Young man curious to see more of the world. Neither a Portuguese nor an Olhanense, but a Citizen of the World.

ABOUT ME

(Disclaimer - This will be a long description.
Long-story-short: I quit my previous corporate job in Luxembourg in the end of April and am travelling East, as I believe things are not well set up there.
Skip to below sections or start to read on at your discretion.)

Dear Couchsurfers,

My name is Rafael, and I'm on a Mission.
After having tried my best during 5 and a half years to find my way in the corporate world (I did a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics Applied to Economics & Management), I came to the conclusion that something is very wrong in the way the job market/"the system" is setup in Western society.

I think that it is not worth to do almost any of the modern jobs people do, even the ones that do pay more or less well (I say "more or less" because when I think about how much people make, I can't but compare it with how much the people at the top of the corporate ladder or who own property and businesses for generations make).

It is not a problem of work being boring. Many times this is the case. But of course that we all have to work.

The problem is not only a problem of modern jobs not paying enough to cover the rising cost of living over this past decade, but above all a problem in the lack of meaning of the work people do.
A lack of a sense of community, and why/how the work people do will contribute for our communities' prosperity in the future.

At the end of the day, I'm convinced at least 95% of the cases it's literally people just exchanging their time for money.

This is fine, for everyone has to survive and needs to make ends meet with their own unique skillsets, acquired through Biology and Education.

However, it's clear to me that the wealth gap between "the haves" and "the have nots" is too big and unjust, the system is built for the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer, and that even the working class that makes a decent amount of money is not leading a happy life by trying to consume/chase the next desire (they always keep coming, fulfilling the next one is never enough; "it's only the next one and then I'll really work on myself/take care of that objective I've been striving for") in the scarce free time they have.

I think this is because, as above described, the system has been rigged by the people at the top (however, "we at the bottom" are the 99.9%, we have the true power if we unite instead of fighting each other for the breadcrumbs), so the jobs that they have made available for the people essentially turns them soulless/into zombies.

There is a lack of planning for the future and of community building - those people at the top are evil and don't care about us or our kids; we could all get cancer and die a slow death, for all they care.
This is the big problem in my opinion, for no matter that we all have to work, I believe that we had stronger communities - actually worth being called the word "communities" - centered on 1) knowing our neighbours, 2) having similar values and traditions with the people around us, and above all 3) the family, as a unit of cohesion, the "social glue" that ties everything together and makes things work, in the sense that all adult members of the society, in this vision of mine, would strive to build a better future for their generation's children...

This is what I believe is the best model to make work more meaningful and tolerable, however boring it may be at certain times.

Instead we have replaced Christianism with Materialism for many, many years now. So many people have completely turned their back from Jesus Christ...
The result, as per my perception (I may be wrong, I'm just a young student of life and the Universe) is the sad society that I described, and I sense that things are headed for troubles before they can possibly improve (the whole system needs to change; this requires a completely new set of politicians and business leaders).

So this is my mission:
- To continue to pursue knowledge;
- To fight for peace, justice and a better future for the generations to come and btw also to the whole Biosphere;
- To enjoy my life, the only life I get to live as much as possible. To live it with love and kindness, passion and fierceness, modesty and calm, well and in the right way.

Given all this, my current developments are that I quit my previous corporate job at the end of April and am on a travelling adventure.

On May 15th I declared my belief in Muhammad as the Last Prophet of God ("Allah" in Arabic language), so am in the processing of becoming a Muslim, in which I have adopted the name of SALAHUDDIN (pronunced "Sa-la-hâ-din, as the letter "u" in the english word "hud" for example.

I do not hate Jews based purely on race, but I think it's clear that some Jews pose perhaps the biggest modern problem to humanity, for there are some of the most evil and powerful tyrants among their kind.

They must and will be stopped.

Thank you if you made it all the way. Please understand that I'm a positive and optimistic person. The fact that I mention "problems" is just due to me not being able to ignore reality, make excuses, lie to myself saying that "the problems are not there/it's all good/there's nothing I can do anyway so why bother?", because I've learned that people may ignore reality... but it's reality, and at some point it had to be dealt with.

So why delay? This only increases the original problems like a snowball.

Please keep in mind something that is VERY IMPORTANT: ALL PROBLEMS COME WITH SOLUTIONS.

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P.S - With all this finally said, if you think you have the patience or personality to bear with, I'd love to be your guest. In fact I will be eternally grateful for the kind opportunity 🙏❤️
I don't care about fancy conditions. I'm mostly interested in meeting genuine, good people and enjoying life (don't you agree that this can often be done in such simple ways?)

Best regards,
Rafael

PHILOSOPHY

Some very simple things:

A) "The Golden Rule" - Don't do to others what I wouldn't like to be done to me.
B) Don't overcomplicate things.
C) Strive to be Open-Minded, not clinging too rigidly to any beliefs, with the exception of the Essential Moral Bode which is the Base for everything I do (don't lie, don't cheat, don't steal, etc)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

See above

Interests

• culture
• humanities
• fitness
• economics
• geopolitics
• history
• philosophy
• psychology
• art
• travelling
• nature
• wellness

Music, Movies, and Books

Music:
Many different things.
Reggae, Spiritual/Conscious rap, Deep Soul EDM, Samba & Bossa Nova, Blues, Jazz, Classical, Cuban/Latin Guitar.

Bob Marley, Alborosie, Manu Chao, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Damian Marley, Logic, Big Sean, Duke Ellington, Classic Pianoists... I listen to music for healing purposes - must have a good or inspirational vibe (inspiration for creation and healing, not for destruction or evil); not modern mainstream bad vibe trash.

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Movies:
Shawshank Redemption; The Matrix; Dark Knight; Lord of The Rings; Star Wars; Harry Potter; City of God; Gladiator; American Psycho.

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Books:
I'm quite the reader.

I am currently mostly interested in reading about Humanities, above all History and Philosophy (novels with underlying meanings to make us think included).

Interested in learning more about Buddhism once I visit Southeast Asia.

I love Mark Twain and Will Durant (American historian and philosopher who won a Pulitzer prize), have had my eyes opened by George Orwell and am interested knowing more about Shakespeare, reading Siddartha, etc.

I love good art. Especially the classics.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Visited wonderful Egypt twice;

What I Can Share with Hosts

Above all good vibes.
We can also exchange ideas on various topics if you would like, and effectively grow richer - not in material wealth - but in cultural wealth, by getting to know more about each other's customs, traditions and culture, since this planet is so vast and varied... its nothing short of amazing, if one takes a few moments to think about it. Don't you agree? :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Morocco, Netherlands, Serbia, Spain, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Luxembourg, Portugal