Wilson Aires Ortiz: 

“We are facing now a new order of challenges, of a
moral nature” 

According to our fellow Spiritist from Brazil’s São Paulo state, it would be naïve to try to run away from the challenges we face now, as they represent the unavoidable push we need to develop

	A Spiritist since 1990, Wilson Ortiz (photo) is a PhD in Physics and professor at the Department of Physics of the University of São Carlos, in São Paulo state. He is a volunteer worker and vice-president at the Obreiros do Bem Spirtist Centre. In this interview he gives us a broad view of human evolution and  the  challenges  we  need to face to achieve moral and intellectual progress.
What approach should we take to the laws of life, which are based on the continuous renewal of human life?

The laws that regulate our lives were established by the Creator with the aim of allowing us to develop our potential through continuous development. The Spirit begins simple and goes through the different stages of life, building his or her own progress. It is very important to acknowledge that the Creator – the perfect combination of Supreme Intelligence with Sublime Love and Perfect Justice – has prepared for us a life plan that is at the same time extremely challenging and gratifying: each one of us must achieve our development through our own effort. This way we learn to enjoy each time we win a small inner battle, on our daily struggle to correct our imperfections. We also learn that there is no privilege in the relation between the Creator and us, that the effort of our fellow Spiritis is not less intense or less important, for that matter, than ours. Every now and again, each one of us is invited to make a balance of our achievements, checking them against our goals. In the cycles of life, the days are renewed, there are different seasons and also new opportunities to change course, refocus and reassess the way our lives is going. Reincarnation is undoubtedly the most remarkable of those renewing cycles of life. 

Why does the whole process need to take so long? 

With time people understand that there is no progress without effort and realise the true meaning of their achievements. Our inner, individual reforms also have an impact in our community, our social groups and the spiritual atmosphere of the planet. Well, it takes time to bring about wisdom from absolute ignorance. It is a job of many millennia. It is only to be expected that the initial stages of this journey be made up more of mistakes than achievements. Hence the need to start over again and again. That is why the different stages of Spiritual development have a cyclical nature. We must bear in mind, however, that there are much longer cycles around us. The stars, for instance, which are the source of heat and matter for life, are also born, they grow up, mature, die and are reborn in cycles that can be measured in billions of years. The most recent cycle on our Earth is already 200,000 years’ old. Its highest point was the supremacy achieved by the Homo sapiens, i.e., us. As we can see, long or short, quick or long-lasting are relative concepts. We tend to demand an immediate solution to problems, demanding that obstacles be overcome quickly and without major effort. But God’s plan for us is one of continuous and sustainable growth, with each one of us achieving its development through day-to-day efforts. 

What, in your opinion, are the criteria underlying those renovation cycles that push inevitably towards personal development? 

The consolidation of moral values – which are our true achievements, which cannot be destroyed by rust or taken away by thieves – takes place primarily through repetition. The pattern is eventually established and ends up strengthening our convictions, leading us to understand that we simply should not do certain things. That is how the moral laws, which are imprinted inside each one of us, eventually gains life and compels us to voluntarily repeat all our failed experiences with the intent of finally learning the lesson. The Spirit grows up and begins to act like a good student who is willing to learn the right things and also tries to do the right thing in each and every moment of their lives.  

How are the physical laws that command the cycles of life connected to the moral principles laid out by the Gospel of Jesus and better explained, nearly 2,000 years later, by Spiritism? 

The Gospel is the ethics and moral code that Jesus has given us as the guidelines to our lives. Spiritism, which is the Consoler promised by the Divine Master, has come to remind us of those sublime Teachings. The physical laws that command dense matter are also Godly laws and apply to everything, in the same way as the moral laws of the Gospel They apply to every corner of the Universe. In reality, it is this body of Godly laws that guarantee the harmony of the Universe in all the different aspects of life.  

Are we able to slow down or speed up those cycles? When and how such changes in the pace of life renewal take place? 

Free will is undoubtedly the key for speeding up or slowing down those individual cycles. Divine Justice ensures that everyone is free to sow as they please, but no one can avoid the harvest. In the same way each individual has a cycle, nations and the planet also have their cycles. It is possible that a group of Spirits misguide a whole nation, leading it to war, creating problems so serious that the path of progress will not be retaken before those problems are solved. In those cases, the cycles last longer than they should. As individuals progress, we may envisage a situation, in the near future, when leaders will guide whole groups of peoples towards actions that bring benefit to all. That will make the cycles of life shorter and will speed up progress. 

Is there any particular aspect in the lengthy process of human evolution that draws your attention? 

By talking to different people we begin to have a better understanding of our fellow human beings, with their dreams and desires. Very often, we find among Spiritists people who would like to have their problems solved by a Divine miracle, without any effort of inner reform, without them showing any sign of understanding the true reasons behind the principles of life – the process of continuing reincarnations guided by the principle of Divine Justice. We must all understand that we are not on the planet alive on holiday. We are here to work. And progress is the inevitable outcome of overcoming our challenges. There is one particular example that seems very interesting to me: the Homo sapiens, the species we all belong to, modern human beings, established itself on the planet in the Ice Age. It would be inconceivable for us to go through the saga of our ancestors again. They were only able to survive in such a hostile environment due to their capacity of facing and overcoming challenges. We no longer need to live in caves, facing extremely low temperatures and hunting wild animals to eat. That phase has already been overcome and we face now a new order of challenges, of a moral nature. It would be naïve of us to run away from these new challenges, as we know that they are the indispensible push we need in order to achieve moral development. 

What link do you make between the development of science and knowledge with Spiritual and moral progress? 

Intellectual development in general seems to precede moral progress. Whenever human beings made important scientific discoveries, some of the new knowledge was used to create weapons to be used against other human beings seen as enemies. The horrors of wars are clear evidence of that. Navigation, aviation, gunpowder, and nuclear energy: they were all used against other people. They are not intrinsically bad, however. The problem is that educated human beings are still miles away from ethical practices. We always find a morally condemnable use for every new discovery we make. 

Your final thoughts, please. 

Life has striking cycles, with different phases for growing up, developing, maturing and starting over. That applies to our daily lives, in the same way as to the long evolution processes of the stars and the Universe. Through the millennia we have developed a much greater capacity of analysis. We have had endless opportunities to review the valuable Teachings of our Master Jesus. The Spiritual Benefactors have been telling us that the Earth is ending its cycle as a planet of Trials and Tribulations; entering an new era of Regeneration, in which good will prevail. It is paramount that each of takes active part in the process, making sure we will be able to carry on our journey from this blessed planet, where we made our first steps on our long journey towards enlightenment.