Historical Personality - Socrates

Socrates

Only a few personalities in history enchant me as much as Socrates. He had some of the character traits I value the most: lightness of soul, bravery, simplicity, humility and the assumption that “all I know is I know nothing”.

Philosophical writings report that Socrates, since very little, tirelessly dedicated himself to what he considered his mission: to dialog with people. But they were dialogues in which he asked more about things he heard than provided elucidation. The rationale behind it was that the questions would lead the interlocutor to analyze their own convictions. By doing so, he put into question several alleged “talents” and unfounded sapience reputations. For those who accepted to submit themselves to the socratic dialogues, acknowledging their own ignorance regarding something could mean a “conscience renaissance”.

Once, after a prolonged conversation with a local personality, who considered himself a wisdom model, Socrates told him that he (the interlocutor) presumed to be wise, but he was not. Socrates then became hated by most of those present in the occasion. His conclusion about that is the following: “I am wiser than this man; it is highly probable that none of us knows anything, but he supposes to know something and he does not; while I, if I don’t know, I don’t suppose to know either. It seems, then, that I am a little bit wiser than him for not assuming to know what I don’t know”.
 
Accused for not accepting the State’s gods, for introducing new ones and for subverting the young, Socrates is judged and convicted. He never denied his words and attitudes in order to change the opinion of the tribunal. On the opposite, he proclaimed to those who were suppose to judge him: “I have no occupation, other than trying to persuade you all, old and young, to focus less on your bodies and goods and more on the perfection of your souls. Also, in telling you that virtue does not come from wealth or from what you consider useful, either in the public or the private life. If, by doing so, I am subverting the young, there is not much I can do; but if someone states that I say otherwise, they’re lying”.

Socrates refused to make any kind of concession, even to pay the fine for his freedom, because that would be endorsing the guilt that was denied by his own consciousness. About the death penalty Socrates said: “If death is the extinction of all sorts of feelings and if it resembles one of those sleep mode where we see nothing, not even while dreaming, then dying is a wonderful gain (…) On the other hand, if death is like a passage from here to somewhere else and if it is true, as some advocate, that it is there where the dead get together, can we, dear judges, imagine anything better?”

When he declined the support of his friends to escape the prison, he said: “The only thing that matter is to live honestly and without committing injustices, not even in retaliation for a perpetrated injustice”. 

When the jailer brought him the hemlock (a highly poisonous plant), he took it in a single swig, telling your friends afterwards: “Everything must end with words of good augury. Remain, then, serene and strong”

*Born in Athens in 470 (or 469) B.C. and died in 399 B.C.
Source: The Thinkers Collection – Nova Cultural (Socrates)

Clean Energy - Coal

The recent tragedy in a coal mine in Turkey, causing the death of more than 300 workers, put – one more time – the problems associated with the mining activity under the spotlight.

Large scale energy generation will always be inevitably linked to social and environmental impacts. Even the so-called “cleaner” power production, like the hydropower, takes its toll over adjacent communities and the overall ecosystem. A few alternatives of energy generation, like coal, are so detrimental that it deserves our deepest concern and consternation. The problem, however, is that the current insatiable appetite for energy doesn’t leave much room for improvement.

Among all the fossil fuels, coal is – by far – the dirtiest and – by all means – the cheapest. The planet burns eight billion tons of this resource a year and 40 percent of the world’s electricity comes from it.

Coal is responsible for 39 to 44 percent of the global CO₂ emissions (in 2012, the world emitted 34.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels). The most worrisome information, though, is that the world coal consumption keeps stubbornly moving up, mostly in emerging industrialized countries, such as India and China. China alone increased its consumption from 1.5 billion tons in 2000 to 3.8 billion tons in 2011.

Coal business causes enormous negative externalities, but no one pays the monetary price for that: neither consumers, nor emitters. The intangible price, however, is borne by the planet as a whole. Thousands of people die a year in coal mines and various more perish due to polluted air. Only in China, it is reported that the filthy air is linked to 1.2 million deaths a year.

Mitigation alternatives, such as carbon capture and storage (literally injecting it underground under conditions that deter leaks), can be such a complex and costly process that no one expects it to be mandatory unless it becomes financially viable.

