I was told today that I did not know the history of my country because there was no slavery in the Portuguese colonies. The person who told me this has also said that my command of the Portuguese language is lacking. Lest you think that I am hurt, this sort of comment actually reenforces my personal choices and my idea of what it means to be a person. If one has to sugar coat the truth in order to carry on with the illusion that one is dispensed from showing humility and contrition in the face of history, then expect little or no respect from me.
As social animals, we live our lives not just through our point of view, but through that of others. We must feel empathy, I suppose; but it is more virtuous to live in doubt and willingness to change than to hold on to a fable of at long-lost time. It was not my intention to preach, even though it feels like it.
Carl Sagan once said that we, humans, were a way for the universe to know itself. I subscribe to that view; we are not born with the answers, but with the ability to ask questions and attempt find an answer.
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