It is with great pleasure that we announce that the edition n.33 of our magazine, Balkan Beats, is finally out!
BEING IS BECOMING
Heraclitus
“There is nothing permanent except change”
This Heraclitus quote perfectly encompasses our approach to the topic of this edition of Balkan Beats. There is nothing normal, consistent or sure about our lives.
For everyone, 2020 has been a punch in the face of normality, but what is normal? Is dumping up to almost 9 million tons of plastic per year into the ocean normal? Is it normal that we’ve seen a sharp resurgence in popularity of the far-right in politics? Is it normal that the wealth gap continues to widen worldwide, with over 800 million people starving? Endless wars continue to rage around the world, displacing millions and destroying homes and cultures. At the same time, authoritarian leaders stay in power as we sit on the sofa, eating popcorn and watching Netflix. Perhaps, when you think about it, the radical change that COVID-19 has brought about is the least abnormal thing to be happening currently.
Things can change for the better as well.
Now that we’ve got your attention, we can tell you that things can change for the better as well. Many people felt that the isolation forced upon us by COVID-19.
It has been a wake up call and it has pushed people into forming stronger connections, and to not take their loved ones for granted. Pictures of suffering animals, such as the burned koalas of the Australian bushfires, turtles strangled by plastic, and mistreated factory-farmed livestock have helped push people into putting more thought into their ethics regarding not only other life forms but also the environment. Not everything is dreadful in politics either; Greece saw its controversial neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party eradicated, and we can finally say goodbye to Donald Trump. Human ingenuity is ever expanding too, bringing with it advances in medicine, environmentally conscious travel, and food options.
Change seems to be the defining characteristic of humanity and is something ever-present. You cannot swim in the same river twice; being is becoming.
In Balkan Beats 33, we will explore the topic from various perspectives. Hopefully, by the last page, you will see that change is inevitable. You have the power to make your own decisions and to become who you are.
Editors: Filippo Massariol and Michael Magee
