Man vs. Nature / Čovek protiv prirode

Since the beginning of time, the man had to face the forces of nature to ensure his own survival. The nature has been observed as hostile, the man had to fight with his body and mind to concur the nature and make it his servant. However, more than once, the nature has demonstrated how powerful and wild it can truly be and the man, with all his science and technology and progress, stood no chance. Nevertheless, the mankind survived, there are more people in the world today than ever before.

If you start to think about this, it becomes clear, there is no man vs. nature, the nature is within a man, and the man is within the nature, we do not exist apart from it. If we fight the nature within, then we fight against our own bodies, our own instincts, senses… And if we fight the nature around us, we inevitably lose, because we are just a small piece of it. How about if we stop fighting and start listening, begin working together, cooperating, learn from it as much as we can and then co-create, play with it. This is the abundant planet, there is enough food, clothes and homes for each and every one of us. Nature is greater than all of us together, she gave a birth to everything that exists, we call it a Mother for a reason. She gave us everything she had so that we would live a happy life, as every mother would, and she did it with love.

And how do you treat your mother? Do you show her respect? Are you thankful for her gifts? How do you show your love?

If you do not understand your nature, that is within you and all around you, then you cannot appreciate it and you wouldn’t know how to love yourself or the world around you. Even that’s o.k., mother is forgiving and compassionate, her own love is enough, but you better show her respect! Because the Earth will survive without us, but where would we be without the Earth?

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Od početka vremena čovek je morao da se suočava sa prirodnim silama kako bi obezbedio svoj opstanak. Na prirodu se gledalo kao na neprijatelja, čovek je morao da se bori i umom i telom kako bi je pokorio i potčinio je svojim potrebama. Međutim, više puta je priroda demonstrirala koliko moćna i neukrotiva zaista može biti i čovek, sa svim svojim naučnim dostignućima i tehnologijama i napretkom, nije imao nikakve šanse. Ipak, čovečanstvo je preživelo i danas ima više ljudi na svetu nego ikada pre.

Ako se zamislimo nad ovim, postaje jasno da čovek ne može protiv prirode, jer priroda je u čoveku i čovek je u prirodi, mi ne postojimo odvojeno od nje. Ako se opiremo prirodu u nama, onda se borimo sa našim telima, sopstvenim nagonima, čulima… A ukoliko se borimo sa prirodom oko nas, neminovno gubimo, jer smo mi samo mali njen deo. Kako bi bilo kada bismo prestali da se borimo a počeli da slušamo, da sarađujemo, da učimo od nje što više i onda da stvaramo zajedno, da se igramo. Ovo je planeta obilja, ima dovoljno hrane za sve, odeće i krova nad glavom za baš svakoga od nas. Priroda je veća od svih nas zajedno, ona je rodila sve što postoji, ne zovemo je uzalud Majka Priroda. Dala nam je sve što je imala kako bismo živeli srećno, baš kao prava majka, i to je uradila sa ljubavlju.

A kako se mi ponašamo prema svojoj majci? Da li joj ukazujemo poštovanje? Da li smo zahvalni na njenim darovima? Kako joj pokazujemo ljubav?

Ukoliko ne razumeš svoju prirodu, onu koja je u tebi i onu koja te okružuje, onda je nećeš ni ceniti i nećeš umeti da voliš ni sebe ni svet oko sebe. Čak je i to u redu, jer majka je puna saosećanja i opraštanja, njena sopstvena ljubav joj je dovoljna, ali bolje bi ti bilo da je poštuješ! Jer Zemlja će nastaviti da postoji i bez nas, a gde bismo mi bili bez nje?

Tijana

Ljubav/Love

Ima dana kada se probudim uzemljena, puna snage, svesna života u meni i oko mene. Tada vidim stvari izoštrenije, kao da se materija razliva i dopušta suštini da se izrazi. Postanem svesnija malih stvari koje čine život, koje znače mnogo više nego što smo spremni da prihvatimo, zbog kojih sam sva u zahvalnosti ovoga jutra, u miru i veri, skoro kao da sam i sama oslobođena svega što je suvišno, bestelesna, lagana duša koja peva u ritmu sunčevih zraka.

