President of Uruguay: the poorest president in the world or the president that any country would like to have? President of Uruguay Jose Mujica: no palace, no motorcades, no gloss Jose Mujica President of Uruguay biography.
In October, the world's most famous altruistic president, vegetarian José Mujica, will step down as president of Uruguay.
A former leftist revolutionary, he saved up little in his life, a small farm and a 1987 Volkswagen Beetle. comes from a well that is surrounded by overgrown weeds and even washing outside.
The strict lifestyle of the president-gardener is respected not only by the inhabitants of Uruguay, but also by the whole world.
President Mujica has abandoned the luxurious home that the Uruguayan government provides for its leaders and has chosen to stay at his wife's house, with a dirt road outside the capital, Montevideo. 
Mr. Mujica gives 90% of his salary, the equivalent of $12,500, to charity, leaving himself only $775 a month to live on.
He and his wife work on their land, growing flowers.
When age makes itself felt, he goes to an ordinary rural clinic, where he patiently waits for his turn to the doctor along with ordinary visitors. He also buys food at a regular store, where he drives his own car after work. 
“I live like this, most of my life,” he says, sitting on an old chair in his garden, using his beloved dog Manuela as a pillow.
"I can live well with what I have."
Mujica was elected President in 2009. And in the 1960s and 1970s, she fought with the Uruguayan Tupamaros guerrillas, a left-wing armed group inspired by the Cuban Revolution. 
He was wounded six times and spent 14 years in prison. He spent most of his term in harsh conditions and isolation until he was released in 1985 when Uruguay returned to democracy.
Years spent in prison helped Mujica shape his outlook on life.
"They call me 'the poorest president,' but I don't feel bad about it. Poor people are the ones who just work to try and maintain an expensive lifestyle and always want more and more," he says.
“It's a matter of freedom. If you don't have a lot of possessions, then you don't have to work your whole life like a slave to support it, and therefore you have more time for yourself,” he says.
"I may seem like an eccentric old man... But this is my free choice." 
In June of this year, President Mujica spoke at a summit in Rio de Janeiro where issues and provision for the poor were discussed…
“You ask what we think? Do we want the model of development and consumption of rich countries to be transferred to us. Now I ask you: what will happen to this planet if the Indians have the same proportion of cars per family as the Germans? How much oxygen will there be? What will we leave?
Does this planet have enough resources to provide the same level of consumption and spending for 7-8 billion people as it is in rich societies today? It is this level of hyper-consumption that harms our Planet." 
Mujica accuses most world leaders of "a blind obsession with achieving consumption growth that is highly controversial and will mean the end of the world."
“Many people sympathize with President Mujica and his lifestyle. But his position is not immune in politics,” says Ignacio Zuasnabar, a Uruguayan sociologist.
Mujica pursued a moderate center-left economic policy that has provided his country with a stable three percent growth over the past years. The state invests heavily in nationwide and infrastructure projects. For example, at the initiative of the president, every student in the country is provided with an inexpensive computer for free. 
He also supports the discussion about , in a bill that would give the state a monopoly on its trade.
"Marijuana is not dangerous, the drug trade is the real problem," he says. This stance led to the fact that the drug cartels began to leave the country. Marijuana became widely available, after which the popularity of heroin and cocaine declined sharply. There was no need for any wars against the drug business: Uruguay simply ceased to be a profitable place for its development.
But Mujica, at 78 years old, is not very worried about his departure from the presidency. He is not kept by fame and prosperity in this post. And let his independent life position serve as an example to all of us.
José Mujica was the 40th President of Uruguay between 2010 and 2015. A former partisan who fought against Tupamaros, and in the 70's he served 13 years in prison under a military dictatorship. Before ascending to the presidency, José Mujica served as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock He has been described as the most "humble president" because of his ascetic lifestyle, and donating 90% of his already not-so-great $12,000 presidential salary to charities helping the poor and private entrepreneurs.
In his recent speech at a UN meeting, José Mujica, who looks like a working class grandfather, criticized the excessive frivolity, luxury and waste of natural resources in the world.
Al Jazeera media came to interview the President. In a modest dacha near Montevideo, Mujica's only guard is his three-legged dog, Manuela. Cameras ate fit in the cabin. The host treated the guests to traditional Uruguayan mate bitter tea, which is served in a special gourd with an iron pipe. Uruguayans believe that it is this drink that allows them to stay healthy.
