A taste of humanity

The catastrophe in São Sebastião, on the coast of São Paulo, reflected, to a certain extent, much of what we have become in terms of society. We soon learned that two reporters from the Estado de São Paulo newspaper, while covering the events, suffered threats and attacks from residents of a wealthy condominium. In their eagerness to offend them, they accused the media outlet they work for of being "communist," without fear of exceeding the bounds of absurdity. Then, they tried to take photographer Thiago Queiroz's camera and, in the case of Renata Cafardo, they pushed her into the mud, wanting to confiscate her cell phone. Listening to the testimony of Mayor Felipe Augusto, in his second term leading the city, we learned that wealthy residents, in an assembly, did not allow the construction of social housing in the vicinity. They wanted the work of the poor, but not their physical presence living there. Surrounded by Atlantic rainforest protected by law, the place has few flat areas suitable for housing development. This made the project unfeasible, and people sought refuge on the hillsides. Disasters were inevitable. 

The President of the Republic traveled to the region and showed solidarity with the Governor and the Mayor, regardless of their political parties. He offered support and resources, the exact opposite of what his predecessor used to do. It's a contrasting situation that evokes *A Taste of Honey*, a 1962 film directed by the Englishman Tony Richardson. In it, a young woman, abandoned by her mother after a relationship with a man who also left her, finds refuge in her friend Geoffrey, a work colleague. It's as if, in the midst of the turmoil, a higher value, friendship, emerges, providing strength and support. 

Violence in the country is glaringly obvious. The militant hatred that has spread, with fatal victims and followers driven mad by the opportunity for warmongering, has degraded morals and broken, in many ways, important bonds of solidarity. Therefore, more than love, we need feelings of empathy. In such a panorama, it is important that the government steps forward to correct distortions of the past, distant or recent, with traces of genocide. Humanity, it should be remembered, constitutes the link of difference that we establish with the immaterial space, today too important to the point of blinding us to cruelty and unleashing it without restraint against everything and everyone. Fortunately, upheavals have put into action principles that seemed outdated. Lula knows that a leader must demonstrate affection for the people. He does not hesitate to show it. In the case of São Sebastião, he interrupted his days of rest and went there to personally witness the events. He intended to provide a personal example that gestures also represent political figures. 

Hating is easy. Loving, not so much. It's no wonder that we experienced excessive opportunities for indifference during the Covid epidemic and afterwards. Someone needed to put a stop to this scenario or we risked, in a short time, transforming ourselves into wolves to man, in a revived Hobbesian nightmare. The population itself awoke from its lethargic slumber and expressed its desire through the ballot box. That was enough so that, despite the bitterness of the defeated, we could once again understand each other as human beings and no longer as demons practicing shooting and spreading death. So, long live life!