“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration.” – Nikola Tesla
Where Does the Real Power of a Human Come From?
No, I don’t mean physical power. The power to do great things for humanity, the passion for contributing tirelessly—where does this come from? To understand this, one must observe great minds and study how they think and operate.
I probably would not have been writing this article across the breeze of Sljeme Mountain in Zagreb on Google Drive using wire technology if it had not been for the superhuman brain of the legendary Nikola Tesla.
A group of enthusiastic, curious Tesla fans visited the Memorial Centre Nikola Tesla at Smiljan on the 3rd of July 2022. This visit was part of a two-day excursion organised by the Croatian Indian Society, Zagreb, jointly with CIGRE Croatia. This excursion was dedicated to learning about Nikola Tesla’s education in Croatia and his contribution to the field of electrical engineering.
I was probably one of the few in a group of 15 people who did not have an engineering background. However, we experienced unity in diversity. We were a mixed group, multinational, multilingual, diverse in age, yet we bonded at a deep level.
My top six learnings:
1. Stay Connected to Your Roots
In his life story, Tesla mentions how he was influenced by his parents. He talks about his upbringing and his mother’s influence on his inventiveness. He also mentions how the training his father gave him was helpful. It comprised all sorts of exercises—guessing one another’s thoughts, discovering the defects of some form of expression, repeating long sentences, or performing mental calculations. These daily lessons were intended to strengthen memory and reason and significantly develop the critical sense, and were undoubtedly very beneficial. Tesla never forgot about his roots and always expressed gratitude for his parents.
The Lesson: Your roots ground you. Gratitude for your upbringing and the lessons you’ve learned along the way can fuel your journey forward.
2. Education Is More Than Degrees
Education is valuable only when we can connect learning to real life. Tesla started school in Smiljan where he finished what was known as Krajiška trivijalka, learning German, mathematics, and religion. After moving to Gospić, he continued with elementary school, finishing Pripremnu osnovnu školu and Lower real gymnasium. From Gospić, he left for Rakovac near Karlovac and finished the Higher real gymnasium. While in Graz, he attended the Polytechnic University with a scholarship from the Military Frontier but lost his scholarship after the Military Frontier fell apart and never finished his second year at university. He never graduated. Tesla studied engineering and physics in the 1870s without receiving a degree, gaining practical experience in the early 1880s working with Telephony. In his words, “Today’s scientists have substituted mathematics for experiments, and they wander off through equation after equation and eventually build a structure which has no relation to reality.”
The Lesson: True education happens outside the classroom. Focus on practical knowledge and lifelong learning.
3. Turning Points
Life is never a straight line; it has its ups and downs. In times of crisis, Tesla was forced to finance his company by doing manual labour in 1887. In 1893, the World Exposition of Electrical Engineering was held in Chicago, and Tesla had the chance to show off all of the advantages of alternating current. A fire in 1895 destroyed his laboratory, and Tesla never had the chance to publish his work with electrons and X-rays. What we see now as a success was not a rosy story. He was not stopped by pitfalls and continued his research with high-frequency and high-voltage currents.
The Lesson: Life’s challenges are opportunities in disguise. Keep moving forward, no matter the obstacles.
4. Love for Learning
After graduating from Rakovac, Tesla returned home and suffered from cholera for nine months in 1873. During this time, his father asked him what he could do to make him feel better.
Tesla replied, “Maybe enrolling me in university.”
Such was his passion for studying and researching. He mentioned, “I do not think there is any thrill that can go through the human heart like that felt by the inventor as he sees some creation of the brain unfolding to success… such emotions make a man forget food, sleep, friends, love, everything.” He was never married due to his dedication to work, claiming that his celibacy played an essential role in his creativity.
The Lesson: Curiosity and dedication are the keys to innovation. Stay hungry for knowledge.
5. Success Is Not Measured by Wealth Only
Money is just one parameter. His philosophy for life was,
“Everything I do, I do for mankind.”
He knew others were stealing his ideas, but he mentioned, “I don’t care that they stole my idea… I care that they don’t have any of their own.” He was not in it for the money; his basic idea was to give energy for free to everyone. He tore apart a generous offer by Westinghouse with a bonus of $2.50 for every horsepower of alternating current sold, which would have made Tesla one of the richest men in history.
The Lesson: True success lies in impact, not income. Focus on creating value for others.
6. The Power of Universal Energy
“My brain is only a receiver; in the Universe, there is a core from which we obtain knowledge, strength, and inspiration. I have not penetrated into the secrets of this core, but I know that it exists.” – Nikola Tesla
He was an electrical engineer by training, not by degrees, and an inventor by his default state and nature. Nikola Tesla was also a philosopher. His vision of how the universe works inspired him to harness electricity to change the world. What seems illogical to the current state of known knowledge and scientific experiments will be defined by logic in the future. We are talking about the future and the source of real human power.
The Lesson: Trust your intuition and creativity. The answers you seek are often within—and around—you.
There is much more to learn and explore from his life. I will leave this article with a thought to ponder, stating one of his quotes: “One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite insane.”
Our Two-Day Excursion was planned as follow, you may get in touch with me if you need any information in planning such tour.
Tour was organised by: Croatian Indian Society, Zagreb & CIGRE Croatia , planned & guided by: Professor Darko Žubrinić.
Day 1:
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- Museum of the Castle Ozalj guided by Mr. Stjepan Bezjak
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- Two Hydroelectric Plants on Kupa River, among the oldest in Croatia, also a cultural & technical monument. Plant 1 was built in 1908 and is still operational, making it one of the oldest electric plants in Croatia, also named a cultural and technical monument of Croatia. Its project was completed by Herman Bollé, a distinguished Croatian architect of German-French origin, born in the city of Koeln.
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- Lunch break by the beautiful River Kupa
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- Visit to Karlovac Grammar School – School attended by Nikola Tesla during his teenage years (Higher Real School of Rakovac) guided by Antun Milinković
Day 2:
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- Gospic – Tesla’s monument created by Frano Kršinić, a distinguished Croatian sculptor.
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- Tesla’s native village Smiljan – Museum of Nikola Tesla, where Nikola Tesla was born.
- Tour ended with an unplanned visit to the developing site of Rimac Automobili electric car near Sveta Nedelja, Zagreb.
