O Melhor do Cortella - Mario Sergio Cortella

Have you ever wondered why we do what we do? Have you ever questioned its existence? After all, what is your work in this vast universe? In this summary of the book "O Melhor do Cortella", we bring together the most important points portrayed by the author Mario Sergio Cortella throughout his history.

The human being acquired the grace (or curse) of being able to think about things. This has generated countless achievements, such as science, technology and art, but there are still great mysteries, which philosophy and religion try to explain.

We organize ourselves in societies, where justice is served, or at least that is what politics says in its theory. But isn't politics just a reflection of who we are?

Well, Cortella, one of the greatest Brazilian intellectuals, has already talked about all of this through his almost forty publications. And he gathered his best insights on such topics in a single book.

Check out in this PocketBook what Cortella has to tell us!

About the book "O Melhor do Cortella"

"O Melhor do Cortella" is the first book of the project that brings together the most valuable tips and insights from the author Mario Sergio Cortella. The project also has a work that talks about the "trails of doing".

Published in 2018, the book features phrases and ideas from several other works by Cortella, divided into four sections: Philosophy; Policy; Religion, and; Science and Art.

About the author Mario Sergio Cortella

Mario Sergio Cortella is one of the greatest writers and intellectuals in Brazil.

With more than 30 years of career, he has written nearly forty works, including "Why do We do What We do?", "Luck Follows Courage" and "What's your Master Piece?".

To whom is this book indicated?

"O Melhor do Cortella" is recommended for anyone who wants to know the insights of the diverse works of Mario Sergio Cortella and understand his point of view on philosophy, politics, religion and science and art.

In addition, this book has an impact that makes us reflect on our existence and our society.

Main ideas of the book "O Melhor do Cortella"

• We exist, because we do. We think, because we do;
• "If any human being is not free, no one is free";
• Learning does not come from mistakes, but from correcting them;
• There is no neutrality in the policy;
• Democracy is the absence of oppression, not rules;
• The arrogance of the human being is to think that he owns the world;
• Not all information available is qualified information.

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Overview: Philosophy

Mario Sergio Cortella asks: "Why stop to think?"

Do we need to take a moment to stop doing what we do and then think? When you do things, aren't you thinking?

"So, we exist: doing. And, because we do, we think. And, because we think, we make our existence."

Our existence is not by chance; so is fear. Our biggest fears are not what we see, but what we don't see. The author says in his book, "O Melhor do Cortella", that we have a universal fear: the fear of loneliness.

It brings the concept of two similar words, but which express different ideas: loneliness and solidarity. While the first reflects the idea of being "alone", the second "gives firmness to collective life".

When we live collectively, we appreciate and enjoy happiness, as it is not individual, according to Cortella. He brings the following analogy:

"Happiness is like freedom: my freedom does not end when the other's begins; it ends when the other's ends."

"If any human being is not free, no one is free", he adds.

Mistakes and successes

Do the hits really come from the mistakes? It is not what Mario Sergio Cortella thinks.

There is a very famous proverb that says that "learning is wrong". The author believes that, in fact, learning comes from correcting our mistakes. If not, the more we make mistakes, the wiser we would be. And it is not true.

Overview: Politics

"Politics is not necessarily a consensus. Consensus is a part of the political act, but it is not the only way to deal with differences."

In this part of the book "O Melhor do Cortella", Mario Sergio Cortella highlights a historical definition that shows that every citizen is political. Politics comes from the Greek polis, which means "society", "city"; while citizenship comes from the Latin civitate, which also means "city".

Therefore, someone to be "political" or "citizen" is just a "choice of language".

Other concepts are brought up by the author, such as democracy that is sometimes confused with riot, or a land without laws, when, in fact, it is only "the absence of oppression".

And when there is oppression, there is intolerance. And when there is intolerance, there is a dispute for power. After all, what is the power for? Well, reflect the following quote:

"The purpose of power is to serve. (...) And any power that, instead of serving, is served, is a power that does not serve. The purpose of power is not to serve yourself."

Finally, Cortella brings up the important reflection that there are no neutral people regarding politics. Those people who prefer to "not meddle" have a side: that of the winner, even if they do not satisfy them.

Overview: Religion

Mario Sergio Cortella states that one of the greatest difficulties for human beings is to respect the religious conviction of others.

What is not a lie, society has prejudices rooted mainly towards religions that have no voice.

For example, do you think it's funny to say "kick it, it is witchcraft!"? If so, rethink.

Religion does not exist to make people wiser, but stronger. It inspires, according to the author, to "reflect on our route and our place in the world".

Religiosity is more than just believing in something; it consists of your connection with nature, with the mystery, with Life. "It is not only human work that enchants me; nature too. And, for me, it is a mark of spirituality", says Cortella.

Overview: Science and Art

Who are we? In the universe, just one point - maybe not even that. On Earth, we are beings who share the same space with millions of different species. To have an idea, for each human, there are 7 billion insects!

Why do we have the cunning to think that we are the owner of the world? The size of our insignificance towards the world is proportional to our arrogance to think that we are significant: that is, great.

If we are as important as we think, why don't we go beyond ourselves? Why do we continue to destroy the Earth, since we are "owners" of it?

We do things for ourselves. And we've done great things. The art, the technology, the writing, the science... it is really a wonder.

According to the book "O Melhor do Cortella", all of these things have contributed to building our way of acting, understanding our way of feeling, all of which stimulate our thinking.

With our thinking, we know that we exist. Thinking, we do things, and beyond: we create.

Technology in the 21st century

In the digital world that we are in today, we have to be careful with the wide range of information that we have access to. Mario Sergio Cortella warns that "information available does not necessarily mean qualified information".

Some information is created intentionally in order to convince a large audience to fulfill a private desire. It is not for nothing that society has undergone massive manipulation with the use of fake news.

What do other authors say about it?

In the book "Principles: Life and Work", Ray Dalio will show you that a dream, reality and determination will help you achieve a successful life by making the principles of life and work go hand in hand, with an open mind.

In "Out of The Maze", author Spencer Johnson advises not to base our beliefs on absolute truths. Filtering our thoughts so that it does not negatively influence our emotions and our performance is fundamental.

Finally, in "The Secret", Rhonda Byrne argues that everything is energy. This energy vibrates as you think and feel. The tip is to let go of that part of your past that doesn't suit your present and future. To be aware of the present is to become aware of the power of your thoughts and the state of your feelings.

Okay, but how can I apply this to my life?

• Reflect on your existence;
• Respect other religions (or the absence of it);
• Fight for a democratic place;
• Remember that happiness is collective;
• Contemplate the creations of the human being, but know that all living beings have their place on the planet. We are just one more;
• Take care with false and biased information;
• Don't be "neutral" in politics. Cortella himself says that those who declare themselves neutral are on the side of the winner. Are you satisfied where you are?

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