José Mujica, to the popular description of him as "the poorest president", says that he is not poor at all. “Poor are those who describe me as such. By definition, the poor are those who need too much and are never satisfied. I live frugally, but not poorly. I have a light suitcase and I don't need much. I am not attached to material things. Why? To have more free time to do what I want. Freedom is to have time to live,” he says. José Mujica believes that modesty is a philosophy of life. He says his life hasn't changed since he became president. "I earn more than I need, even if in the eyes of others it is not enough." He says that he and his wife live on the salary of his wife, who works as a senator. She also invests a lot of money in the party. They save quite a bit in the bank, just in case of a fireman. 90% of his small salary, the president invests in various charitable organizations. For example, he helps single mothers. “For me, this is not a sacrifice – this is my duty.”
Uruguay is the first country to legalize marijuana. José Mujica explains that the reason is to try to stop the distribution and illegal sale of drugs. All attempts over the course of 100 years of the country in the fight against drug trafficking have failed and crime has only flourished more and more. They are trying to make the underground business open. But it is not so that everyone can buy whatever drugs they want and in any quantity. Pharmacies will offer a personalized monthly dose to registered members. If a person needs a large dose, then this will be considered a physiological ailment and the person will be given treatment. “But first, we have to find these people and get them out of the underworld,” the president explains. This is with regard to marijuana - the most common drug in Uruguay and Latin America. "We must use other measures because at the moment the world does not offer other solutions." José Mujica says that no one pressured him to make this decision, and all ex-presidents supported him. They all realized that all their previous attempts to suppress the drug business had failed. “Because what is worse than drugs is their distribution and the drug business,” the president explains. “Drugs are a disease. I don't think there are any good drugs, including marijuana, cigarettes and alcohol. No addictions are good. The only good addiction is love, everything else is harmful, ”the president concludes.
José Mujica sees himself as a "man of the earth" and a pacifist.
He spent 13 years in a secluded prison. This is how he describes his experiences at that time. “I have lived many years in seclusion, and I had to seek refuge within myself in order to resist. Man is a strong animal when he is driven by ideals. Maybe I'm a little primitive. Maybe I have a primitive strength, a product of my ancestors, my village childhood. The fact is, I had to invent things to keep from going crazy. The conclusion had a profound effect on me. They even wanted to treat me psychiatrically because I began to hallucinate. But when they sent a doctor to me, I thought: “Now I will definitely go crazy!” The psychiatrist gave me a lot of pills and I threw them all away. But I demanded that they let me read. For seven years I was not allowed to read books. In the end, they gave me books on physics and chemistry to read, and my mind began to function normally again. One day I collected seven frogs and put them in a glass of water so they could breathe. I learned that ants can scream. They scream."
Now President José is trying to end a 50-year long struggle between the Colombian government and the militia. Here is what he says about the reason why he is trying to do this. “Colombia has the strongest military in Latin America, with notorious American backing, which is a nuisance in the region. From the outside, it looks like a war without a solution, or like a long sacrifice for an entire country. But when a president appears who tries to open the way to peace, I think it's worth supporting. Because there is a lot of pain, and if they try to settle scores, then the war will never stop. Here an opportunity arose. I would feel selfish if I didn't try to help in some way. However, help does not mean interference. I wouldn't interfere even if I were invited. I could serve as an intermediary, with my experience. I will support the government's call for dialogue with the rebel forces, which also have their own problems and their own fears. I think all of us Latinos should help."
José Mujica himself has 6 bullet wounds on his body, and in the past he served both on the side of the rebel guerrillas and on the side of the government, so this puts him in a position where it is easier for people to trust him.
Despite the fact that José Mujica considers himself an atheist, legalized abortion and allowed homosexual marriages, he visited the Pope. When asked what connects him to the Pope, José replies: “Humanity. I must say that this Pope is a special character. I think he is trying to modernize the last royal court of the modern world, the Church. He talks about going back to basics, humility, compromise... As a person, I respect him very deeply, but on the other hand, it's true that I'm an atheist, but I respect the Catholic Church, because I'm Hispanic and we all have two things in common: language and the history of the Church on this continent. Despite the fact that Uruguay is a relatively secular country, but in Brazil, Venezuela, the Caribbean, the people mostly adhere to the Catholic tradition. I don't want to be separated from my people."
The President asked the Pope to influence the peace in the region, as it has a profound effect on the people, especially on the most humble Colombian villagers. The clergy have the power to bring peace to the war-torn region.
