Gemini - The Sign of Liberty

"Believing is not an option, but sometimes it is the only way to know the truth." Brazil, sss rainforest. The year is 2077 and our world is dying. We have tried so hard, we have managed to screw up the planet. And there was no shortage of actions and protests by environmental groups that gave their lives (literally) to make the exploiters aware and thus convince them to stop destroying our world. Today the reality is bitter. Acid rain everywhere, polluted rivers and seas. Every day, a species of animal or plant is declared extinct. Deserts spread for miles and miles where once there were forests. The deserts grow and come the lack of space for planting. Food is increasingly scarce. Hail Capital, the exploitative monster, the factory of dehumanized money worshippers. The chaos that has spread around the world has generated a fertile field for false myths and charlatan profiteers to sell their "magic formulas of peace". God has become an industry and faith is the main product, a simple but valuable commodity. After the Third World War, the governments of the world fragmented. The civilization hitherto built under the banner of democracy crumbled amidst a wave of famine. Civil wars raged everywhere, which favored the emergence of world "peacemakers". One group prevailed and unified all governments into one. We live under the regime of a One World State that professes a single faith: The Children of Light, who are led by a madman who proclaims himself to be God. All must be "unified," an expression they use themselves, "for unification is the only way to peace," as they preach. We receive the sign of faith, a tattoo on the palm of the right hand, and then we are included in an "improvement" program, where those who surrender to the Light receive a daily portion of water and food, being able to live in "Peace". Those who bow to the sect lose the light of freedom. They don't question anything, they don't demand anything. They are like trained lambs. The ration of the Children of Light is dangerous. Various groups around the world resist such a system impregnated with religious fanaticism, and do not surrender to the Light. That is why they are brutally persecuted and, if captured, are "invited" to repent of their sins, and if they do not accept to bow to the faith of the Children of Light, they are executed with live broadcasts on TV as an example to discourage other dissidents. But it seems that courage overcomes the fear of dying. Those who refuse to receive this false faith are organizing themselves into larger and larger groups. Big cities (or what's left of them), like São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro, are dangerous terrain for these groups that offer resistance to the Children of Light's doctrine of death and violence. That's why they seek shelter in the few indigenous tribes that live in what's left of the sss rainforest. Tribes that still resist and harbor numerous rebel nuclei. I live in Massana Tukana, a village in the heart of the sss rainforest in Brazil, where the indigenous people who resist there welcome everyone who seeks to escape this madness, or who wants to stay off the radar of the military forces of these Sons of Light. In hiding, they can better organize their resistance and rebellion group. Many want to overthrow the leader of this sect and be free again. My name is Kadu, the adopted son of a beautiful family of Brazilian Indians. It is not difficult to see that I am adopted as I am black and my parents have typical Brazilian Indian skin tones. I have a more rational conscience and I'm not too attached to the superstitious culture of my adoptive parents. My dear mother's name is Nadi and my father's is Kauê, and I still have a 14-year-old sister, Anahí. My little sister is quite intelligent and affectionate, but very curious and boring. According to one of the many traditions of my people, the oldest and most fanciful of all is the one that tells the legend of the zodiacs. It is the most cultivated in my village where they insist on keeping this tradition alive. I am a 27-year-old person born under the sign of Gemini sometime between May 21 and June 20, 2050. I am not sure of the date as I have no documents to prove it. All I know about it is what my birth parents told my village shaman the day I was dropped off. The other villagers in our village always tell me how lucky I am. That I am "special" because for many generations, for hundreds of years, no one was born under this sign. Either they were killed before they became adults, or the babies just weren't born between those days. Gemini was an extinct sign until I was born. "I'm lucky..." How can you think if I was born in a time when we saw our world die from the a***e of profit seekers. We saw the great 3rd world war (which started in the year 2055 and lasted more than two decades), causing suffering, death, devastating entire countries, giving rise to cities killed by the radiation of nuclear weapons. The war did not end because of the good will of those involved or because there were winners, but because of the simple instinct of self-preservation, for not even the craziest of dictators want to rule over a dead planet. Then I ask myself: what kind of lucky person is born in the midst of so much misfortune? So much suffering that could be avoided. So many unnecessary deaths. Things of human beings that are difficult to understand! Why so many fights and disputes, in general over natural resources such as territories and the like, if we have everything for everyone? Petroleum... Why so much dependence on a fossil fuel that provides energy when there are so many other equal and even better options? It is not difficult to understand why the owners of such material invest a lot of time and money to convince us that such fuel is scarce and finite and therefore we should pay a lot for it and even kill/death for it, when in fact this is not true. We need technology for human well-being and evolution, not to commercialize life and enrich a few who monopolize access to all kinds of technology, be it health technology or utility technology. In short, easy to understand, difficult to accept... As if all the misery that surrounds me and all these doubts about the world and how it works were not enough, I will say it again to make it clear: as a child I was abandoned by my parents here in this tribe in the heart of the sss rainforest, or what is left of it, and I was raised by the people of this village where I live and which, until the beginning of the Great War, was isolated from the world, today it is a den of rebels from all parts of the world. How lucky am I? It's not that I haven't received a lot of love and affection; not that these people didn't offer me all kinds of education and information that I tried to absorb as much as I could. Not just about local indigenous cultures, but also about "civilized" society. And that's where my thousands of questions come from. With so much on my mind, my unease and questions arise. Believe me, being left like this by our biological parents is very painful. Nothing and no one can fill the void our parents leave in our lives. However, I am very grateful to the villagers and my foster family who gave me everything I needed to grow up to be someone beyond tears and