“There is nothing like a dream to create the future” . (Victor Hugo)

“There is nothing like a dream to create the future” . (Victor Hugo) As Dostoevsky said, “The true secret of human existence is knowing what you live for.” There was someone who said not to waste time on things we can't change. However, we should all know that living life means facing challenges with courage and perseverance, never giving up on our dreams. Dream and remain firm on our path, there are no mountains impossible to climb. No matter how many obstacles appear in the path, we will move forward, towards our dreams. However, today... it's one of those days when we feel in a whirlwind of not very positive emotions and sensations!... There are moments in life when we should be silent and let the silence speak to the heart, as there are emotions that words don't know how to translate! As the writer Victor Hugo said: “Hope would be the greatest of human forces, if despair did not exist.” But, on the other hand, we have to accept and be grateful for life, for everything it has shown us, brought us, given us the opportunity to know and feel... the good people we know, all those who fill our hearts and the soul!... And on the other hand, everything that has been getting in our way, making us stop, making us delay, making us, in a certain way, suffer and even sometimes, (why don't you say it) to be hurt... Sometimes making us question who we are, how we are and what that implies... and with each step we move forward... it seems to us that we are always “obliged” to take at least two or three steps back and start over and over again! As the Portuguese writer Miguel Torga said: “Start again... if you can, without anguish and without rushing and the steps you take, on this hard path of the future, give them in freedom, until you reach it, don't rest, from any fruit you just want. half." Sometimes we just want the words to be spoken by someone, so we can hear what we already know and the reality of who we really are. But, we are aware that the words that stay in our heads are never the most beautiful, but always the strongest. We know that sometimes the only solution is to be strong and endure with integrity all the challenges that life throws at us. As Martha Medeiros, one of the best Brazilian chroniclers, said: “Relating with our own thoughts and emotions is a most productive exercise. It’s when we, in silence, find the answers to our concerns and discover the best ways to achieve our goals.”

“Não há nada como o sonho para criar o futuro” . (Victor Hugo

“Não há nada como o sonho para criar o futuro” . (Victor Hugo) Como disse Dostoievski “O verdadeiro segredo da existência humana é saber para o que se vive.” Houve alguém que disse para não perdermos tempo com coisas que não podemos mudar. No entanto todos devíamos saber que viver a vida é enfrentar os desafios com coragem e perseverança, nunca desistindo dos nossos sonhos. Sonhar e continuar firme no nosso caminho, não há montanhas impossíveis de subir. Por mais que apareçam pedras no caminho, vamos seguir em frente, rumo aos nossos sonhos. No entanto, hoje... é daqueles dias em que nos sentimos num turbilhão de emoções e sensações não muito positivas!... Há momentos na vida em que deveríamos calar-nos e deixar que o silêncio falasse ao coração, pois há emoções que as palavras não sabem traduzir! Como disse o escritor Victor Hugo: “A esperança seria a maior das forças humanas, se não existisse o desespero.” Mas, por outro lado, temos que aceitar e estar agradecidos pela vida, por tudo o que ela nos tem mostrado, trazido, dado origem a conhecer e a sentir... as pessoas boas que conhecemos, todas as que nos enchem o coração e a alma!... E por outro lado, tudo o que se tem vindo a colocar no nosso caminho, fazendo-nos parar, fazendo-nos atrasar, fazendo-nos, de certo modo sofrer e até por vezes, (porque não dizê-lo) ficar magoado... Fazendo-nos às vezes por em causa o que somos, como somos e o que isso implica... e a cada passo que avançamos em frente... parece-nos que somos “obrigados” sempre a dar dois ou três passos para trás no mínimo e a recomeçar sempre e sempre de novo! Como disse o escritor português Miguel Torga:” Recomeça... se puderes, sem angústia e sem pressa e os passos que deres, nesse caminho duro do futuro, dá-os em liberdade, enquanto não alcances não descanses, de nenhum fruto queiras só metade.” As vezes só queremos que as palavras sejam ditas por alguém, para que possamos escutar o que já sabemos e a realidade de quem realmente somos. Mas, temos a noção de que as palavras que ficam nas nossas cabeças nunca são as mais lindas, mais sempre as mais fortes. Sabemos que às vezes a única solução é ser forte e suportar com integridade todos os desafios que a vida nos coloca pela frente. Como disse Martha Medeiros, uma das melhores cronistas brasileiras: “Relacionarmo-nos com os próprios pensamentos e emoções é um exercício dos mais produtivos. É quando a gente, em silêncio, encontra as respostas para nossas inquietações e descobre os melhores caminhos para atingir nossos objetivos.”

