About the Author - Paradox-x®

Katarina Vukovic

explorer practitioner and author of Paradox-x

I would like to share bits and pieces of my life with you.

My inherent desire to understand world and human nature sometimes led me, and sometimes pushed me into extreme life circumstances and adventures.

This made me want to understand the reasons why we continue to choose life even when life is or becomes unbearable. And the question also popped up – is it possible to change it and start experiencing life worth living.

As a small child, before falling asleep, I used to try not to think. No matter how hard I tried, there was always another thought coming that was thinking about me trying not to think. And I wanted to know where the thoughts were coming from, who is thinking them, how come I could not stop them. I turned out to be a little bookworm, who had read all the books for children in the local library until I was ten, and then had been ‘forced’ to start reading Shakespeare. In my teens Nitze, Dostoyevsky had inspired me to look deeper into human psyche through psychology and philosophy. I was perplexed by the math concepts that were twisting my mind: infinite straight line that extends in both directions without end and still meets its beginning in the infinity; the fact that we live in a three-dimensional space, but that there are also two- dimensional, four-dimensional, n-dimensional spaces where everything is different than what we see in the three dimensions. I just thought how much is there to discover and to attempt to understand.

Katarina Vukovic

ABOUt the author of Paradox-x

I would like to share bits and pieces of my life with you.

The Pleasures of a Bookworm

As a small child, before falling asleep, I used to try not to think. No matter how hard I tried, there was always another thought coming that was thinking about me trying not to think. And I wanted to know where the thoughts were coming from, who is thinking them, how come I could not stop them.
I turned out to be a little bookworm, who had read all the books for children in the local library until I was ten, and then had been ‘forced’ to start reading Shakespeare. In my teens Nietzsche, Dostoyevsky had inspired me to look deeper into human psyche through psychology and philosophy. I was perplexed by the math concepts that were twisting my mind: infinite straight line that extends in both directions without end and still meets its beginning in the infinity; the fact that we live in a three-dimensional space, but that there are also two- dimensional, four-dimensional, n-dimensional spaces where everything is different than what we see in the three dimensions. I just thought how much is there to discover and to attempt to understand.

My philosophical explorations were abruptly stopped by life, actually by war. Civil war that started in my country (Yugoslavia) altered my life forever. I lost my home, friends, had no place to live and suddenly philosophical questions turned into real life. There was no feeling of safety, there was no place to hide, cruelty and suffering where everywhere. And the questions on meaning of life, reasons for suffering, good and evil, surfaced. I began diving deeper into my own world and tried to understand the outer world. This journey of understanding myself and the world turned out to be never ending.

Years and decades later, my life continues to be exploration of world and human nature with all prospects and provocations it brings. I moved over fifty times to different places, cities, countries and every new place I lived in broadened my experience. In the UK, I learnt more about “arrogance” of class society, but also experienced meeting inspiring people from all around the world. And yes, I admit, I learnt to say more “thank yous”. Afghanistan reminded me about the closeness with people, warm welcomes and sharing food, and also about animosity – what it means to live with death at your door in every moment of your life. Living in different environments did expand my understanding on different morals and ethics that exist in the world, and showed me there were neither supreme nor inferior ones. I learnt to cook most amazing food from Asians. Americans taught me how to be focused on what I do. And working with Germans brought safety and reliability back to my life.

I like to keep it simple yet deep. Thus, out of complexities of life a Method was born –Paradox-x®. Paradox-x® sees complexities, but goes for essence and simplicity. It enables us to live through difficult emotions and pain, and to transform it into something new, in joy, compassion, creation, peace, ecstasy, love. It is for those of us who are brave to face what we carry in us, to be vulnerable in bravery (or better, brave in vulnerability). There is so much more than meets the eye on our way through outer and inner world.

Over time, my passion for traveling through depths of human psyche is only increasing. And let me share with you that I have never stopped dancing, having fun, meeting people, traveling, appreciating art and nature. I love colours. Love laugh. Love truthfulness. And look forward to see what else is there…