Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro: 23oC, warm, sunny and slightly overcast.
Brazil’s capital, Brasilia is in flames, and the whole country will soon be. Let’s see if the fire brigade arrives soon!
I have lived in Brazil for over 30 years, and reflecting on my time here reminds me of my childhood in England. During that period, England experienced significant changes and faced multiple recessions. The country would recover from one crisis only to be confronted with another.
Brazil is similar in some respects, albeit for different reasons. Throughout my time living here, Brazil has never experienced real sustainable growth. There have never been moments of internal peace and harmony where all regions, institutions, cities, and people were together with serenity.
Brazil is a melting pot of diverse cultures, but Brasília is a boiling pot of disorder: corruption, dishonesty, and turmoil. These issues are driven by politicians who are engaged in constant fighting and exhibit a self-serving mentality among themselves.
I have never witnessed the three branches of the Brazilian Constitution—the Legislative, Executive, and Judiciary—aligned and working together for the well-being of the country and its people. Instead, each branch acts and reacts according to its interests, forgetting its primary purpose: serving the people.
The Brazilian people feel abandoned and have little hope for improvement in the near future, and it is likely to get much worse before better.
I have observed that Brazilian politicians understand the extreme passivity of the people in their ways and culture. Additionally, they possess a remarkable ability to improvise in difficult and adverse situations.
Brazilian politicians, who receive lucrative salaries and enjoy a comfortable lifestyle, are often detached from the reality of the population; it is probably not a coincidence that Brasilia was built far from most of the country’s population. They create confusion, engage in disputes, and initiate investigations that rarely yield results. Additionally, their confessions often fail to bring about any form of justice.
Therefore, the Brazilian people work, suffer, and pay taxes and bills to support the mismanagement, corruption, laziness, and incompetence of the politicians who work in Brasilia.
Consequently, the country’s development, evolution, improvements, etc., are put on hold while these stupid, ego-centric little boys in long trousers in Brasilia and some girls, too, fight among themselves without an end and without regard for the people who become poorer and poorer. The country is crumbling, but the people continue to pay higher and higher taxation and interest rates from blatant incompetence to survive.
It is quite perverse, and I only anticipate something truly drastic will change Brazil and its situation.
I remember when I lived in London before moving to Brazil. I was part of a group of Brazilians living and working there. We would regularly go out to eat; sometimes, there would be Brazilian parties or celebrations. This served as a kind of introduction to Brazilian culture before I came to Brazil.
An example that caught my attention as typical of Brazilian culture was the experience of going to the cinema at 6:00 pm. What could happen next?
- Everyone would start to arrive at 7:00 pm, with the last people or friends arriving around 8 or 9 pm when it was arranged for 6 to meet.
- If we weren’t right in front of the cinema and had to walk there, everyone would have their own opinions on the best route, each believing theirs was correct. It could take another half hour to an hour for everyone to agree on the right directions.
- We had already decided to see “Harry Potter” before meeting up at the cinema. However, when everyone arrived, we hadn’t bought the tickets yet. Thirty years ago, tickets had to be purchased in person, as online sales weren’t available. At that moment, everyone would reconsider whether to stick with the original plan to see “Harry Potter” or choose another film currently showing, even though we had already decided on Harry Potter.
This is Brazil. Everyone goes their own way, does their own thing and in their own time. No one cares about the rest because each person believes they are right, and everyone else is wrong.
There is a significant lack of teamwork. This may also exist in other countries, but it is particularly evident in Brazil. In many situations, especially in Brazilian politics, people struggle to work together effectively as a team.
I once met with an Italian businessman who had been in Brazil much longer than I had. Through his vast knowledge and experience in doing business there, he shared an insightful perspective: Brazilian people are very good individuals; they are hard workers and put in a lot of effort. However, he noted that they are often poorly managed.
At that moment, I didn’t fully grasp the truth and complexity of what he was saying but over the years, it has become increasingly clear that his observations are completely relevant.
I have always believed that no matter how large an organization or company is, everything ultimately comes down to one person. For example, a country has a Prime Minister or a President, which means that leadership and influence ultimately fall on that individual. Their decisions’ positive or negative impact trickles down through all layers of society, whether it be a family, an institution, or a community.
The President leads a country, the mayor leads a city or town, and the Governor leads a state. Within a family, a patriarch or matriarch may provide leadership. A director is responsible for a company’s operations. All these individuals are accountable for the functioning of their respective entities.
If these leaders are well-intentioned, everything tends to run smoothly, but the consequences can be detrimental if they manage their responsibilities poorly.
Another factor is that historically, semi-skilled labour in Brazil has been very inexpensive. While Brazil strives to become a serious player on the international stage, a prevalent mentality rooted in the past suggests it’s expected to pay low or poor wages. This mindset suggests that we do not need to prioritise efficiency or focus because labour is inexpensive. As a result, we can take double or triple the time to complete tasks since the labour cost is so cheap.
Times have changed, and Brazil is no different from anywhere else in the world. However, this outdated mentality still persists, lurking beneath the surface. If something is cheap, quality and professionalism are not considered necessary or important, and this attitude allows anything to be accepted.
The day was good, and It was productive, calm, and quiet.
In bed by 9.30 pm.
Thank you.
Thanks for reading this blog post. Please explore my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments section.
Richard