“Life is wonderful if you are not afraid of it.” (Charles Chaplin)

“Life is wonderful if you are not afraid of it.” (Charles Chaplin) “We know everything, but we can’t do anything.” As Marina Garcés, a Catalan philosopher, said, “The decisive fact of our time is that, together, we know a lot and, at the same time, we can do very little. We are, at the same time, enlightened and illiterate. Why know so much if we can't change anything afterwards? Information only causes us pain. There are phenomena, such as eco-anxiety among young people or states of fear and depression among many people, who feel that knowledge only generates, in a certain way, more impotence.” In reality we live in times where fears are terrible things. Since nobody likes them, they disguise themselves as good things. Fears camouflage themselves as desires. They do so with a subtlety that baffles even the most intelligent attention. There is no desire to be well interpreted. There is a fear of being misunderstood. And so we no longer say what we had to say. Something else is said, to cover the fear, which serves no purpose other than to cover the fear. This quote is attributed to Elbert Hubbard: “The biggest mistake we can make is to be constantly afraid of making a mistake. But we remember that the failure is the person who made a mistake, but is not capable of converting his error into experience. So to avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.” This means that it is not by eliminating our fears that we promote their opposites. On the contrary: if we do everything we can to not look stupid, it is almost certain that we will achieve what would otherwise be much easier: we will actually look stupid! In fact, at certain times we all feel that some of our days are not easy at all, nothing is perfect, nothing goes right. We have days when we feel a certain feeling of emptiness, because we lack strength, we lack courage, we lack the will to face challenges. But so what? Are we going to give up or lift our heads and move forward? Even in difficulties, the best thing is to stop complaining and feel grateful for having another day to live, for having one more reason to move forward and the next day always try to be stronger. The important thing on these days is not to cross your arms, not to give up. Everything can be renewed, everything can be changed, everything can be fixed. “People tend to put words where ideas are missing. The closer a person gets to his goals, the more his difficulties grow.” (Johann Goethe) The popular voice says that a heart full of doubts will leave no room for hope. A head full of pessimism will not find the path to success. Let us have self-confidence, self-esteem and resilience. Let us make space for the good things we have within us. There is no greater strength than the strength of believing that in the future, today's tiredness and pain will be worth it and will be transformed into smiles of achievement and gratitude. Obstacles will arise every day, it is up to each of us to let them stop us or use them as springboards for ever greater leaps in our lives. As long as there is a will and we believe in our own abilities, there will never be insurmountable barriers or impossible challenges! “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not the absence of fear. The correct function of a friend is to support us when we make mistakes. Unfortunately, most people are only on our side as long as we stay on the path they think is right.” (Mark Twain)

“A vida é maravilhosa se não se tem medo dela.” (Charles Chaplin)

