You can imagine that he last thing an army officer wants to do is go face to face with his own citizens, and yet during times of civil unrest, that's often exactly what happens. There were protests on the streets of Brazil, and the army had been called in to restore order. Ordinary people came face to face with armed soldiers, and things could have become very dark very quickly. But instead, something incredible happened.
Instead of pointing his guns at the crowd, this general simply told them that he didn't want to fight with them today, because it was his birthday. The crowd of protesters responded with kindness. Someone found a birthday cake and handed it over to the general. It was enough to bring a tear to the old soldier's eyes, and in an instant, tension had dissolved and people were smiling, clapping and taking pictures. A dangerous moment had become a beautiful one instead.