TESLA - AN INSPIRATION TO EVERY CHILD WHO WANTS TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE

BELGRADE, JULY 10 /SRNA/ - Bishop Irinej of Washington–New York and Eastern America said that Nikola Tesla, one of the greatest inventors of all time, made the creation of the modern world possible and that he is an inspiration to every child who wants to make the world a better place through their ideas.

“Indeed, he was and remains a man ahead of his own time, but also ahead of ours,” Bishop Irinej said on the occasion of the 170th anniversary of the birth of the Serbian genius. He emphasised that now is the time for children and young people to be inspired to observe, study, learn and create - just as Nikola Tesla did, it was published on the website of the Diocese of Eastern America. He pointed out that Tesla was raised not to be selfish, but to ensure that everything he did would benefit all of humanity. “He wanted to give the world light and energy. Thus, this ‘child of light’ grew into one of the greatest inventors of all time - a man who ‘lit up the world’ and made the modern age possible. As a man ahead of his time, Tesla remains today an inspiration to every child who wants to make the world a better place through bright and innovative ideas,” Bishop Irinej said. He reminded that the boy Nikola was born at midnight on 10 July 1856, during a powerful storm accompanied by lightning, into the family of Serbian Orthodox priest Milutin and Georgina Đuka Tesla in Smiljan, Lika. “The midwife who assisted at the birth exclaimed excitedly: ‘He is a child of the storm!’ But his mother calmly replied: ‘No, he is a child of light!’” the bishop said. He pointed out that Nikola was born as the son of a Serbian Orthodox priest who was an inspired poet, a gifted writer and a teacher with a great love for the natural sciences. “He was a genius who spoke eighteen languages,” the bishop added, noting that his mother also came from a priestly family and that her brother was the renowned Metropolitan of Dabar-Bosnia Nikolaj, who strongly inspired his nephew through his example. Đuka, Bishop Irinej explained, was constantly designing and making various devices to make her work in the kitchen and household easier. “Thus, this extraordinary boy, Nikola, filled with creativity and curiosity, grew up in a home and environment that were an inexhaustible source of inspiration. It was there that he developed his exceptional intellect, photographic memory, keen powers of observation, remarkable hearing and incredible ability to memorise,” the bishop said. He also recalled that when Albert Einstein was once asked what it was like to be the smartest man in the world, he replied: “I don’t know, you will have to ask Nikola Tesla.”