In his free time, Mujica drives an old tractor, just to relax, and also his old Beatle from '97, but only on the weekends. He says people spend half their lives stuck in traffic jams on smoky highways, driving the latest cars and buying the latest fashion junk.
“I am not against consumption. I am against wasting. We must produce food for the hungry and roofs for those who need a home. We must build schools where there are no schools. We must solve the water problem. If every rich person has 3,4,5 cars, and he needs 400 square meters for housing, and a house by the sea and a plane to fly back and forth, then there is not enough for everyone. José continues: “What does modern science tell us? If modern humanity consumed as much as the average American consumes, then we would need three Earths like ours to satisfy the needs of all inhabitants. This means that if we keep throwing things away, most of humanity will never end up with anything.” The President says that the same problem exists in Uruguay, some people have huge pitchforks in which they live 20 days a year, while others do not even have an overnight stay. “It's not fair. I resist this world, and I am also its prisoner.” To the interviewer's objection that he did not try to somehow change the situation, José replies: “If I tried to impose my vision on others, they would kill me, I'm sure of it. We complain about global warming, but we harm nature by producing so much waste. We borrow from future generations. I'm trying to achieve at least a little less injustice in Uruguay, help the most vulnerable, and leave the political way of thinking behind me. There is nothing short-term, there is no "victory is near, around the corner." I want the common people to be better off. Life is short. The point is for others to continue this path.”
He plans to open a farming technique school to educate the younger generation.
José Mujica is a Republican. He is not afraid to leave the presidency. He says there is no better or worse Republican philosophy. The President represents the people. He is not a king, not the Lord God, not a sorcerer who knows the answers to all the questions of his tribe. He is a servant of the people (civil servant). So he must go and change. “I am against re-elections. There are feudal systems that have survived in our republics. So we roll out red carpets, all these things that kings use. I don't like these things. I think it's ideal to live like most of the people we're trying to serve and represent."
Asked why the US is spying not only on its enemies, but also on its allies, Mujica says: “Because they are very afraid. They played the role of a gendarme and created many enemies in history. One who has many enemies is naturally very afraid. But I don't put the whole US in one bag. People are different. Fortunately, the number of Hispanics is growing. The US will soon become a bilingual country. Hispanic wombs will win step by step. They are predisposed to love and give birth to children who will lead to changes in American society. But it will take time."
Mujica is a philosopher. He says that the way to happiness lies in being honest with yourself, living according to your conscience and not imposing your opinion on others. I respect the freedom of others, but I also defend my own freedom. With that comes the courage to say what you think, even when others don't share your views. Sometimes they say that I am not diplomatic. It's because I use the language of truth even when I'm wrong. When I'm wrong, I publicly declare it."
Note: the editorial of the article does not promote any political views, especially the ideas of communism and atheism. This article is an example of humanism and anti-consumerism at the state level.
The poorest president in the world: Jose Mujica
Uruguayan President José Mujica took office in 2010. He received a monthly salary of $ 12,000. However, he spent only 10% on himself, the rest went to charity.
The salary the president kept for himself was equivalent to the national median income of $775.
According to the status, the president was entitled to a luxurious mansion with 42 servants. However, he chose to move to a farm owned by his wife. From there, every day, Mujica drove a 1987 Volkswagen Beetle to the work office. The mansion received the poor and tourists in winter.
The most valuable of all things, José Mujica called the old hammer and shovel left by his father: "They are just insignificant things on the planet, but they are very valuable to me."
The former president continues to work on the family farm, which is guarded by two police officers and a beloved three-legged dog. Together with his wife, Mujica grows flowers for sale, they do not have employees.
"People call me the poorest president, but I don't feel poor."
“The poor are those who always want more money. They try to work to satisfy their personal needs and often desire an expensive lifestyle. It's a matter of freedom. If you don't have a lot of assets, you won't have to work your whole life like a slave to store those piles of assets. So you will have more time for yourself.” says José Mujica.
Imprint of the past
The unpretentiousness of the former president in ordinary life may be related to his past. In the 1960s and 70s, Mujica joined the anti-government Tupamaros guerrilla forces. During this time, he received 6 gunshot wounds and spent 14 years in prison. Most of his days were spent in solitary confinement.
In 1985, democracy returned to Uruguay and Mujica was released.
“These years were very significant for me. I found strength inside even though I hadn't read a book for seven or eight years." recalls the former head of state.
