The Brazil that doesn't show its face

Brazil is the land of the opposite. What works here doesn't necessarily work in the rest of the world, and vice versa. No, I'm not talking about the upside-down world of Stranger Things or contradictions. I'm talking about a truly upside-down ethic. From a place that has decided that neither history nor experience teach. Where not even the past is guaranteed.

I don't like to generalize, but we have to recognize that Brazilians tend to only obey Gérson's law, and this manifests itself in various ways.

It's common for debtors in Brazil not only not to pay, but also to become angry at the creditor's demands, regardless of whether the demand is more than they should be.

When someone commits a traffic violation, here we don't accept the punishment: we get mad at the accuser or the authorities.

The criminal here doesn't care about the consequences of his crimes, but the law-abiding citizen has to worry about what happens to the criminal.

Having money and/or success isn't a reason for admiration, but for envy and criticism.

A good politician isn't honest; they're the ones who excel in their arguments and are applauded even if they're a thief.

When someone does something wrong in a company, they criticize whoever discovered the error instead of apologizing.

When a political scandal breaks, Brazilians don't embrace their role as citizens and demand change; they just make jokes on social media.

I could make a list of reasons why I consider Brazil the land of the opposite. These behaviors often become memes. But I'm tired of hoping that this will one day change. The truth is, as long as Brazilians believe that ethics are individual, that principles only serve to talk nicely, and that the problem lies with other people, we won't evolve as a country.

Anyone aware of this situation can't pretend to be impartial or apolitical, because Brazil's problem isn't on the left, the right, or the center: it's in the middle. In politics, business, academia, society, religion, etc.

As long as we sit idly by, Brazil will not be the country of the future. It will be a country without a future. And there's no point in believing that God is Brazilian, because if he were, he'd already have applied for citizenship in another country.

Does this make me pessimistic? No, but optimism won't solve the problem. Consciousness needs to be individual until it becomes collective, until the country stops being a collection of people trying to get along and becomes a nation.

If the National Team is the homeland of soccer shoes, we've been barefoot for a long time. Shall we change that here?