Uruguay, famous all over the world for its football, is also a veritable "diamond country".
The gross national product in Latin America is riding the dust, and the whole country is rich and oily. However, on top of this fertile land, one of the world's poorest presidents was born, Jose Mujica.
Recently, José Mujica announced his resignation as senator and his retirement from Uruguayan politics.
▲ Mujica waved goodbye in parliament
He delivered his final address to the Uruguayan parliament:
"Under the epidemic, I had to do this. Because it's the job of a parliamentarian to move around and communicate with people a lot, but because of my age and illness, I can only stay in the office and can't actually perform my duties."
Mujica, 85, was in power from 2010 to 2015, with Uruguay's GDP rising rapidly and its economy thriving.
Compared with the per capita income of more than 10,000 people, he only received a monthly salary of 1100 US dollars, and the first lady squeezed into a broken house in the suburbs to live in poverty, living a more shabby life than ordinary civil servants.
▲ Mujika driving a tractor to do farm work
When the whole world says that Muhika is poor, he clarifies: "I am not poor, those who have a lot of desire are really poor." ”
He was assassinated 6 times in his lifetime, imprisoned in a dungeon for 14 years, elected president at the age of 74, and led a uruguayan counterattack in 5 years.
Looking back on Mujica's magnificent life, people can't help but reflect: What kind of life is happiness?
1、
In 2018, Uruguay's Oscar-winning film was "Dungeon Memories", which focused on the dark past of Mujica's detention dungeon.
In 1973, there was a coup d'état in Uruguay and the country entered a period of dictatorship. Three prisoners were secretly taken away and placed in a senior prison cell.
Eat leftovers and steamed vegetables every day.
▲ Movie "Dungeon Memories"
Resolve defecation in situ.
Living without human rights and dignity. Because the instructions given above are clear: you can't kill them, but let them live or die.
Since then, Mujica and his companions, Nato and Lu Suo, have fallen into a dark hellish life.
Here, they are not allowed to talk to anyone. Once the regulations are violated, they are immediately dragged out and severely tortured. The prison authorities will also change the cells of the three people from time to time to prevent them from escaping.
This time, the three were taken to a spacious cell with a skylight on it. Faced with such extravagant treatment, before they could rejoice, a painter drew a rectangle on the ground. This is the area where they should be.
In this open space, to solve the problem of eating, sleeping, and excretion, you cannot take half a step.
The only comforting skylight is the constant stream of prison guards coming over and urinating on their heads.
Freedom is imprisoned, spirits are humiliated, and anyone else is likely to be driven crazy. Mujica was no exception, worrying day and night that his brain was being controlled by dictators, and he often shouted into the air, gradually losing his astuteness.
The elderly mother came to visit, only to see the son of the mad demon, and sorrow came from it, but still gave the urinal she brought to her son.
After Returning to prison, Mushika gradually regained consciousness with this precious gift. He planted a flower in the pot and took good care of it every day.
Until the seed broke through the ground and blossomed, his originally gray soul ignited a new hope.
If a flower can bloom in a sun-drenched dungeon, why can't people seek self-improvement? Moreover, Mujica was not alone, he also had two companions who were very friendly with each other.
In desperate situations, hope is often the deadliest poison. Many people would rather settle for a bad situation than face the pain of falling into the abyss of their aspirations.
And Mujica, Nato, and Lu Suo, with the most tenacious spirit, firmly grasped the hope in their hearts in the difficult years, and it was 14 years.
As stated in The Shawshank Redemption, some birds are destined not to be kept in cages, because each of their feathers shines with the radiance of freedom.
After 14 years, the dictatorship was finally overthrown, and the elderly José was back on the cuban political scene, taking the helm of the faltering country and getting back on track.
And Lu Suo became a playwright, and Nato became the defense minister, and they all seemed to say that no matter how old you are, you can start all over again.
The hand of fate is in your own hands, if even you are easily scattered, who can save you?
2、
"Dungeon Memories" is only a short chapter in José Mujica's life, and the story of his exploits has to start from the beginning.
Mujica was born in 1935 in a small town near the capital, where he spent a relatively happy childhood. Older, he also worked in flower shops and bakeries, and was an ordinary teenager from any point of view.
But like all great revolutionaries, the material life of poverty did not wear away his will, but made him more compassionate for the life of the poor people. This also planted a seed for him to enter the political arena.
Growing up, Mujica became a professional cyclist, playing for several clubs. But he did not dare to forget the country, and at the same time, he also actively participated in political movements, eager to change the living conditions of the poor.
Because of his eclectic behavior, always full of enthusiasm and empty words, he gradually became famous in Uruguayan politics. It was only as Muhika's political appeal grew stronger that it also caused himself a lot of killing.
According to statistics, he has been arrested 4 times for guerrilla activities and assassinated 6 times. The biggest difference between people is that some people are busy benefiting the people, and some people are busy living and living.