Another serious issue is that work conditions on any regular underground mine are extremely unsound and insalubrious per se. To make things worse, there are several mines around the world that are not even regulated by local governments, subjecting workers to all sorts of irregularities, including child labor, which causes profound distress if we consider that work in such mines may diminish one’s life expectancy. The ordinary work ambience in the underground is confined, arduous, highly flammable and after a few years of exposure, workers are commonly affected by a disease called pneumoconiosis, which derives from the inhalation of poisonous gases and dust, that can be lethal.

Knowledge, technology and resources that could help making the power generation business cleaner and safer abound. The only thing missing seems to be good will to make them financially viable. Considering that the consequences of persisting on the bad practices are global, it seems reasonable to address the problem in a collective/global standpoint. The planet and their people ask for help.

Sources:

- National Geographic Magazine, April 2014

- A Segurança em Minas de Carvão Agindo na Prevenção da Pneumoconiose – Região Carbonífera de Santa Catarina http://www.bib.unesc.net/biblioteca/sumario/000028/000028C9.pdf

Toiletries and Cosmetics - Controversial Ingredients

History has proven us how the adoption of hygienic measures with personal care and asepsis are vital for the human life maintenance. Along time, R&D institutions fostered a sophistication of the toiletries and enabled the creation of cosmetics. For women, in particular, the variety of such products in the shelves has a mesmerizing effect. There is nothing wrong about the desire of being cleaner and beautiful, but it is important to have in mind that the load of ingredients brought by these products can (or cannot) be harmful healthwise.

The presence of these items in the formulation is fundamental to assure product stability, efficacy, preservation, fungicide/bactericide action, among other attributes of the final product as we know it. However, many are considered controversial because the magnitude of their aggregate exposure can (or cannot) cause health problems. It is important to highlight that an ingredient is considered controversial when the scientific community can’t reach a consensus regarding its negative effects. Some experts assure it is 100% safe, while others condemn it and associate it with unfavorable outcomes. Hence the controversy. Some raw-materials are also considered polemic given their critical sourcing chain, since the extraction can (or cannot) be directly associated to environmental impacts (ecosystem contamination, deforestation, biodiversity damage, etc) as well as social ones (mostly related to child labor, slave-like labor and conflict zones linkage).

Some of the ingredients considered controversial nowadays (among many others) are: triclosan, paraben, phthalate, toluene, benzene, bisphenol, formaldehyde, phenoxiethanol, aluminum, mercury, lead, nanoparticles, camphor, GMO, palm oil, mica, and the list goes on. Some of the associated problems are (very important to recall the controversy aspect): endocrine, hormone, neurological, sexual and reproductive disruptions; birth defects; cancers; allergies; dermatitis; bioaccumulation (environment) among others.

There are market regulations that control the dosage of these products within acceptable levels, but one of the main arguments among scientists who advocate the negative consequences is that the aggregate exposure is harmful. What does it mean? It means that these components are present in almost every product we consume in a daily basis, such as toothpastes, deodorants, shampoos, moisturizing, perfumes, cosmetics in general, make-ups, plastic objects, cleaning products, textiles, furniture, kitchen utensils, dye, paints, foods, etc. Therefore the aggregate exposure.

A special warn must be given to women, because a greater percentage of some of these ingredients is in personal care and cosmetics products. A research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shown that women presented levels significantly higher of chemicals in their organism than men submitted to the same investigation.

It is known that running away from such components seems impossible. Some companies are already taking the lead when it comes to eliminating some of them from products’ formulation. The problem is that some substitutes are not necessarily better taking into consideration their value-chain and they can even happen to be another controversial item. To be considered a substitute, it is mandatory to fulfill the technical features previously mentioned.

No despair needed, because there is not much one can do from a consumer’s point of view. Hopefully, engaged regulatory organs along with countless researchers are working in our favor around the world. Let us wait for good news, responsible business and safe products.

