Text and photo: Teodora Sarić
Every man breathing strives for eternity, as do his people, unto their last breath. And so they should. For eternity will speak that we were – that we existed and walked here. Eternity will witness as loudly and thunderously as we ourselves manage to preserve our existence. That is what binds us and keeps us together. But are we aware of it? The purpose of a complex, now abandoned and dark, hidden among a pile of rubble, weeds and moss-covered rooftops, once a beehive teeming with life, is now lost. We all gave up. You know, just like a worn off cover of a good book. No matter how repugnant it may seem upon first glance, the reader may yet know the book’s value. But it’s a big step and an effort to avoid the prejudice imposed by outward appearance, even though we ourselves claim not to be so superficial. Let’s stop for a moment, let’s look under the cover, under the skin and the mottled façade. Even now, when the final breath is drawing ever closer, this can bring some oxygen back into our lungs, patting us on the back and telling us everything will be better if we just keep being wise and persistent. We have to know we can and must carry on, for all our ancestors did so faced with even greater calamities. At least one more step – that is expected of us. Without progress, life loses its meaning, so let’s move forward! Our progress, along with all the steps our ancestor took, will be a root for our children. So let’s not turn our backs to these problems, but think instead where it is we’re going. If we use it wisely, every little bit of time passing us by can become eternal. Remember, it moves on. And it always will.
Pictured: “Chinatown”, an abandoned industrial complex in Novi Sad.
