Da felicidade ao Bem Viver Baniwa: da teoria à prática da sustentabilidade

Abstract

While happiness is the perception of self-satisfaction about life, living well means the collective perception about various aspects of life. This thesis analyses the contemporary idea of happiness shared by the Western world and the idea of living well shared by the Baniwa people. A case study was carried out with the Baniwa people, who live in the Amazon, and who hold a concept of collective happiness, called Matsiakaro Wemaka, or Bem Viver (living well). The case analyses as well the instruments and sustainability of Baniwa living well compared to the ideal of western happiness. The contemporary idea of happiness in the West is largely based on the consumption of material goods and the quick satisfaction that consumption provides, while the concept of living well is based on the relations of reciprocity, collective care and collective management of common assets built historically. Based on this comparison, the thesis argues that this idea of western happiness is unsustainable environmentally, economically, culturally and socially; while the perspective of living well can be a reference for a more sustainable life, especially in the context of planetary crisis and climate change that we are all experiencing.