At the request of many families, and since a total solar eclipse is visible in Portugal today, here’s a special post!
This song questions whether God exists on Earth, and according to the lyrics, that possibility points to any one of us! And I ask you: do you think you could be that person—God?
I ask you: do you think that your actions—which make up the sum total of your life—lead to a mathematical result that is sacred? Yes, because the great Mathematician of the Universe is God! Do you think your life is lived in accordance with what God has shown us? If your answer is no—that is, if your actions aren’t carried out with the good of others and the common good in mind—then here’s another question, which is also the question Joan Osborne asks: if you were standing before an ordinary person and that person were God, what would you ask Him/Her? And remember, you can only ask one question!
Think about it for a moment: God is so wonderful and good, according to Joan, that He is capable of transforming Himself into a woman in distress or an old man in need of help, just to test our character. But assuming God were one of us, what would He be like? How do you imagine Him? As a man or a woman? What a controversial question! For me, God isn’t quite that wonderful and good, in the sense that we call Him Father—because in my life I haven’t felt that yet; I’ve only felt that He was more of a stepfather or even a tormentor! I’m not saying this lightly; I’m actually choosing my words very carefully. In the lessons He teaches me, I feel Him more like a teacher from the time of our dictatorship. You learn through violence; it’s the body that pays the price! That’s why I consider myself in God’s debt—let’s just say we have some accounts to settle!
Na minha opinião, não se nasce Deus, é preciso fazer um caminho, um caminho duro, que nos pode conduzir muitas vezes ao limite das nossas capacidades, à loucura, pois o "acordar" não é para todos, exige uma transformação que só o sofrimento permite, uma robustez de carácter e uma defesa das nossas convicções que vai muito para além das nossas forças. Somos testados e tentados das mais diversas formas, cruéis até, suportamos humilhações que mais ninguém suportaria. E para haver esse "acordar" a nossa vida, o que nos acontece, é sempre de uma forma muito mais intensa que no comum dos mortais, para que dessa forma - muitas vezes injusta e cruel - possamos aprender a ler o mundo, a compreender porque se morre e como se morre, porque se tem certas doenças e não outras. É isso, aprende-se a LER a vida. Eu diria que é um tesouro que nos coloca nas mãos, mas ao mesmo tempo uma maldição que nos leva ao isolamento e solidão! E, são anos e anos disto, não são 40 dias! Quanto à sua fisionomia, na minha opinião, acho que ele tem um traço fisinómico distinto, mas não vou dizer qual, estudassem! De resto seria uma pessoa normal que não se destacaria das demais pessoas. Seria talvez a menos provável!
In my opinion, one is not born a god; one must forge a path—a difficult path—that can often push us to the limits of our abilities, even to the brink of madness, for “awakening” is not for everyone. It demands a transformation that only suffering can bring about, a strength of character, and a defense of our convictions that goes far beyond our own strength. We are tested and tempted in the most diverse ways, even cruel ones; we endure humiliations that no one else could bear. And for this “awakening” to occur, our lives—what happens to us—are always far more intense than those of ordinary mortals, so that through this—often unjust and cruel—process we may learn to read the world, to understand why people die and how they die, why they suffer from certain illnesses and not others. That’s it—you learn to READ life. I’d say it’s a treasure placed in our hands, but at the same time a curse that leads us to isolation and loneliness! And it’s years and years of this—not just 40 days! As for his appearance, in my opinion, I think he has a distinctive physical feature, but I won’t say which one—you’ll have to study! Otherwise, he would be a normal person who wouldn’t stand out from the crowd. He would perhaps be the least likely!
One thing is certain: I am not God, and even if I had that opportunity, I would never accept it! Why? The world is so ungovernable—filled with so much evil, hatred, and barbarism—that I would never wish such a thing upon myself! Perhaps that is why so many cruel wars and extreme weather events are happening—perhaps God is calling us to our senses, urging us to stop and think about what kind of world we want to leave for future generations! A just and compassionate world, or a world of an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! As long as selfishness persists, we will be battered by more storms! And I'm not just talking about the weather!
Eu vou ser o mais sincera possível, eu não acho que Deus seja tão maravilhoso e bom como a Joan canta e como já o disse. Eu estou em "guerra" com Ele há muitos anos, porque ele tem uma missão para mim que eu não aceito, portanto tenho sofrido muito, mas lá está, estou a defender as minhas convicções até ao limite das minhas forças e nada me fará mudar de ideias. Talvez esteja a ser tentada, que estou, mas a minha convicção é forte e estou disposta a morrer para a defender. Podem achar que estou louca, mas não, sei muito bem o que Ele quer de mim e eu sei muito bem o que não quero para mim. Estou em guerra com dois mundos, o terreno e o divino, mas ninguém compreende o que digo, pois racionalmente esta conversa não faz sentido, eu sei, também já pensei assim, até Deus me ter provado a sua existência com inúmeras situações impossíveis - ditas milagres - de acontecer. Voltando ao ínicio, Deus tem sido injusto comigo e duro. Muito duro. Não Lhe invejo a sua posição, mas nunca a desejaria, pois governar este mundo é governar uma nogeira que me dá vómitos, não sei como Ele aguenta! Talvez se queira reformar!
