In a society of violence, one does what one can to avoid trouble. Though Brazil isn't all bad, far from it, it is true that big cities like Rio and Sao Paulo have gone down the drain because of organised crime.
Legally speaking, impunity filtered down from government embezzlers to petty criminals and resulted in chaos. Socioeconomically speaking, Brazil has yet to learn how to disperse public money. For all practical purposes, life in the big metropolitan areas of Brazil is becoming more and more unbearable.
As with everyone else, Brazil has a problem with greed in certain governmental circles. A greedy public official is nearly always a corrupt one waiting to be bribed into selling out another piece of the country or the welfare of its people.
What Brazil needs is to forgo what Brazilians call "jeitinho" and start thinking of how to put the house in order for future generations.
Friday, 8 October 2010
How Difficult is It to Tackle Poverty?
I've arrived at the conclusion that the reason why it is so difficult to understand the works of economists and sociologists towards expressing their understanding of the reasons for underdevelopment and their suggestions on how to promote a way out from poverty and famine for modern society is simply that most economists and sociologists also don't understand the dynamics of real social development.
In my view, overcoming the interests of a few greedy groups and demolishing consumerism/materialism as a social paradigm are the REAL problem behind underdevelopment. Figuring out how to tackle these without stepping on the toes of the rich & powerful is the dilemma that prevents practical solutions. After all, western societies' power matrix is currently founded on renewed consumption of goods.
No modern tycoon and no modern government is willing to forgo financial power to save global society (or the environment) without at least the promise of an immediate alternative profit margin.
As Sir Winston Churchil once eloquently put: "Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened.”
In my view, overcoming the interests of a few greedy groups and demolishing consumerism/materialism as a social paradigm are the REAL problem behind underdevelopment. Figuring out how to tackle these without stepping on the toes of the rich & powerful is the dilemma that prevents practical solutions. After all, western societies' power matrix is currently founded on renewed consumption of goods.
No modern tycoon and no modern government is willing to forgo financial power to save global society (or the environment) without at least the promise of an immediate alternative profit margin.
As Sir Winston Churchil once eloquently put: "Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened.”
Friday, 1 October 2010
Monday, 27 September 2010
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” (John 15: 18,19)
Christian values (indeed religious values in general) are truly inconvenient to a great many aspirations. Among them: greed, cruelty, hedonism, sodomism, materialism, consumerism and a number of other "isms" that make the rich richer and the powerful more powerful. I don't blame them for trying to do without Faith.
Christian values (indeed religious values in general) are truly inconvenient to a great many aspirations. Among them: greed, cruelty, hedonism, sodomism, materialism, consumerism and a number of other "isms" that make the rich richer and the powerful more powerful. I don't blame them for trying to do without Faith.
Thursday, 23 September 2010
Knitting the Fabric of Christianity
Spoken yesterday by the Holy Father, these are the words professed by a man who wants to knit the fabric of Mankind:
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As you know, I have just returned from my first Apostolic Journey to the United Kingdom, and I wish to send my affectionate greetings to all those I met and those who contributed to the visit through the media during four days, which have begun a new and important phase in the long-standing relations between the Holy See and Great Britain.
Last Thursday, I was honoured by the warm welcome of Her Majesty The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in Scotland’s historic capital Edinburgh. Later that day, I celebrated Mass in Glasgow in the presence of many bishops, priests, religious and a great concourse of the faithful against the backdrop of a beautiful sunset at Bellahouston Park, within sight of the place where my beloved predecessor celebrated Mass with the Scots twenty-eight years ago.
Upon arriving in London, I met thousands of Catholic students and schoolchildren at a very joyful celebration, reminding all of us of the excellent and essential work being done by Catholic schools and teachers throughout the land. I then had the pleasure of meeting the clerical and lay representatives of different religions and of discussing the search for the sacred common to all men.
