“Tudo Bem” or “Everything OK”

In Brazil everything is “tudo bem.“ It is question and answer both in one. “Tudo bem?” “Tudo bem!” At first it appears as a superficial exchange of words without much significance because a person would never respond to the question “tudo bem?” with “I am having a difficult day” or “well, actually I suffer from depression.” No, the only way to respond is: “tudo bem!” But upon deeper observation I found that “tudo bem!” is a reflection of a culture that wants to be happy and is looking for any reason to be. “I just lost my job, but I still have enough money for the next week – tudo bem.” “I broke my leg, but the sun is shining – tudo bem.” “My girlfriend left me, but I am playing football on the beach with my friends – tudo bem.” “Woops, I got pregnant by accident, but Carnival is around the corner – tudo bem.” “I have no more money, but my friends are inviting me for drinks – tudo bem.” The celebration of life and the embracing of happiness is something genuinely Brazilian. The Brazilian wants to laugh and be happy and even when life is tough (poverty, joblessness, lack of education , violence, discrimination are very prevalent) surrounds them, they will still find a reason to smile and proclaim “tudo bem.” One philosopher along the way told me that despite extreme poverty and unequal distribution of wealth, a revolution in Brazil would be impossible because the people of this country are simply too happy (even the poorest) to rebel and life is deemed too precious to sacrifice it for “superficial” things like social justice. By the way, the same person also hypothesized that cheap alcohol, football and Carnival were drugs given to the poor by the elite to keep them happy. I think, even without these, the Brazilians would find a way to be happy and express their joy for life. When you think about it, everything in life is relative and subject to your perspective. So why not see the glass with just a few drops remaining as “almost” full. After all reality is whatever you perceive it to be. “Tudo bem?”