Kardec and social networks
 

The fellow Wellington Balbo, frequent contributor to this magazine, examined an interesting issue in an article published right here on January 22, raised by a question that his daughter asked him: - Father, if Kardec lived in today's times, he would have Facebook or Orkut?

Of course that no one can answer this question and it was with our friend, who responded to his daughter: - I cannot say, baby, after all, he does not live today. However, I believe that the encoder would use social media to disseminate Spiritism.

The fellow was very happy in his answer, because it is evident that If Kardec was among us, he would avail himself of all lawful ways to spread the spiritual doctrine.

See this text of the Encoder of Spiritism published in September 1858 in the Spiritist Magazine:

"Saying that Spiritism spread without the support of the press, we mean to speak of the press in general, which speaks to the world, whose voice that hurts millions of ears every day, which penetrates the darkest refuge, the one with which the anchorite, at the bottom of his wilderness can be aware of what is happening as far as the city, finally, that he who sows ideas with full hands.

Which spirit newspaper that can boast of doing so resounding echoes of the world? It talks to people who are convinced, not draws attention of the indifferent. So we are telling the truth that Spiritism was left to its own forces; if it made by itself so great, what will it be when it can have the powerful tool of advertising! Waiting for that moment, it plants cuttings everywhere, everywhere its branches find support point; everywhere, finally, it will find voices whose authority to impose silence to its detractors."

The text above is part of the article titled "Spread of Spiritism" and, despite having passed 153 years since then it expresses the purest form of reality, because the spiritist journals speak only to spiritists and supporters of Spiritism. This is a limitation due to its movement: non-spiritists simply do not have access to our journals.

Unlikely it occurs to major newspapers, radio and television networks, which reach a large population, if not the entire population. But their uses by institutions spiritists have a high cost that, with rare exceptions, it is out of its possibilities.

As for social networks, it is known that they are today, the ones that can penetrate the most obscure retreats – which Kardec referred to - and get both those who live in the city and those who live in the countryside or in the desert. And all this cost less or zero.

Our brethren are already worth of social networks - YouTube, Facebook, Orkut and similar ways - to disseminate spiritist ideas, can bear witness to what is possible, yes, broaden the dissemination of Spiritism without great financial resources, as Kardec, no doubt, also would adopt.