Later, I had the honour of calling upon His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury who has come on several occasions to meet me in Rome. Our meeting at Lambeth Palace, in the presence of the Bishops of the Church of England, was very cordial and fraternal. I then crossed the river to Westminster where I was given the unprecedented opportunity to address both Houses of Parliament gathered in Westminster Hall on the importance of a fruitful dialogue between religion and reason, a theme as relevant in the time of Saint Thomas More as it is in our own day. Finally that day, I had the privilege of kneeling in prayer with the Archbishop of Canterbury at the Tomb of Saint Edward in Westminster Abbey, and of giving thanks to God with the Archbishop, the Moderator of the Church of Scotland and other British Christian leaders, for the many blessings God has bestowed upon our efforts to re-knit the fabric of our Christian fellowship.
The next morning, I had the pleasure of greeting Prime Minister David Cameron, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Ms Harriet Harman, leader of the Opposition, before celebrating Mass in Westminster Cathedral, with a liturgy evocative of the best of the English musical tradition in the celebration of the Roman rite. That afternoon, I was welcomed very cordially by the Little Sisters of the Poor and the elderly people they look after. There I also had the chance to thank and encourage those charged with the safeguarding of children in Britain. That evening I participated at a beautiful vigil of deep prayerfulness and stillness at Hyde Park with tens of thousands of the faithful.
On Sunday morning, I travelled to Birmingham where I had the joy of celebrating the Beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman. Later that day, after a warm and fraternal meeting with all the Bishops of Britain, I was bidden farewell by Prime Minister Cameron during a very cordial speech at Birmingham International Airport on the Government’s wish to build a partnership for development with the Catholic Church and others.
Sunday, then, was a moment of deep personal satisfaction, as the Church celebrated the blessedness of a great Englishman, whose life and writings I have admired for many years and who has come to be appreciated by countless people far beyond the shores of his native land. Blessed John Henry Newman’s clear-minded search to know and express the truth in charity, at whatever cost to his own personal comfort, status and even friendships, is a wonderful testimony of a pure desire to know and love God in the communion of the Church. His is surely an example that can inspire us all.
© Copyright 2010 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As you know, I have just returned from my first Apostolic Journey to the United Kingdom, and I wish to send my affectionate greetings to all those I met and those who contributed to the visit through the media during four days, which have begun a new and important phase in the long-standing relations between the Holy See and Great Britain.
Last Thursday, I was honoured by the warm welcome of Her Majesty The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in Scotland’s historic capital Edinburgh. Later that day, I celebrated Mass in Glasgow in the presence of many bishops, priests, religious and a great concourse of the faithful against the backdrop of a beautiful sunset at Bellahouston Park, within sight of the place where my beloved predecessor celebrated Mass with the Scots twenty-eight years ago.
Upon arriving in London, I met thousands of Catholic students and schoolchildren at a very joyful celebration, reminding all of us of the excellent and essential work being done by Catholic schools and teachers throughout the land. I then had the pleasure of meeting the clerical and lay representatives of different religions and of discussing the search for the sacred common to all men.
Later, I had the honour of calling upon His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury who has come on several occasions to meet me in Rome. Our meeting at Lambeth Palace, in the presence of the Bishops of the Church of England, was very cordial and fraternal. I then crossed the river to Westminster where I was given the unprecedented opportunity to address both Houses of Parliament gathered in Westminster Hall on the importance of a fruitful dialogue between religion and reason, a theme as relevant in the time of Saint Thomas More as it is in our own day. Finally that day, I had the privilege of kneeling in prayer with the Archbishop of Canterbury at the Tomb of Saint Edward in Westminster Abbey, and of giving thanks to God with the Archbishop, the Moderator of the Church of Scotland and other British Christian leaders, for the many blessings God has bestowed upon our efforts to re-knit the fabric of our Christian fellowship.
The next morning, I had the pleasure of greeting Prime Minister David Cameron, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Ms Harriet Harman, leader of the Opposition, before celebrating Mass in Westminster Cathedral, with a liturgy evocative of the best of the English musical tradition in the celebration of the Roman rite. That afternoon, I was welcomed very cordially by the Little Sisters of the Poor and the elderly people they look after. There I also had the chance to thank and encourage those charged with the safeguarding of children in Britain. That evening I participated at a beautiful vigil of deep prayerfulness and stillness at Hyde Park with tens of thousands of the faithful.
