At a small café table near the Resurrection of Christ Cathedral in Podgorica, Dejan and Elena sat with cups of coffee in front of them.
Za stolom malog kafića pored Hrama Vaskrsenja Hrista u Podgorici, Dejan i Elena su sedeli sa šoljama kafe ispred sebe.
A gentle breeze carried the scent of cypress and flowering shrubs from the nearby park.
Blagi povetarac je donosio miris čempresa i cvetnih žbunova iz obližnjeg parka.
The sun caressed their faces as they conversed in tones of quiet life philosophy.
Sunce je milovalo njihova lica dok su razgovarali tiho, u tonovima životne filozofije.
Dejan: "You know, Elena, when I look at this cathedral, I can’t help but think about how much effort went into it, how much thought was poured into every stone and every line.
Dejan: "Znaš, Elena, kad gledam ovaj hram, ne mogu da ne pomislim koliko je truda uloženo u njega, koliko je misli ušlo u svaki kamen i svaku liniju.
But it wasn’t a race. It was more like a dance — a dance of the architect, the craftsmen, all those who worked here.
Ali to nije bila trka. To je više ličilo na ples — ples arhitekata, zanatlija i svih koji su ovde radili.
They listened to the rhythm of something greater than themselves, and how this building grew on them from different sides."
Oni su osluškivali ritam nečeg većeg od sebe i kako je ova građevina rasla sa raznih strana."
Elena: "And that’s exactly why the cathedral is so magnificent.
Elena: "I baš zato je hram toliko veličanstven.
There’s no grandeur in something built just to be finished quickly.
Nema veličine u nečemu što je napravljeno samo da se brzo završi.
The dance you’re talking about allows every moment to hold meaning.
Ples o kojem govoriš omogućava svakom trenutku da bude značajan.
But tell me, Dejan, how is it that people today are forgetting about this dance?
Ali reci mi, Dejane, kako to da ljudi danas zaboravljaju taj ples?
How did we come to measure everything only by speed and results?"
Kako smo došli do toga da sve merimo samo brzinom i rezultatima?"
Dejan laughed, lifting his cup of coffee.
Dejan se nasmejao, podižući šolju kafe.
"That’s because we were taught that life is a straight line — from point A to point B.
"To je zato što su nas učili da je život prava linija — od tačke A do tačke B.
Do you remember when we were kids?
Sećaš se kad smo bili deca?
We were first taught about systems — the circulatory system, breathing, the universe.
Prvo su nas učili o sistemima — krvotoku, disanju, svemiru.
Everything was harmonious and interconnected.
Sve je bilo skladno i povezano.
But somewhere along the way, they told us: ‘Now run!’
Ali negde usput su nam rekli: ‘Sad trčite!’
Run through school, careers, goals. Forget the dance."
Trčite kroz školu, karijeru, ciljeve. Zaboravite ples."
Elena nodded, smiling softly.
Elena je klimnula glavom, blago se osmehnuvši.
"I remember a scene from Podgorica.
"Sećam se jedne scene iz Podgorice.
At an intersection, a man in a big, expensive car stopped in the middle of the road to blow a kiss to a friend.
Na raskrsnici, čovek u velikom, skupom autu zaustavio se usred puta da pošalje prijatelju poljubac rukom.
His friend came over, and they started chatting. Right there, at the intersection!
Prijatelj mu je prišao i počeli su da razgovaraju. Tamo, na raskrsnici!
In London, everyone would’ve honked at them.
U Londonu bi ih svi iztrubeli.
Here? No one even blinked.
Ovde? Niko nije ni pogledao.
It’s as if even the drivers knew that moment was important."
Kao da su i vozači znali da je taj trenutak važan."
Dejan: "That’s the essence of it. In big cities, in all that rush, people are like slaves.
Dejan: "To ti je suština. U velikim gradovima, u toj jurnjavi, ljudi su kao robovi.
But here, among the mountains, the sun, and the wind, life has a different rhythm.
Ali ovde, među brdima, suncem i vetrom, život ima drugačiji ritam.
Nature reminds you that not everything is linear.
Priroda te podseća da nije sve pravolinijsko.
When was the last time you stopped just to listen?"
Kada si poslednji put stala da samo osluškuješ?"
Elena paused for a moment, gazing thoughtfully at the cathedral.
Elena je zastala na trenutak, zamišljeno gledajući u hram.
"Last winter. I was in the mountains.
"Prošle zime. Bila sam u planinama.
Snow was everywhere, silence — perfect silence.
Sneg je bio svuda, tišina — savršena tišina.
And in that moment, I felt like I was part of something much greater.
I u tom trenutku osetila sam da sam deo nečeg mnogo većeg.
That there was no need to rush. Just presence."
Da nema potrebe za trkom. Samo prisutnost."
Dejan: "That’s why I often tell people: look at life as a dance.
Dejan: "Zato često kažem ljudima: gledajte na život kao na ples.
A person is dancing energy. Even Tesla had a dance.
Čovek je plesna energija. Ples je imao i Tesla.
I’m talking about his way of thinking. He didn’t rush.
Mislim na njegov način razmišljanja. On nije jurio.
His inventions came as a result of that intuitive understanding of rhythm.
Njegovi izumi su dolazili kao plod tog intuitivnog razumevanja ritma.
It’s the same with great entrepreneurs today.
Isto je i sa velikim preduzetnicima danas.
They’re not linear thinkers. They connect — ideas, people, opportunities."
Oni nisu linearni mislioci. Oni povezuju — ideje, ljude, mogućnosti."
Elena: "I agree. Tesla didn’t make plans on paper but in his mind.
Elena: "Slažem se. Tesla nije pravio planove na papiru, već u svom umu.
That’s the dance, that ability to see the whole picture.
To je taj ples, ta sposobnost da se vidi celina.
And you know what? I think it’s something we can all learn.
I znaš šta? Mislim da je to nešto što svi možemo naučiti.
If we would just stop and listen."
Ako bismo samo stali i poslušali."
Dejan smiled and nodded.
Dejan se osmehnuo i klimnuo glavom.
"Exactly. When we listen, when we slow down, that’s when we see what truly matters.
"Upravo to. Kada slušamo, kada usporimo, tada vidimo šta je zaista važno.
That’s why I love this place. This cathedral, this coffee, this moment.
Zato volim ovo mesto. Ovaj hram, ovu kafu, ovaj trenutak.
This is the dance."
Ovo je ples."
The sun slowly began to set, painting the sky in shades of orange and gold.
Sunce je polako počelo da zalazi, bojeći nebo nijansama narandžaste i zlatne.
Dejan and Elena continued their conversation, in tune with the rhythm provided by the serene Podgorica evening.
Dejan i Elena su nastavili svoj razgovor, u skladu s ritmom koji im je pružao spokojni podgorički večernji ambijent.
Their dance of thoughts and words was as harmonious as the nature surrounding them.
Njihov ples misli i reči bio je jednako skladan kao i priroda koja ih je okruživala.
Stories and dialogues B1 B2 in English and Serbian
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