A Man with the Heart of a Child…
(In Memory of Revaz Balanchivadze)
Perhaps it is true that “a great man is only the one who has not lost his childish heart.”
If this is indeed the case, then Revaz Balanchivadze — our beloved Mr. Rezo — remained a great man till the very end.
His every single day, routine and coexistence in this everyday life serve as proof– he ended his days filled with kindness, light, the boundless joy of a child and devotion; days overloaded with countless stories, joy, opposition, pain, and human feelings.
From the first floor of the university to the very last, the 7th floor, Revaz Balanchivadze was always surrounded by smiles — the smiles of his colleagues, friends, and students… those students who have been expressing their grief for Mr. Balanchivadze’s death since morning... “We remember you. We love you. Thank you” - Hundreds of such letters have been scattered in Mr. Rezo’s memory...
And what greater happiness could there be than to leave this world with the memory, love, and gratitude of so many people…
He has been part of our community for a decade.
Students of our university have been learning philosophical thinking together with Mr. Balanchivadze .
And what could be more important than that?
As Bertolt Brecht once wrote - “The most important thing is to teach people how to think”.
Before us, before Caucasus International University, Mr. Balanchivadze, Head of the Philosophy Department at Shota Rustaveli State University of Theatre and Cinema of Georgia (since 1986), daily affirmed the Hegelian truth that “Man is immortal tin consequence of his knowledge. Knowledge and thought are the basis of his life and the guarantee of immortality.”
Here’s a refined version of your sentence that flows smoothly and conveys a sense of reverence:
With his profound knowledge, Rezo Balanchivadze — philosopher, anthropologist, Doctor of Philosophy (1982), and Professor (1987) — journeyed a remarkable path from November 7, 1938, to December 16, 2024…
The path of Rezo Balanchivadze began at the Historical-Philological Faculty of Kutaisi Pedagogical Institute (1960), continued at the Institutes of Psychology and Philosophy at the Georgian Academy of Sciences (1961-1976). His path later led him to various party positions (1976-1982) and to the editorship of the newspaper Young Communist (1982-1984), and finally becoming academician at the Georgian Academy of Educational Sciences…
However, he was most proud of the Iakob Gogebashvili Prize...
That’s how he came to us - to Caucasus International University.
He came and showed us that “a person has power over the past, present and future”...
He proved to us that “a person is what he believes in” and left...
He joined the majority symbolically - a few hours before Barbaroba....
He left as the first Emeritus of Caucasus International University! (from 2021 until his death)...
Today there has been a strange silence at the university since morning; silence, as a kind of respect, love for Mr. Rezo...
The words seemed to get lost somewhere. Got lost.
He has written about Otia Ioseliani that he was a true mentor...
He was also a kind of mentor - a guide to the way of thinking of our students; a man with the heart of a child...
More will be written about him in the future...
We will say many more times in the future – “We remember you. We love you. Thank you”...
Caucasus International University
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