There is a
phrase, very
often
repeated,
that has
been
questioned
lately: "No
one is
irreplaceable”.
Is it? Who
replaced
Beethoven,
who, even
deaf,
composed
immortal
symphonies?
Who replaced
Victor Hugo,
a French
poet who,
when he was
disincarnated,
attracted a
crowd that
had never
been seen in
France at a
funeral like
his? Who
replaced
Chico
Xavier, one
of the
greatest
mediums of
all time,
whose death
caused the
commotion of
millions?
Who replaces
me or you,
my friend,
in our
ascending
effort,
whose
success
depends on
our will and
effort?
However, for
those who
defend the
idea that
"out with
the old, in
with the
new”, for
the
nonconformists
because they
are not the
prominent
characters,
in any
activity of
leadership,
nothing
better than
the critic
with the
purpose of
revealing
the weak
points of
those who
are in
charge of a
job. It
seems to us
that there
are people
who, in the
administration
of a public
or private
institution,
advance one
step, but
soon they
are replaced
by others
who go back
two steps.
One step
ahead, two
steps
behind; one
ahead, two
behind...
Where would
we end up if
that were to
continue
like this?
In the era
of dinosaurs
and,
consequently,
extinct.
Fortunately,
not always
those who
take a step
forward are
replaced by
those who
take two
steps back.
There are
many more
good people
in the world
than bad
people. In
fact, the
Superior
Spirits tell
us that no
one goes
through the
matrix of
evil to
evolve, but
rather
through
ignorance
(issue 120
of The
Book of
Spirits).
When someone
harms
others, it
also harms
itself.
Suffering
the
consequences
of his wrong
behavior, if
he is
intelligent,
he begins to
think and
thus
realizes
that the law
of action
and reaction
cannot be
mocked by
any of us.
But if the
bad suffer
justly, why
do the good
suffer as
well? For
these have
also been
evil in past
ages, and
were not
attained by
human laws
in their
attitudes
contrary to
the Divine
Law.
Otherwise,
God would
not be just
in making
suffer both
the good and
the bad that
still ignore
His main
law, from
which all
others
result: the
Law of Love.
There is a
capital
difference
between the
suffering of
those who
are good and
the
suffering of
the bad. The
latter
suffer in an
uproarious
way, and
they
blaspheme,
howl, curse,
and so on.
And the more
they kick,
the more
they suffer.
The first
ones give us
sublime
examples of
resignation,
mildness and
submission
to the
Divine Will.
The
suffering of
those who
are now
good, even
though they
seem to be
unjust, give
us a true
lesson in
how to act
before the
correction
of the
Father, for,
as Jesus
said, we are
all children
of God, who
is Love. For
this very
reason, the
pain of the
good is a
source of
purification;
the pain of
the bad, a
reason of
despair and
revolt,
because if
he is
selfless,
the latter
is
egocentric.
It is
amazing,
however, the
different
way in which
Mankind
praises the
deeds of the
good, such
as the bad.
And, even
more
impressive,
their
actions,
even if they
are a
minority,
attract more
attention
than those.
If we
connect the
television
in four or
five
channels,
especially
when the
news is on,
what is most
mentioned is
disasters,
crimes and
accidents.
However,
there is
still little
media
emphasis on
some of the
millions of
everyday
events in
homes,
places of
leisure or
work that
are based on
respect,
solidarity
and love for
others.
This greater
prominence
to evil
stems from
our still
simple and
ignorant
nature.
Nowadays,
even
football, a
supportive
sport, which
has the
participation
of eleven
athletes on
each side,
leads some
people to an
irrational
breakup,
when they
realize that
their team
has lost.
They have
not yet
learned from
our Japanese
brothers,
who value
both the
effort of
each
competing
side and the
victory of
one of them.
At the time
of the Roman
Empire,
violent
sports could
bring to
death the
defeated
adversary.
It is said
that when
Emperor Nero
waved his
thumb down,
he wished
the victor
to kill the
vanquished,
if his
finger was
up, the
loser’s life
was saved.
However,
today,
billions of
good people,
dear reader,
are born,
live
peacefully
and, if
their
actions are
weighed, the
good they
did on this
Earth
prevails.
They do not
gain fame
and money in
the world,
but where
they go they
take life
and joy. Not
all of these
people are
religious,
but most are
not capable
of
committing
an act of
cruelty
without
feeling
terribly
sorry and
try to
correct it
somehow by
opposing
good to
evil. That
is exactly
what the
Apostle
Peter says:
"Love covers
the
multitude of
sins" (I
Peter, 4:
8).
We are
approaching
the time
when the
good will
have more
importance
within the
media.