Možda je ova kiša isprala u meni brigu, ljutnju, strah… ostavivši me čudu života svežu i obnovljenu, da mu se divim, da ga slavim, da ga istražujem, kao novorođenče koje prvi put otkriva svet, koje prvi put ponovo otkriva ljubav.

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There are days when I wake up grounded, full of strength, totally aware of all the life inside of me and around me. In those times I see things clearer, as if the matter has disperse before me allowing for the essence to reveal the self. I become mindful of the little things that make the living, that mean much more than we are ready to acknowledge, for which I am full of gratitude this morning, in peace and faith, almost as if I am released from all that is redundant, just this incorporeal, airy soul that’s singing in the rhythm of the sunbeams.

Could be this rain has washed away all worry, anger, fear in me… leaving me to the miracle of life fresh and renewed, to admire it, to celebrate it, to explore it, like a newborn revealing the world for the first time, for the first time revealing the love again.

Budi posmatrač / Be the observer

Zatvori oči i kreni. Opipavaj u svom ritmu svoje unutrašnje biće, dok ne stigneš do onog udobnog, savršenog mesta gde je sve dobro, lepo, toplo i beskrajno. Nekome pomaže da se zamisli na svom omiljenom mestu, neko se priseća svog najlepšeg momenta sa nekim koga voli, neko poslednjeg trenutka sreće, šta god pomaže u redu je. Kada smo na tom našem mestu, dišemo fino, lagano, počinjemo da primećujemo kako nam srce kuca i tu počinje posmatranje…

Posmatramo sve što se dešava, u nama, na nama, oko nas. Sve je kao na filmskom platnu, a mi smo u udobnoj stolici, opušteni, ali budni, gledamo film.

Postoje različite tehnike, razni učitelji, ali to je ukratko suština meditacije, sedeti u miru i tišini sa sobom i svojim okruženjem i samo posmatrati sve doživljaje kao da nisu naši. Primećuješ, naravno, naleteo je povetarac, mačka je zamjaukala, deca su izašla na odmor, komšija se tušira, utrnula ti je noga, postaje vruće i sl… Suština je da nas ti doživljaji ili događaji ne pogađaju, da ne izazivaju osećanja i misli.

Naravno da nije lako biti samo posmatrač sebe i svog života. Potrebna je vežba, kao za bilo koju veštinu, i upornost. Možda je neko uspeo iz prve? Ja nisam, razmišljala sam uvek puno i o svemu, a kada i uspem da utišam misli iskočila bi neka pesma koje nisam mogla da se otarasim. Srećom, imala sam dobrog učitelja i vežbala sam u kontinuitetu. Iako ne meditiram često, puno mi znači što brzo mogu da stignem na to svoje sveto mesto gde je sve savršeno mirno i ispunjeno ljubavlju, a iz takve pozicije i tihog uma, svaka situacija izgleda bolje i rešenja dolaze brže.

Često u životu ne vidimo šumu od drveća, a često je potrebno iskoračiti iz događaja koji nas okupira i što je više emocija u tom događaju i što su emocije jače, to nam je taj iskorak potrebniji da bismo sagledali širu sliku, umirili osećanja i svoje misli i doneli odluku iz srca, tj. centra svog bića. Takva odluka će možda podići nekoliko leptirića u stomaku, ali nas neće uzburkati, prosto će nam leći i otvoriće se nova vrata i prozori sa svežim izborima i beskrajnim mogućnostima.

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Close your eyes and let’s go. In your own rhythm feel your inner being, until you reach that cozy, perfect place where everything is good, beautiful, warm and endless. For some people it helps to imagine their special place, for someone it is a memory of a wonderful moments spent with someone they love, others think about the last time they were happy, whatever helps it is fine. When we are at that place of ours, we breathe nicely, slowly, we start to notice our heart beats and that’s where the observation begins…

We observe everything that happens inside of us, on our body, around us. Everything is as on a movie screen and we are in a comfy chair, relaxed but awake, watching a movie.

