Disbelief in humanity

There are chances that draw the attention for not seem chances, but meaningful coincidences. These days, one of those coincidences occurred to me. And it seems to me significant.

On the one hand, I and my ruminations. On the other, João Ubaldo Ribeiro, the famous Brazilian writer. The intersection: disbelief in humanity.

But how did this intersection? Then, what is the significance of it? Finally: what consequences?

I am a person who likes to read and write. So whenever I can, I follow the literary national, international scene, finally, I like literature. I like so much that in 2010 I was in Paraty city, near Rio de Janeiro, to participate in the FLIP, the Book Fair of Paraty. However this year I did not go. Could not: appointments, important tasks, life changing, other concerns. But I could have gone. There not seemed, however, so  interesting the names of guests. Lie: I did not get time to see the names. My ignorance: I do not read anything about modern literature. No time. Summary: I did not go.

 

But the news I read. And one of them caught my attention. João Ubaldo Ribeiro, who I knew that was and is a great Brazilian writer, Immortal of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, but whose books I do not have any and never read them. João Ubaldo Ribeiro had already his supposed texts widely disseminated on the Internet. Who has not received an email with the text "Wanted manpower to build a country," with those powerful statements, that we, brazilians, are a smart people and here the thing is hopeless?

Until then I did not know that the text "Wanted ..." was not his. I read the text about ten years ago, but I thought it quite hard and honest.

And then, the news of FLIP corroborate this my impression about João Ubaldo, that, despite I knowing nothing about his literature, I had him as a person, a citizen very wise and fearless in his statements. After he assess the Brazilian people as sly trickster, he was going now with this: the pessimism in the face of humanity.

 

This was a big chest, great courage, great honesty.

But it went no beyond this simply reading, this simple statement released by all the newspapers and magazines across the country.

What the hell, a phrase taken from its context can mean something quite different from what it really means in context. So, to not take John Ubaldo like a gritty guy based only on a short text and a line of impact, I decided to research some more.

I found via Google that the text "Wanted manpower to..." is not his, as he confirmed on one occasion some time ago. If the text is not his, that's fine. The text itself is not the problem. The problem is an intellectual, a national figure to say what nobody wanna say, but in deep down everyone knows. There is not the issue of the Brazilian trickery that is the question here, but the courage to say it and criticize it.

Yes, because it is easy to criticize politicians. Difficult is to call rascal a common housewife. This requires honesty and courage.

But João Ubaldo did not do it.

So, left the phrase about the pessimism in relation to humanity. Pessimism in what context?

 

I did not found the video recordings with his speech on FLIP, but I found the transcript. In fact, he was brave. It was even a hard phrase to say, but he said and took the credit for it.

But he is neither the first nor the most famous, nor the last of the pessimists. Then, why this his statement was so important?

It was important because this is not what is expected of a Brazilian, even more now, with the economic fervor. But, even more, it was important becausein this same day, I came to a painfully similar conclusion, by other ways and by other reasons.

I and João Ubaldo Ribeiro have some power over the destinies of the world? He maybe, I certainly do not.

So what does it matter if am I or not pessimistic about humanity?

And then, what does it matter to the rest of the world?

Oh, the hypocrisy! Ah, the famous and bloody cognitive dissonance!

I need to talk more about it all...