There's a reason for "fado" after all

Fado is the most well-known traditional Portuguese form of music. The word itself means "fate" or "destiny", and by the mournful tunes and words of their signature music, you can tell that Portuguese, deep down, have the feeling that fate is against them. The fado singers dress in black, which only adds to the somber atmosphere.

I thought I would leave you with a few quotations regarding Portugal in general. You perhaps have seen on the international news that once again, Portugal is on fire. Over three thousand firefighters are involved and over a thousand vehicles and aircraft, including some from other countries are trying to save towns and villages. That piece of news only adds to the negative mood expressed in the headline in this morning's local paper:

"Portugal is the country with the lowest index of happiness among the 15 countries that were part of the European Union before the recent expansion." The text explains: Eurobarometer conducted a survey and one of the questions was, "QA3. On the whole, are you very satisfied, fairly satisfied, not satisfied or not at all satisfied with the life that you lead?" Portugal appears in last place with an average of 2.52% (who were satisfied), while the Danish had the highest level.


Here are some quotes taken directly from the English version of the study:


1.1. Personal satisfaction
- Slight increase in personal satisfaction -
The level of satisfaction of European citizens with the life that they lead has increased
by 2 points since last autumn. As was the case at the end of 2004, their state of mind
is positive and the vast majority of European Union citizens are satisfied on the whole with the life that they lead (80%).

Pessimism regarding the economic situation and employment seems to be particularly strong in Portugal, Greece and Cyprus, while expectations in Ireland, Estonia and Lithuania are comparatively stronger than in the rest of the Member States.

....

The democratic systems in Northern Europe are the least criticised, notably in
Denmark (92% rate of satisfaction, i.e. 39 points more than the average), Luxembourg
(82%) and Finland (77%). Conversely, a majority of respondents in Italy and Portugal are dissatisfied with the way democracy works in their country (55%). (Emphasis in passages mine)



What a difference! 80% of Europeans are satisfied with their lives...and only 2.52% of the Portuguese are. What does that tell us about the spiritual needs of the Portuguese?