There are different techniques and various teachers, however this is in short the essence of meditation, sitting in peace and quiet with oneself and the surroundings and merely observe experiences as if they do not belong to us. You will notice, of course, the breeze just went by, the cat meowed, the kids just went out on a school break, the neighbor is taking a shower, your leg just went numb, it is getting pretty warm and so on… The key is not to give those experiences and occurrences a significance, don’t allow them to trigger any emotions or thoughts.

Being just an observer of yourself and your life is not an easy task for sure. It takes practice and endurance, as any skill. Maybe someone has succeeded right away? I did’t, I was always thinking about everything and anything, and even when I managed to calm my brain down, a song would pop up out of nowhere and just refused to go away. Luckily, I had a great teacher and I was practicing continuously. Although I do not meditate often, it means a world to me that I can swiftly reach that holy place of mine, where everything is perfectly calm and filled with love, and from such a perspective and a quiet mind, every situation looks better and the solutions come faster.

More often in our lives we fail to see the forest for the trees and many times it is necessary to step out from the event that occupies us. The more emotional the event is and the stronger the emotions are, there is a greater necessity to make that step and perceive the bigger picture, calm down our emotions and thoughts and make a decision from within our heart i.e. from the center of our being. That kind of decision will, perhaps, rise a few butterflies in our stomach, but it will never upset us, it will simply fall into place and open up a new doors and windows of fresh choices and infinite possibilities.

Život je stvar izbora/Life is a matter of choice

Nijedan put kojim se zaputimo u životu nije uzaludan, niti je izabran slučajno i bez razloga. Iz svega učimo i u svemu treba da vidimo smisao – širu sliku. Sve ima svoje značenje i mesto na našem putovanju. Ponovo se vraćam stazom znakova pored puta

Jedan profesor mi je jednom rekao da sami biramo kakvi ćemo biti. Zamislila sam se tada nad tom rečenicom i puno toga shvatila. Ništa nije dato, mi možemo uticati na sve da se promeni i dobije željeni oblik.

Počnimo oblikujući sebe, onako kako želimo, kako će nam biti lagodno u sopstvenoj koži. Počnimo sa tim željenim životom sada, ne čekajući idealne uslove ili da se nešto samo od sebe pojavi. Postavimo sami prilike, iznesimo svoje karte na sto – get dressed for success, a ostalo možemo prepustiti Bogu/Univerzumu/Životu…

Samo usklađeni sa samim sobom možemo promeniti svoj svet. Sami biramo reči kojima ćemo ispisati knjigu svoga života.

Sa verom i ljubavlju živimo život bez straha, do poslednjeg daha.

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Neither path that we choose in life is in vain, nor it is chosen randomly and with no reason. We learn from everything and we should see sense in everything – the big picture. All the things have their place and meaning along our journey. I return again to the lane of the signs aside the road…

A professor once said to me that we ourselves choose the way we are going to be. That sentence got me thinking and I learned a lot from it. Nothing is ever written in stone, we can influence everything to change and get the desired form.

Let’s start with shaping ourselves, the way we want, in a way that we feel most comfortable with in our own skin. Let’s start that desired life right away, let’s not wait for perfect circumstances or for things just to happen. We can make our own chances, set out our cards on the table – get dressed for success, and the rest put into the hands of God/Universe/Life…

Only aligned with our self we can change our world. We alone choose the words with which we will write the book of our life.

With faith and love we live our life with no fear, until the last breath.

 

Ogledalo/The Mirror

 Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?

– The Brothers Grimm, “Snow White”

Magično ogledalce moje, reci na svetu najlepši ko je?

– Braća Grim, “Snežana i sedam patuljaka”

Kada izađeš iz sebe i pogledaš se tuđim očima, da li ti se sviđa osoba koju gledaš? Odgovor uvek treba da bude DA!

Osnovno pravilo – Ne trudi se da budeš onakav kakav misliš da ćeš se drugima svideti! Nikada nećeš postići da se svima svidiš i da te svi cene i vole.

Drugo osnovno pravilo – Trudi se uvek da budeš onakav kakav ćeš se sebi svideti.

Jedina osoba sa kojom treba da se poredimo je naš ideal o sebi samima. To je onaj superheroj koji se krije negde u našoj podsvesti, a od koga crpimo snagu, elan, samopouzdanje, hrabrost i sve one osobine koje su nama važne i kojima stalno stremimo.

