|
Good morning,
Apologies for the radio silence—as I predicted in the latest issue of this newsletter, my schedule was disrupted by travelling plans. What I didn't expect, however, was to get Covid-19 (my first time!) while remote working in Brazil, and having to postpone my trip back until I felt healthy enough to withstand the 15-hour journey home. The illness has dragged on, as it apparently does, but I feel better now.
I might have contracted the virus on my first day in Rio de Janeiro, which coincided with the second tour of the presidential election. I celebrated along with dozens of thousands of Lula supporters who had gathered in the historic centre to wait for results. Rarely have I seen such a large-scale display of joy and relief.
The friends I was staying with talked about the mental load associated with living in Jair Bolsonaro's Brazil, having to keep up with incessant and distressing news signalling the creeping return of authoritarianism, and not knowing how to counter or even make sense of the disinformation that has permeated public discourse in the past four years.
They felt relieved, but also aware that Lula was elected with a slim majority, and a fragile coalition of political parties. Governing the country will be difficult, to be sure. Even harder is learning how to interact with neighbours, family and coworkers who hold increasingly polarized views.
A large part of my work and personal life lately has been focused on building my capacity to be in relationship with people whose viewpoints and choices I may not agree with, learning how to navigate difficult conversations, and crafting narratives that help build consensus around divisive topics. As I was listening to stories of life under Bolsonaro's Brazil, I began to wonder: how does one draw the line? How do we know that the time for consensus-building is over, and that we must take a stand? And how do we build a moral compass and a felt sense of the things we want to fight for out of personal conviction—as opposed to merely following social norms?
Those questions remain in the back of my mind as I watch how brands, journalists and football fans grapple with the moral dilemma of Qatar's World Cup—more on this below.
Enjoy the read,
Flavie
|
