By: EDUARDO OLIVEIRA COSTA
Eduardo Oliveira Costa is a journalist and publisher of several newspapers across Portugal. He is on the board of several organisations, is president of a football club, and has a keen interest in the press, among other media, and the business environment.
A MUSICIAN was playing in a restaurant esplanade and his companion came to our table to request a contribution.
I gave a resounding “no!”, cold, disagreeable and without giving a minimum amount of attention to the person asking. I only heard a pleasant “thank you!”
I had been rude and I received gratefulness. I felt like contributing and to redeem myself of my rudeness.
A couple of hours later, I stopped at a crossroads to give way to a police car. With a friendly wave, the police thanked my gesture. Another couple of hours later, I became aware that I was making a traffic blunder, and one that marks a driving licence. A police car saw this and approached me. After a few moments of conversation about my mistake, I saw myself agreeing that I would not repeat the blunder – a condition suggested by the agents in return for not fining me. I promised and said: “Now, knowing me I will have to fulfil this promise. It will be hard to forget and therefore I probably will not repeat the mistake.”
I was being honest. With that gesture of tolerance, the agents had imposed their authority on my future behaviour.
Three examples on a sunny summer afternoon showed that our country has evolved a lot in civic pride, tolerance and respect, typical of an evolved society.
Sometimes our country makes us feel that it’s the best place to live on this Planet!
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