I’m going to be as honest as possible: I don’t think God is as wonderful and good as Joan sings about and as I’ve said before. I’ve been at “war” with Him for many years, because He has a mission for me that I don’t accept, so I’ve suffered a lot, but there you have it—I’m defending my convictions to the very limits of my strength, and nothing will make me change my mind. Maybe I’m being tempted—and I am—but my conviction is strong, and I’m willing to die to defend it. You might think I’m crazy, but no, I know very well what He wants from me, and I know very well what I don’t want for myself. I am at war with two worlds, the earthly and the divine, but no one understands what I say, for rationally this conversation makes no sense; I know, I used to think that way too, until God proved His existence to me through countless situations that were impossible—so-called miracles—to happen. Going back to the beginning, God has been unfair to me and harsh. Very harsh. I don’t envy His position, but I would never want it, because ruling this world is like ruling a world that makes me want to vomit—I don’t know how He puts up with it! Maybe He wants to retire!
I’m not expecting any phone calls either, much less one from the Pope—I wouldn’t even answer his call. I have my reasons, and they’re very strong! I will never forget, much less forgive, what they did to me. No promise can erase what I’ve lived through and suffered. None. And besides, I have God’s promises—so why would I care about earthly promises! It would even make me laugh if it weren’t so tragic! But if I could ask God that question, I’d ask Him this:
- Who am I, after all?
And, feeling calm, I continue my journey by bus or on foot until I finally arrive home...
Tradução: DeepL.com (free version)
Os mesmos locais, antes e depois do passar dos anos e, como evoluiram! Penso que a evolução é clara, não vos parece? Mas para um post ficar perfeito falta-me a banda sonora. Depois de pensar algum tempo, lembrei-me que a banda sonora adequada e muito actual seria e mais uma vez, uma canção dos Muse: "United States of Eurasia". Já vão perceber porquê!
The same places, before and after the passage of time—and look how they’ve changed! I think the transformation is clear, don’t you agree? But for this post to be perfect, I’m missing the soundtrack. After thinking about it for a while, I realized that the perfect, very timely soundtrack would be—once again—a song by Muse: “United States of Eurasia.” You’ll see why!
Just as I was delighted to witness the transformation of my city, Muse’s song also begins with a dream of a world united as a single country, with all of humanity living in peace and harmony! But we all know that this would be completely impossible—it would be a utopia in stark contrast to the dystopia depicted in George Orwell’s 1984, which served as the inspiration for the lyrics of this song!
.jpg)
Nesse livro, o que temos são duas super potências em confronto, os EUA em hegemonia e a outra super potência constituída por Europa+Ásia+Médio Oriente. A canção de uma forma poética fala de geopolítica (relações internacionais) e de guerras sem fim e que nem se sabe como e porquê começaram. Isto não vos diz nada, relativamente à nossa actualidade e ao comportamento de Trump?
In this book, we see two superpowers in conflict: the United States, acting as the dominant power, and the other superpower comprising Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The song poetically addresses geopolitics (international relations) and endless wars—wars whose origins and reasons remain unclear. Doesn’t this ring a bell when it comes to our current situation and Trump’s behavior?
A canção termina com o Nocturno de Chopin, ouvindo-se bem lá no fundo crianças, os inocentes, a brincar e duas bombas a partir, uma de cada super potência, deixando-nos a concluir que se trata do fim deste planeta, pois são bombas nucleares que estão a ser usadas. O fim da humanidade e do planeta Terra. Feita a review desta canção, pergunto-vos: para onde acham que a humanidade caminha? Para uma união de países ou para o colapso do planeta?
The song ends with Chopin’s Nocturne, with the faint sound of children—the innocent ones—playing in the background, and two bombs going off, one from each superpower, leading us to conclude that this is the end of the planet, since nuclear bombs are being used. The end of humanity and of planet Earth. Having reviewed this song, I ask you: where do you think humanity is headed? Toward a union of nations or toward the collapse of the planet?
We thus have U.S. hegemony under the leadership of a schizophrenic Trump, indulging his delusions and behaving in ways that are increasingly detached from reality. One moment he threatens to wipe out an entire people overnight, or the next day, as if a severe mental disorder were affecting his way of thinking, feeling, and acting; the next, he changes his mind as if he were a weather vane on a hurricane day! Do you realize where this madman is leading us? Into the chaos of international relations!