Sources:

My own professional experience

http://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/center-for-excellence-in-environmental-health-tracking/Second_Report.pdf

http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/danger-drugstore-womens-cosmetics

http://ec.europa.eu/health/scientific_committees/opinions_layman/triclosan/en/l-2/2-uses-cosmetics-disinfectant.htm

Striking Statistics

Sometimes, statistics numbers shock me so utterly that I ask myself how they can even be possible. These ones I collected from the book An Introduction to Sustainable Development (Peter P. Rogers, Kazi F. Jalal and John A. Boyd) are – perhaps – the most scaring ones I have ever read in my entire life. When I take into consideration that those data are from 2006 and that the current reality could be much worse, I could not help but feeling profound dismay.

When I've read it for the first time, I realized that fixing the world extreme poverty problems – although complex – is a feasible task if important actors such as Governments, Private Companies, NGOs, International Organizations and Civil Societies channeled efforts as well as funds towards basic human needs.

            Here the numbers are and they go without further comments, because they clearly speak for themselves. I would just recommend you post them on an easy access wall so you can check them out every chance you have (preferably everyday).

I quote "Facts about poverty and global priorities spending*:

·      Today across the world 1.3 billion people live on less than one dollar/day; 3 billion (half the world population) live on less than two dollars/day; 1.3 billion people have no access to clean water; 2 billion have no access to electricity; and 3 billion have no access to sanitation.

·      Also today consider the following as global priorities in spending:

Items of Expenditure	Annual Spending US$ billion
Cosmetics in the US	8
Perfumes in Europe and the US	12
Ice cream in Europe	12
Pet foods in Europe and the US	17
Business entertainment in Japan	35
Cigarettes in Europe	50
Alcoholic drinks in Europe	105
Narcotic drugs in the world	400
Military spending, global	780

·      And yet some of the basic needs of poor humanity, the cost of which are as follows:

	Annual Estimate Cost in US$ billion
Basic education for all	6
Water and sanitation for all	9
Basic health and nutrition for everyone	13
Reproductive health for all women in the world	12

Sources: Anup Shah (2006)"

* From the book An Introduction to Sustainable Development. Authors: Peter P Rogers, Kazi F Jalal & John A Boyd, 2008.

Best

Gildete Lima

(The myth of) Sustainability

During my master program I took as many courses related to sustainability as possible, either because this was one of the main focuses of my concentration or because it is a topic that really interests me. In one of these courses, which I picked with great enthusiasm, I heard from my professor in the very first day of class that sustainable development is a myth. That statement caused me a strong discomfort, especially because that was a course related to sustainability and it was like taking the shine away from the theme. So at the end of the class I told him that I signed up for that course because I wanted to believe sustainable development was possible and I set up a time to visit him at his office hours so we could better discuss the topic.

Later on, during my visit to his office, we had a wonderful conversation where he explained me his motives for saying that. He argued that mankind uses too much resources and that real sustainability (the way it is supposed to be) cannot be achieved if we keep acting and behaving the way we do. I understood his point of view and that triggered me a different way of seeing things, though I still want to believe it is a possible road.

Sustainability is a trendy word that everyone is talking about and they all seem to know what it really means. Some people and companies believe that because they separate their trash (paper, glass, organic and so on) they are contributing significantly to the sustainable development. Others believe that by switching their light bulbs for more efficient ones, they are doing their part. It is absolutely true that these steps contribute to the cause, but they are far from enough.

An important ingredient in sustainable development, in addition to a responsible way of producing things, is a sustainable and responsible way of consuming them.

Let’s see things this way: millions of people around the world dream about the day in which they will be able to buy a SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle), a heavy, big car that requires much more natural resources to be produced and significantly more fuel to operate. The majority of people never takes these characteristics into consideration in their buying process and if they do is certainly by the fact that they are worried about the increase of their monthly gas budget and rarely for a sustainable consumption standpoint. In many cases it is just a single person or a two-people family who buys these automobiles. They buy them mostly for status fulfillment and not because they have a huge family that requires a big car to move it around.

