Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, was my base while I explored the Balkans. I enjoyed daily walks through its streets, often coming across protests and other social and political gatherings. I have never been in a place where people protest so much. But, I did notice that between 2011 and 2014, these protests started becoming smaller. Perhaps, due to broken promises.
serbia
Aesthetics of Longing – Thomas Mann on Solitude
Aesthetics of Longing – Tesla on the Non-Physical Phenomena
I very much like and respect Tesla because he was, possibly, the most important scientist of the 20th Century, yet he strongly believed in God, unlike most of his counterparts. He claimed that all his ideas came from the Holy Spirit, from God.
Aesthetics of Longing – Tarkovsky on the Meaning of Art
This photo was taken in a Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo, which rarely hosts services due to the hostility of the neighbouring Albanian population. I really liked the way light enters through the small windows and falls on this and other chandeliers.
Aesthetics of Longing – Solzhenitsyn on the Meaning of Earthly Existence
Solzhenitsyn is a writer of great relevance to our times because he lived in East (Soviet Union) and the West (America) and critically examined both. He nicely articulated the positive and negative aspects of both societies. This is especially important today when there is rising tension between the two.
Aesthetics of Longing – Solzhenitsyn on Freedom & Home
Anyone who felt nostalgic for a long time knows that the feeling can be compared to imprisonment. Not that I am saying that this is some positive or romantic feeling. I think that it cripples a person’s soul and the ability to live a normal life. It is, as I later realised, a lack of spirituality and faith in God. That is why Solzhenitsyn was often ‘grateful’ for his imprisonment by the Soviets as it helped him awaken his spirituality.
Aesthetics of Longing – Solzhenitsyn on Freedom & Home
Aesthetics of Longing – Solzhenitsyn on Freedom & Home
“Freedom meant one thing to him—home.
But they wouldn’t let him go home.”
-Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Aesthetics of Longing – Solzhenitsyn on “his task on earth”
This is a photo of the 14th Century Decani Monastery in Kosovo $ Metohija, Serbia. It is one of my favourite places on this planet. It is, if we use a cliche, a piece of heaven on earth. Decani Monastery is protected by Italian peacekeepers because it is under constant threat from the Albanian majority in this region of Metohija.
Aesthetics of Longing 