Four days spent in an environment led by a philosopher is a profound, life-altering experience.
Polish philosopher Krzysztof Czyżewski, the founder of the "Small Centres of the World" concept, voiced the phrase "profound culture" more than once during the Borderland - Pogranicze spring school in Vynohradiv. The metaphor of a "conductor" that formed in my head was no coincidence. Krzysztof explained his approach with a simple, beautiful example: in his orchestra, the conductor’s task is never to exclude poor players. Instead, it is to find a purpose for everyone and unlock their unique potential.
Between his thoughts on the amateur ethos, the culture of solidarity, and the types of memory, the thesis on profound culture truly unfolded by the evening fire. The atmosphere felt sacred and intimate—like a continuous meditation.
Generational Wisdom & Pure Inspiration
Weronika Czyżewska-Poncyljusz beautifully continues her father’s philosophical practices, drawing from 35 years of experience at Borderland. She spoke on how solidarity became the very foundation for community interaction—a concept that emerged parallel to the heavy political processes of that era.
Describing three generations of founders in Sejny, Weronika spoke about building connections, deep interaction, and relying on intuition. She generously shared her wisdom not as utilitarian advice, but as pure, raw inspiration.
The Phenomenon of Ukrainian Trust
While one practical outcome of the School was meant to be a manifesto for our own centers, the process itself turned out to be the most crucial part. Evgenia Nesterovych’s reflections on trust became a sudden revelation, forcing me to rethink over a decade of my own work.
"Compared to Europe, we have an extremely high level of trust among our own."
Zhenya perfectly formulated this unique phenomenon of Ukraine, evident in our culture and interaction practices throughout the full-scale war. A simple exercise with circles of trust completely structured my work. It mirrored exactly how I have operated intuitively across cultural initiatives for years—navigating like-minded people, dreams, mistakes, and partnerships.
Some of these concepts were strongly reinforced specifically through our recent practices at the Cemetery on Kapushanska Street in Uzhhorod. Understanding these underlying reasons felt like a concentrated therapy session—a cinematic moment where the soul leaves the body to observe from the side, allowing you to look back and structure what you had been doing intuitively for years.
Sharpening the Perspective
Yulia Kostereva pushed this structuring effect even further from a different angle. By forcing us to analyze our own texts through three sharp questions—Who are we doing this with? Why? What exactly are we doing?—our perspective became crystal clear.
Mascha Teich introduced the basics of cognitive linguistics, taking us on a fascinating journey into the world of metaphors and language from a biological perspective. These exercises literally made my brain cells move with a noticeable internal buzz!
Rosana Tuzhanska shared an innovative community-building experience for our region. While the story felt familiar, learning that Varosh was purely a volunteer hobby project for Rosana and Dmytro for a very long time deeply amazed me. Whatever you Google from years ago regarding urbanism or culture in Uzhhorod, Varosh is there. Their highly practical experience raised so many inspiring questions.
Nurturing the Light of Zatysianshchyna
Finally, Olesya Danylets revealed to us her own small centre of the world—Vynohradiv—and its incredible community. She fiercely took care of us, guiding us into the depths of the Zatysianshchyna region. Wonderful people live there, beautifully preserving their local culture and their inner light. It sounds simple, but I want to imbue it with the most profound, positive meaning possible.
To the Connected Microcosms
To the dear people from Velbivka, Kozubivka, Mena, Vysoky, Kapytolivka, New York, Lviv, Nyzhankovychi, Kryvorivnia, Kharkiv, Avdiivka, Hadiach, Pavlohrad, and Babyn: You were alongside me, and you shared your souls. You are the Small Centres of the World. With small, deliberate steps, you are making tectonic shifts around you. I miss you and love you all very much!
Thank you, Andriy Lyubka, for inviting me into this sacred circle and into this celebration a year ago. And thank you all for this year's beautiful communion and experience-sharing.
Let us keep acting as dedicated gardeners, nurturing our small centers of the world.