Electronics: wonderful gears that everyone “needs”. It doesn’t matter how smart the one you already have is and how long ago you bought it, you will always “need” the latest version. It is all about creating necessities that we actually don’t need. Scandals of bad business practices revolving giant companies in this sector is always on the news, but no one seems to care about it when they decide to buy new products from them. They are companies that should be ashamed of the type of bad business they are doing, but unfortunately consumers “indirectly” support it by retro feeding this vicious cycle. How many people think about the amount of natural resources is comprised in the production of a computer, a cell phone or a tablet, just to name a few? How many people think about the way those resources are extracted from the soil and how dangerous and unsafe it can be to mining workers to deal with it every single day, especially if their employers do not practice responsible business as well? How many people think about abusing business practices and unfair labor conditions behind all the wonderful hi-tech gadgets they feel tempted to buy? How many people think about the amount of natural resources and human capital energy involved in the production of the gears they had and are now discarding (with no worries about their future destiny) just to get the “newest version” to fulfill their greedy consumption behavior? How can the planet sustain this type of consumption?

Jewelry/fashion: how many people think about where that sparkling, beautiful diamond rock comes from and whether people were killed back in their home countries to make that beautiful rock available to their rings, before deciding to buy (another) one? How many coats, purses and shoes a person can handle into their closets and how many of them wonder how were those outfits produced? Recently, some worldwide famous stores in the fashion world were accused of utilizing slavery workforce in emerging countries. However, none of their consumers seemed to be affected by it and continued marching to the same stores to buy stuff they think they need as if nothing were happening on the “backstage”.

How many people are capable of thinking about how much fossil fuel are burned and how much water are utilized in a daily basis in order to produce the food they have in their tables? Can they even think these natural resources are used in great abundance just to make their food available? How many people understand where the energy that powers their life comes from? Are their countries a self-sufficient energy producer or heavily over reliant on the resource import? How much sufficient or how much dependent? What are the implications of that for their own comfort and security? How many people understand that every single thing they eat, wear, drink and use requires a large amount of natural resources to be produced and that they are dangerously scarce?

Sustainable development is way beyond just a fancy trend or beautiful rhetoric. It HAS to be an important value that everyone must carry inside themselves. Now I clearly understand my professor’s perspective. He is right when he says that, with the mentality mankind has been acting, sustainable development is reduced to a myth. Collective actions are extremely necessary in achieving sustainability, but – most importantly – individual actions are the pathway to get there since the latter feeds the former. Innovation and technology are also crucial components, but without a sustainable / responsible consumption mindset, they are just a fancy tool in the attempts of optimizing the (already) abusive use of scarce resources. As a final remark, I would like to state something for those who believe that “green” initiatives are the “silver bullet” to all the problems related to sustainability. I am afraid I have to remind them that not all “green” and renewable initiatives are necessarily sustainable, but this can be a topic for another discussion.

Best

Gildete Lima

The Brazil we forget to talk about

The Brazil that has been depicted in the news, magazines, journals, universities talks and so on is a successful and prosperous country, which economy has recently reached the admirable 6^th position. It is so convincing that even I believe this is entirely true sometimes. Of course, it is absolutely true that this country has gauged important steps towards economic and political advancement in the last few decades and it is also true that against facts there are no arguments. Indeed, our GDP is the sixth largest in the world and the numbers prove that. My point here is to raise a clear awareness that economic growth, by no means, reflects adequate economic or social development. Brazil is far from what a 6^th largest economy should be in terms of a lot of things and I dare to say that it may take centuries to get there. Among a set of reasons I could go on and on here, I would mention two in particular to illustrate why it is so difficult to achieve a reasonable position among developed countries. One is connected to the cultural issue since it is noticeable in a daily basis that a vast percentage of my fellow countrymen do not make any effort to leverage themselves from the human bestiality they live in, such as preferring to spend the entire weekends talking out loud in bars, performing vulgar dancing, drinking beers and listening to what they call music, instead of spending quality time with their families or diverting this precious time and money to more important things in life, like education. Another very important reason is the lack of governmental good will in providing basic needs such as education, public security, health and basic infrastructure. Our political body and structure are amongst the most expensive in the world, corruption is endemic (or should I say epidemic?) while the minimum wage is merely U$361.00 (today’s exchange rate).

First of all, I would like to start by saying that Brazil, in spite of many beliefs, is not simply reduced to Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, samba, carnival, hot women and Petrobras. There is a huge nation out there that is seldom mentioned in the news. Secondly, I would like to say to those who are going to react to my words by saying that they know Brazil very well and that I am overreacting in face to one or two isolated situation, that they may only know the best Brazil can offer. I do know the good things as well, but I certainly know the worst of Brazil and I verbalize this with 35 years of experience behind me.

