The sound of idiots,
the familiar sound of stupidity
intoned by the mouth of despair,
under the skin, in the subcutaneous fear,
the sound of idiots.

Two minutes of hate,
orwellian paradoxical pleasure
in wanting to dissolve in frustration,
feeding the heart with paranoid slanders
from someone distant, far away.

False dilemmas, false dichotomies,
false tightrope walkers on shaky ropes,
indulgent silences, stupid visceral voice.

In this present moment, the ancient haste to be weighs heavy;
the recurring haste to be right and to try,
full of uncertainty, to spell out the world.

And when you find yourself choked on the pages of some newspaper,
when the bitter taste of confused truths frustrates your ideal,
when a disappointing reality does not correspond to your visions,
your blood will plea: wear, thought, the invigorating fantasy.

In portuguese.

O som de idiotas,
o familiar som dos idiotas
entoado pela boca do desespero,
sob a pele, no subcutâneo medo,
o som de idiotas.

Dois minutos de ódio,
orwelliano paradoxical prazer
em querer se desfazer em frustração,
alimentando o coração com injúrias paranoicas
de algum qualquer num ponto distante do mundo.

Falsos dilemas, falsas dicotomias,
falsos equilibristas de cordas bambas,
indulgentes silêncios e estúpida voz visceral.

Pesa neste presente a antiga pressa em ser;
a recorrente pressa em ter razão e tentar,
cheio de incerteza, soletrar o mundo.

E quando estiveres engasgado nas páginas de algum jornal,
quando o gosto amargo de verdades confusas frustrarem teu ideal,
quando a decepcionante realidade não corresponder as tuas visões,
teu sangue pedirá: veste, pensamento, a revigorante fantasia.

this inevitability was originally published in My Fair Lighthouse on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

On ideas and mermaids and scuba-divers was originally published in Rainbow Salad on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

On sinners and cages and the number three was originally published in Rainbow Salad on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

“Education spoils and does not improve a man. The more the child is spoiled, the less it is necessary to educate him, the greater is the freedom he requires. To teach and educate a child is impossible and senseless on the simple ground that the child stands nearer than I do, nearer than any adult does, to that ideal of harmony, truth, beauty, and goodness to which, in my pride, I wish to lead him… As soon as I give a child perfect freedom, and stop teaching him, he wrote this poetic tale, the like of which is not to be found in literature.” (Tolstoy— Who Should Learn Writing of Whom; Peasant Children of Us, or We of Peasant Children?

1. Always vary the themes, without solely focusing on those aimed at children, but considering what is interesting and accessible.
2. Read stories created by children, including those that you and your reading partner can come up with.
3. When creating stories, don’t admonish the lack of logic and proper sentence construction.

#3 Daily Stoicism

ORIGINAL TEXT IN PORTUGUESE

Running for the mayoralty of Rio de Janeiro, Tião sported the slogan “Everything for evolution.” The joke was ready, and the decision to vote for the chimpanzee blended humor and dissent. The people’s outrage with politicians had reached a point where anything was acceptable. So, as a form of protest, the comedians from Casseta e Planeta and the deputy Fernando Gabeira joined forces to initiate the campaign in favor of the most honest possible candidate from Rio.

Both Gabeira and Tião have astonishing stories. Gabeira had been a guerrilla fighter during the military dictatorship. In one of his missions, alongside other communists, he kidnapped the American ambassador in Rio de Janeiro with the aim of freeing political prisoners who were being tortured by the state. At the end of the kidnapping, he was arrested, tortured, and exiled, returning to Brazil years later after the process of redemocratization. However, this process caused him a lot of indignation. What should have been the blossoming of democracy in Brazil soon turned into a hotbed of corruption and political frustrations.

Tião was one of the most recognized attractions at the Rio de Janeiro zoo. Initially, he was a friendly and playful chimpanzee with children. However, as he began to exhibit aggressive behavior, he was put into a cage. From his cage, he found another way to amuse the visitors. Tião started throwing excrement at people. He became even more famous when, upon his imprisonment in 1980, he threw his excrement at the then-mayor Júlio Coutinho, who inaugurated the cage.

Finally, in the 1988 elections, although his votes were not counted as legitimate, Tião “almost” won. He came in third place in the vote tally, accumulating 400,000 votes. The elected mayor, lawyer Marcello Alencar, followed the tradition of Rio politicians: he did little, while the majority of the population barely remembered his name. But everyone remembered Macaco Tião. Including Mayor Alencar, who in the early 1980s had also fallen victim to the excrement that Tião launched from his cage.

ORIGINAL TEXT IN PORTUGUESE:

Em 1988, em meio a desilusão política durante as campanhas para prefeito no estado do Rio de Janeiro, a revista de um grupo de comédia famoso no Brasil, o Casseta e Planeta, decide lançar como candidato um famoso chimpanzé do zoológico da cidade: o Macaco Tião.

Candidato a prefeitura do Rio de Janeiro, Tião estampava o slogan “Tudo pela evolução”. A piada estava pronta e a decisão de votar no chimpanzé misturava humor e protesto. A indignação do povo com os políticos chegara ao nível em que tudo era aceito. Então, como forma de protesto, os humoristas do Casseta e Planeta e o deputado Fernando Gabeira se juntaram para começar o protesto em forma de campanha a favor do candidato carioca mais honesto o possível.

Tanto Gabeira, quanto Tião, tem histórias surpreendentes. Gabeira fora um guerrilheiro durante a ditadura militar. Numa de suas missões, junto de outros comunistas, sequestrou o embaixador americano no Rio de Janeiro com o intuito de libertar presos políticos que estavam sendo torturados pelo estado. Ao fim do sequestro, foi preso, torturado e exilado, voltando anos depois ao Brasil após a redemocratização. Esta, porém, causou-lhe muita indignação. O que deveria ser o florescimento da democracia no Brasil, logo se tornou um antro de corrupção e frustrações políticas.

Enfim, nas eleições de 1988, embora seus votos não fossem contados como legítimos, Tião “quase” venceu. Ficou em terceiro lugar na apuração de votos, acumulando 400 mil votos. O prefeito eleito, o advogado Marcello Alencar, seguiu a tradição dos políticos cariocas: pouco fez, enquanto a maioria da população sequer lembrava seu nome. Mas todos lembravam do Macaco Tião. Inclusive o prefeito Alencar, que no começo dos anos 80 também fora vitima dos excrementos que Tião lançava de sua Jaula.

A work by director and editor Sergei Eisenstein about the turbulent reign of Czar Ivan IV during the 16th century. It delves deeply into the paranoia that comes with governing an empire surrounded by corruption and betrayal. And it shows the grandeur and desperation of a tyrant trying to rule without knowing who his enemies are.

The Cranes Are Flying (1957)

Unlike any other film about World War II, “The Cranes Are Flying” tells the story of interrupted loves and frustrated lives. In Mikhail Kalatozov’s film, the characters struggle constantly to find meaning amidst the misfortune that presents itself in their daily lives.

Letter Never Sent (1960)

This other film by Mikhail Kalatozov is the director’s second masterpiece. It constitutes one of the greatest cinematic spectacles. The level of performance and commitment from the artists involved is nothing short of astonishing.

ORIGINAL TEXT IN PORTUGUESE

Ivan, The Terrible (1944)

The Cranes Are Flying (1957)

Letter Never Sent (1960)