Selyavi is life. As she is

"Selyavi" is "life." This is the translation of these words from French. If you approach the meaning of this phrase from a literary point of view, then, probably, the best translation will be "this is fate, and nothing can be done about it." And in one of the popular cartoons of Soviet times, a poetic retelling of this famous aphorism was quoted: "Oh, my life, tin, and well her into the swamp." Why is the French expression "c est la vie" so firmly established in our everyday life? Let's try to consider this issue in more detail.

That is life

As a rule, it is customary to use this phrase in situations when something does not work out. That is, life in this context appears to us exclusively from the negative side, and we seem to be comforted by the fact that this happens not only with us. You can not get away from this, because our world is full of imperfections, and it is not the best possible. We can say that in the philosophical approach to this phrase "Selyavi" is an existential view of life. Such a thing, they say, can happen to anyone. No one is to blame for this, and there are not even special reasons for this.

How to write "Selyavi"

This French expression is used quite often in written speech . But the rules of the Russian language tell us that it is possible to use this phrase in an ironically-colloquial meaning. If you adhere strictly to all the regulations, you should understand that it is about transcription. That is, the Russian writing of a French expression of three words. Therefore - according to the rules - it is written separately. That is, it turns out "la la vi". But recently, more and more often, especially in a sarcastic context, it is customary to write this expression together. For example: "Such is the" Selyavi "- this is life in the forgotten area of God and people."

Why do we say so

In Russian there are many borrowings from French. This tradition probably goes back to the nineteenth century, when it was fashionable in "secular society" to flash the knowledge of a beautiful and harmonious European language. The classic of Russian literature is a fine confirmation of this. But this phenomenon, although not to such an extent, is characteristic of our time. And it's not just about words, but about whole phrases. And "Selyavi" is not an exception. For example, "déjà vu", "tet-a-tete", "Sherche la fama" and others. And they are pronounced by people who never learned French in their life, even at school. Probably, the whole point is that some expressions from this language are so capacious and polysemantic that they become popular among the people. Moreover, rather complex concepts in this case can be expressed not in long sentences, but in a few short words.

When we say this, humility

People use this expression in different senses. Sometimes in order to reassure ourselves or others, when things happen that are unpleasant to us, but which we can not change. Although sometimes, in such a consolation, to be honest, it is hopeless. It turns out that we do not influence our own destiny. We tolerate what happened beforehand. We lower our heads in the face of adversity. Then it turns out that "Selyavi" is the antipode of a proud phrase from the Renaissance that man is the blacksmith of his own destiny. But after all our life is done by ourselves, and much depends on our choice.

When we say so - encouragement

But there are other cases when it is customary to pronounce "Selyavi". The translation of this phrase in this case is similar to another even more popular English expression "shit hepens" - there are all kinds of troubles after all. That is, if there are troubles, then we seem to suggest that the interlocutor look at this matter without special tragedy, cheer up. No one is to blame, it's just an obstacle on the road. If you fell, go up and go further, if you get dirty - wash yourself. Do not stop and do not think too long about it. This is life, let's go further. There is also a lot of jokes on this topic. Like, why this "villagers" happened exactly with me, and my neighbor is all right?

Existential meaning

Some philosophers and psychologists argue that such phrases help a person internally cope with the adversities that have piled on him. They are in some ways consonant with "eternal questions" in different religions about why there is evil. If God created everything good, then why is life exactly like that? Thus, "Selyavi" is an attempt to somehow call the structure of our being, from which we can never get out. To some extent, such a view of things teaches us courage. We must understand that the way of life is not covered with roses, but rather with spines from them. And this is the tragedy of all human existence. We live in a world where people hate each other, where wars are waged, where injustice reigns. We are mortal, and all things around us are perishable. We were as if thrown into this world, where all life is filled with suffering. Existential philosophers, like religious thinkers, tell us that, perhaps, the whole point is that this being is untrue. That this life is not genuine. That somewhere, beyond the horizon, we are waiting for a new earth and sky, where no one is grieving? Maybe, but we need to think about how to break from the present state to this ideal being. And now we have what we got into trouble.

Popularity

This phrase entered the names of books, poems, films and clips. It became extremely popular. There is even an ironic attempt to reveal its meaning as a kind of "law of nature". For example, this expression gave rise to a joking philosophical principle, according to which the slightest chance that something bad could happen is always being realized. In a more extended interpretation, this theory was called Murphy's laws.