However, our
children and
young people
have been
bombarded
with evil
highlights:
various
crimes,
corruption,
drug use,
sexual
imbalances,
as if
nothing of
the sort
would sooner
or later
bring
harmful
consequences
not only to
the physical
body but
also to the
Spirit.
Still, most
choose the
good.
To those who
join the
evil, it is
no wonder
that they
grow up
thinking
that we live
in a world
of
make-believe.
I pretend I
am honest,
but I'm
keeping an
eye on your
assets; I
pretend that
I'm going to
fight the
corrupt, but
I'll always
corrupt
someone; I
pretend to
be faithful,
but I
constantly
betray the
person with
whom I live;
I pretend to
believe in
the Good
News of
Christ, but
for me the
man who
divided time
before and
after him
never
existed.
This,
however, is
only the
useless
attempt of
the evil in
delaying the
natural
evolution of
good, the
essential
Divine Law.
To the
simple, the
"make
believe"
does not
make sense.
That is why
Jesus said
that theirs
is "the
Kingdom of
Heaven".
When we ask
millions of
good souls
if they
think of
stealing
from someone
when they
are
starving,
they will
say no, for
they do not
put their
happiness on
Earth, but
in Heaven.
Although
they live in
the mud,
they make
out of the
mud a
beautiful
castle and
live in it
harmoniously
and in
solidarity.
An untold
number of
suffering
children,
orphans, or
from very
poor
families,
for the most
part, need
to exchange
their play
for work.
And the
struggle for
survival
makes them
fraternal,
with their
friends, the
majority of
these
children.
Millions of
rural
laborers,
low-paid
workers,
domestic
workers,
guide their
lives for
honesty, and
therefore
never harm
their
bosses, even
if they are
not always
generous.
Most
domestic
workers
never stole
a single
button from
their
employer's
house.
The number
of poor,
sick people
without
access to
good medical
treatment is
uncountable,
and yet they
are not
angry with
the Lord.
Many of
them,
although
they have
nothing of
material,
donate a
word of
hope, an
alert, and a
hug of
solidarity
to the
neighbor,
also in need
of almost
everything.
For them,
there is
nothing
better than
to live well
with one's
own
conscience,
where the
Law of God
resides.
They
intuitively
know that it
is
worthwhile
to wait, to
resist and
to work,
for, being a
Just and
Loving
Father, God
does not
disown any
of His
children.
Imagine,
then, how
much better
life on
Earth will
be when
newspapers,
TVs,
magazines,
books, and
the Internet
reverse the
current
procedure of
highlighting
evil and
emphasize
the good.
Primarily,
when social
inequalities
are
corrected
and schools
are given a
perfect
education,
the Kingdom
of Heaven
will be
implanted on
Earth, and
Christ will
remain
forever in
each one of
us, as Paul
said he was
already with
him
(Galatians,
2:20).
Since
charity is
our most
important
means of
happiness, I
propose we
think about
it and put
it into
practice
every day of
our lives,
endeavoring
to do so,
even though
we are far
from being
considered
"good men" ,
in the way
presented by
Kardec
(2017,
Chapter
XVII, item
3). Let us
begin by
striving to
always be
good and we
will only
have good
Spirits at
our side, as
this Encoder
of Spiritism
says (2009,
Chapter IX,
page 224).
Everything
that happens
to us is a
reflection
of
ourselves,
and the body
is the
canvas where
our emotions
are
projected.
All our
negative
feelings are
fixed in our
somatic body
in the form
of diseases.
When we feel
anger, hurt,
disgust,
resentment
or
unhappiness,
for a long
time, we
give vent to
the most
serious
illnesses.
Our brain
has two
hemispheres:
left and
right. It is
necessary to
have a
balance
between
these
hemispheres,
to have a
healthy
life.
According to
Cairo
(1999), the
"law of
cause and
effect" has
been
"researched
and proven"
throughout
the world.
Happiness is
a
consequence
of the
harmony of
our soul,
"in whatever
situation"
we find
ourselves.
Thus, we
order below
the
qualities of
these
hemispheres,
according to
this author.
Left
hemisphere
analysis |
Right
Hemisphere
synthesis |
caution |
adventure |
skepticism |
receptivity |
detail |
large |
closed |
open |
intellectual |
emotional |
language |
meditation |
logical |
artistic |
mechanic |
creative |
memory |
spacial |
black
and
white |
colored |
repetition |
new
paths |
substance |
essence |
verbalization |
intuition |
If we
realize that
one of the
qualities of
one of the
sides above
prevails, we
must work
the quality
of the other
side, so
that there
is a balance
and,
consequently,
well-being
in our life.