“A vida é maravilhosa se não se tem medo dela.” (Charles Chaplin) “Sabemos tudo, mas não podemos nada.” Segundo disse Marina Garcés, uma filosofa catalã ” O facto decisivo do nosso tempo é que, em conjunto, sabemos muito e, ao mesmo tempo, podemos muito pouco. Somos, em simultâneo, ilustrados e analfabetos. Porquê saber tanto se depois não podemos mudar nada? A informação só nos causa dor. Há fenómenos, como a ecoansiedade entre os jovens ou estados de medo e depressão entre muitas pessoas, que sentem que o conhecimento só gera, de certa forma, mais impotência.” Na realidade vivemos tempos em que os medos são coisas terríveis. Como ninguém gosta deles, disfarçam-se de coisas boas. Os medos camuflam-se de desejos. Fazem-no com uma subtileza que confunde mesmo a atenção mais inteligente. Não se tem o desejo de ser bem interpretado. Tem-se é o medo de ser mal interpretado. E assim já não se diz o que se tinha para dizer. Diz-se outra coisa, para tapar o medo, que não serve para mais nada, senão para tapar o medo. É atribuído a Elbert Hubbard esta frase: “O maior erro que podemos cometer é o de ficar o tempo todo com medo de cometer algum erro. Mas relembramos que o falhado é a pessoa que errou, mas não é capaz de converter o seu erro em experiência. Por isso para evitar críticas, não faça nada, não diga nada, não seja nada.” Tal quer dizer que não é eliminando os nossos medos que se promove os seus contrários. Pelo contrário: se nós fizermos tudo para não parecermos estúpidos, é quase certo que vamos conseguir o que de outra forma seria bastante mais fácil: vamos parecer mesmo estúpidos!. Na verdade todos, em certos momentos sentimos que alguns dos nosso dias não são nada fáceis, nada está perfeito, nada dá certo. Temos dias que sentimos uma certa sensação de vazio, porque nos falta a força, nos falta ânimo, nos falta a vontade de enfrentar os desafios. Mas e daí? Vamos desistir ou levantar a cabeça e seguir em frente? Mesmo nas dificuldades, o melhor é pararmos de nos lamentar e sentir gratidão por ter mais um dia para viver, por ter mais um motivo para seguir adiante e no dia seguinte tentar sempre ser mais forte. O importante nesses dias assim, é não cruzar os braços, não se darmos por vencidos(as). Tudo pode ser renovado, tudo pode ser mudado, tudo tem conserto. “As pessoas tendem a colocar palavras onde faltam ideias. Quanto mais uma pessoa se aproxima de suas metas, tanto mais crescem as suas dificuldades.”( Johann Goethe) Diz a voz popular que um coração cheio de dúvidas, não deixará espaço para esperança. Uma cabeça cheia de pessimismo, não encontrará o caminho do sucesso. Tenhamos autoconfiança, autoestima e resiliência. Abramos espaços para as coisas boas que temos dentro de nós. Não existe força maior do que a força de acreditar que lá na frente, o cansaço e a dor de hoje, valerão a pena e se transformarão em sorrisos de conquista e gratidão. Obstáculos surgirão todos os dias, cabe a cada um de nós deixar que nos parem ou usá-los como trampolins para saltos cada vez maiores nas nossas vidas. Enquanto houver vontade e acreditarmos na nossa própria capacidade, nunca haverá barreiras insuperáveis e nem desafios impossíveis! “Coragem é a resistência ao medo, domínio do medo, e não a ausência do medo. A função correcta de um amigo consiste em apoiar-nos quando erramos. Infelizmente, a maior parte das pessoas só está do nosso lado enquanto permanecemos no caminho que eles julgam certo.”(Mark Twain)

(Poem of a dog)

(Poem of a dog) I am what awaits you... Your car has a special sound and I can recognize it among a thousand. Your steps have a timbre of magic, they are music to me. Your voice is the greatest sign of my happy time, and sometimes, it's not necessary to mention: I hear your sadness. If I see your joy, it makes me happy! I don't know what a good or bad smell is, I just know that your smell is the best. Some presences I sometimes like. Others, not so much. But your presence is what moves my senses. You wake up, I wake up! Your look is a ray of light when I perceive your awakening… Your hands on me have the lightness of peace. And when you leave, everything is empty again... And I wait again and again and again... By the sound of your car; For your steps; By your voice; For your always constant state of humor; For your smell; For your rest under my watch; For your eyes; And I'm happy like that. I am what awaits you: I'm your dog!!! (anonymous)

(Poema de um cão)

(Poema de um cão) Eu sou o que te espera… O teu carro tem um som especial e eu posso reconhecê-lo entre mil. Os teus passos têm um timbre de magica, eles são música para mim. A tua voz é o maior sinal de meu tempo feliz, e às vezes, não é necessário mencionar: ouço a tua tristeza. Se vejo tua alegria, me faz feliz! Não sei o que é cheiro bom ou mau, só sei que o teu cheiro é o melhor. De algumas presenças às vezes eu gosto. Outras, nem tanto. Mas a tua presença é o que move os meus sentidos. Tu acordas, eu acorda! O teu olhar é um raio de luz quando percebo o seu despertar… As suas mãos sobre mim têm a leveza da paz. E, quando você sai, tudo é vazio outra vez… E volto a esperar sempre e sempre… Pelo som do seu carro; Por os teus passos; Por tua voz; Pelo teu estado sempre constante de humor; Por teu cheiro; Pelo teu repouso sob minha vigília; Por teus olhos; E sou feliz assim. Eu sou o que te espera: Sou teu cão!!! (anónimo)

“For the art of living, you need to know the art of listening, smiling and being patient... always.” (Hermann Hesse)