The last time Mushika was arrested and imprisoned was in Memories of the Dungeon, where he thought about giving up again and again during the 14 years of darkness, and then ignited his fighting spirit again and again.
Because beyond the dungeons, there are thousands of people at the bottom who live in the depths of the water, and he regards changing the country as his mission.
After his release from prison, Uruguay, which was in front of Mujica, had long been squandered by the dictator, and the society was stagnant and in ruins, worse than before he was imprisoned.
So he re-entered politics, starting with a member of the House of Representatives. In 1999, Mujica became a member of the Senate, and six years later, because of his outstanding performance, he was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries.
At this time, he was 70 years old, still had to do everything himself, and rushed to the front line of the national economy and people's livelihood.
Looking across Uruguay, no one seems to know better than he does the plight of the people of this country, and Mujica is destined to reach the pinnacle of power and achieve great political ambitions.
In March 2010, he took to the podium of the inaugural president, about to lead Uruguay to a new chapter.
When Muhika came to power, the first thing he did was to improve the welfare of the people. When the people all lived a good life, he focused on the development of education, environmental protection, and public safety. In just five years, Uruguay, which was already gray and tired, has taken on a high profile.
Compared with uruguay's prosperity, Mujica's life has become more and more rudimentary. He has a monthly presidential salary of $11,000, but insists on donating the remaining 90 percent to the poor.
In this way, Mujica only has $1100 a month to live on, which is extremely shabby compared to ordinary citizens who earn more than 10,000 yuan.
In addition, he does not live in a luxurious mansion, but sticks to a broken house on a suburban farm with the first lady, and the president's car is a Beetle car made in the 80s, or friends have pooled money to buy it for him.
In 2014, according to the Uruguayan government, José Mujica was worth only $323,000, including the family's old tractors, dilapidated shanty houses and old farms, even registered in the name of the first lady.
In other words, Mujica bowed his life for the country, until the age of 79, he still had no savings, no real estate, and was so poor that he had to let the people shed a handful of tears.
In 2015, the elderly Mujica was no longer able to handle heavy government affairs and had to be disarmed and returned to the field.
When he walked out of the presidential palace, the streets were already crowded with people who were traveling on their own.
Flags and banners were held high and Muhika's name was chanted as an expression of admiration for the "poorest president."
Of all Uruguayan presidents, muhica has become one of the most beloved of all.
Foreign Policy magazine in the United States once commented on him: "This left-wing president has no mansion and lives on a suburban farm. 90% of his monthly income goes to state welfare programs. These are enough to shame the leaders of all other countries. ”
3、
Even though Mujica stepped down as president, he continued to donate his monthly retirement salary as usual. For him, wealth does not mean happiness.
For example, his old Beetle car, which he has been driving for many years, is worth at most thousands of dollars in the second-hand market, but many people are willing to bid for it. An Arab sheikh went so far as to offer a sky-high price of $1 million to collect the nearly scrapped old car.
$1 million, almost three times the entire net worth of Mujica and his wife, but he remains unmoved. He also said publicly: "We will not sell it, and if we sell it, it will be an affront to the friends who have come together to let us buy a car." ”
At a time when the world is surrounded by consumerism, Mujica retains a rare sobriety. The money is scattered and returned, but the love of friends who have paid for him to buy a car is rare.
At the 2012 Rio Summit, Mujica denounced consumerism on the spot:
We do not come to this earth for development, but to pursue happiness. I tell you in layman's terms that development should not hinder happiness. Development should bring happiness to humanity. Love, relationships, nurturing offspring, having friends and the minimum necessary material things, these should all be brought.
It is clear that Mujica thinks about the current situation in which consumerism prevails, where everyone is reduced to a slave to money, and it is difficult to survive for the sake of materialism.
However, by the time this sharp topic was thrown, most of the attendees had already finished their speeches and left the venue. Not many people heard this thought-provoking remark, but Mujica was still angry in Japan.
His speech at the Rio Summit went viral on social networks, and someone even created a picture book for him.
Is wealth the only measure of human happiness? If the answer is yes, then how much can be exchanged for the equivalent happiness?
A thousand people, a thousand answers.
But for Muhika, the most important items were nothing more than shovels and mallets in the house, which were relics left by his father.
Like his beetle car, which was on the verge of scrapping, neither of them had much value in itself. But they are all attached to the inseparable human feelings, and that happiness is supreme.
From this perspective, the world's poorest president brings us not only his life story, but also an attitude of not being coerced by the outside world.
Maybe we can't be Muhika, we can't shoulder the great responsibility of the country, and we can't become the light of mankind. But ask yourself, in your limited and controllable life, is the life you pursue what you want, or have you been indoctrinated with other people's ideas?
Life boils down to a simple choice: either busy living or busy dying.
Between life and death, you can create far more value than you think, don't keep an eye on savings, garages and salaries, and forget their original intention of serving humanity.
Be your own master, not a slave to material things and desires.
Author: Hua CiShu
Editor-in-charge: Hua Xiaomei