One of the TV channels which has the licence to broadcast the World Cup matches in Germany has Günter Netzer, a former German player, as a commentator. Although lots of his comments are accurate, in my opinion he is usually extreme when criticizing and, therefore, very negative. As in a cartoon, whenever I see him, I imagine a dark cloud over his head. During a match (I don’t remember which one) he was criticizing the South American way of dealing with results. He said that South Americans are happy with what Germans would consider as just ordinary. I reflected on that, and I have to admit he’s right: South Americans need less to be happy. Even after reaching this conclusion, reflection went on and I started wondering who ends up being right.
Well, Germans are usually very demanding, they’re perfectionists. If it’s not perfect, it’s not good enough. What is good about it is that they are always planning in details and trying to improve. However, lots of them live a never-ending search for perfection and, as “we” all know (do we? really?!), perfection doesn’t exist. Isn’t it a bit frustrating? As a matter of fact, usually what they see as perfect, is, according to my South American soul, really boring because it lacks spontaneity. It is definitely hard to please most of them. A first sunny warm day after a period of bad weather is celebrated here. “Wow! What a great day! The sun is shining!” The second sunny day in a row and the excitement starts fading away. “The sun is shining again! It’s getting hot!” The third sunny day is a day to worry: “My God! It’s too hot!!! The garden needs rain!” So, what’s the perfect weather?
South Americans surely have different ideals, maybe expectations and standards are not so high, but isn’t it a way of making life easier?
There is a song in Brazil that summarizes the feeling most people there share. It’s sung by Zeca Pagodinho and the message is:
He lets life take (guide) him. He’s happy and thankful for everything God has given him. He says he comes from a poor family, but he has a noble heart. Although he doesn’t have all the things he needs, he can live with what he has. If things are not the way he expected, he doesn’t get desperate, he just lets life go on.
If you’re interested in the video and lyrics click here.