“For the art of living, you need to know the art of listening, smiling and being patient... always.” (Hermann Hesse) But to talk, we have to know how to listen. And this is how we also calibrate the value of our words, the value of what we think, of our own feelings. And to do that, we have to have truly active listening. Truly present. Everyone wants to learn to speak. But so many need to learn to listen. And if we, adults, sometimes feel like we are not heard... imagine the children. Who truly listens to them? Who listens to what they say but, more importantly, what they don't say? As the Dalai Lama said: “by speaking you only repeat what you already know, but by listening, perhaps you can learn something.” We urgently need to stop killing creativity. To stop turning off the light of wanting to know more, of curiosity. Of wanting to learn. We need to follow the changes of the new generations and listen to them more, we must be fully aware that change really begins with each one of us. “We don’t have time for ourselves, or to live in the present. We are always stuck in the past or living in tomorrow. If we are at work, we are at fault because we are not with our family. If we are with our family, we are at fault because we are not at work.” “Progress is impossible without change; and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” (George Bernard Shaw) Because the difference between knowing how to speak, knowing how to listen and knowing how to be patient has to do with us, with our identity, with our language, with our culture, with our ability to not only know how to speak, listen and have patience , but also to think carefully, therefore, to be stronger. And we will really need to be stronger in the times that come. “We can believe that all life will offer us in the future is to repeat what we did yesterday and today. But, if we pay attention, we will realize that no day is the same. It is necessary to live every minute because there we find the way out of our confusion, the joy of our good moments, the correct clue for the decision we will make. We can never let each day look the same as the last because every day is different, because we are in a constant process of change.” (Paulo Coelho) Or as Martin Luther King said: “There is nothing more tragic in this world than knowing what is right and not doing it. How about we change the world starting with ourselves?”

Para a arte de viver, é preciso saber a arte de ouvir, sorrir e ter paciência... sempre.” (Hermann Hesse)

“Para a arte de viver, é preciso saber a arte de ouvir, sorrir e ter paciência... sempre.” (Hermann Hesse) Mas para conversar, temos que saber ouvir. E é assim que calibramos também o valor das nossas palavras, o valor do que nós pensamos, dos nossos próprios sentimentos. E para isso, temos de ter uma escuta verdadeiramente activa. Verdadeiramente presente. Todos querem aprender a falar. Mas tantos precisam aprender a ouvir. E se nós, adultos, por vezes sentimos que não somos ouvidos... imaginem as crianças. Quem as escuta, verdadeiramente? Quem é que escuta aquilo que dizem mas, principalmente, aquilo que também não dizem? Como disse o Dalai Lama: “ao falar apenas repetes o que já sabes, mas ao ouvir, talvez possas aprender alguma coisa.” Precisamos, urgentemente, de parar de matar criatividades. De parar de apagar a luz do querer saber mais, da curiosidade. Do querer aprender. Precisamos acompanhar a mudança das novas gerações e de os ouvir mais, temos de ter a plena consciência que a mudança começa mesmo em cada um de nós. “Não temos tempo para nós próprios, nem para viver no presente. Estamos sempre presos ao passado ou a viver no amanhã. Se estamos no trabalho, estamos em culpa porque não estamos com a família. Se estamos com a família, estamos em culpa porque não estamos no trabalho.” “O progresso é impossível sem mudança; e aqueles que não conseguem mudar as suas mentes não conseguem mudar nada.” (George Bernard Shaw) Porque a diferença entre o saber falar, o saber escutar e o saber ter paciência tem que ver connosco, com a nossa identidade, com a nossa língua, com a nossa cultura, com a nossa capacidade de não só saber falar, escutar e ter paciência, mas também de pensar bem, logo, de sermos mais fortes. E vamos muito precisar de ser mais fortes nos tempos que aí vêm. “Podemos acreditar que tudo que a vida nos oferecerá no futuro é repetir o que fizemos ontem e hoje. Mas, se prestarmos atenção, vamos dar-nos conta de que nenhum dia é igual a outro. É preciso viver cada minuto porque ali encontramos a saída de nossas confusões, a alegria de nossos bons momentos, a pista correcta para a decisão que tomaremos. Nunca podemos deixar que cada dia pareça igual ao anterior porque todos os dias são diferentes, porque estamos em constante processo de mudança.” (Paulo Coelho) Ou como disse Martin Luther King:“Não há nada mais trágico neste mundo do que saber o que é certo e não fazê-lo. Que tal mudarmos o mundo começando por nós mesmos?”

"I only know that I know nothing."