The president himself considers himself rich. "I have lived most of my life and I can live well with what I have" Mujica said.
“Maybe I look like an old eccentric ... But this is my choice,” Mujica commented.
Going down in history as the world's poorest president, Uruguayan leader José Mujica has come a long way from a revolutionary guerrilla to a popular politician, the first in the world to legalize marijuana and constantly rethink democratic values. Uruguay will hold elections in November that will end the era of El Pepe, as the Uruguayans affectionately call the outgoing president. Apparat understood the views of José Mujica and found out why the consumer society does not suit him.
Jose Mujica
President of UruguayJosé Mujica lives with his wife and their three-legged Chihuahua Manuela in a small house on the working outskirts of Montevideo, near which grow chrysanthemums, which the president sells. Mujica has a 25-year-old Volswagen Beetle - the Uruguayan does not buy luxury items for himself and donates 90% of his salary to charity. In the second half of the 20th century, the future head of state was a member of the radical leftist Tupamaros movement, received six bullet wounds in a fight with the police, and then went to prison several times. The imprisonment shaped Mujica's political views. As president, he supported the ideas of the free market, the independence of the judiciary and freedom of the press, and legalized same-sex marriage. Under his leadership, Uruguay became the first country in South America to legalize abortion and the first in the world to fully legalize marijuana. His humble lifestyle and outspokenness have made him a cult politician outside of Uruguay. True, the Uruguayans themselves consider him more of a harbinger of change than a decisive ruler capable of changing something. Some critics also note that the president's policies are inconsistent, and his statements are superficial and often contradict each other.
People are too obsessed with material things
José Mujica believes that our society has gone too far in supporting a culture of consumption. Obsession with material things deprives people of the most important thing - freedom, because they become dependent on the market. If a person works all the time only in order to be able to acquire, then he becomes less and less free in his actions. By his example, as Mujica admits, he wants to show the world that you can be happy without putting material wealth on a pedestal.
We have sacrificed the old immaterial gods in favor of the only God of the Market. It controls our economy, politics, our habits and our lives, controls our credit cards and exchange rates, and creates the illusion of happiness. It seems that we are born only to consume and consume and end up unsatisfied, in poverty and self-isolation.
The priority for society should be the consumption of useful things
Mujica blames the consumer society for slowing progress and complicating our relationship with the material world. The President is sure that we are spending resources on an increasing number of unnecessary things. According to the Uruguayan politician, it is necessary to increase the consumption of only the necessary goods, while avoiding wasting energy, natural resources and time on the creation of useless material values. That is why he is convinced that in today's world it is necessary to fight not with the ecological crisis, but with the crisis of governance. This is a problem of global importance, which cannot be solved by one country.
The richest countries must pay in order to eradicate poverty throughout the world and make the whole world consume only useful things. It's just ridiculous how much we waste and how many useless things we produce, only to be destroyed immediately when, somewhere on the other side of the Earth, women have to walk five kilometers to get some fresh water.
Need to control the process of globalization
Mujica is not opposed to globalization. It allowed Uruguayan farmers to supply China and lift many Uruguayans out of poverty - since 2005, the poverty rate in Uruguay has fallen from 40% to 13%. At the same time, he notes that the process of globalization should take place under the constant supervision of politicians - they should take responsibility for what is happening in the world, and not rely on the will of the market.
Today, globalization can be dangerous, because now it is a process driven solely by the market. There are no regulations, no regulatory institution. National governments are concerned only with the next elections, while there are a number of global problems that no one solves.
Politicians from different countries should work together to redistribute wealth
Mujica blames the ongoing gap between rich and poor in the world on market relations, which have taken over all spheres of our lives. While companies are only focused on making a profit, it is governments who must distribute wealth in a way that eradicates poverty.
Today we can recycle almost everything. If only we were more frugal and lived within our means, then already now seven billion people on the planet could have everything they need. This is the direction in which world leaders should think. But people and countries think for themselves individually, forgetting about humanity as a whole.
Digital technologies will give rise to a new form of democracy
As a young man, Mujica met Che Guevara in Cuba, who made a great impression on him - the bust of the Cuban leader still stands in his house. Like his idol, Mujica does not accept the idea of the exploitation of human labor by other people and believes that society will come to a more just political system. At the same time, the former revolutionary Mujica, unlike many other Latin American leaders, managed to reconcile the pragmatism of the capitalist world and the idealism of the socialist one. He calls the main advantage of democracy respect for the opinions of those who think differently, and as a result, the ability of the system to change. Mujica is confident that the necessary changes can happen with the help of new technologies
Democracy cannot be seen as something complete or ideal. There is only the course of a story that never ends. Perhaps right now, thanks to digital technologies, there are conditions for the formation of a democracy that is simply impossible to imagine today.
