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78. MY THOUGHTS ON THE PASSING OF MY GREAT UNCLE ANTON VRATUSA

My great uncle Anton Vratusa died on Sunday 30th Aug 2017, at age 102, leaving behind a life of achievement, contribution, and service.

Anton truly set a big example to live up to. But the biggest lesson for me personally is perhaps not in WHAT he said, but in THE WAY he lived, the wisdom he emanated through his deeds. When speaking, the words passed through him slowly, calmly, and with great poise, almost as if they came from some higher place of meaning. And he never deviated from the greater truth and the responsibility to do what is right. He simply did what needed to be done. Day in, day out.

I still remember him from my early childhood, when his driver used to pull up in his black Mercedes, usually during the summer holidays. After the horrors of WWII Anton served in Tito’s government in Belgrade, and he took every opportunity to visit his family. Today I remember his arrivals like a scene from a Hollywood blockbuster movie, reminiscent of “Man in Black” hehe. As I grew older I got the privilege of first-hand stories and explanations about the world of politics and why he loathed it. So he resorted to writing books, representing Yugoslavia at the United Nations, and working for the local community. Anton never forced his views upon anybody and in his later years, he offered advice only when asked.

And this so-called THE WAY that he lived, is what all great traditions of the world have always strived to teach and pass onto the next generations. In Taoism it’s simply called THE WAY, Buddhism calls it the METHOD, today we speak of THE PATH. Not a goal or something that we must achieve. But the path, which we must travel and fulfill; individually and collectively.

Many of you have sent me words of condolences; Thank You, I truly appreciate it. And Yes, every death is in a way a loss. But in reality, nothing ever goes to waste, so there’s never a loss, per se. Everything is regenerated, replenished and summoned to power new life. So, in essence, every death fuels more life. It’s a self-perpetuating, never-ending mechanism, a circle. And when one has contributed so much as Anton, then there’s so much to celebrate. He was everything that matters and makes this life such an amazing experience.

It has been many years since I stopped looking at death as the end. I understand it as the beginning of something new, very mysterious, but perhaps best explained as yet another variation of life, written into the elemental being-ness of the way it is. This so-called being-ness is the central thread of my writing, the series of 5 short books comprising The Unfinished Book About Who We Are. In my ceaseless investigation of reality and who we are, I have learned that the game we’re in is not about life and death; it’s about birth and death. LIFE, at the fundamental level never stops, hence it’s eternal. More about this in the books.

To conclude: Combining our understanding of science, philosophy, religion, and spirituality enabled me to form a totally new understanding of the INFINITE POTENTIAL that permeates our world. And this potential, I believe, still harbors many great surprises for us, way beyond our wildest imagination. So yes, the future is set to be amazing, but we must first learn to go within, then openly and sincerely bring our individual truth forth, and come together. The potential we possess within us will mature through unity, through collaboration, when we begin acting as one race, one nation, one religion: Humanity.

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