Version 2.071

Perhaps I overthink my existence, but I have always had that tendency, as I obsess a bit over the right side of history. There is a good side and, so far, using Steven Pinker's ideas, the existence o progress shows that things do get better over time. Those would be comforting thoughts were it not for the fact that many times when there is a big change, it was paid dearly with someone's life.

One of the theories that explained Portugal's poverty after World War II was indeed the fact that it did not participate in the war effort, so there was no need to rebuild anything: no destruction, no creation. Yet, it is not necessarily true that the death of many was avoided, as if one looks at the mortality rates in the country after World War II, they were much worse than in other countries that had been in the war.

I suppose that such could be a consequence of the demographics themselves of being vs. not being in a war, as in a war scenario many of the weaker people do die, but also many more young men die as they are, or rather were, perceived as strong and better soldiers than other demographics. There is some sort of higher moral in offering the strongest ones in a population to face the highest risk and, in doing so, trying to protect the weak.

That is in stark contrast to what happened during the dictatorship, as infant mortality was quite high and life expectancy was also so low. So the sacrificed ones were mostly the children, pregnant women, and the elderly. I must conclude that we did bear the burden of death, but we got nothing good in return for it: certainly not as much progress as other countries, and poverty continued rampant throughout the country.

Maybe I am mistaken, these things are hard to tell this early on, but it feels that this pandemic is going to be one of the most important events of the 21st century. This is where we pay the price for the progress that is to come, that is, if we do pursue a path of progress. The current government's attitude feels like it is paving the way for the price to be paid, but no progress to occur.

Portugal's diplomacy is nonexistent. Diplomacy is an art where two different parties try to achieve a mutually beneficial solution. Insulting other countries is not a recommended strategy. It is, however, reminiscent of the way many Latin males treat their female partners: like shit, which is a way of showing how much they care. One must live in the expectation of make-up sex, I suppose.