Edson de Jesus Sardano: 

“Happiness is our destiny, but it is not a free blessing”

The politician and local councillor in the city of Santo André talks about politics and Spiritism in the light of the recent
presidential elections in Brazil

	Edson de Jesus Sardano (photo) is a retired Military Police colonel in his hometown of Santo André, in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. He was elected to the city council in 2012. Edson is also a Spiritist speaker at the Spiritist Centre Dr Bezerra de Menezes and a lecturer in other issues such as security and politics. In October, Brazil’s left-wing
President, Dilma Rousseff, was elected to a new term in office, defeating centrist candidate Aécio Neves by a narrow margin in a run-off vote. This is one of the issues he discusses in this interview:

What is your assessment of the political scene in Brazil after the elections? 

On one hand I am concerned about the polarisation, with verbal abuse from both sides, with people blaming the other side of the ideological spectrum for any problems. But on the other hand I understand this is part of a natural process. The emotions we are seeing being expressed now were inside people’s souls. With the elections they had an opportunity to let it out. But I do not think generally that things have got worse. 

What can we expect in Brazilian politics and its efforts to improve its democracy in the near future? 

I believe both sides will eventually understand, after all the exchange of accusations, that everyone was partially right. They will understand that the whole political model needs to be changed and that voters are not victims, but the main actors in this process. We will look for a better society, which is what we all aim for. 

Corruption is a major challenge in Brazil. How will the country manage to overcome that?

That is a very slow process, which will have to come from each one of us. Brazilians do not like to follow the rules. People jump the queue and they try to bribe others for small gains, such as avoiding parking tickets etc. We tend to overlook our faults by focusing on other people’s mistakes. And many people praise politicians who are known to be corrupt but have a reputation of being efficient and delivering. Honest people are seen are naïve and romantic. We are all guilty to some extent by accepting this, which also means we can play an important part to solve the problem. All we need is to do our part. 

What is your assessment of the problems Brazil faces in urban violence and drug trafficking and addiction? 

We need to tackle crime, but we must not put all the blame on the person who commits a crime. That person is simply part of a process and there is legislation to deal with those crimes. We must reject any idea of social vendetta and even the call for tougher legislation, which is nothing else than a disguise form of revenge. Moreover, as Christians we must have no doubt that there is no such a thing as impunity. Someone may fool human justice, but not the laws of life, where we plant what we sow. Combating drug addiction is a big challenge, especially as legal drugs, such as alcohol, are tolerated and even praised in our society. Education and good family examples is key in that process. Drug traffickers must be dealt with by police, but I believe that we cannot exempt consumers of all responsibility. 

Going back to the politics: the recent presidential election showed the country split almost in the middle. What does the result say about the current state of things in Brazil? 

It says that the current model, of the governing Workers Party, is coming to the end of its cycle. It introduced important and much-needed social measures, but corruption eventually became widespread. The Workers Party’s ideas are very good and even in tune with Christian ideals. But those with the task of implementing them ended up getting diverted by excessive attachment to power and money and the arrogance of believing that they were the only ones capable of delivering good policies to the country. Power is a big challenge for every person, as it brings with it money, social status, sex and other potential diversions. You need to be well prepared to avoid the temptations and carry on with the good work. Unfortunately many people have succumbed to the temptations. 

What does Spiritism say about that? 

It says each one of us must do our part, taking part in the process as citizens without judging others. We must pray for those who are in power, as they are the constant target of envy from those who have not understood the real values in life. We cannot condone other people’s mistakes, but we must be merciful with those who make mistakes, thanking God for not having been subjected to similar challenges where we would probably have failed too. We must take part in politics, but not as members of the Spiritist Movement. Spiritist citizens must vote for the right candidates but they must never use Spiritism or Spiritist Centres in that process. If we try to follow the Gospel of Jesus, we will necessarily follow the rules. We must set an example and never forget that “God is in command”. We will never go through anything that is not in God’s plan for our spiritual development. As Spiritists we cannot be pessimistic. We are inexorably moving ahead towards our spiritual development. In Brazil, we are going through environmental problems, we are facing urban violence, the economy is faltering and we have a number of other problems. But that is not punishment. It is the result of people’s immaturity. Only when we are faced with problems we begin to think of the solutions. 

Is there anything you would like to share with us from your work in the police force and more recently in politics? 

I worked in the police force for 30 years and was elected two years ago to the city council in Santo André. Many people in Brazil have a very negative perspective of those jobs, policeman and politician. But I must say that I have been blessed with the best possible opportunities to learn. There is not bad activity per se in our society. It all depends on how we behave. In the police force, I had the opportunity to share with many colleagues my views on the Gospel and the importance of respecting the law, human life and rejecting violence. Corrupt and violent policemen are a reflection of our society. In politics I have had the opportunity of defending ideas of peace, the fight for life and against abortion and alerting people about the irresponsible use of alcohol. It is possible to be an honest police officer, an honest politician or to be honest in any other profession. I am glad that people see in me a serious and honest man and link that to my family education and religious background. 

Is there anything else you would like to add? 

My dear friends, we are Spirits living an experience in the physical world, which means we need more and more to cultivate our spiritual side. We may leave our physical body any time and we should not be surprised by that or be insecure or anguished about that. We do not know when it will happen, but we can decide how it will happen. Or rather, what baggage we will take with us. Each day is new opportunity to learn and progress. Life is a great school from where we will all leave with our qualifications. Some will have good marks; others will fail and will have to do the test again. But eventually we will all get our degree. God, the magnificent rector of this university, will always be waiting for us. Happiness is our destiny, but it is not a free blessing. It is the result of our individual effort. We are immortal Spirits and are marching inexorably towards our progress. There are no reasons to suffer. But there are plenty of reasons to carry on fighting!