Therefore, take up the whole armor of God,
(Ephesians 6:13)
so that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
We are experiencing unusual times here in Brazil.
We are encountering a scarcity of things unlike anything we've seen in over 30 years, and many living beings have never even had similar experiences in their lives.
Without generalizing, but speaking of the majority: we now have a generation of "toned bodies" filled with flabby and poisoned souls!
Today I decided to involve the whole family in a light simulation exercise for the absolute crisis: me, my wife, my almost 5-year-old daughter, and my 1-year-old son in a stroller, walked about 2 kilometers to the market and back, with the small purchases in the stroller and the baby clinging to me in a baby carrier… almost 4 kilometers of walking, as a family and carrying loads, for the first time in our lives!
I can consider the experience a success, but things happened that required further reflection... and here we are, you and I, dear reader, to talk about it in this letter!
Busy days... Here they come!!!
I don't know about you, but I'm already used to looking for another brand of the same product when a certain one is unavailable… but this time, there was nothing: neither the good brand nor the worst quality one!!! It's been a very, very long time since I've seen empty shelves, not even at the corner store, let alone in a hypermarket… and this is the first thing I want to elaborate on: the complete absence of certain products on the shelves, especially bread and eggs…
But what is there to think about?
Well, we've become accustomed to being part of the so-called "consumer society," where all conveniences and products are always available, provided we pay the price.
Christians like me, who constantly talk about the "beginning of sorrows" and warn about "perilous days," should be more than prepared to go through situations like this, shouldn't we?
Well, yes... I'm not.
I depend too much on markets to buy food and eat; I'm a slave to gas stations to buy fuel and get around; I can't even imagine what I would do if, suddenly, the electricity supply were cut off… what would become of the food stored in the refrigerator? And communications?!?
Do any of you already own a small rural property, away from urban centers, with a source of drinking water and energy for generating electricity, fish and poultry farming, vegetable and legume cultivation, and a well-stocked pantry of non-perishable goods? A structure like that isn't built quickly…
What good is having a prestigious job and a good salary—which is not my case—if it's impossible to break free from the shackles that enslave you to this unpredictable and highly manipulable model of complete dependence on factors entirely beyond our control and planning?
Yes, we should live in dependence on the Lord and subject to His Sovereign will, but today, faced with those empty gondolas, I realized how unprepared I am and that if bad things like the consequences of this strike (or some red government) start to happen regularly… I will need more wisdom and massive doses of Grace to avoid perishing!
We went to the cashier.
And, because we were carrying the boy, we headed towards the only priority checkout lane that was open, but a strong, heavily tattooed man dressed in black cut in front of us.
Shortly after, the woman arrived—also well-endowed, tattooed, and dressed in black—carrying two completely full carts—one with groceries and the other with a healthy and cheerful boy of about eight or nine years old.
There were no babies. There were no elderly people. There were no disabled people… just those three young, beautiful, and healthy human beings who thought the rules of the universe should be subverted in the face of their existence!
The man kept his brow furrowed the entire time, without even looking at those around him… an expression of someone about to pull out a revolver and shoot the first person who questioned his inappropriate behavior. The woman and the child chatted, laughed, and played, for they were normal people and, as such, had no reason whatsoever to be in a priority queue.
I looked closely at their tattoos and clothes… they were rockers! Good heavens, I listen to rock too, and in a country wallowing in the misery of funk music, even that musical preference indicates they weren't ignorant people. Besides, the volume and quality of their purchases indicated considerable purchasing power… anyway, shouldn't people like them be the first to respect the laws and conventions established to create a better society?
While my mind was racing with the unjustifiable arrogance of that family, a very old lady carrying a single bag of pasta positioned herself behind us in line… that was the cue for me to unleash my indignation! I spoke very loudly:
— Please! You are definitely a priority! Since you only have one item to pay for, you can go ahead of me, as I have about eleven items here and a baby… not a full stroller or a grown child!
My wife turned pale and pinched me, asking through gritted teeth if I was trying to start trouble…
No, I didn't want chaos, but order and, above all, justice.
I am one of those fools who tries to live and practice things according to common sense, and I have illusions that people can correct their wrong attitudes… I have as much expectation of this as I do of a sinner repenting of their sins… and sometimes it happens, doesn't it?
Now, with a cool head, I recognize that I took a risk: I could have caused confusion and, worse, even gotten shot, but I'm left with the indignation that people who strive to act correctly have to remain silent and swallow the arrogance of any troublemaker with a sour face!
This is the rule of a nation where people are raised to think that their navel is the center of the universe and that everything good is obligated to be theirs, under the threat of disappointment if everything doesn't happen exactly as meticulously planned in their dreams…
People with the determination to go to gyms, nightclubs… and even marches for Jesus, but incapable of sustaining a discussion through arguments, without making the matter personal, without resorting to shouting, insults or threats…
People who believe that the rules of the world should be bent, twisted and abolished… just for them: priority in lines (even when unnecessary), traffic lights always green (even when red), smooth traffic flow (even if it means cutting people off), maximum speed (even if it means risking lives)… a distorted gospel (even if the destination remains the same hell where all sinners who don't frequent ecclesiastical companies that itch their ears and other less exposed parts of their bodies go).
We can no longer demand good behavior from anyone, much less call sin a sin: it's politically incorrect!
In fact, based on historical misconceptions — some of which I debunked in “The Brothels of Wrath”"—They want good people, especially Christians, to remain silent and bow down before the evil arrogance of those who have the audacity to commit errors… I intend to revise, update, and republish it soon."“The Doomsday Thermometer”"A text written in 2005 that seems more relevant than tomorrow's newspaper, proving itself more accurate every day!"
We left the market for our walk back home just in time to see that man loading his groceries into his SUV, one of those super expensive, brand-new ones…
Remember that little farm with potable water and plenty of resources for survival that I mentioned in the first topic? I have no doubt that a moron like that would be capable of trying to take it, even if it meant killing my family and anyone else who was there… precisely because of that behavior shown in a simple priority line.
It's in moments like this that I almost understand a little of the leftist resentment towards the wealthy, but then I see all the discomfort that just a "little strike" is causing and I go back to detesting the leftist model, after all, people of bad character are everywhere, whether on the left or the right!
The little that the righteous have is worth more than the wealth of many wicked people.
(Psalms 37:16, 18 and 19)
The Lord knows the days of the righteous, and their inheritance will endure forever.
They will not be put to shame in evil times.,
And in the days of famine they will have plenty.
Anyway…
I could have cursed, I could have pushed, I could have demanded the presence of security and created a huge commotion, but here I am, calmly writing and wanting so much to lead you to reflection, as well as eagerly reading my readers' comments!
I don't claim to have all the answers, but I'm sure I have a lot of good things to publish—things that can help and enlighten people.
Thank you for your attention, and may the Lord continue to protect us, bless us, and give us both patience and resilience to overcome these strange times.
They must be non-practicing headbangers. You can find the meaning on Whiplash. I couldn't paste the link here. Although the biggest grudge leftists have is against the middle class. With the super-rich, the issue is different, because many of them are iPhone-wielding socialists.