Life Is a Gift: Dostoevsky’s Redemption Story

The Story of Fyodor Dostoevsky.

Fyodor Dostoevsky was already a celebrity in his early twenties. He had published his first novel, “Poor Folk,” and it was widely received. The literary circle in St. Petersburg embraced him. It was clear to anyone who understood literature that Fyodor Dostoevsky was the man of the moment, and he had a bright future. A published author. A bestselling author. A success. His life was set. My Nigerian cousins will say, "He has blow."

Or was it?

Well, they say life comes at you fast. That's what happened to Fyodor. He was arrested by the Russian Government and sentenced to death by firing squad. He and some of his friends for reading banned books that the Government believed would lead to a revolution. Within months, Dostoevsky had gone from a celebratory life to a life about to be cut off. Cut short.

This made him rethink his whole life. Before now, he had been a lazy fellow. Lazy as shit. He wrote only when he felt like writing. He had left the military because he didn’t want his promising literary career to be interrupted. For Dostoevsky, life should be all about merry. He was here to have fun. YOLO – You Only Live Once, so enjoy all you can. That was his mantra. As he faced death, he reconsidered everything. Was this really what life was all about? He had lived for nothing, and now he was dying. He had no contribution to humanity that was truly valuable. Now his time was up. What would he be remembered for? Nothing. As he thought about this, he experienced a profound spiritual change. He vowed that if he got one chance to live again, he would live a completely different life. He meant it.

As the day of the execution arrived, they were driven out and taken to the ground for execution. A priest came and offered a last prayer for them. They were divided into two groups. The first batch was matched to the stand, tied to the back, and the soldiers cocked their guns, ready to fire.

Aim….. Ready…..

With high speed, a messenger arrived with an envelope. The message announced that their death sentence had been commuted. They were to serve four years in prison with hard labour. For Dostoevsky, this was the best news ever! He was grateful. He wrote a letter to his brother, "When I look back at the past and think of all the time I squandered in error and idleness,...then my heart bleeds. Life is a gift...every minute could have been an eternity of happiness! If youth only knew! Now my life will change; now I will be reborn."

He was born again. Dostoevsky had changed. He would not waste this second chance. He would make the most of it.

He wrote his life out, producing many big books that continue to influence today's world. Dostoevsky was no longer writing for fame; he was writing to influence and shape the human mind into something better for the world. His works, “The Brothers Karamazov”, “The Idiot”, “Notes From Underground”, and “Crime And Punishment”, etc. were not written to win the Nobel Prize or Pulitzer Prize; instead, they were written with the sole objective of investigating humanity and showing us our hypocrisy.

He once wrote, “If you want to overcome the whole world, overcome yourself.” Dostoevsky had overcome himself. He had overcome the world. When he died in 1881, this second death was a more fulfilling one. On his deathbed, he specially requested that the story of the prodigal son be read to his children. A friend commented on this, saying, “It was this parable of transgression, repentance, and forgiveness that he wished to leave as a last heritage to his children, and it may well be seen as his own ultimate understanding of the meaning of his life and the message of his work.”

We don’t need the gallows to remind us that life is a gift; Fyodor Dostoevsky is enough example.

Life is a gift. Use it well.

If you want to understand life, reading about a man who had a chance to live twice could teach you something.