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The Painter and the River

The Painter and the River

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A painter who had long tried to understand life, spent his days painting and observing the city where he lived. He always noted the monotone gray shades of the drab buildings that, to his eyes, said a lot about the people who lived there, about the mechanical way through which the individuals were led through their lives. He realized that the fleeting happiness, desired by all, always slipped through their fingers, was evasive. And the moment he was going through was not one of the most pleasant ones either, for he never seemed to achieve his goals. Everything was kind of stuck.

Discouraged, he saw his creativity, once so spontaneous, escape him. The color of the city gave him a grim impression. The painter wanted to rebuild himself. Hopeful, he tried to renew his inspiration, seeking haven in nature. So, he took a small paddle boat and went down the river.

The idea of paddling a stretch of the river and observing new landscapes, pleased him. By doing so, he thought, the saturation point caused by the frantic mono-rhythm of the city, would give way to the beautiful images found along the way.

On the day of his journey, under the blue sky, he went down the river taken by the gentle stream. Nothing escaped his eyes. He followed attentively the birds, nesting among the leaves of the trees, showing their exuberant colored feathers. He fixed his eyes on the fish, whose images were sharpened by the contrast with the pebbled river bed, in which they happily swam. Delighted with the yellow butterfly, that landed on his feet, he admired the little multicolored flowers on the river banks welcoming the insects in search of food, and observed the small animals that came to quench their thirst and swiftly leave in fear of predators.

The hours went by without the painter’s awareness. The sun set on the horizon touching the river, forming a brilliant beam of light on the water. A variety of pastel shades filled the sky that slowly became darker and darker as the birds flew around announcing the end of the day. The painter then left the small boat near a clearing and went ashore to rest. Yet he could not guess what was about to happen.

As he walked absent-mindedly thinking of all the beauty he had seen during the day, he stepped near a brightly colored snake. The animal’s skin was predominantly red. Cornered by the painter’s proximity, it tried to bite him, without success due to the thick boots he was wearing.

Recovered from the fright, he made a small fire. The air, once still, started to softly blow feeding the fire with greater vigor. Tired, he lay down on the ground, between the fire and the river, and watched the sky. The night was full of stars and the moon showed a unique beauty. While fixedly looking at the moon, he thought about his profession, about nature, about life.

He searched his memory for childhood yearnings. He remembered how he became a painter. He thought and put together all the events he considered unfair. He wanted to figure out the composition of images and colors that resulted in such a reality. He tried to understand the natural movement of things, the natural order of everything that exists on Earth, the function of everything. He thought about the fear he felt facing the snake, and about the joy of the contact with the little butterfly. 

He started meditating on everything; on the dissatisfaction he felt before the trip, on the forgotten questions he had when he was only a small boy. Why is the sky blue? Why is blue blue…?

For a long time, he thought and pondered.

The painter’s thoughts seemed to be ordered in such a way as to establish a link between all the facts he had observed throughout his life. It was as if he had turned a Newton’s disk and seen the white color through its movement.

After a while, he thought of nothing else, only admired the light coming from the moon. It seemed that that light was part of him, was him, he felt integrated with that heavenly body and with all the elements around him; he felt something that made him see happiness with another view. He realized the existence of what always is. And he fell asleep.

He woke up in the morning with the sun drying the dew and warming his face. He felt pleasure. It vaguely occurred to his memory the dream he had dreamed. It seemed to him that, in a way, during his sleep, all the experiences he had had along the previous day, marked him deeply. The wonders he had been through kept indelibly registered in his heart and in his mind.

The perception of time seemed enlarged. Life in an instant. He searched for the point of wisdom from the experiences he had lived, and found courage to give shape to the uncountable virtues he had recognized within himself, and filled them with colors. Other aspects of life were then understood. He felt connected to nature, the same nature that had attracted him and taught him so much! The feeling of discouragement once present gave place to enthusiasm. He recognized he had a lot do.