Možda jedino iskreno prijateljstvo je ono sa samim sobom. A kada uspeš da budeš zadovoljan sobom i uspeš da dosegneš neki svoj ideal ličnosti i drugi će to umeti da prepoznaju i cene, a tebi više neće biti ni važno njihovo mišljenje.

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When you step out of yourself and see you through someone’s else eyes, do you like who you see? The answer should always be YES!

Main principle – Don’t try to be the person you think other people would like! You will never succeed to be liked by everyone and for everyone to appreciate you and love you.

The other grand rule – Always try to be the person that you would like.

The only person we should compare ourselves to is our own ideal about who we should be. It is that superhero who we hide somewhere in our subconsciousness mind, from who we drive our power, inspiration, self-confidence, courage and all the attributes that are important to us and we keep striving to attain them.

The only true friendship, maybe, is that one you have with yourself. And when you succeed in reaching some of yours personal ideal, other people will know to recognize that and appreciate it but you will no longer care what their opinion really is.

Bajka / A Fairytale

Ovo je moj život! Meni je dat kao redak dar i od mene zavisi kako ću ga upotrebiti. Ja sam taj umetnik koji će mu dati konačni oblik.

Živeti život ispunjen ljubavlju, divnim, dragim ljudima, istinskom lepotom življenja u jednostavnosti već datog sa neverovatnom lakoćom. Uživati u magiji svakodnevnih stvari, malih čistih trenutaka sreće i spokoja. To je moj film…

Zahteva trud, ali ne i težinu, mudrost je iskoristiti maksimalno prednosti onoga što nam je dato, bilo to naše okruženje ili naši talenti i veštine, a onda ih poboljšati, usavršiti, oplemeniti, tako ćemo lakše savladati i one stvari koje nam baš i ne idu od ruke. Važno je prihvatiti nesavršenost, jer to je ono što nas čini jedinstvenim. Možda je bolje reći da smo svi savršeni na poseban način. Meni su večita inspiracija i motivacija ljudi koji zrače pozitivnošću, a često imaju težak život; ljudi koji su ispunjeni onime što rade i rade to sa lakoćom, a postižu uspeh; ljudi koji se osećaju dobro u svojoj koži i imaju saosećanja za druge, oni koji te nateraju da se zamisliš, da se zapitaš o pravoj vrednosti života i da li je zaista shvataš i prihvataš.

Prestala sam da mislim da moram da uradim nešto, postignem nešto, ne, ne moram. Ništa ne moram. Za neke stvari prosto nisam sazdana, ali ono što imam, što posedujem, što je samo moje, treba da upotrebim, da koristim, da rastem.

Biću sasvim zadovoljna i srećna da vodim svoj život i svoju mladu porodicu putem koji sam sama odsanjala i da kroz neke male stvari dotaknem još nečiji život iskrom radosti i čuda koja se dešavaju svakodnevno i u koja verujem. Verujem u svoju bajku, a i ona veruje u mene.

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This is my life! It was given to me as a rare gift and it depends on me how I will use it. I am the artist who will give it the final shape.

To live a life filled with love, with wonderful, dear people, the true beauty of living in the simplicity that’s already given with incredible ease. Enjoy the magic of everyday things, small pure moments of happiness and serenity. This is my movie…

It requires effort, but not heaviness, wisdom is to make the most of what is given to us, be it our environment or our talents and skills, and then improve, perfect, refine them, so we can more easily master those things that do not really do well for us. It is important to accept imperfection, because that is what makes us unique. Perhaps it is better to say that we are all perfect in a special way. To me, the eternal inspiration and motivation are the people who radiate positivity, even they often have a difficult life; people who are filled with what they do and do it with ease and achieve success; people who feel good in their own skin and have compassion for others, those who make you think, make you ask yourself about the true value of life and whether you really understand and accept it.

I stopped thinking I have to do something, achieve something, no, I don’t have to. I don’t have to do anything. For some things I am simply not made for, but what I have, what I possess, which is only mine, I need to use, to employ, to grow.