…but this requires changing the worldview of many people
Mujica sees the main problem not so much in the structure of the market itself, but in the way people think. Humanity has long since moved from a consumer society to a hyper-consumption society. As a result, goods with a short life cycle are produced, which are quickly thrown away, and everything starts over again - people are locked in this vicious circle. And it is in politicians that Mujica sees people capable of influencing human consciousness.
Life slips like sand through your fingers while you work and work, maybe even overtime, only to gain even more. The consumer society is the engine of all these problems. If consumption is paralyzed in it, economic processes stop, and if the economy no longer functions, this is the specter of stagnation that can affect each of us. But it is this overconsumption that is hurting the planet. This problem is political in nature and shows us that it is necessary to fight for the formation of a different culture.
When people finally get enough, they will become happier
The optimist Mujica believes that the time will come when people will finally get enough. It is then that they will begin to look at seemingly ordinary things in a different way. The President believes that when a person has too many goods for personal use, he does not have time to just be happy. Mujica sees the main task of economic development as the preservation of the main earthly value - human happiness.
We don't just come into this world just to grow up and change. We come into this world to be happy. Because life is short and it eludes us. No material wealth is worth a human life, and this is the most important thing.
Cover Artwork: Willy Verginer
Anna Borisova
From 2010 to 2015, Uruguay was in the hands of an amazing man - José Mujica, nicknamed "the poorest president in the world." Mujica was well described by the Daily Mail: "Finally, there is a politician who is honest in his expenses." This president, who is widely known in his country under the nickname El Pepe, really is an example of unusual directness and justice, which, we agree, is a rare quality for a politician of any kind.
El Pepe's full name is José Humberto Mujica, he was born in 1935, that is, he is now 83 years old. Mother - from a poor family of Italian immigrants, father - a Spaniard. José's father owned a farm, but died when the boy was about five years old. Jose begins to take an interest in politics and public life early, at the age of twenty-five he joins the Tupamaros national liberation movement, which is a left-wing armed group, a kind of partisan detachment inspired by the ideas of the Cuban revolution. In 1960-70s. members of the organization, like Robin Hood, robbed the rich and distributed booty to the poor. On the conscience of "Tupamaros" are also armed attacks and even murders. José Mujica often became an active participant in violent clashes, a considerable number of scars from injuries remained on his body. Having been repeatedly arrested, he spent a total of 14 years in prison. He made escapes, was subjected to solitary confinement, spent two years in complete isolation at the bottom of a well, where, according to his own recollection, he talked to frogs so as not to go crazy.
From prison, the future president was released in 1985, when Uruguay returned to democracy. From that moment, the political activity of Mujica also began. The story is known how, having become a deputy, Jose drove up to the parliament building on a Vespa scooter and, when asked by the parking attendant whether he had arrived for a long time, answered “I hope for a long time.” A little later, Mujica becomes a senator, then the minister of cattle breeding, agriculture and fisheries. In 2008, he was officially approved as a candidate for the presidency of Uruguay, and in 2010 he was elected president of the country.
Mujica never hid that it was the years in prison that helped him shape his views on life in many ways. With the advent of big politics to replace the youthful fervor of Robin Hood, Mujica came to understand that new methods must be sought to combat poverty and injustice. And the president decided to start with himself. This is where the story of the "poorest" president of the planet is born. In Uruguay, the official monthly salary of the head of state is $12,500. Having taken the presidency, Jose immediately declared that a tenth of this money would be enough for him to live. Words were followed by real actions. Mujica gave 90% of his monthly income to social causes and charity. Having become head of state, he refuses to move to the presidential residence and remains to live in a small house on the outskirts of Montevideo. The house is the property of his wife, Lucia Topolansky Saavedra. Lucia supported her husband in everything during the difficult years of imprisonment, and during the years in power, and now. For a long time, this woman was the acting president, as well as a member of Congress. 
The modest house of the presidential couple does not even have a central water supply. The family's property is an old Volkswagen and a couple of tractors. The protection of the president was limited to two policemen, in the closet hung the only dress suit for official meetings.
