When We Investigate Mystical Traditions…

Something that should be noted is that when we investigate mystical traditions in depth, even if at first some of them seem very simple and superficial, we always end up finding something rich and interesting. And then we compare them and see how many ways we can reach similar conclusions, and how many ways we can reach different, but equally valid and edifying conclusions. If it comes from a sincere and disinterested search, there is no doctrine unworthy of our attention.

One Genuinely Brazilian Element

If there is one genuinely Brazilian element that stands out in the eyes of the world, it is spirituality, as it has come to be called. In this respect, Brazil, even if it does not recognize it, is worthy of, if not next to, a level very close to that of any country, regardless of how much older it is. And if we compare its spiritual refinement to a country of similar age, such as the much envied United States, the result is overwhelming. This is simply a fact. The way in which religious traditions have developed and enriched here, whether imported or original, is impressive and is not only due to syncretism and cultural miscegenation. Very unique individuals have been born on Brazilian soil, some of them true geniuses, something that could very well serve as the “personal and historical pretexts” that, according to Nelson, justify the lack of self-esteem of Brazilians.

The Man Who Deprives Himself…

The man who deprives himself of the religious dimension loses out on experience, loses out on potential and, above all, loses out on knowing himself. Having it is something one cannot deny, and ignoring it is nothing more than mutilating oneself. So if one wants to know and understand oneself fully, one has to stimulate it and manifest it, even if only through searching. And if, one day, one comes to the conclusion that religious effort has not been rewarded, one will see that one’s very existence is already evidence of a higher aspiration, of a sincere desire to find the link that connects oneself to the rest of creation: evidence, therefore, that can only ennoble.

If Anything Has Been Achieved…

If anything has been achieved by the weakening of religion in the West, it has been the weakening of social bonds at the most basic level. The biblical neighbor has become more than ever a stranger, and the feeling that permeated or should permeate a community, whatever it may be, has become a generalized and absolute distrust. A common bond was broken without replacing it, and the result could only be segregation. From this, one can only conclude that the world has become an even more hostile place.