Boris Bek
Episode · #771
EKUMENA I ETIKA U POSLOVANJU Boris Beck
Guest Boris BekHosted by Augustin BašićMay 3, 2026
Boris Bek
About this episode
What you'll hear in this conversation
What defines us? Our birth, our family, our education — and our mistakes. Boris Beck, a professor, writer, and columnist, shares how a significant misstep early in his career became a turning point. He describes it as being 'on a train going in the wrong direction,' pursuing a technical degree that wasn't for him. The courage to step off that train, to reset and find his true path, taught him the enduring value of recognizing and correcting one's course. This conversation explores not just the personal journey of finding truth and identity, but also how societies grapple with faith, public expression, and the often-uncomfortable mirrors of self-reflection.
Insights from the conversation
What to take from this episode
01
Boris Beck describes his early career choice, a technical degree, as akin to being 'on a train going in the wrong direction.' Realizing it wasn't for him, he found the courage to 'get off that train and return to zero.' The lesson: a significant misstep, when acknowledged, can be the most direct route to finding your true course.
02
Referencing Simone Weil’s belief that all her insights came 'from above,' Boris Beck shares his own similar experience of a 'realisation' in childhood, which he now uses for writing. The point is that genuine truth is often received rather than invented, an external gift that can shape a life's purpose.
03
Beyond birth, family, and education, Boris Beck contends that identity is also shaped by 'a big mistake.' Such errors are not just setbacks, but essential, often painful, experiences that fundamentally alter one's course and reveal self.
04
A century ago, religious identity was a public fact in Zagreb, Beck notes, contrasting it with today's society that reports extensively on 'the most private matters, especially if they are of a sexual nature,' yet often shies away from religious expression. This inversion of public and private isn't true openness, but a new form of hypocrisy, merely shifting what society permits itself to discuss.
05
Boris Beck discusses the enduring tension within the Church: whether it should align with the world or distance itself. He notes that this debate is always split, with half believing there's too much world in the Church, and half too little. The point: this internal division is a constant, necessary dynamic for any institution grappling with its place in society.
06
After a 'sour' misunderstanding with Muslim neighbors, Beck recounts easing the tension by simply looking up and repeating an appropriate religious greeting for their holiday. This small, informed gesture of respect often accomplishes more for interfaith understanding than any formal dialogue.
07
Boris Beck interprets Antun Branko Šimić's poem 'Man, be careful not to walk small under the stars' through a biblical understanding of time: ordinary, redemptive, and the end. This framework suggests that beyond linear progression, there exist moments of profound personal transformation, a 'time of change' that shapes our ultimate legacy.