"I only know that I know nothing. That man believes he knows something, without knowing it, while I, as I know nothing, am also certain that I don't know.” Words attributed to Socrates. In ancient Greece, Socrates had a reputation as an esteemed sage. One day, an acquaintance ran up to the great philosopher and said: "Socrates, do you know what I just heard about your friend?" "Wait a minute," Socrates replied. "Before you tell me anything I would like you to do a little test. It's called the 'Triple Filter Test''. "Triple Filter?" "That's right," Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea for you to take a moment to filter what you're going to say. The first filter is the TRUTH. Are you absolutely sure that what you are going to tell me is true?” "NO", the man said: "Actually I just heard that..." "All right," said Socrates. "So, you really don't know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the KINDNESS filter. Is what you're about to tell me about my friend a good thing?" "NO, quite the opposite..." "So," Socrates continued, "You want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not sure if it's true. But you can still pass the test, because there's a third filter available: that of UTILITY. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be something I can use to benefit the world?" "No, not much." "Well", concluded Socrates, "If what you want to tell me is not true, nor good, nor useful, why do you want to say that to me?" The man looked at him and, without saying a word, walked away dejectedly. However, “he learned a great lesson!” This teaches: “Only speak what is true to enrich you with virtues, increase knowledge, kindness, happiness, unite people, provide health, peace, justice, faith and love! May your speech be an instrument that brings about all the good in all aspects of life!

“Só sei que nada sei." (Filosofo Sócrates)

“Só sei que nada sei. Aquele homem acredita saber alguma coisa, sem sabê-la, enquanto eu, como não sei nada, também estou certo de não saber.” Palavras atribuídas a Sócrates. Na Grécia antiga, Sócrates tinha a reputação de ser um estimado sábio. Um dia, um conhecido correu até o grande filósofo e disse: "Sócrates, sabes o que eu acabei de ouvir sobre o seu amigo?" "Espere um minuto", Sócrates respondeu. "Antes de me dizer qualquer coisa eu gostaria que você fizesse em um pequeno teste. É o chamado 'Teste do Filtro Triplo''. "Filtro Triplo?" "É isso mesmo", continuou Sócrates. "Antes de falar comigo sobre o meu amigo, pode ser uma boa ideia que tire um momento para filtrar o que vai dizer. O primeiro filtro é a VERDADE. Está absolutamente certo de que o que vai dizer-me é verdade?" "NÃO", o homem disse: "Na verdade eu acabei de ouvir que..." "Tudo bem", disse Sócrates. "Então, realmente não sabe se é verdade ou não. Agora vamos tentar o segundo filtro, o da BONDADE. O que está prestes a me dizer sobre o meu amigo é algo bom?" "NÃO, muito pelo contrário..." "Então", continuou Sócrates, "Quer me dizer algo ruim sobre ele, mas não tem certeza se é verdade. Mas ainda pode passar no teste, porque há um terceiro filtro disponível: o da UTILIDADE. O que quer me dizer sobre o meu amigo vai ser algo que eu possa usar para beneficiar o mundo?" "Não, não muito." "Bem", concluiu Sócrates, “Se o que quer me dizer não é verdadeiro, nem bom, nem útil, por que quer dizer isso para mim?”. O homem olhou para ele e, sem dizer nenhuma palavra, foi embora desanimado. No entanto, “aprendeu uma grande lição!”. Isso ensina: “Só fale o que for verdadeiro para enriquecer de virtudes, aumentar o conhecimento, a bondade, a felicidade, unir as pessoas, proporcionar saúde, paz, justiça, fé e amor! Seja o seu falar um instrumento que propicie todo o bem em todos os sentidos da vida!

“Think what they want of you; do what seems right to you.” (Pythagoras

“Think what they want of you; do what seems right to you.” (Pythagoras Every day is an opportunity to start over and plan a new path. But, we have to move forward and believe in ourselves. The word “impossible” was invented to be challenged. We are capable of doing much more than we imagine! As Winston Churchill said: “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; the optimist sees an opportunity in every difficulty. Courage is the first of human qualities, because it is the quality that guarantees the others. It takes courage to stand up and speak, but it also takes courage to sit down and listen.” We all have, at times in our lives, some “ghosts” that surround us and fighting these “ghosts” is not an easy task, but it is a battle worth fighting. We need to cultivate faith in the future, find meaning in the little things, nurture relationships and constantly seek new challenges and opportunities. In no way can we allow “the ghost” that surrounds us to imprison us in its icy embrace. We have and must resist, fight and persevere, because it is only by facing our fears and uncertainties that we can truly discover what it means to be alive and live. As Charles Chaplin said: “The incentive to live is to take risks, leave fear to the weak. Do not give up on your dreams. The world is in the hands of those who have the courage to dream and take the risk of living their dreams.” We have to realize that sometimes it is easy to let ourselves go enveloped by its aura of hopelessness and resignation, with the monotony of everyday life, with the feeling of emptiness that sets in, but it is in these moments that resistance is essential, as giving in to the “ghosts” is renouncing one’s life. It's allowing our days to become a purposeless journey, marked only by apathy and indifference. “Every dream we leave behind is a piece of our future that ceases to exist. “(Steve Jobs)