On Sunday morning, I travelled to Birmingham where I had the joy of celebrating the Beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman. Later that day, after a warm and fraternal meeting with all the Bishops of Britain, I was bidden farewell by Prime Minister Cameron during a very cordial speech at Birmingham International Airport on the Government’s wish to build a partnership for development with the Catholic Church and others.
Sunday, then, was a moment of deep personal satisfaction, as the Church celebrated the blessedness of a great Englishman, whose life and writings I have admired for many years and who has come to be appreciated by countless people far beyond the shores of his native land. Blessed John Henry Newman’s clear-minded search to know and express the truth in charity, at whatever cost to his own personal comfort, status and even friendships, is a wonderful testimony of a pure desire to know and love God in the communion of the Church. His is surely an example that can inspire us all.
© Copyright 2010 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Wednesday, 22 September 2010
Lula's Legacy
The Brazilian media is gagged, seduced and/or bullied into submission by parties in the government. That is the ONLY explanation why they are not yelling into the four winds against the perspective of perpetuating a regime that has thrown ethics out the window along the last eight years.
Presidential elections are up next month in Brazil. Lula has become Brazil's international poster boy for progress and social equity. The forerunner is Luis Inacio "Lula" da Silva's successor. Yet, the Internet and the printed press is booming with corruption scandals and a shady past that almost never makes it into the televised media. Why is that?
Scandal after scandal, the present government has managed to stay in power despite a flood of corruption and impunity that reaches down from the presidential palace, through the senate and into the lowest echelons of society. The damage done by leaving unpunished those that were amply proven guilty is permeating every level of our Society and is being perpetuated in our contemporary culture. From shoplifting to abuse of power to fraud, Brazilian Society has learned the lessons taught by the presidential palace in Brasilia.
Yet, the charismatic figure of Luis Inacio – the captivating ignorant immigrant worker that made president – has managed to divorce itself from each and every scandal simply by denying that he had any knowledge of them or even that they happened. On the streets, people are doing the same when they crash their cars or are caught stealing.
Here’s an admirable man, one that was given a great opportunity: the chance to really make a difference and change Brazil for the better. He had everything going for him. He had the presidency, the majority in the senate, the ample support of the people, an economy fixed by the previous administration and ready to boom and everything else a man could ask for in order to become a statesman. He could have changed this country beyond imagination by promoting good education and genuine opportunity by generating infrastructure for further growth.
Instead, Luis wasted it all and gave in to corruption to remain a dirty politician supporting his friends and family within the government. Why? Was it just greed? Was it incompetence? No. He is not the “ignorant immigrant” he wants us to believe. Here’s a fox masquerading as lamb.
His policy? The oldest possible: Bread and Circus. Circus is the cascade of scandals playing out on the tele every night, with NOT A SINGLE guilty party being prosecuted or arrested. They are sacked alright, but nothing is confiscated nor is anyone made to pay for their treachery. Bread is the change money he gives away as alms to the poor in the Northeast of the country. Notice that he didn’t solve the problems with the health infrastructure, nor did he build a future for these people by improving education and businesses. He but gave them a little money each month under the premise that they needed it to get out of misery. He didn’t give them jobs, he didn’t give them lessons, he gave them alms. His criterion for the value he gave them? The number of children in the family. You don’t have to be a genius to see where this will lead, do you?
Now Luis’ successor is nothing without his figure. She is not charismatic, nor can she claim to have been poor or ignorant at any point in her life. She is not a feminist, she is not an exemplary mother, she is not even one of the people. She was just a rebel who resorted to crime to keep her failed rebellion going. What is she today? Just another corrupt politician claiming to have brought Brazil out of poverty; claiming to have solved issues that had been already solved for her.