I will be completely satisfied and happy to lead my life and my young family on the path I dreamed of myself and to touch someone else’s life through some small things with the spark of joy and miracles that happen every day and in which I believe. I believe in my fairy tale, and she also believes in me.

Tijana Stupljanin

Buđenje / Awakening

Život je konstantna promena. Sve oko nas je u cikličnom kretanju, pa i svi procesi u našem telu takođe, i mi kao deo prirode imamo potencijal da se krećemo u tom ritmu. Ako uporedimo ljudsko telo i drvo, vidimo da su u kori drveta upisani godovi, kažu da kora drveta pamti, a isto se kaže i za ljudsku kožu, ipak jedno drvo u samo jednoj godini umre i ponovo se rodi, podari novo seme iz koga može da iznikne sasvim novo drvo, čak i iz posečenog drveta, ako ostane panj, može da nikne nova mladica. Svakoga dana u prirodi možemo videti milion “malih čuda”, zašto mislimo da se ta čuda ne mogu desiti i nama, zar nismo i mi deo te čarobne prirode? Činjenica je da će stresna situacija, povreda, teža bolest… ostaviti ožiljke u nama i po nama, ali je isto tako činjenica da mi sve to možemo prevazići i krenuti iz početka. Mislim da je ključ da se savkoga dana ispraznimo od svih negativnosti koje su nas dotakle toga dana, da se napunimo pozitivnom energijom, bilo kroz druženje sa prirodom ili druženje sa dobrom knjigom, filmom, muzikom, a najlepše je u zagrljaju voljene osobe, i onda zakoračiti u novi dan sveži i okupani dobrim snom, “kao ponovo rođeni” krenuti u novi dan otvorenog uma, otvorenog srca, ispunjeni ljubavlju! Sunce se ponovo rađa, sunce se svakog dana ponovo rađa!

Budi sunce, budi zvezdano nebo, budi reka koja preobražava sve u dobro…

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Life is a constant change. Everything around us is moving in cycles, all the processes in our body as well, and as a part of the nature, we too have the potential to move in that rhythm. Should we make a comparison between human body and a tree, we notice the rings imprinted in the bark of a tree, they say the bark of a tree has a memory and the same thing is said for the human skin. A tree dies and reborn all in a year, it gives a seed from which a new tree can sprout, even if the tree is cut down, if the stump remains, a new offspring will arise. Every day we can witness to a million “little wonders” in the nature, why do we think these wonders don’t happen to us too, aren’t we a part of that miraculous nature? The fact is that a stressful situation, an injury, a bad sickness… will leave scars within us and on us, but it is also a fact that we can overcome it all and start all over again. I think that the key is to clear from all the negativity we have encountered during a day, then to fill up with a good energy, whether from being in the nature or spending time in a company of a nice book, a movie, listening to a music, and the most beautifully in someone’s loving hug, and then step into a new day fresh and renewed with the good night sleep, “like a reborn” welcome a new day with an open mind, open heart, filled with love! The sun comes out again, the sun comes out again every day!

Be the sun, be the sky full of stars, be a river that transforms everything into good…

Ringišpil života / Life’s carousel

Život je jedan šareni ringišpil. Čas si na vrhu i rukama možeš da opipaš nebo, a već sledećeg trenutka udišeš prašinu. Često ti je muka od svega i samo želiš da sve stane, da siđeš, ali ipak ponovo se penješ i vrtiš, vrtiš, vrtiš u krug i gore i dole i kad ti se najviše vrti u glavi vrištiš od sreće i zadovoljstva i osećaš se kao na krilima neke ptice sa kojom letiš i nemisleći kuda, samo osećaš da si zadovoljan tu gde jesi.

Bez obzira koliko bilo i mučno i teško, makar i zarad samo jednog takvog trenutka spokojstva, radosti i slobode, vredi se uvek iznova vraćati tom ringišpilu boja i života.

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Life is one colorful carousel. In a second you are on the top of it and you can touch the sky with your hands, and yet at the next moment you can breathe the dust. You are often sick of everything and you just want everything to stop, you are ready to go down, but still you climb and spin again, you spin and spin in a circle and up and down and when everything in your head is spinning the most you scream with happiness and pleasure, and you feel like you are on the wings of a bird you fly with and not thinking where, you just feel satisfied where you are.