But behind this seemingly eccentric austerity of Mujica are real results at the state level. During the five years of his rule, the unemployment rate has almost halved, now in Uruguay it is considered the lowest in all of Latin America. The number of poor people has been significantly reduced. For government purposes, social and infrastructure projects, not only budget money was allocated, but also personal funds of the head of state. For example, at the initiative of the president, every student in the country is provided with a computer for free. The state also pays for education and sets prices for basic commodities. The expansion of civil rights under Mujica was accompanied by a steady increase in GDP. Uruguay is considered the safest and least corrupt country in Latin America. 
President Mujica was also famous for his "liberal" reforms. He legalized same-sex marriage, abortion, and became the first president to lift the ban on marijuana use. All these measures are met by the world community with particular enthusiasm, in 2014 Mujica was even nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for marijuana law. But the president himself declares that he is far from liberalism and is guided in his activities by common sense and concern for his people. So the permission of marijuana is a necessary measure to combat the underground drug business. In the modern era, when it is impossible to ignore the logic of the market, this is a kind of reasonable accommodation. At the same time, no one is talking about a complete and universal resolution. The state receives a monopoly on the marijuana trade, its consumption should not exceed a reasonable rate, so we are talking about individual doses that can be purchased at pharmacies.
Mujica achieved his goal: after marijuana became widely available, the popularity of heroin and cocaine fell sharply, Uruguay ceased to be a profitable place for the development of the drug business. 
Having lifted the ban on abortion, marijuana and homosexual unions, and also calling himself an atheist, Jose Mujica, at the same time, has great respect for the centuries-old traditions of his country and, first of all, for the institution of the Catholic Church. After a personal meeting with the current Pope Francis, when asked by journalists what he could have in common with the Pontiff, El Pepe replied that humanity. Mujica speaks of Francis with great respect, as a special church hierarch, striving to return to the basics - to humility and restraint, to the fulfillment of obligations.
After leaving the presidency, El Pepe had the right to remain a senator until 2020, continuing to participate in big politics and having a decent salary. But he refuses this privilege and the senator's pension, preferring a quiet, modest and measured life in his cozy house with a garden. The Mujicas adopted a three-legged dog, named her Manuela, and she became the third member of the family. They eat from their garden, carry flowers for sale, go to an ordinary rural clinic, where they wait in line for an appointment. “I can live well with what I have,” the ex-president repeated and continues to repeat his life credo.
Back in the summer of 2015, Mujica spoke at a summit in Rio de Janeiro on sustainable development and provision for the poor. Now, having left the presidency, he continues to be guided by the principles of reasonable consumption in his personal and public life, the topic of renewable energy sources and waste recycling constantly pops up in his interviews. He is extremely concerned that the planet does not have enough resources to support the level of consumption and spending that we have. Mujica constantly emphasizes that he is not against consumption, but against waste. He condemns most world leaders for their "blind obsession with increasing consumption." He believes that the desire to increase the level of consumption is natural for a politician, but we should talk about expedient consumption, because if humanity learns to live within its means, everyone will be able to have everything they need. Globalization, according to Mujica, cannot disappear, but must be kept under constant control.
All this can be achieved, El Pepe reflects, only by changing our consciousness. It is in this change that the former revolutionary now sees the true revolution. If in his youth, inspired by the activities of Che Guevara, he sought to rebuild the world with weapons in his hands, with age he revised his views. “A revolution,” explains Mujica, “is not always shooting and violence. It is, first of all, a change in thinking. At one time, Confucianism and Christianity also seemed revolutionary.”
The “poorest president” also thinks a lot about the concept of poverty. He fundamentally disagrees with those who called him the poor president: "I am frugal and moderate, but not poor." According to Mujica, a moderate life is a philosophy, and poor is the one who works for an expensive lifestyle and always wants more. Such people, Mujica continues, have no time for themselves, for life itself.
But at the same time, Mujica does not impose his lifestyle on anyone. “Everyone cannot live like me,” El Pepe explains, “if I demanded everyone to follow my example, they would simply kill me.”
Not considering his life as a feat and an obligatory role model, Mujica does not claim to have absolute knowledge of the secret of universal happiness. He warns that paradise is not built overnight and everywhere. “Step by step, I strive to achieve less injustice in my country, to help those who need it,” explains the former president. And behind these golden words are real actions, five years of implementation of what was said in public policy. And perhaps now, from the silence of a village house, these words sound even more convincing than from the presidential rostrum.