THE EDGE OF THE ABYSS / part 1.

Aphorisms 

by Marina Aristo Markovic 

Foreword

Aphorisms are the shortest route to truth, so short that they often cut.

In just a few words they expose what entire speeches try to hide. And because of that, they are the most dangerous form of honesty.

These aphorisms speak from the edge, of life, of politics, and of reason.

They look directly at the world the way one looks at a storm. Not with fear, but with clarity. They were written in a place where humor is not entertainment but endurance; where irony is not a stylistic choice but a protective instinct, where truth is something you whisper, laugh at, or disguise...

Though born from Serbian soil, their meaning is borderless. Absurdity needs no translation, corruption speaks every language, and human folly is a universal dialect. The laughs here are international, and so are the bruises. This is humor that doesn’t ask permission. It pokes, provokes, indicts, and undresses illusions.

It isn’t here to comfort you but to wake you gently, if possible or with a slap, if necessary. The laughter it offers is not soft. It is the kind that starts in the throat and ends in the conscience.

Here, laughter hurts, but it heals too.


I. LIFE AND DEATH

* We have good news and bad news. The bad news is that big troubles await us; the good news is that small ones do too.    

* We only need to endure until the end of our lives for peace to return naturally.

* I enjoy life. The fact that it doesn’t exist here isn’t my fault.

* Do you want a better tomorrow? Slowly, everything in its own time.

* Save the planet! Let everyone plant a tree, and hang themselves.

*Luckily, there are historical events we weren’t part of.

 * We have a population problem. If this continues, we won’t have one.

* It’s a lie that the truth is unknown. The truth is , everything’s a lie.

* It’s a beautiful day today. One can’t decide whether to kill oneself now or later.

* Birth, life, death. It’s our tragedy in three acts.

*judging by the victims, our history is the teacher of death.

* Freedom is currently unavailable. Please try again later.

* The death rate exceeds the birth rate. That’s our contribution to nature conservation.

* The death rate is higher than the birth rate. If this continues, there’ll be enough food for everyone.

* Anyone thinking about the future has already bought a grave plot.

* The only way to finish first is to die last.

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