Autocracies end….eventually, I tell myself. Sometimes a leader dies. Sometimes he is overtaken by force. Hitler killed himself in a bunker when he knew it was over for him, but so much damage had already been done.
So, how does one live creatively when it gets really bad?
I ventured out to the movies again to see the Oscar nominated film, I’m Still Here, which portrays the real life story of Rubens Paiva, who was suddenly “disappeared” during the Brazilian military dictatorship in 1971. After the coup d’erat in 1964, Paiva fled the country because he was in the opposition party, but now he is back working an engineering job and the family seems to be functioning normally until Paiva, is caught doing resistance activities and taken for questioning. He never returns.
Eunice Paiva, his wife and mother of their five children (played by Golden Globe winner Fernanda Torres), is also questioned in a secret location and held for several days in a solitary cell. She shows us how to live a creative life under duress.
Sometimes the choice to continue to live IS the creative act.
And live she does. First of all, she is persistent. She never gives up trying to find out what happens to her husband. She sells their home near the beach in Rio de Janeiro and moves everyone to a smaller place in Sao Paulo. She re-invents herself by going back to school and getting her law degree, becoming an advocate for human rights and the environment. She lives. She flourishes. And she refuses to let the 20 year long military dictatorship get her family down.
This film is a warning to us of what could happen to our country. We are in the early days of changes. but they are coming hard and fast. I hope and pray that our elected leaders and our judicial system will have the courage to stand strong for truth and keep the rule of law in place.
This film opened my eyes to the realities of living under authoritative rule. It is scary, but I am inspired by the Paiva family, who not only survived a horrific loss in the midst of chaos and confusion, but thrived.
I am moved by stories like this- there are many more. We do what we can. May we all find the strength to live, to speak out, and thrive. Let us help each other.