Tango and the Outlook on Life

One

Two FB friends, Oliver and Tony, are both great tango dancers. One left Buenos Aires to teach tango in the US, while the other left the US and moved to Buenos Aires to dance tango. They exchanged the following thoughts on the life of milongueros.

Oliver: "There is a big, big fantasy in many people's minds about the life of the milonguero. Many are in love with the fantasy of emulating this life, but maybe they don’t actually know what a milonguero is or what kind of life led them to this status. They didn't plan this life; it just evolved through their passion and their choices.

Imagine yourself as a 20-year-old going to the disco every night, hanging out with friends, trying to get that girl or boy you like, not caring much about getting a job, avoiding responsibility. Before you realize it, time has passed. You are no longer in your 20s but in your 30s, 40s, or even 50s - and still going to the disco every night. During these 30 years, you had to do something besides dancing. Maybe some of you chose to live with your parents (if they weren’t smart enough to kick you out), others took mundane day jobs or simple afternoon shifts just to earn enough to sustain the disco lifestyle. Some may have even considered other 'special jobs' - dangerous ones, quick money. There wasn’t always food on the table, and life wasn’t always simple. Promoters of the disco world saw opportunities to exploit these fanatics by offering more and more hours during which they could lose themselves in this dance. While others studied or built careers, putting their love of dance in perspective, you were - and are still - dancing or hanging out in this world.

When you reach 70, you've lived the life you chose. You didn’t plan to become a 'milonguero' - or, in this case, a 'discoero' - it just happened because of your choices. You simply lived! Had you known the outcome, would you have done the same?

There’s a fascination with milongueros in Buenos Aires. Unfortunately, time is the enemy, and most are now resting in peace. Looking back, the question for those who worship them is: would you actually choose to live the life they did? It's like being fascinated by the mafia world - would you actually kill someone or handle situations where talking is no longer an option? You can't be a tough guy without being tough. I heard someone say, 'I am living the life of a milonguero in Buenos Aires. I know the rules of the milongas, I know where people sit, and the icons of tango say hello to me.' But this is just the packaging, my friends, not the reality.

A milonguero is someone who spent their life at the milongas - dancing, chatting, hanging out, or just passing time. Some people have the sensitivity to see the milonguero as a result of life choices rather than a plan to become one. I’m not sure that every milonguero-wanna-be could make that transition consciously and pursue that status for the future."

Tony: "While I appreciate the metaphor - and even more, the American tendency to inappropriately romanticize the life of the milonguero - I ask that you consider an alternative scenario.

Imagine you don’t have the opportunities we have in the US… that your government is in flux and frequently reorganized by the military… that friends of yours regularly disappear, never to be seen again… that your economy periodically collapses and inflation is cyclical… that catering to tourists is your best economic opportunity… and that you both like tango and have the natural skill to support yourself through it.

Imagine that, over your lifetime, the safest and most reliable place in your world was the milongas.

How many American businessmen lie in a hospital bed after a heart attack, look around, and ask themselves, 'How did I end up spending my life this way? Working too many hours… my loved one is a stranger, if we’re not already divorced… I missed my children growing up because I worked too much… I spent my life, not with friends, but pursuing “financial security,” and in the end, I ended up here.'

Oliver, one thing we completely agree on: 'They didn't plan this life; it just evolved through their passion and their choices.' And with those choices, we must ultimately accept responsibility for the outcomes."

Two

Though they disagree on whether the life of milongueros is worth living, both opinions are based on facts. The question remains: how should people live? What constitutes a good life? Why are some lifestyles enviable and others not? Would public opinion change if dancing tango could make people rich?

We’re taught from a young age to study hard, work hard, and become successful and wealthy. Under such influence, pursuing wealth becomes the ambition of many, leading them to use every conceivable means to make money. Meanwhile, the market provides us with more and more upscale luxuries, turning us into sophisticated materialists. We call this desire "the pursuit of happiness." We attribute it to Protestant ethics, developing theories like capitalism, private ownership, individual rights, and economic freedom to justify our avarice. But no matter how we rationalize it, the sad truth is that many problems of our modern world - such as intense competition, stress, predatory practices, monopolies, gun proliferation, doping, human trafficking, wealth concentration, political corruption, natural resource depletion, pollution, ecosystem collapse, and economic inequality - are results of this relentless pursuit of wealth (see Mammonism).