loneliness. With so much war and desolation, the people of the great cities were forced to seek shelter with those considered "savages"; with those they considered an obstacle to the evolution of civilization; with those who were so persecuted and decimated throughout the history of the growth of large cities. Ironically, the continuation of civilization depended on "uncivilized" peoples. In the beginning, my people, whom I welcomed with all my heart and soul, the indigenous people, resisted this migration, because the hurt and mistrust were too great. How to welcome those who persecuted and massacred our ancestors? How can we help people who have always left us to our own devices and systematically ignored our pleas for "help"? How could we trust people who disrespected our way of life, our gods treated as heretics, our culture seen as primitive and groundless, our legends considered mere allegories of folklore? How could we? But the Great Spirit, as they call and worship (at this point I surrender myself to skepticism, bordering on atheism, because my logic and reason make me more distant from these matters), touched the hearts of the original peoples, the owners of the land, the people who always existed before everything, and since then, started to welcome the refugees. Thus, through the union of various nations, languages, and cultures, this great settlement hidden in the middle of the sss forest was born. Groups that grow each day more welcoming the refugees of war, those who refuse to accept the faith of the Sons of Light, people who believe in a civilization based on peace and not on war. Where dialogue, respect for all cultures, gods and languages are the keynote and there is no violent imposition of a single faith and the worship of a single god, better self-proclaimed god. And so it was, and so it is that the refugees sent by the Great Spirit are welcomed and make our village grow more and more both in population and in dialogue and brotherhood, because the scars of war hurt, but for those with open hearts, such pain makes a spirit of unity grow in the soul, which makes us desire and fight even more passionately for Peace. You remember when I said that they treat me as "special", right? Well, as I said before, I confess that I am kind of indifferent to all this mystical talk. The only thing I believe is that the world is ending, the people out there are evil, and I, well? I stubbornly want to survive and see where it all goes. I wish I could satisfy only two desires: to be immortal and to be able to obtain all the knowledge possible. To be able to be here and see the spectacle of our sun exploding in a great show of energy and light that only this universe of ours can provide. Ahh, I wish I could see such a spectacle, it would be wonderful! .... But immortality and wisdom are things that only the gods can have, and I, well I am just me... a mere mortal and far from wise, and after all I would not be lucky enough to be graced with such a gift. It is important to tell you that my adoptive parents are very loving and always try to give me the best they can. Everyone in the village treats me well, although they see me as a "different guy" because of my non-religious way of thinking, or even because I am not the most dedicated person to keep old traditions, but still I am well treated and accepted as I am, as an equal. Our great Pajé Kumuã (he is so called because whenever he can and is asked to, he applies the Bahsessé. A blessing that comes from the Upper Rio n***o seeking to evoke the beings of the forest who, according to him, possess all the knowledge about humanity), a kind person who is always willing to talk about the old gods and keep the faith alive. A man who makes no distinction between people, who doesn't care about the origins of each person. Who sees no error or abnormality in those who want to live their affective and s****l preferences as they feel in their hearts. A man that I admire a lot and that makes it a point to learn as much as possible from him. Kumuan, whenever he meets me, makes a point of talking about my "special" condition, how I have been called to fulfill a great destiny and so on. He speaks of a prophecy of "one who is born under the sign of freedom, a Geminian, the person who will unify the gifts of the Enuma and free the world from false light. I listen and give a sympathetic smile, but deep down I think it's all complete nonsense. Me, chosen for something? That's a ridiculous idea. But I say nothing and respect their beliefs, because if there is one thing I have learned well here with my indigenous brothers, it is about respect, balance and brotherhood. To respect life as a whole, because everything is important and nothing should be destroyed without a purpose. No animal is killed for nothing, it has to have a reason and a need. No tree is cut down without a real purpose. The cycle of life, of nature, is fully respected. There is time for everything. To plant and to harvest, to fish and to wait for the fish. We wait for nature's time, and she gives us back everything we need. We don't accumulate anything beyond what is necessary, everything we have is in common, because there is no sense in having more than one. My fellow man. My need is not greater than others'. I eat, I wear, and I need in the same proportion as others, and everything is at our disposal. The Great Spirit through Mother Nature assists us in everything and, equally, after all, we are brothers. To have is nothing, to be is everything. It is common that almost every afternoon Pajé calls me for tea and conversation. And here he comes: - Hello Kadu! How is your family? - Fine, Pajé. What are the gods saying today? - Now? - he asked, smiling: "Kadu, you know very well what they say. But come on, I want to talk to you. - Oh? it's about the subject of my being "the Geminian," blah, blah, blah, blah, let's leave that for another time! - Kadu, running away from your destiny will still cost you and the people you love dearly. Nobody can live like this, running away from who they are. Sooner or later, if you don't meet your destiny, it will come to you. Believe me: many of us are called to live, to exist, but others are called to ensure the life and existence of many, and this other is you. I feel that evil is approaching and you need to take your place in history and accept your destiny. Hearing this, I said again. - My destiny is not written, Pajé. I am the master of my choices, I write my destiny, and it is not some sign that will determine what I must or must not do. - Yes, Kadu, we are free and I don't disagree with you, but understand: there are forces that guide our existence and that want us to contribute to our evolution. You are right, we are free to choose, but be careful. Every choice has a consequence, so choose wisely. - Okay, Pajé, I have chosen, and I'm going to do it now. I choose to do what I want, and I want to go home. Thanks for the tea and the talk. See you later. - Goodbye, Kadu. May the gods be with you. The conversation is always the same. It's always like this when the old Pajé sees me. I've even gotten used to it. Meanwhile, life goes on all over the world, the violence of wars goes on, the forced imposition of faith goes on, the planet becomes more and more dead, life goes on. One just doesn't know until when...