People are meant to live

It is interesting how, with the best of intentions, we are always trying to alleviate the suffering and worries of those around us, using expressions like “calm down, everything will pass.” Problems do not need to pass; we need to seek to understand them, in their causes and dimensions. They even say that problems and bad things exist to be forgotten. After hearing this refrain so often, it starts to sound natural in our ears, despite the strange heroism of attempting the feat of breaking, filtering, or even selecting our own thoughts. It seems almost like something a Hindu would do while meditating on a bed of nails, high up in a mountain range.Putting aside this foolish tendency to evade difficulties or simply wish and pretend that everything can improve from nothing, we need to remember that no one can rid themselves of problems just by ignoring and expelling the disturbing ghosts of their own existence; especially since most of the time, it was the person themselves who created, caged, and insists on feeding them daily. Ghosts that provide the interesting opportunity to coexist with the status of a good person, always worried about “the worlds” around them or even acting as a victim of “incomprehensible” circumstances of fate. Things have become complicated, for without a doubt, we have been constantly encouraged to believe that we exist to produce and that it is this incessant, concerned, and responsible production that defines us as good humans, like a beautiful and strong stallion, whose owner sees its price rise with each new and exciting victory in the different racetracks of life.The idea of being productive beings, daily evaluated in the most different and sometimes perverse ways, has its roots deeply embedded in a mix of traditionally technical education, filled with a notorious concept of globalization that, in favor of a supposed unification of international markets, has been forcing the decharacterization of regional habits and behaviors. In other words, by looking so much at the “things” the world offers us, we have stopped living the common habits of our micro and fantastically intimate society. While in the educational field, the act of studying is becoming increasingly distant from the discoveries and pleasures of learning, with a large majority of students worrying much more about achieving grades to “get rid” of their subjects and respective school years, exclusively seeking to win the narrow funnels of entrance exams or “secure themselves” in public competitions; we observe that in the workplace, in most companies, life is lived exclusively from the perspective of goals to be quickly and accurately achieved, often disrespecting the organic and emotional limits of the people involved, as well as the probable positive consequences of well-measured medium and long-term planning. Once, Caetano Veloso said that “people are meant to live, not to die of hunger,” which we all obviously agree with, but it is always good to remember that there are different types of hunger, and that without wanting to disregard the importance of nutrition problems, especially in a country like ours, it is only possible to think about living well by observing how much it depends on the permission we give, or not, for the world to happen and provide us with paths. There are straight, winding, and even quite difficult paths, but the devil is when they bifurcate, causing us doubts and agony. Note that the meaning of the word “devil” is precisely this: the one who divides and gives us doubt. We are faced with devilish situations every time we confront doubts and, due to inexperience or fear, we do not know which path to take.Most of the time, I believe that the best thing to do is to choose one of them, and in case of regret, go back, admitting the mistake or guilt, only then to seek other paths. A good part of the people who seek therapy cannot identify the cause of their suffering, as they are still feeding on doubts. They have not even dared to expose themselves to the true causes. The elimination of these doubts only occurs when we regain belief in our function of existing and consequently bearing good fruit, and not the other way around, where we would first have to produce to then be worthy of life itself.Customarily, when we meet people who produce often even beyond their limits, we tend to be perplexed and praise the competence and effort employed by that individual, but on the other hand, it is always good to remember that over time, this attitude of high productivity tends to gradually wear down the mood and the people, and without it, humans tend to become fragile and easily lost. We live so much to produce that in having to produce so much, we forget to live. From the resignation of being the administrator of one’s own life, many come to believe that the best thing is to seek to forget and rid themselves of all the so-called bad things, including the emotions that are or may go wrong.Regarding everything we live, I believe that two attitudes urgently need to be taken: • successes need to be savored, and • mistakes or difficulties studied, for after all, it is only from the understanding and correction of these that we will be able to grow. Every time we are tortured by a failure, uncertainty, or guilt, we have the great opportunity for self-evaluation in the pursuit of living with more quality. The idea needs to be to live in peace, so that we can consequently produce well, and never the other way around.If your intention is to study, work, or engage in a certain cause, remember that it is first necessary to find and believe in the reasons that are directing you to such an act. If by chance your motivation is a simple response to the desires of people or “worlds” around you, I’m sorry to say that your project is doomed to failure. Study, work, or engage in proposals that at least you have discussed and know why you believe in them. In the book of Psalms 119:96 it is written that “… all perfection has its limit…”, and if for some the idea of imperfection means a defect, note that imperfect beings are the only ones capable of improving.Perfect individuals are unchangeable, and if they are unhappy, they are doomed to never free themselves from their sufferings. The fact that the “things of the world” often do not admit mistakes reveals how much prejudice is embedded within our social groups, even in those labeled as more liberal and modern. Do not forget that prejudice is a symptom of fear, and the more I base my actions on them to justify some behavior, the more I demonstrate the fear I have of my own weaknesses being discovered. It is precisely human imperfection that allows us to perceive, coexist, and learn from differences, and humans can only begin great social transformations after they experience their own changes.By allowing external interferences to be responsible for our frustrations, we are clearly forgetting that all our actions must stem from the attempt to strip ourselves of the crust of uncertainties and fears that are successively and slowly instilled in us daily. Fears that disturb us and convince us that we are nothing, and for that reason, we must simply and solely adapt to certain predetermined models. It has been very common to hear some people say that “such a thing (job, social title, or even another person) is everything,” which in other words means that “without such a thing” they feel like nothing.We cannot admit that we are everything or nothing, capable or incapable, happy or unhappy, as our possibilities are always linked to the next steps, and these only materialize when we act in the present, aiming for the future, always guided by what we have learned from past experiences. More and more, social science has proven that we are beings endowed with competencies that need to be explored and put into practice, for only then will we be able to overcome difficulties and recognize ourselves. Our competencies need to be explored in their nuances so that we can enjoy true living in society, which certainly does not mean the union of equals, but rather the coherent intertwining of differences that complement each other.Great people always make a difference among the different. Great teachers, entrepreneurs, politicians are those who are not frightened by problems and are always attentive and willing to try new people and opportunities. Children are different, students are different, colleagues are different, and it is precisely the set of these imperfections that enriches and enables the growth of our society. Those who prefer to continue fleeing from problems, dodging bad thoughts, or avoiding confrontations, just to be “fine with the world” forgive me, for the meaning of life, even among the most venomous animals, has never been to hide, ignoring one’s own objectives. 

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