Just the other day her right hand and successor as the Cabinet Minister was implicated in a corruption scandal and sacked. She was the fourth Cabinet Minister that was sacked on corruption scandals. She is still free and Luis claims ignorance yet again. Just the other day a citizen who protested against the first Cabinet Minister (Luis' personal friend) was arrested upon returning to Brazil. No charges were made. He died in prision of a "virulent illness" forty-eight hours latter.
As for Luis’ legacy, that will certainly be the destruction of even the most basic moral values and the corruption of an entire society. Never a statesman, always just another dirty politician.
Presidential elections are up next month in Brazil. Lula has become Brazil's international poster boy for progress and social equity. The forerunner is Luis Inacio "Lula" da Silva's successor. Yet, the Internet and the printed press is booming with corruption scandals and a shady past that almost never makes it into the televised media. Why is that?
Scandal after scandal, the present government has managed to stay in power despite a flood of corruption and impunity that reaches down from the presidential palace, through the senate and into the lowest echelons of society. The damage done by leaving unpunished those that were amply proven guilty is permeating every level of our Society and is being perpetuated in our contemporary culture. From shoplifting to abuse of power to fraud, Brazilian Society has learned the lessons taught by the presidential palace in Brasilia.
Yet, the charismatic figure of Luis Inacio – the captivating ignorant immigrant worker that made president – has managed to divorce itself from each and every scandal simply by denying that he had any knowledge of them or even that they happened. On the streets, people are doing the same when they crash their cars or are caught stealing.
Here’s an admirable man, one that was given a great opportunity: the chance to really make a difference and change Brazil for the better. He had everything going for him. He had the presidency, the majority in the senate, the ample support of the people, an economy fixed by the previous administration and ready to boom and everything else a man could ask for in order to become a statesman. He could have changed this country beyond imagination by promoting good education and genuine opportunity by generating infrastructure for further growth.
Instead, Luis wasted it all and gave in to corruption to remain a dirty politician supporting his friends and family within the government. Why? Was it just greed? Was it incompetence? No. He is not the “ignorant immigrant” he wants us to believe. Here’s a fox masquerading as lamb.
His policy? The oldest possible: Bread and Circus. Circus is the cascade of scandals playing out on the tele every night, with NOT A SINGLE guilty party being prosecuted or arrested. They are sacked alright, but nothing is confiscated nor is anyone made to pay for their treachery. Bread is the change money he gives away as alms to the poor in the Northeast of the country. Notice that he didn’t solve the problems with the health infrastructure, nor did he build a future for these people by improving education and businesses. He but gave them a little money each month under the premise that they needed it to get out of misery. He didn’t give them jobs, he didn’t give them lessons, he gave them alms. His criterion for the value he gave them? The number of children in the family. You don’t have to be a genius to see where this will lead, do you?
Now Luis’ successor is nothing without his figure. She is not charismatic, nor can she claim to have been poor or ignorant at any point in her life. She is not a feminist, she is not an exemplary mother, she is not even one of the people. She was just a rebel who resorted to crime to keep her failed rebellion going. What is she today? Just another corrupt politician claiming to have brought Brazil out of poverty; claiming to have solved issues that had been already solved for her.
Just the other day her right hand and successor as the Cabinet Minister was implicated in a corruption scandal and sacked. She was the fourth Cabinet Minister that was sacked on corruption scandals. She is still free and Luis claims ignorance yet again. Just the other day a citizen who protested against the first Cabinet Minister (Luis' personal friend) was arrested upon returning to Brazil. No charges were made. He died in prision of a "virulent illness" forty-eight hours latter.
As for Luis’ legacy, that will certainly be the destruction of even the most basic moral values and the corruption of an entire society. Never a statesman, always just another dirty politician.
Monday, 20 September 2010
There should be no separation between what we believe and how we live. When a man forgoes his concience to "belong" in the crowd, he brings dismay to himself and to those he loves. When a leader forgoes his conscience to gain popularity, he leads a whole nation through a short path into chaos and oblivion.
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