“Pensem o que quiserem de ti; faz aquilo que te parece justo.” (Pitágoras

“Pensem o que quiserem de ti; faz aquilo que te parece justo.” (Pitágoras Todos os dias são uma oportunidade para recomeçar e para planear um novo caminho. Mas, temos que seguir em frente e acreditar em nós. A palavra “impossível” foi inventada para ser desafiada. Somos capazes de fazer muito mais do que imaginamos! Como dizia Winston Churchill: “O pessimista vê dificuldade em cada oportunidade; o optimista vê uma oportunidade em cada dificuldade. A coragem é a primeira das qualidades humanas, porque é a qualidade que garante as demais. É preciso coragem para levantar-se e falar, mas também é preciso coragem para sentar-se e ouvir.” Todos temos em alguns momentos da vida, alguns “fantasmas” que nos rodeiam e combater esses “fantasmas” não é uma tarefa fácil, mas é uma batalha que vale a pena ser travada. Precisamos de cultivar a ter fé no futuro, encontrar significado nas pequenas coisas, nutrir os relacionamentos e buscar constantemente novos desafios e oportunidades. De modo algum podemos permitir que “o fantasma” que nos rodeia, nos aprisione no seu abraço gelado. Temos e devemos resistir, lutar e perseverar, pois é somente ao enfrentar os nossos medos e incertezas que podemos, verdadeiramente, descobrir o que significa estar vivo e viver. Como disse Charles Chaplin: “O incentivo de viver é arriscar, deixe o medo para os fracos. Não desista dos seus sonhos. O mundo está nas mãos daqueles que tem coragem de sonhar e correr o risco de viver seus sonhos.” Temos de ter a percepção de que, por vezes, há alguma facilidade em nos deixar envolver pela sua aura de desesperança e da resignação, com a monotonia do quotidiano, com a sensação de vazio que se instala, mas é nesses momentos que resistir é essencial, pois ceder aos” fantasmas” é renunciar à própria vida. É permitir que os nossos dias se transformem numa jornada sem propósito, marcada apenas pela apatia e pela indiferença. “Cada sonho que deixamos para trás, é um pedaço do nosso futuro que deixa de existir. “(Steve Jobs)

Although some feed the illusion of a reversal of events in Ukraine, decision-makers know that the possibility of this happening is extremely remote. Carlos Branco, Major General and IPRI-NOVA Investigator

