Jaime Ribeiro (photo) is from the Brazilian city of Recife, in the state of Pernambuco. He is a chemical engineer with specialisation in Management and Marketing. He works in Education, as an executive, and is also a writer, a Spiritist speaker and a researcher of social-emotional skills. He is a member of the Fraternidade sem Fronteiras (Fraternity Without Borders) NGO, where he leads a project focused on the development of fraternity and empathy among children and young people. The project’s aim is to improve the access to education of those living in extreme poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Our readers are often curious about how our interviewees became Spiritists. Let’s start with that…

I became a Spiritist at the age of 12. I was looking for a meaningful religious experience, but I hadn’t found the answers to my questions concerning God and life. My childish mind couldn’t understand the link between the elaborate religious ceremonies I knew with the simplicity of Jesus. One day I went to visit my grandmother, who was a Spiritist, and she took me to a meeting at the Missionários da Luz Spiritist Centre in the Pina area of Recife. It was a talk about the book “What is Spiritism,” by Allan Kardec. When it finished, I left with the conviction of having found the answers to my questions. And I knew I would find in Spiritism the answers to all other questions I had. Spiritism did answer all my questions. I often say that Spiritism is the spoiler of all knowledge in the modern world.

As an educator, when did you feel the urge to express your ideas through your own books?

I began writing my books six years ago. I had been producing a lot, writing many texts throughout my life. Then I I decided to sum it all up in a few books. In 2012, I wrote a poetry book called “Sal,” (Salt) which addresses the issues of emotional dependency and redemption through spirituality and love. I then wrote “Dora: a Raça do Amor” (Dora, the Race of Love), a children’s book that deals with the development of human values through the story of the adoption of an animal. And I have finally written “Empatia” (Empathy).

Tell us about your latest book, taking into account the phase we are going through in the world.

It stresses the fact that we all need to develop our empathy so we are able to live in a world where people look less and less into each other’s eyes and keep contact mainly through digital platforms. In the book, I say that without empathy we risk losing the emotional links that were essential to build up our society. The book invites us to spread empathy around the world. Digital reality is here to stay, but we need a new type of education in order to prepare humankind for the future. Contrary to what many people think, this new type of education shouldn’t be centred on computer programming and mathematics, but on emotional skills. I am not saying exact sciences will be side-lined. On the contrary, no field of knowledge will be able to do without algorithms. We know, however, that the people who will be in charge of programming and controlling artificial intelligence will be the experts in human skills.

How can empathy help improve leadership skills in Spiritist Centres?

In Spiritist Centres we are trained and experienced in helping those who come in pain and suffering. We give out food to those who are hungry, we provide spiritual support for those who come to us mentally or spiritually weakened and e organise talks and theoretical courses. We have done that very well so far. But I’ve heard for many years worrying accounts that show that we still need to work a great deal to improve our way of relating with other members inside Spiritist Centres. In my opinion, the most dangerous type of imbalance can be found in our relationships and social skills. In some Spiritist Centres, people rush off as soon as events or activities are over. Many people don’t find the time to look in the eyes of fellow volunteer workers, to ask them about their lives or to share experiences and opinions. If human interactions in Spiritist Centres are inexistent or if they’re resumed to tiring, procedural meetings, Spiritist leaders lose the ability to understand what’s going on in the lives of other members. They often end up finding out what’s happening only through gossips, which is disastrous for the organisation. That heavy atmosphere ends up pushing away. the Spiritual Benefactors.

What are your current plans for the future?

I’m currently involved in two new projects. One deals with the transformation our planet is going through and the key spiritual role the Earth is playing in this phase of transition, from a world of trials and tribulations into a world of regeneration. The other project is a personal one, focused on the need to understand the digital revolution we are going through so we don’t lose the clarity in human relations. We live difficult, delicate times and we need to speak more openly about free will, mass manipulation and tolerance in a world where uncertainty and liquidity seem to be taking overwhelming proportions.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Empathy is the Christian word that has not been written in the Gospels. We will still find many new words to express what Jesus lived, as his life was much bigger than his words.