That’s why I love looking at these side-by-side photos, where past and present coexist in harmony and peace—and only in this way is progress possible! I don’t know if future generations will be able to do what I’ve done in this post! On June 10, Portugal Day, I hope that Portugal—and its leaders—will decide whose side they’re on! Right now, Portugal’s position is ambiguous!
On the one hand, Portugal stands with the European Union, as it is a member and shows solidarity with its other European partner countries on security matters. On the other hand, it sides with Trump by allowing planes headed to wage war in Iran to use Lages Air Base in the Azores. Whose side are we on, after all? With that madman Trump or with the EU? Go ahead and celebrate Portugal Day’s spinelessness—maybe one day the celebration will look just like the last photo in this post!
P.S.: Portugal has now been elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. I’m sorry, but this makes me want to laugh—or cry. What diplomatic clout does Portugal really have? Is this our chance to give Trump the middle finger?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwB9IaYNE70&list=RDGwB9IaYNE70&start_radio=1
Tradução: DeepL.com (free version)
Olá! Bem-vindos! Está a chover, a tempestade Ingrid está a instalar-se. Não dá para sair de casa. Sinto-me nostálgica e a vontade de fazer algo de produtivo anda próximo de zero! Para além de um chá quentinho, a minha vontade é de fazer uma viagem no tempo. Mas como? Já sei! Vou fazer várias viagens no tempo na minha caixa de fotos antigas, sabem aquelas fotos que ainda não conheciam a era digital? São essas mesmo! Mal eu sabia que a fotografia ía ser tão importante na minha vida!
Hello! Welcome! It's raining, storm Ingrid is setting in. It's impossible to leave the house. I'm feeling nostalgic and my desire to do something productive is close to zero! Apart from a hot cup of tea, I feel like taking a trip back in time. But how? I know! I'm going to take several trips back in time with my box of old photos, you know, those photos from before the digital age? That's right! I had no idea that photography would become so important in my life!
Quero apresentar-vos o meu pet mais fofinho que tive: o meu cão Bolinhas, que nesta altura estará no céu dos cães. Foi um cão muito mimado e onde vivo foi o 1º cão a viver dentro de casa e a ser tratado como um verdadeiro pet. À época fomos muito criticados por isso, pois até aí os cães viviam fora de casa e, a sua função consistia, apenas, fazer a guarda da casa.
I would like to introduce you to the cutest pet I ever had: my dog Bolinhas, who is now in dog heaven. He was a very spoilt dog and was the first dog to live indoors and be treated like a real pet where I live. At the time, we were heavily criticised for this, as until then dogs lived outside the house and their only job was to guard the house.
My young Bolinhas, in the first photo, and in the second, a few months before going to doggy heaven!
This is probably my favourite photo. I was about 35 years old and going through my most revolutionary period. I call this photo Marisa Lion and I have a large print of it on the wall of my living room. It's not just a photo, but everything I was at the time: a warrior!
The beginnings of my revolutionary period are evident in these photos. This is a student demonstration, around 1990/1, in front of the Assembly of the Republic. We were fighting against the increase in university tuition fees. These photos must have remained in my subconscious, because later I embroidered, in cross-stitch, a large demonstration in that same place, and I have already told the story here.
My dream was to be a platinum blonde, lol, and I went for it, but it went wrong, my hair couldn't take the damage, but it's still my dream! Lol!
I also really like this photo, it represents Marisa the professional. This photo was printed on all the letters I wrote, whether to apply for jobs, to make complaints, or even to report abuses of power!
And last but not least, this is perhaps the most mysterious photo I have ever taken of myself. I think I managed to capture my soul, perhaps what is called psychography in photography.
I hope you enjoyed this journey through time via my photographs. So much time has passed and so much to say and learn!
Story of my life!
A música que escolhi é talvez a psicografia da minha vida. De uma forma simples a psicografia é o fenómeno pelo qual uma inteligência superior, ou Deus, ou um computador, como na Teoria da Simulação, que "ditam" como se a pessoa que está a escrever estivesse a ler um teleponto, ou a escrever o que essas entidades lhes ditam. Eu acho que quando o David Fonseca escreveu esta canção: "Someone that cannot love" encontrava-se neste estado transcendental!
The song I chose is perhaps the psychography of my life. In simple terms, psychography is the phenomenon whereby a higher intelligence, or God, or a computer, as in Simulation Theory, “dictates” as if the person writing were reading from a teleprompter, or writing what these entities dictate to them. I think that when David Fonseca wrote this song, ‘Someone that cannot love,’ he was in this transcendental state!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez-CQRpZ4BQ&list=RDez-CQRpZ4BQ&start_radio=1
Tradução: DeepL.com (free version)