I don’t think he did. He made few compromises and was both genuinely perplexed by and had the wherewithal to avoid any unpleasantness before his fall. His conflict was the dumb, surprised understanding that he didn’t know himself: Ivan was no Maggie the Cat.
No Christian ever has lived up to the ideal, but in failing to show absolute compassion we have compassion for others that cannot show absolute compassion, only in failing that we succeed as Christians.
I sent this mail to Dr. Andrew Kaufman... Dear , Dr Andrew Kaufman I just watch you’re your video on Tolstoy, delivered in 2013, as Part of The Big Read National Endowment for the Arts program. Thank you for your insightful and true interpretation of Tolstoy. As a student of truth, I find it hard to come to terms with how much the substance of the teaching of this great author has been lost in the sands of time. However, I differ slightly with your interpretation of Tolstoy based on the following grounds; 1. You did not emphasis the difference between Tostoy’s pre-1880 and post-1880 writing. The differences are clearly spelt out in Tostoy’s book, ‘What is Art’. It was based on his understanding of what true art should constitute that he wrote the death of Ivan Ilych, Father Sergius, Master and Man, Resurrection, Hadji Murat etc. He consequently denounced War and Peace, Anna Karenina and all his other great work written before 1880. Gandhi never read any of those. Again, the reasons why he denounced those work are clearly spelt out in, ‘What is Art’. Those who must truly understand Tolstoy’s pre-1880 ideas must first understand Tolstoy the nihilist until age 55. 2. Tolstoy was not driven to death by his ego, rather, he was driven by the will to live every second of his life in accordance with the reason that life was given to him in the first place. He sought to be a better person by the day. He sought to live in accordance with the true doctrine of Jesus Christ; which means forsaking his family and carrying the cross of Christ, as commanded by Christ himself. Hence, when Tolstoy declared war against his wife, Sophia, it was not him as an individual. On the contrary, it was actually his ideals, which in his own understanding where in line with the teachings of Christ, that were at war with the cosmetic lifestyle of Sophia. Kennedy
