"O que entre elas [as nações ibéricas] predomina é a concepção antiga de que o ócio importa mais que o negócio e de que a atividade produtora é, em si, menos valiosa que a contemplação e o amor".
Which freely translates to:
"What predominates among them [the Iberian nations] is the old conception that leisure is more import than business and that production is, in itself, less valuable than contemplation and love".
(Extracted from "Raízes do Brasil" by Sérgio Buarque de Holanda, 12th ed., p. 10)
In the book, that line of thought is further expressed by a metaphor involving "farmers" (who worship the work itself) and "hunters" (to whom it is all about getting the reward). Therfore, Iberian people are considered hunters rather than farmers.
The nature of Brazil - our roots, our issues and our virtues - may be understood in the eyes of that metaphor. It may be the very reason why tourists feel at home when here and why everyone (from different origins and from various religious beliefs) lives "in relative peace and harmony" in this blessed land.
Carpe Diem,
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