About the things that are left unsaid — Saturday afternoons spent in pleasant conversation have already become a family ritual my brother and I want to preserve. …

This one is about the deaths in the village, the stupid discourses, and the changes in my little town. — Hello, how are you? I apologize for my absence, but these days, I didn’t even realize life was happening. There are moments like that. There are days when I force myself to write, like a mandatory pleasure I like to fulfill, and then I indulge in thought and write. Other…

A typical struggle between the artificial society and our inherent passions — There exists an iconic episode of “The Twilight Zone” titled “Time Enough at Last." I saw it when I was very young, but despite my tender age, I immediately felt that that character could well represent me. The fantastic story speaks of the world's end with an apocalyptic scenario where…

In this image, you see my father, in his youth, probably around 25 years old, holding hands with my brother, who gazes forward, perhaps tempted to wade into that water. We were in the midst of the 80s, probably 1986, a year when Portugal undoubtedly hoped for its entry into…

A personal letter on my medium earnings and my struggles with teaching — “A disheartened person — in Portuguese, pessoa desanimada — is only half a person.” Whether I heard this sentiment from someone close, dreamt it, or read it in a book, the source seems irrelevant. …

Navigating the Dichotomy of Rural Beauty and Modern Struggles in Portugal’s Hinterlands — You would probably like to live here, but only in your dreams, because reality is entirely different. Every ounce of romanticism associated with country life is immediately met with the regression entrenched in every specific aspect of our lives here. Facing the reality of the stagnation in the Portuguese interior…

From Cuba to Portugal: Reflections on False Democracy, Inequality, and the Illusion of Choice — Although I’m not affiliated with any political party, I identify with the left. I feel that common sense, especially that which recognizes social injustice and aims to end it, leans more towards this side than the other. My inclination towards the left also stems from the fact that, fortunately, I…

Here, there and everywhere — Periodically, Portugal succumbs to its endemic crisis, almost like a recurring disease that haunts us. It seems as though there’s a strange comfort in this familiar pain, as if the good life and prosperity remain elusive, defining our national identity through suffering. For those unfamiliar but intrigued, Portugal currently grapples…

And the right’s usurpation of old left-wing themes to gain new supporters — It was relatively easy to understand the plots through which left or right ideologies were woven. In broad strokes, on the left, there were fights for social justice, the valorization of multiculturalism, and the defense of the oppressed — no wonder some call Jesus the first communist in history —…