No matter how painful and difficult it may be, even if only for the sake of just such a moment of serenity, joy and freedom, it is always worth returning to that carousel of colors and life.

Tijana Stupljanin

Dugme

Svih oblika i dimenzija. Može biti i malo i veliko, najčešće je okruglo, ali moze biti i kockasto, srcasto, leptirasto, cvetno, u obliku kuce ili mace, bubamare i šišarke, ma može biti kakvo poželiš.

U  plehanoj kutiji od nekog davno pojedenog keksa, puno raznih, šarenih dugmića! Obožavala sam da ih prebiram i uparujem, smišljam priče kao da su stvarni, spajam i čitave porodice dugmića i nikad dosta igre. Baba i deda su mi pričali kako su oni u svoje vreme dobijali batine ako ih neko vidi da se igraju sa dugmićima. Kao i mnoge stvari u to posleratno vreme i dugmići su bili deficitarni, smatrani su za neku dragocenost. Mozda smo ih zato mi imali toliko da ih ne možemo potrošiti ni za dva života, osim ako neko u porodici ne počne da šije ili kreira razne stvari i predmete pa iskoristi to šarenilo za svoje maštarije.

A danas, danas su deficitarni samo dobri ljudi, svega ostalog ima i previše.

Verujući / Believing

“Bog je u tebi i svuda oko tebe. Ne u oblicima od drveta ili kamena. Zagrebi bilo koje drvo i on je tu, pomeri bilo koji kamen i njega ćeš naći.” Veruje se da su ovo istinite reči istorijskog Isusa.

Život je čin vere, zato ga i ne možemo objasniti, uvek će nas iznenaditi nečim novim i nedokučivim. Baš kao što smo i mi sami deo njega, nedokučivi i neistraženi do kraja. Dokle god ne odgonetnemo sebe nećemo znati odgovor na vekovna pitanja: šta je život? Odakle dolazim? Kuda idem? Istina je dostupna onima koji veruju. Samo tako ovaj svet ima neki smisao.

Tata mi je često govorio: „Ne beri cveće po Jupiteru“. Šta ja tu mogu, volim taj miris zemlje neke daleke, koja postoji samo u mom srcu. Ne mogu ni da zamislim kakav bi mi život bio da nisam otkrila te daljine. Ja nisam od ovoga sveta i ne mogu da ga shvatim. Zato žudim za mirisom toploga leta i nestvarom moga sveta.

Verujem da je važniji taj unutrašnji svet koji otkrivamo i oblikujemo ceo život od svega što nas okružuje. Verujem da je ključ života u nama, dok nam proživljena iskustva služe kao putokazi, tzv. znakovi pored puta, koje ako umemo da prepoznamo mogu da nam budu odlični vodiči na putu u središte srca, odn. duše. A duša sve zna, samo je treba umeti čuti i verovati u njenu veličinu i snagu.

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“God is in you and all around you. Not in the forms of wood or stone. Scrape any tree and he is there, move any stone and you will find him.” These are believed to be the true words of the historical Jesus.

Life is an act of faith, that’s why we can’t explain it, it will always surprise us with something new and incomprehensible. Just as we are a part of it, incomprehensible and unexplored to the end. Until we figure out ourselves, we will not know the answer to the age-old questions: what is life? Where do I come from? Where am I going? The truth is available to those who believe. This is the only way this world makes sense.

Dad often told me: “Don’t pick flowers on Jupiter.” I can’t help it, I love that smell of a distant land, which exists only in my heart. I can’t even imagine what my life would be like if I didn’t discover those distances. I am not of this world and I cannot understand it. That is why I long for the smell of a hot summer and the unreality of my world.

I believe that the inner world that we discover and shape our whole life is more important than everything that surrounds us. I believe that the key to life is within us, while the lived experiences serve us as signposts, the so-called signs alongside the road, which if we can acknowledge them can be a great guides on the way to the center of the heart, of our soul. And the soul knows everything, you just need to be able to hear it and believe in its greatness and strength.

Tijana Stupljanin