard nut”, “smart”) became very central for our definition of success. But even though the meaning is new (krutói means originally “steep” or “hard-boiled”), the concept is centuries-long. In it, you can find something in common with the religious search for purity, or the American obsession with self-help and self-improvement. But the starting point is different.