After paddling along the stretch of river…, after going through the day…, through all the thoughts and sensations, after having lived the instant…, the painter gave his canvas new contours, a new depth, that reflected infinite beauty. What used to be unconceivable was now reality.

A painter he was, he went back to the city, to his work, to his daily routine. Everything the same. Everything from then on different…

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Hello !

Welcome to the internal Home Page of the PRÓ-VIDA website. In this environment you will find information about our movement, such as the activities calendar, news and content that may be of interest to you.

Where to find the activities?

You will find the activities calendar right at the top of the home page and, to see all the available activities, just click on “See full calendar”.

The activities are organized by language, time zone, modality (in person, online, or remote in-center), and categories:

  • BAS, AV1 and INT weeks
  • Exercises and Training
  • Lectures and Talks
  • Advanced Levels
  • CGD (General Center for the Tithe)
  • Departments

What activities can I participate in?

You will be able to participate in all available activities, according to your level. They are identified in the calendar by a stripe with the color of the level, on the left side of the activity name.

Basic Level

Every Monday, online Basic Level activities are available. They are offered in four languages ​​(Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and English) and different time zones.

In addition, starting at the Basic Level, you will be able to participate in all the activities identified with the following colors:

Weeks, lectures and exercises aimed at participants from the Basic Level and up.

Here you can find activities such as Keeping in Touch, celebrations, and ceremonies.

Activities carried out by PRÓ-VIDA Departments, such as lectures, presentations and studies.

Check the calendar for upcoming activities and check their times.

Advanced 1​ Level

Activities for the Advanced 1 Level and up are also available for those who have completed that level

Weeks, lectures, exercises and talks for participants from Advanced 1 Level and up.

Introduction Level

For those at the Introduction Level, also the following activities are available:

Weeks, lectures, exercises, and talks for participants from the Introduction Level and up.

Activity for all PRÓ-VIDA participants, starting at the Introduction Level.

Advanced 2SC Level

From Advanced 2 Level and up, the following activities are also available:

Weeks, lectures, exercises and talks for participants from the Advanced 2SC Level and up.

How to browse the site?

Navigate through the pages and contents of the site by clicking the links on the top golden bar or the “hamburger button” (≡), located in the upper left corner.

In addition to content and articles on various topics, you will be able to access some important areas for your participation in the activities:

Online Activities: It’s the place where you will access the activities that will be transmitted in the online modality.

Participant’s Area: It gathers information about your registration and your level in PRÓ-VIDA.

Need help?

If you need help, or to clarify any questions, contact our support by e-mail: foundation.secretary@provida.net.

Modalities of PRÓ-VIDA activities

In-person

Presenter in-center

Participants in-center

This is a live activity carried out in one of the PRÓ-VIDA Centers with both the presenter and the enrolled participants attending in-person.

Remote in-center

Remote presenter

Participants in-center

The activity is transmitted live from one of the PRÓ-VIDA studios to several Centers where the participants are attending in-person. It allows the presenter and the participants to interact despite the fact that the presenter is in a remote location. 

Online

Online presenter

Online participants

The activity is transmitted live from one of the PRÓ-VIDA studios and enables interaction between participants and the presenter in a virtual environment.

To learn more about the modalities, talk to a PRÓ-VIDA representative by chat or email secretaria@provida.net (for Brazil residents) or foundation.secretary@provida.net (for residents in other countries).

SEG    SEX

22-26

NOV    NOV

Online

Semana de Avançado 1

PT

Será transmitido nos idiomas e horários locais:

PORTUGUÊS - COM INTERAÇÃO

Segunda a sexta-feira

às 20h30*

Hora de São Paulo

*A atividade tem duração aproximada de 3 horas.

Para saber como participar, clique abaixo.

MON    FRI

06-10

DEC    DEC

Online

Semana de Introdução

PT

It will be transmitted in the following language ​​and times:

PORTUGUESE - WITH INTERACTION

Monday to Friday

at 8:30 p.m.*

Time Zone: (UTC-03:00) Brasilia

*The activity lasts approximately 3 hours.