Any sensible person can see that the unrestrained pursuit of wealth is an ill-advised practice. Planetary resources are limited and can’t provide eight billion people with extravagant lifestyles. As gifts of nature meant for all humans whose equality we hold to be a self-evident truth, resources should be used rationally, prudently, and equitably - not exploited for personal luxury or wealth at the cost of the environment and future generations.

A truly civilized society, I believe, should embrace thrift, simplicity, equality, sharing, and cooperation, not luxury, greed, competition, and monopoly. It shouldn’t allow a few to accumulate unlimited wealth but should promote a sound outlook on life - not the so-called "philosophy of success." It should encourage small, diversified economic models that benefit both the environment and social equality, not allow some to become so big that others cannot compete. It should ensure everyone a fair platform to work together for a common purpose, rather than letting a few profit from exploiting the majority. And it should reform its democratic system, not deregulate political contributions to let money influence lawmaking in favor of special interests.

Three

Recently, a story with deep meaning circulated online: An American businessman sat on a pier in a Mexican fishing village, watching a fisherman pull his boat ashore, carrying several large tunas. After complimenting the fisherman, the American asked, "How long did it take to catch these?" The Mexican replied, "About an hour." The American asked, "Why not catch more?" The Mexican responded, "These are enough for today." The American asked, "What do you do with the rest of your day?" The Mexican replied, "I sleep until I naturally wake up, then I fish for a bit. When I return I play with my kids. After lunch I take a nap with my wife, and in the evening I go to the wine shop to drink and play guitar with my buddies. My life is busy and fulfilling." The American said, "I have an MBA from Harvard. Let me give you some advice. If you work more hours each day, soon you could buy a bigger boat, then more boats, and hire people. Then you could open a processing plant and eventually expand to Mexico City, Los Angeles and New York City. This way you could make a fortune." The Mexican asked, "How long will that all take?" The American answered, "Fifteen to twenty years." The Mexican asked, "And then?" The American answered, "Then you can retire, sleep until you naturally wake up, go catch some fish, take a nap at noon, and have fun in the evening." The Mexican laughed, "Isn’t that what I’m doing now?"

This story contrasts two life philosophies. Whether it praises the American’s vision or satirizes his shortsightedness, or whether it criticizes the Mexican fisherman’s lack of ambition or praises his natural wisdom, the takeaway depends on the reader. Many might view the Mexican fisherman as a lazy idler lacking the desire to succeed, but is that true? If his philosophy of "enough for today" were universal, what would our world be like? Would not there be less competition and more harmony? Would not life be less stressful and more enjoyable? Would not there be less greed, waste, corruption, evil and more contentment, simplicity, honesty and good? Would not the sky be bluer, water clearer, resources abundant and ecosystem balanced? Would not the world be more peaceful?

In my view, the crisis of the modern world doesn’t come from the Mexican fisherman’s simple approach to life, but from the American businessman’s greedy ambition and the materialistic view of happiness. Tango dancers seem to better understand this - they embrace a simple lifestyle valuing connection, affinity, and harmony over material gains. Many of them even follow in the footsteps of the milongueros. I know several people who retired from well-paid jobs and moved to Buenos Aires for tango. Their choices at least demonstrate that while money may be necessary for happiness, it isn’t sufficient. True happiness requires contentment of the soul.

The world has long recognized this wisdom. Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu advocated simplicity, detachment from worldly success, and a return to nature. Tao Yuanming resigned from a government job to embrace a peaceful rural life. Asked about the best home, Pittacus of Mytilene answered, "It has neither luxury nor lack of necessity." Forrest Gump said, "There’s only so much fortune a man really needs, and the rest is just for showing off." Yu Juan said, "Being with the ones you love makes you feel warm even in a humble home." These people are like the milongueros and the Mexican fisherman. They preserved the essence of being human without becoming slaves to money.

I believe the world needs more people like them because it simply cannot withstand the devastation of materialism any longer (see The World Needs a Different Philosophy).