Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė dabartyje: priėmimas ar atmetimas

LTKą šiandien žinome apie Bitės asmenybę, gyvenimą, darbus, kūrybą, tarnystę žmonėms, kad galėtume gyvai liudyti jos priėmimą? Kažin, ar tas neaprėpiamai didelis, prasmės kupinas gyvenimas, su rimtomis projekcijomis ne tik į dabartį, bet ir į ateitį neatmetamas kaip nepažįstamas. Priėmimui reikia visaverčio žinojimo. Tad fragmentiškai (kitaip neįmanoma) praeikime Bitės gyvenimo keliais [p. 104].

ENThe life and works of Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė, a great humanist, writer, enlightener, teacher, cultural worker, public figure, have not yet been fully explored. If we want to remember Bitė today, to discuss question of her acceptance and rejection, we must glance back to the past and reflect on the path of her life. The best way to learn about Bitė‘s life is from her collected works consisting of six volumes. The most important teachers of life were her parents, who taught her to love people, to love Lithuania. The lessons of her parents, the Lithuanian evenings were those great universities of life inspiring Bitė to enlighten people, to support poor but gifted pupils, to teach and cure people, to serve the society all her life. The most striking witnesses of her life are letters to her contemporaries. The letters reflect her humanistic ideas, democratic way of thinking, orientation towards the nation, social activities. In Bitė‘s letters one can feel tragic future of Lithuania, the letters are important nowadays as they warn of the same dangers. Bitė‘s writings express the same values: love of ones neighbour, love of the homeland, sympathy for suffering ordinary people. It is not easy to accept the non-linear life of Bitė. Nowadays, it is difficult to forsake oneself, one‘s ego and to determine to serve the people. However, there are Bitė‘s adherents who are determined to ac cept and develop her ideas. At present, the main task is to unite for common work all those, who individually try to perpetuate the memory of Bitė.