Samba?

Brazil was/is famous because of the beautiful beaches and the samba in the streets of Rio. Carnival has always been the big event that called the attention of many foreigners to visit in order to know a little bit more about the "culture". Many tourists who come to Brazil tend to think that workers are too all about samba. By observing my culture and examining the good and bad aspects of being part of an outgoing and friendly people, I can point out some things that have changed and are changing in our society. In a working environment, the Brazilian culture used to look at work and recreation as if it were a couple holding hands.

In the past there used to be a thin line between work and recreation. Many employees did not take work seriously and that was a big problem in working places and there are two main reasons for that to happen. One of the causes was related to the behavior in a job. It was common to see people who did not do what they were supposed to do in their jobs and didn’t get fired because they were funny and amusing. Sometimes even the boss allowed this kind of playful behavior. Another cause is that our culture allowed this slapstick attitude. Brazilians have never enjoyed being too serious and with time it was erased from our memory the correct way of conducting ourselves.

This mentality of having both things at once has been changing. Due to the access that globalization gives us today to all types of information and the influence that multinationals have in many countries and also in Brazil, the thin line that separated work from recreation is a wall that now isolates one from the other when the aim to be achieved at work is deviated to entertainment. The European posture has had a great effect on the role that Brazilian employees must have in a daily grind. Nowadays, it is easy to find in all the different kinds of jobs people that are committed to the ethics, value and mission of a company or institution. Workers are still merry, but in the right proportion.

In summary, the Brazilian people now stare to the present and future of the division of work and recreation. The actions that take place at work are balanced and much more serious. Employers and employees do not want to be an example of how things should not be. Workers now know that they can be happy without crossing the line and also that there is a time for everything inside and outside the laborious life. Henry Van Dyke, a famous poet, said once: “Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars.”