To find out how to participate, click below.

No registrations will be made on the weekend before the activity, or in the week it takes place.

SEG    SEX

25-29

OUT    OUT

Online

Semana de Avançado 1

PT

Será transmitido nos idiomas e horários locais:

PORTUGUÊS - COM INTERAÇÃO

Segunda a sexta-feira

às 20h30*

Hora de São Paulo

*A atividade tem duração aproximada de 3 horas.

Para saber como participar, clique abaixo.

SEG    DOM

08-14

NOV    NOV

Online

Semana de Básico

PT

Será transmitido nos idiomas e horários locais:

PORTUGUÊS - COM INTERAÇÃO

Segunda a sexta-feira

às 20h30*

Sábado

às 14h30*

Domingo

às 10h00*

Hora de São Paulo

*A atividade tem duração aproximada de 3 horas.

Para saber como participar, clique abaixo.

*Para repetição oficial, participantes que estão retornando ou em R.A., em breve mais informações.

Requisitos técnicos indispensáveis

Gostaríamos de informar que, para a participação no Básico on-line, são indispensáveis os seguintes requisitos mínimos:

Computador (Windows/Mac)

Computador com câmera integrada ou conectada por entrada USB.

As atividades não poderão ser assistidas por nenhum outro dispositivo, tais como celulares, smartphones e tablets ou computadores com outros sistemas operacionais.

Especificações e Sistema Operacional

• Processador: Intel Core i3, i5 e i7 – 3100 Series , ou superior.

• Memória RAM: 4GB, ou superior.

• Sistema Operacional:

• Windows 7 com todas as atualizações, ou versão superior (somente 64 bits).

• MacOS 10.15 Catalina, ou versão superior.

Verifique as configurações de seu computador Windows clicando aqui.

Como verificar suas especificações no Mac? Clique aqui.

Fones de ouvido com microfone (headset)

Modelos homologados para uso com nossa plataforma.

Consulte a lista de headsets homologados:

Internet

Banda larga com conexão estável, com no mínimo 10MB de download e 4MB de upload.

Como verificar sua banda de internet? Clique aqui para testa-la.

* Os requisitos técnicos poderão ser atualizados. Acompanhe aqui eventuais alterações.

Fones de ouvido homologados

Marca

Modelo

Tipo

Bose

Quiet Comfort 35 Stereo

USB e Bluetooth

Dell

Pro Stereo Headset UC150

USB

Jabra

BLZ 2400 II

USB

Jabra

Evolve 20 MS

USB

Jabra

Evolve 75

USB e Bluetooth

Jabra

UC Voice 550a MS Mono

USB

JBL

Everest Elite 750NC Stereo

Bluetooth

Logitech

Headset H390

USB

Logitech

Stereo H650e

USB

Microsoft

LifeChat LX-3000

USB

Microsoft

LifeChat LX-6000

USB

Plantronics

Blackwire 320

USB

Plantronics

Blackwire 3220 Series

USB

Plantronics

Blackwire C220

USB

Plantronics

Audio 628 USB

USB

Samsung

USBC Headset

USB

Sony

WH-CH700N

USB

Sony

Headset Pulse 7.1

USB

Sony

WH-XB900N

Bluetooth

Atualização: 11.06.2021

Regras de conduta para prevenção da COVID-19

Uso de Máscaras

Cobrindo a boca e o nariz. Usar o tempo todo.
Evitar tocar a boca, o nariz e os olhos.

Distanciamento

Mínimo de 2 metros

Mãos

Lavar frequentemente ou higienizar com álcool em gel.

Etiqueta Respiratória

Ao espirrar ou tossir, proteger a boca e o nariz com o cotovelo, ou usar lenço descartável.

Sintomas

Se apresentar sintomas, ficar em casa e buscar atendimento médico.