O Sentido da Vida

This is a story that has touched many people
It talks about a man
Who thought that many things in his life
Didn't make sense to him
It's the story of a farmer
A man without a heart
But one day he paid dearly
For his disdain and ingratitude
Of the four children he had
He held three in the palm of his hand
With affection and much care
And the other was the youngest
Who would be his fate
Just because she was a girl
He didn't hide his disappointment
And to everyone he still said
That a child had to be a man
That he should help his father in the work
And that one day he would be the owner of his own land
And that a daughter was a setback in life
Besides not being fit for work, not knowing how to give orders
And could never one day be a boss
Everywhere he went, he took the three children
But he despised the girl
And she, saddened, cried in secret, and stayed in her corner
Knowing that the biggest mistake of her life was being born a woman
That was the only fault she carried
But one day, tired of the disdain she suffered
Calling her father to one side, she spoke the truth
My father, you saw me born, but never considered me
I've heard you say many times that your greatest pride
Is your cattle farm, and seeing your children by your side
On the back of a horse, or on top of a tractor
But you've only talked about my brothers
Because you never cared about me
And at that moment, a tear rolled from the girl's eyes
But she continued her thoughts
And even while crying, she continued
I could very well have been born a boy
Maybe that was the mistake of my destiny
That I think he didn't help me
But now I see that being your daughter
Was really a mistake, I'm already twelve years old
And I've never received a kiss and a hug from you
And with a wounded soul and a burning heart
I'm leaving this house and I'm leaving your life for good
He heard the words of that poor girl
But he was not moved by her tears and said
I've never heard such nonsense, so many things for me to do, and here I am
Wasting time with your nonsense
And if you want to know, I only have three sons
And since you want to leave, you can go right away
And she left
She hit the road and left
Only taking a bag with the clothes she wore
She never sent news again and never returned
Some years passed
And the farmer began to see his fate up close
Of the children he always adored
It wasn't what he expected and his ruin began
And some time later
The farmer began to lose his money
While disease killed his cattle
The children he loved so much
Only thought about partying and the freedom they had
They didn't care about the farm, they spent the whole year partying
And so they spent all the money they had
The farmer became desperate
His blood boiled in his veins
Spending on a lawyer to get his drugged children out of jail
After old and tired
He saw himself a defeated man
Abandoned by his own children
He found himself alone, in a deep and dark hole
Despised by everyone, completely alone and in debt
And his farm, which was once his enchanted kingdom
He had to sell to a buyer from another state
Who covered the offer that was given
And accepted the conditions he asked for
And he would only sell the property if he could stay there on the farm
Even if it was to work as an employee
Just to be able to live there for the rest of his days
And, with wounded pride
Recognizing his failure
Seeing that everything he had built
With his own hands
Now was nothing but a lost dream
Destroyed by his children
And that made him a simple employee, old and tired
One day he was sitting under a tree
Admiring all that was once his
When he received a message that he was going to be dismissed
And he went to the farm office
As he approached
They immediately told him
The paperwork is ready and all that's left is your signature
And nervously he replied
Know, your secretary, that all this was once mine
And on the day I sold this farm
The buyer knew I would stay here
Working as an employee, and the broker told me he had agreed
Said he lived in another state
When in fact I don't even know him yet
Because he never even showed up here
And you can give a message to your boss, your secretary
Tell him that I will still be buried in this ground
And I won't sign any dismissal papers
Then she replied
You are very mistaken in your decision
You came in here calling me a secretary
You don't even know what you're saying
I am the owner of this farm
And you are my employee
And he lowered his head and remained silent but then replied
I have never felt so humiliated in my life
Give me the paperwork and I'll sign my dismissal
I prefer to hit the road
Than to have to call a woman my boss
Then she took some papers and a pen from the drawer
And placed it in his hand
After he signed
She stood up and said to him
You seem to be crying
If you want, you can leave now
I have more to do
And he left with his head down
Out there
Knowing he was leaving, but without a clear direction
His life turned into a desert
And he now truly felt like an old man abandoned
Then a little boy approached him and said
Why are you standing here crying
While my mother also cries from afar watching you
I've never seen her mistreat an employee
But you can rest assured
And you don't need to cry anymore
She's coming and will surely ask you for forgiveness
And when he saw her approaching, he said
I don't need your consolation
And even less your forgiveness
You are rich and a landowner
And I am an old man who has nothing left in life
But I will leave here with my head held high
And as I cross that gate that was built by me
I want to hear the sound of its closing
That was always the sign of my arrival
But today it points me to the road
Which ironically will be my starting point
I'm already leaving
I've already packed my bag
And you can go take care of your employees
I don't need a farewell
Because from this ground that was my life
I can't leave here so humiliated
Then she said
This time you didn't make a mistake in your decision
Because with disdain and humiliation, no one reaches happiness
But I see that you have learned the lesson well
And there's only one thing you haven't realized yet
That for thirty years I always
Followed your steps, I saw your glory and your failure
And if you still don't recognize me
I'll tell you the whole truth
One day I was also so humiliated and despised
By my parents and my siblings
That at twelve years old
I had to hit the road
Only carrying bitterness and loneliness
And I told myself that one day I would get revenge
And when I succeeded in life, I would return
And show everyone my worth
But I can see in your eyes, in the tears
That are falling
That you now know who I am
And the pain I am feeling
But I learned that revenge is not a good alliance
And only increases our pain
And please, my father, stop crying
Let's not suffer anymore
Give me a kiss and a hug
Because I also want to hug you
The world taught me to live
And life taught me to forgive
So you don't need to leave anymore
You already have your farm back to take care of
And for you to better understand
I make a point of showing
That the papers you signed on my desk a while ago
And that you nervously didn't read before signing
Were not your dismissal
It was the deed of the farm
That I am returning to you in your hands
This is the gift I wanted to give you
And you don't need to worry about me
I'll be here close by on another farm
That I just bought
And since you are not leaving anymore
Give me your bag
So your grandson can also hug you
And he, who was feeling so lonely
When that boy hugged him
Kissing his face, calling him grandpa
If he had any remnants of resentment in his mind
At that moment it disappeared
Crying, he hugged his daughter and his grandson
Apologized for his past
Completely repentant
He became an honorable man again
And only then, for him, his life
Finally made sense