Although some feed the illusion of a reversal of events in Ukraine, decision-makers know that the possibility of this happening is extremely remote. Carlos Branco, Major General and IPRI-NOVA Investigator The withdrawal of Russian forces from Karkhiv and Kherston in the summer of 2022 created the illusion among political elites and some Areopagus commentators that Russia would collapse. The objectives were being achieved. These were moments of triumphalism. However, as we can see today, these opinions were the result of an incorrect assessment of the situation based on false information and biased assumptions. US senators rejoiced that the war in Ukraine was proving to be a great investment. Without American casualties, Washington was managing to destroy half of Russia's military capacity with just 3% of its defense budget. Belief in the possibility of an uprising against Putin, one of the reasons for this war, if not the most important, and for a regime change operation in Moscow, expressed several times by Washington and Kiev, had never been so high. It was the dream of the group of neoconservatives surrounding the Biden Administration. However, the announced and predicted failure of the Ukrainian offensive, in the summer of 2023, brought to light the lack of sustainability of the beliefs fed by propaganda. The optimistic and confident voices in Russia's defeat began to tone down and become silent. Except for the always irreproachable Ursula von der Leyen, who, with out-of-date sound bites, came to say in Davos that Russia had lost 50% of its military capacity. Political developments in Russia and Ukraine have shown that the Biden Administration's strategic calculation, slavishly embraced by Europeans, has completely failed. Instead of what was desired, Putin's popularity increased and the Russian economy did not collapse. On the contrary, it prospered, as reports from several unsuspecting international organizations indicate. Recently, “Newsweek” corroborated these reports, removing any doubts that might still remain. The imposition of sanctions resulted in a fiasco, with Russia finding alternatives to dispose of its hydrocarbons. The G7's attempt to impose a maximum price of $60 per barrel of oil on Russia did not work. Hypocritically, the US broke the sanctions it advocated for so long by purchasing oil directly from Russia, at prices of $74 and $76 per barrel, according to the US Energy Administration. This is associated with the increase in industrial production. In 2023, Russia had an enviable 3.5% increase in GDP. It was with immense perplexity that we heard NATO's highest dignitary Jans Stoltenberg come to recognize, at the recent meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, what very few had been consistently affirming for around two years, and for that reason they were honored with the epithet of Putinists: the West underestimated Russia. This belated conclusion is of immense gravity, as it illustrates the virtual reality in which those in high positions have been living and the devaluation with which Ukrainian lives have been equated. The difficulties faced by the Biden Administration and the Europeans in sustaining the Ukrainian war effort worsened an environment that was beginning to be perceived as unfavorable, and in which there was a reversal of trend. If for Kiev it is still not possible to visualize precisely how the war will end, for the Biden Administration it is beginning to visualize yet another strategic failure. Once again, the White House has fallen victim to the hallucinations of a group of neoconservatives who, in one way or another, continue to cause irreparable damage to the external image of the USA. They did almost everything wrong. To confront China, Biden should have guaranteed Moscow's neutrality, but the neoconservative ideological obsession was stronger than pragmatism. Not only have they brought Moscow closer to Beijing, to the point that today Moscow is preparing to completely cut economic ties with Europe, but they also run the risk of finding themselves involved in two strategic crises, simultaneously, for which they are not prepared, decisively compromising the its global hegemonic ambitions. In the West, particularly in Portugal, there was no shortage of commentators applauding this nonsense. The situation on the ground and the increasing difficulties in supporting the Ukrainian war effort not only caused enormous frustration and despair in the West, but also helped to increase Moscow's confidence. As is becoming increasingly obvious, it is unrealistic to think that it is possible to gather the conditions to carry out a future counter-offensive that could surpass that of 2023. Anyone who entertains this possibility is completely out of touch with reality. Neither the Europeans have the capacity to support it, nor the Ukrainians to carry it out. Kiev is desperately seeking to launch a controversial and unpopular mobilization campaign of 500,000 soldiers during the year 2024. Now, this force does not aim to give offensive capacity to the Ukrainian armed forces, but only to replace the approximately 20,000 monthly casualties, that is, recomplete. In other words, just give them defensive capabilities. On the other hand, the West apparently does not have a plan to prevent the Ukrainian failure that is on the horizon. He seems to be left with discomfort and despair. Instead of facing the facts, we are witnessing a flight forward. Brandish the bogeyman of a third world war. Russia will attack NATO, and they will do so through the Baltic States, which President Biden confused with the Balkans. These alarmist statements aim to create panic among the population and dishonestly conceal the tremendous error in analysis made. There is no consensus regarding the date of this attack. Some speak of one year, others three and still others five to eight. In a relaxed and lighthearted way, UK Defense Minister Grant Shapps stated that we are in a “pre-world war” state. To make the threat more realistic, a German newspaper published a secret document explaining how this operation will take place. Once the thesis of Russian defeat has been discredited, it must be hidden by creating another thesis. The hysteria widens. The chairman of the military committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, clumsily came to scare the Europeans by suggesting that they prepare for the conflict, as if it were tomorrow: “you need water, a radio and a battery-powered flashlight to guarantee that you will survive the first 36 hours . Things like that, simple, but we have to understand that peace is not a given.” In Sweden, for example, alarmist news continues, with statements from the country's highest military dignitary, General Micael Bydén, warning that “all Swedes should be preparing for war.” The expansion of this campaign of fear, in which some diligent commentators participate, based on a false argument – we have to stop Russia now because it will be more difficult in the future – also aims to pressure the obtaining of financial resources to support Ukraine. Despite recent calls, signs of preparation for war are already several years old. The creation of a logistics infrastructure in Europe is not new, as evidenced by, for example, the creation of “Military Mobility” included in the EU's Permanent Structured Cooperation programs in 2018. More recently, Finland made 15 military installations available on its territory for the US to install military units and pre-position military equipment. For its part, Poland made its territory available for the installation of German military bases, for the first time since the Second World War, similar to what they had already announced to do in Lithuania. In the Baltic countries, the railway line with the gauge used in the former Soviet Union is being transformed into the European gauge, a project that could only be completed in 2030. Meanwhile, NATO created a program that it called military Schengen, allowing for Alliance troops to move quickly and unhindered within the European Union. For its part, Romania is rapidly accelerating the construction of a new highway to the border with Ukraine, which could be used to facilitate the movement of military forces in the event of a conflict. It is important to mention that this project, thought of many years ago, gained urgency following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We have always wondered what the West's response could be if a Ukrainian debacle were to occur. Recent developments begin to point to an answer. Although some feed the illusion of a reversal of events in Ukraine, decision-makers know that the possibility of this happening is extremely remote, as they also know that the next 5/7 years will be one of great geostrategic upheaval, in which emerging powers will seek to take party from the power vacuum created by the ongoing unraveling of the World Order. As has been highlighted by several academics, the possibility that the transition of powers in the international Order involves the use of force by the main actors is extremely high. Furthermore, the Ukrainian theater of operations meets the conditions for such a clash. Regrettably, we witnessed in the public square the furnace pokers, some clearly unprepared, others scandalously industrious. The objective of both groups is clear, to instill in public opinion the inevitability of a large-scale armed conflict, consciously concealing the consequences that a confrontation of this nature could have, namely the upheaval of the whole of Europe. Let's hope that the Steadfast Defender exercise organized by NATO, involving around 90 thousand soldiers, the largest exercise since the end of the cold war, whose general theme is to repel an invasion of force