According to
recent
studies of
psychoanalysis,
Cristina
Cairo (op.
cit.)
reports that
"illnesses
and
unhappiness
are caused
by
conscience
of guilt and
deep
contradictions".
So let us
avoid all
that
unfortunates
and causes
us evil, so
that we have
a healthy
physical-mental
life. This
researcher
also
recommends
that we
immediately
stop judging
and
criticizing
people
negatively.
Instead, let
us praise
them, and
our lives
will be
better.
And
forgiveness?
Forgiveness
is the means
of proving
to ourselves
that
negative
emotions are
under our
control. No
one attacks
us without
our
deserving
it, unless
it is of his
nature to do
evil. Still
here, this
situation
tests us the
ability to
love and
have
compassion
for our
neighbor.
When we feel
attacked, we
have done
something to
others or to
ourselves in
the present,
or in the
past. Free
will is a
reality,
although
some
materialistic
philosophers
have denied
it. It
brings us
good or bad
consequences
of our
attitudes
and
thoughts.
Hence the
importance
of "pray and
watch!"
recommended
by Jesus
with
unprecedented
wisdom.
Finally, we
remind you
that there
are two
universal
laws: a)
similar
attract; b)
everything
has
compensation.
Let us do
well
untiringly
and we will
always be
well. In
question 886
of The
Book of
Spirits,
Allan Kardec
asks:
- What is
the true
meaning of
the word
charity, as
Jesus
understood
it?
And the
answer is a
bip: b of
benevolence;
i of
indulgence
and p of
pardon or
forgiveness:
"Benevolence
towards all,
indulgence
with the
imperfections
of others
and
forgiveness
of
offenses".
Thinking
about this,
the Spirit
Bezerra de
Menezes
proposes to
the
Spiritist
Movement:
It is
necessary to
maintain the
Spiritism,
in the way
it was
delivered by
the divine
messengers
to Allan
Kardec,
without
political
commitments,
without
religious
professionalism,
without
depressing
personalisms,
and without
the
temptation
to conquest
transitory
terrestrial
powers.
Respect for
all
creatures,
appreciation
to all
authorities,
devotion to
the common
good and
instruction
of the
people, in
all
directions,
on the
truths of
the Spirit,
immutable,
eternal.
Nothing that
reminds
castes,
discriminations,
unjustifiable
individual
evidence,
privileges,
immunities,
priorities.
Love of
Jesus over
all,
Kardec's
truth for
all.
In every
temple, the
strongest
should be
the shield
for the
weakest; the
most
enlightened,
the light
for the
least
enlightened,
and always
and always
be the most
protected
and most
aided
sufferer, as
among those
who least
suffer the
greatest is
the one who
becomes the
servant of
all,
according to
the
observation
of the
Divine
Mentor .
Let us go
forward,
seeking the
inspiration
of the Lord.
Since
Spiritism is
re-living
Christianity,
its message
of
tolerance,
compassion
and love to
our
neighbors,
be it
Spiritist or
not, is what
makes us
heirs of the
message of
the
Comforter.
And if it
fulfills,
with the
Spiritist
Doctrine,
the promise
of Jesus to
be with us
forever, it
is up to us
not to hide
the light
under the
Earth, but
to extend it
to all, and
above all,
strive to be
better today
than
yesterday
and tomorrow
better than
today, but
living
intensely
and holy
every day.
References:
CAIRO,
Cristina. A
linguagem do
corpo (The
language of
the body). Sao
Paulo:
Mercuryo,
1999.
KARDEC,
Allan. O
livro dos
espíritos (The
Book of
Spirits). Translation
by Guillon
Ribeiro. 93.
ed. 1. print.
(Historical
Edition).
Brasilia:
FEB, 2013.
______. O
livro dos
médiuns (The
Book of
Mediums). Translation
by Evandro
Noleto
Bezerra. Rio
de Janeiro:
FEB, 2009.
______. O
evangelho
segundo o
espiritismo
(The Gospel
According to
Spiritism).
Translated
by Evandro
Noleto
Bezerra. 2.
ed. 4.
print.
Brasilia:
2017.
SOUZA,
Juvanir
Borges de
(coord. and
org.) et
al.. Bezerra,
ontem e hoje
(Bezerra,
yesterday
and today).
3rd. ed.
Brasilia:
FEB, 2018.
XAVIER,
Francisco
Candido. Unificação
(Unification). By
the Spirit
Bezerra de
Menezes.
Christian
Spiritist
Communion,
Apr. 20,
1963. In: Reformador
(Reformer),
FEB, Rio de
Janeiro, p.
314, Oct.
1995.
Translation:
Eleni
Frangatos - eleni.moreira@uol.com.br