The title of this interview is a though by Marco Aurélio de Carvalho (photo), who became a Spiritist in 1990. He lives in his hometown of Poços de Caldas, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, where he works as a Physics, Electricity and Electronics teacher. He also does volunteer work in the Spiritist Movement in his city. In the following interview, he shares his experiences in the Spiritist Movement.

How did you become a Spiritist? 

I was brought up as a Catholic until the age of 14, when I turn my back to it after failing to find the answers I needed for a number of questions. I became agnostic until the age of 28, when, during a quantic physics lessons I was telling my students that no one would ever be able to see an electron, but we were able to see, feel and measure its effects, like electricity. At that very moment, a voice told me in my mind: hypocrite… How can you ask your students to believe in something that they can see but whose effects they can feel when you don’t believe in God but can see the effects of its existence? Hypocrite! I turned my back to the class and stayed like that for I don’t know how long. When I turned around again, there were 36 pairs of startled eyes staring at me. From then on I began my search for God. I went to different religious groups but all I found was the vindictive, angry, demanding God, who punished his children with the fire of hell for all eternity and picked the chosen ones according to his whims. At that time, I was already working recording events in video and I was hired to film a talk by Dr Costardi, a Spiritist speaker. It was then that I found the best definition of God I had ever heard: God is the supreme intelligence, first cause of all things, sovereignly just and good. After his talk I went to ask him where I could find out more and he mentioned the Vinha do Senhor, a centenary Spiritist Centre here in Poços de Caldas. That is how I found these wonderful and comforting teachings.

How did you begin working in the dissemination of Spiritism?

When I was still taking my first steps in the Teachings, I was hired by the local Spiritist association to record talks during the Spiritist Week of Poços de Caldas. That is when I realised that one my main missions would be to disseminate Spiritism through my videos. I was always interested in taking pictures and filming. When the VCR technology and camcorders came up, I was one of the first ones in Poços de Caldas to embrace it. I had my own video equipment. I used to film all sorts of events for free until my wife told to begin charging for it. And what was then my hobby has become my main professional activity for the past 35 years.

Which aspect of your work gives you most satisfaction?

Whatever we do with love is done with pleasure and dedication. That is why the final result has a taste of personal reward and emotions. Seeing the tears of emotion dropped by the clients when they watch my videos has no price. It is an opportunity to record unique moments which will endure the test of time. That is the biggest satisfaction for me.  

What is the response to that work? 

It’s gratitude, from people who wouldn’t have the opportunity otherwise to attend a talk or lecture. I feel great joy when I realise I can record an event and make it available to other people, who may have their lives changed by those words.

What are the main challenges you normally face in your work? 

There were many problems mainly of a technical nature, because the technology available then restricted us. The internet has opened a huge and endless field for the dissemination of Spiritism and I see progress every day.

Are there any memorable events you would like to highlight? 

It was recording talks by Divaldo Franco and Raul Teixeira here in Poços de Caldas. And also the Sunday webcasts that we do of the open meetings at the Samaritanas Spiritist Group in Poços de Caldas.  

Is your archive available? Can other people access it?

Most of the archive is available at the Samaritans channel, at the AME-Poços channel at the União Fraternal Raul Cury channel, all of them on YouTube. The live transmissions of the talks and lectures have been unfortunately deleted by the stream server that we used. But you can access my talks on YouTube if you click here.

Is there anything else you would like to add? 

We are truly privileged to live in this era, when we can at any time watch remarkable talks and lectures of all the great Spiritist speakers of our time. We are able to listen to music, watch debates and do research online. All that takes the possibilities of human knowledge to unknown limits. We are the architects of our destiny and through the knowledge we acquire we will be able to choose the best pathway to follow. The Gospel of Christ is the light that guides us. I am grateful to God, Jesus and the Spiritual Benefactors, who have made all this technology available to humankind. I am grateful to my wife, who has always supported me, and to all of those who, like me, believe that the best form of charity we can do to Spiritism is its dissemination.