Ameri nazalost nece nauciti nista od Vizantije. Jer su jako arogantni. Daj Boze da ne povuku ceo svet u jos jedan svetski rat kako je krenulo.

There is the key element in the equation, which Byzantium did possess in abundance but the postmodern "Benevolent Global Hegemony" does not have at all: faith. The ruling elites of Western Europe and North America have nurtured a number of fatal weaknesses in their own societies, but the primary cause is the loss of Christian faith. It has incubated all sorts of secondary pathologies, including
- hostility to all forms of solidarity of the ethnically European and traditionally Christian communities based on their common ancestry and culture;
- the loss of a sense of place and history; rapid demographic decline, probably irreversible and unparalleled in history;
- rampant Third World immigration, especially from the Islamic world;
- imposition of “diversity,” “multiculturalism” and “sensitivity” that promotes alien cultures and lifestyles to the detriment of traditional European, Christian models; and last but by no means least,
- demonization and criminalization of any opposition to the above.
On current form the forthcoming collapse of the reliquiae reliquiarum of the West is richly deserved.

Is that all there is to know about what I personally prefer to refer to as Eastern Roman Empire, Byzantine being a pejorative term given to the declining empire. Originally the Eastern Empire was the more civilized, cultured and richer. Things started to change after the 4th Crusade. However, Hemus or the Balkans is at the roots of Roman Empire(s) and much more. I also like to think of the common Balkan tradition in the sense of Traian Stojanovich's as "The first Europe" including its long pre-Christian origins. Read also Maria Gimbuta on the Balkan Civilization. When talking about the West it is important to distinguish between the Roman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire of the so-called German Nation which is generally dated from Charlemagne's coronation in 800 AD by the Pope (Leo). Its most important/ founding document is a notorious forgery - the Donation of Constantine. In other words the Western Civilization can be said to have been based on lies, theft and violence from the very beginning.Add to this the Crusades, an institution totally alien to the East (remember especially the consequences of the 4th Crusade in 1204 and subsequent demise of Constantinople and gradual advance of the Turks). As for Serbs, who like few other peoples, with the exception of Jews, have long been separated under different administrations, religions and cultures, one Russian 19th c. historian has pointed out this historic fact of Serbian fragmentation as a serious problem. Remember that the Serbian tribes also lived in Central Europe and a handful of their descendents still survive in present Germany. The long separation has had its effects. So, if it is a matter of faith it should be an inclusive/ all-embracing one. Contrary to what the postmodern discourse is telling the old peoples to forget about the tradition and look forward, It is important to look back for cues and wisdom about who we are, where we want to go and with whom. Are we going to join in Western crusades?