I am going to make a long story short by mentioning just two examples of the Brazil that went wrong and persists in going wrong. All I am going to say is based on the experiences around me and not on an article I’ve read or on a story someone told me:

i)        A person I know, who doesn’t have health insurance, suddenly started feeling terrible headaches that was increasingly getting worse and worse. After a few days and a lot of painkillers that proved useless in face to the intolerable pain, she went to a public hospital where she was told her case was not an emergency so she had to come back home and try help in any public health unit. Even after explaining that she could barely be standing and had even passed out due to the strong pain (which is true), they said there was no way for her to be treated in the hospital. She, then, peregrinated to different public health units until she found one in which she could finally see a doctor. The doctor said her case was indeed one for public hospital treatment, a place in which she could do specific exams and get a precise diagnosis since it didn’t look like a normal headache (public health units are very small and do not have sophisticated exam equipment).  The doctor told her that the hospital should have accepted her as a patient and she should return there. She returned to the hospital and once again was told that it was not a “case” for the hospital and she had to insist in getting treatment through other means. She continued feeling horrible headaches to the point she could not work anymore and since she is an informal worker, she only gets any income whenever she works. She had no more money for food, medicines or even to pay for her transportation back and forth hospitals. She gave up on emergency and insistently tried to set up a regular appointment with a Neurologist through the SUS (Sistema Único de Saúde), the public health system in Brazil The surprise: no doctor appointment was available for the next few months. There was no opening available.  She, then, had to continue feeling deadly pain until forever, unless someone paid for a private doctor appointment and for her exams, which is exactly what happened and she finally got a clear diagnosis. If she took longer, she might have died, the doctor said.

Another person I know was under strong pain on her foot due to an open wound (erysipelas) and she also suffered for several months trying to see a doctor at a public hospital or clinics. She could not see any doctor for the same reason (no opening available) and she lost account of how many nights she spent awake due to strong and persistent pain. As a result, she spent around 5 months until she could see a doctor and get medicines prescribed for her problem.

ii)              Changing subject to the second point I intend to make here, these days I have been in deep consternation to what is happening in the city I live in. The police are on strike and the situation signals how barbarian people can be. My feeling is that a greater part of the population does not have any ability to be civilized by their own will, requiring a superior force in order to make a “livable” place possible. If the law enforcement institution is not there for some reason (either because it is on strike or because it is incompetent), they are ready to make the whole environment looks like a savage jungle filled with wild animals. Here is what we have been witnessing around these days: a group of looters comprised mostly by young boys and men causing panic in the entire society, especially in the biggest cities of the state, through what they call here “arrastão”, a violent surge in which they operate in groups so they can easily intimidate whoever is on their way. Business owners are – perhaps – the main focus of these groups. Stores are plundered and looters take whatever they can with them: beers, jewelry, food, clothes, electronics, appliances and the list goes on (a refrigerator was seen in looters’ hands early this week). Even stores, which owners preferred not to open in an attempt to avoid violence and prevent violation, have been affected since rioters break doors down and take whatever is inside (sometimes even setting them on fire). Murder records went up already and the most striking part is that some police officers are involved in the mess. It has been reported that a few hooded police men are often seen in the streets vandalizing and creating fear as well, such as the news about an attack to several public bus perpetrated by them. Some homeless murders are also been associated to them (which was not confirmed, though). Companies are closed, people are afraid to leave their homes (today I was expecting a drugstore delivery and I’ve just got a call from them to let me know it could not be done due to the situation in the streets)… Sometimes I feel like I am living under a civil war.

As I said before, I could go on and on with several issues of this Brazil that went and is still going wrong (don’t even get me started with the education situation), but I don’t want to make this too long. For those who love this country, I have no intention to make you feel otherwise. I just think everybody must also understand that Brazil has a long way to go in order to respect the 6^th position it has just attained in the global economic scenario and to reinforce the fact that economic growth is a key component in bringing economic and social development to a nation, but not the only one.

Best

Gildete Lima

Freedom

Many people believe they are free to say or do whatever they want, but insofar one evolves intellectually and – more importantly – morally, she/he understands there is a clear limitation to what they believe is “unconditional” freedom.