“There is no hope without fear, no fear without hope.” (Baruch Spinoza)

“There is no hope without fear, no fear without hope.” (Baruch Spinoza) Someone said that we lack some humility and have less certainty and therefore, we should never feel afraid because we have doubts. We do need to have the best information to be able to build our certainty. With humility, with tolerance and freedom and as David Hulme said: “The beauty of things exists in the spirit of those who contemplate them.” In reality, those who are too certain about the future are always closer to making mistakes in their predictions – and being surprised by the turn of events. However, this in itself is not serious. Worse than failing to anticipate any unforeseen event or move is to continue to insist on the same errors of analysis, which prevent an observation of reality, in all its dimensions, nuances and uncertainties. As Mario Sergio Cortella said: “Failure does not happen when you make a mistake, but when you give up in the face of a mistake.” When this happens, the way is open for neglecting risks and valuing easier or more favorable solutions. But a fast track is also open for manipulating facts and distorting the truth – just to prevent the announced certainty from being destroyed by the shock of reality. "Sometimes we feel that what we do is nothing more than a drop of water in the sea. But the sea would be smaller if it were missing a drop." (Mother Teresa of Calcutta) In fact, there will be those who make us look at these written words and make us think that you didn't even need to read them, perhaps because we are already living them, a prophecy fully fulfilled. When we survive the fatigue (due to the drag of life), and when we accept the wounds of many internal wars, which we were unaware of that occupied us such a vast immensity of space, in what remains of what we once were... hope is restored, we embrace our inner child and we give ourselves the support we were missing. “Be happy the way you are, don't change your routine because of what others demand of you. Just live your way.” (Bob Marley)

“Não há esperança sem medo, nem medo sem esperança.” (Baruch Spinoza)

“Não há esperança sem medo, nem medo sem esperança.” (Baruch Spinoza) Alguém disse que nos falta alguma humildade e ter menos certezas e por isso, nunca devemos sentir medo por ter dúvidas. Precisamos, isso sim, de ter a melhor informação para podermos construir as nossas certezas. Com humildade, com tolerância e liberdade e como disse David Hulme:”A beleza das coisas existe no espírito de quem as contempla." Na realidade quem tem demasiadas certezas sobre o futuro está sempre mais perto de se enganar nas previsões – e ser surpreendido pelo rumo dos acontecimentos. No entanto, isso, só por si, não é grave. Pior do que falhar na antecipação de um qualquer acontecimento ou jogada imprevista é continuar a insistir nos mesmos erros de análise, que impedem uma observação da realidade, em todas as suas dimensões, nuances e incertezas. Como disse Mario Sergio Cortella: “O fracasso não acontece quando se erra, mas quando se desiste face ao erro". Quando isso acontece, fica aberto o caminho para se negligenciarem os riscos e valorizarem as soluções mais fáceis ou as que são mais favoráveis. Mas fica também aberta uma via rápida para a manipulação dos factos e para a distorção da verdade – só para impedir que a certeza anunciada não seja destruída pelo choque da realidade. "Por vezes sentimos que aquilo que fazemos não é senão uma gota de água no mar. Mas o mar seria menor se lhe faltasse uma gota." (Madre Teresa de Calcutá) Na verdade haverá quem nos faça olhar para estas palavras escritas e nos leve a pensar que nem as precisavas de ler, talvez por já as estarmos a viver, uma profecia plenamente cumprida. Quando sobrevivemos aos cansaços (por arrasto de vida), e quando acolhemos as feridas de muitas guerras interiores, que desconhecíamos que nos ocupavam uma tão vasta imensidão de espaço, no que restou do que um dia fomos... restaurada a esperança, abraçamos a nossa criança interior e damo-nos o colo que nos faltava.“Seja feliz do jeito que é, não mude sua rotina pelo que os outros exigem de si. Simplesmente viva de acordo com o seu modo de viver.”(Bob Marley)