Who are the culprits?

I have found myself surfing the internet too often lately. The problem is that I usually end up coming across things like this:

“Highly unequal income distribution and crime remain pressing problems.” (CIA – The World Factbook).

This is a sorrowful, albeit true-to-life, description of the Brazilian economic and social status quo, published by the Central Intelligence Agency. However, it is not the description itself that calls the reader’s attention, but its contrast with the previous sentence: “Exploiting vast natural resources and a large labor pool, it is today South America’s leading economic power and a regional leader.”

Brazil is blessed with abundant clean water, extensive green forests and idyllic sandy beaches. Additionally, it is inhabited by a healthy and relatively young labor force. Its society is a mosaic of different ethnicities, and its lively culture gives Brazil an enviable charisma.

What does Brazil lack to become a developed country? Why can’t all Brazilians dream about a brighter future with dignity? When will we be respected and treated as the potential economic and political power that we are?

Perhaps the answers for such questions lie on the very individuals that constitute our society. I hesitate to refer to ourselves as “Brazilians” because we are not even close to that. We lack the passion for our roots, for our land and for our culture that characterizes every single developed nation. We do not cherish the sweat and blood spilt by our slaves and native indigenous. We lack respect for the values and principles of our ancestors. We lack the pride to be who we are. We lack patriotism. We lack the love for OUR Brazil.

Once I asked a friend: “Why don’t you love your country?” He defiantly replied: “Why should I? My country has never done anything good for me!”

Have YOU done anything good to your country apart from eating, defecating and taking up room?

Stop complaining. Do something. Start by studying!

Global Warming, what’s this?

As the economic crisis spreads its tentacles and a generalized recession looms, it is worth asking what happened to the malevolent phenomenon of Global Warming.

Not very long ago, outrageous studies revealing the miserable fate of the Earth dominated mass media. Talks on greenhouse gases, carbon emissions, pollution, renewable resources, water shortages and so on, inevitably led to the unpleasant conclusion that our planet was getting warmer and warmer. According to scientists of great renown, mother nature was sending clear messages that the earth would become a rather inhospitable place.

Few months later, saving water, recycling waste, bio-fuels and reforestation are quite old-fashioned expressions. The trendiest terms are now recession, credit crisis, bankruptcy, job losses, stimulus packages, sub-prime, etc.

 Has Global Warming ceased? Or has it just been replaced by a more profitable source of controversy for the media? Will ever humanity grasp that living happily and with dignity is more important than being buried with pockets full of money?

Who are we?

Out of the blue, I came up with this doubt: who am I?

Interestingly, the answer for such a question is more obscure than one might think, and less silly than some of you might be assuming.

After reflecting on this issue, I came to the conclusion that good quality of life is, virtually always, accompanied by a strong sense of national identity. This is the case of Finland, for instance. Its social wellbeing was only achieved after a cultural revolution, which encouraged finns to embrace a national cause and acknowledge their land, culture and values as a priceless treasure. This “coincident rule” also applies to Japan, Germany, Great-Britain, Sweden, Iceland and so on.

Who is the Brazilian people? Do we know where we came from? Do we know why we live where we live?

Perhaps the status of a developed country at Wikipedia will only be granted to Brazil if we manage to understand our roots and origins.

The first Catholic service in Brazil - Victor Meireles (1860)