If there is one genuinely Brazilian element that stands out in the eyes of the world, it is spirituality, as it has come to be called. In this respect, Brazil, even if it does not recognize it, is worthy of, if not next to, a level very close to that of any country, regardless of how much older it is. And if we compare its spiritual refinement to a country of similar age, such as the much envied United States, the result is overwhelming. This is simply a fact. The way in which religious traditions have developed and enriched here, whether imported or original, is impressive and is not only due to syncretism and cultural miscegenation. Very unique individuals have been born on Brazilian soil, some of them true geniuses, something that could very well serve as the “personal and historical pretexts” that, according to Nelson, justify the lack of self-esteem of Brazilians.
Tag: religion
The Man Who Deprives Himself…
The man who deprives himself of the religious dimension loses out on experience, loses out on potential and, above all, loses out on knowing himself. Having it is something one cannot deny, and ignoring it is nothing more than mutilating oneself. So if one wants to know and understand oneself fully, one has to stimulate it and manifest it, even if only through searching. And if, one day, one comes to the conclusion that religious effort has not been rewarded, one will see that one’s very existence is already evidence of a higher aspiration, of a sincere desire to find the link that connects oneself to the rest of creation: evidence, therefore, that can only ennoble.
If Anything Has Been Achieved…
If anything has been achieved by the weakening of religion in the West, it has been the weakening of social bonds at the most basic level. The biblical neighbor has become more than ever a stranger, and the feeling that permeated or should permeate a community, whatever it may be, has become a generalized and absolute distrust. A common bond was broken without replacing it, and the result could only be segregation. From this, one can only conclude that the world has become an even more hostile place.
When Is Destroyed That Which for Centuries…
In a posthumous work, the late Pope Benedict XVI says
La società occidentale è una società nella quale nella sfera pubblica Dio è assente e per la quale non ha più nulla da dire. E per questo è una società nella quale si perde sempre più il criterio e la misura dell’umano.
From this stems, to a large extent, the existential vacuum that modern society has gotten itself into. When is destroyed that which for centuries has served man as a fulcrum of meaning, a certainty and a support, helplessness and confusion are inevitable. Disoriented, modern man no longer has anything to fall back on, and deprived of a higher vision of existence, he has become lesser. The benefits of belief for the common man are debatable; however, it cannot be denied that religious practice forces him to see a more complex reality and often lifts him above the banality of everyday life.