Memoir for Ibrahim Rugova

(An acute reading of absence, after 20 years)

Twenty years have passed since Ibrahim Rugova passed away, but time, this philosophical category that he knew well, proves that it has not transformed him into a past. On the contrary, time has made him more present as an absence, and absence, in philosophy, often speaks louder than presence. Rugova today is not simply a historical memory, not because he is an open moral question addressed to Kosovo society: have we understood the freedom for which he worked with almost stoic patience? Have we yet understood that together we can achieve what we set out for?

This promemoria is not just a ceremonial commemoration. It is a conscious return to the greatness of Rugova's work and a deep reflection on the void he left behind. At a time when noise often replaces reason and haste obscures prudence, Rugova remains a symbol of a politics of thought, patience and human dignity. This anniversary does not aim only to describe his work, because it has been said and is being said by those who recognized and appreciate his capital work in the service of the people and peace, but to read it as an acute thought of philosophy in action. Because Rugova was not only a politician, he was a thinker who acted in history with the awareness that history is temporary, while values ​​are long-term.

The moral architect of statehood and the ontology of tranquility: Rugova as a counter-figure of violence

It is often said that Rugova was the “historical president.” But this is an inadequate definition. He was the moral architect of Kosovo’s statehood. Before Kosovo became a legal state, it became a state in the minds and consciences of its citizens. Rugova built this conscience with patience, symbolism, and an unwavering faith in historical right. He created parallel institutions not to challenge with violence, but to prove that a society can self-organize even under conditions of oppression. Schools, universities, political structures, all of these were expressions of a collective will to survive with dignity.

Essentially, Rugova built an ontology of calm. And this is not something that is not seen, or something that is not well distinguished. In a reality where violence aimed to become the law of existence, he chose to live and act according to the principle that human being is not realized through the destruction of the other, but through the preservation of oneself. This choice of his was deeply philosophical: a rejection of the Hobbesian logic of the “war of all against all” and an affirmation of the idea that society can be built on moral agreement, not only on force. Of course, this logic was driven by the fact that the real strength of the Albanian people was not such that it could face an early war, but of course he had never ruled out this action, but at the most favorable time and he did this with style.

Rugova's peaceful resistance was not a temporary tactical strategy, it was an ethic of existence. He understood that the violence imposed by oppressive power targeted not only the body, but also the soul of man. By rejecting violence, he refused to allow the enemy to determine the way of being of his people.

The Epistemology of Patience: Knowledge as a Form of Resistance

As a scholar trained in literature and critical thinking, Rugova believed that knowledge is the highest form of long-term resistance. In an epistemological sense, he saw truth not as something that is imposed by force, but as something that is constructed gradually, through argument, memory, and cultural continuity. Interestingly, this approach in a region traditionally known as gunpowder power, aroused the curiosity of world opinion, becoming a universal symbol of peace and faith in peace.

He knew that repressive powers feared organized thought more than random weapons. Therefore, the defense of the school, the language, the book, and the cultural identity was for Rugova an act as political as any diplomatic statement. In this sense, he was convinced that a thinking people could not disappear.

The Ethics of Responsibility: Politics as Service, Not as Rule

Ibrahim Rugova practiced politics as an ethic of responsibility, not as an art of power for power's sake. He never sought personal dominance; on the contrary, he tried to be an instrument of a collective will, often putting himself in a position of restraint and silence. In moral philosophy, it would be called the virtue of prudence (phronesis) - the ability to act correctly in complicated circumstances, without falling into extremes. Rugova knew that immediate victory can be long-term loss, and that moral compromise is often more dangerous than political compromise.

Today, twenty years after his death, Kosovo is a state. But the fundamental question remains: is it a state with Rugova’s vision? His absence is not simply a physical absence; it is a lack of political ethics, strategic patience and respect for different opinions. In today’s political discourse, Rugova’s calmness, the ability to listen and wait, is often missing. He taught us that time can be an ally, if you know how to read history. Today, when quick solutions to deep problems are often sought, Rugova would remind us that states are not built in haste, but with wisdom.

The Symbolism of Silence: The Metaphysics of the Unspoken Word

Rugova's silence was not a void. I think it was a space where thought took shape. In a noisy world, he transformed silence into language. This brings his figure closer to the philosophical tradition of thinkers who believed that not every truth should be shouted, because deep truth often requires silence to be understood. His shawl, his books, his way of walking and speaking, all of these were not coincidences, but signs of a symbolic awareness. Let us not forget that Rugova was a symbolist, as much as he was persistent in his rational thoughts. Rugova understood that politics is also a theater of signs, but he chose a theater without pathos, without visual violence, without exaggeration. It was symbolic and became a symbol of an era.

Absence as a philosophical category: Why do we miss Rugova more today?

After twenty years, Rugova's absence has become deeper because reality has changed, while the need for values ​​has not. Today, when politics often slips into cynicism, we miss Rugova as a critical conscience. Not because he had answers for everything, but because he knew how to ask the right questions.

Life teaches us that absence is not simply a void, but a call for responsibility. Rugova's absence asks us: have we transformed freedom into a value, or just an instrument? Have we built a state, or just mechanisms of power? Are we in our identity skin, or are we becoming alienated?

All these questions and others of this nature could be answered if we know Rugova and his approach, which we call Rugovism. Do we as a society need this doctrine: Yes, and very much so.

And, speaking of this approach, I think it should be preserved as a legacy. Rugova's legacy is not a political property, but a collective ethical obligation. It demands that politics return to thought, culture and human dignity. Being loyal to Rugova does not mean idealizing him, but continuing his moral logic in new historical conditions. He left us a fundamental idea: that a state without ethics is an empty structure, and that freedom without responsibility turns into chaos. This idea is more relevant today than ever.

Attention

Ibrahim Rugova is not a figure of the past. He is a living conscience that challenges us even today. In every political crisis, in every social polarization, the inevitable question is: what would Rugova do? Not to idealize him, but to learn from a mind that knew how to connect politics with ethics. This memoir is an invitation to reflection. Twenty years after his passing into eternity, we miss Rugova not because he was irreplaceable, but because the values ​​he embodied have not yet become a habit. As long as these values ​​live in our institutions, in our language and in our conscience, Rugova will continue to be present, as a calm light in national history.

Ibrahim Rugova remains a measure of our collective conscience. Not a frozen icon, but a living criterion. Whenever politics loses its dignity, he returns as a memory. Whenever speech becomes violence, he reminds us of calm. Whenever power forgets man, he reminds us of ethics. And, finally, this acute reminder is not the end, but an invitation to continue. Because, Rugova, in essence, stood out for his belief that history can become human, if man dares to be wise, patient and just.