Marcelo Teixeira: 

“No one will change the
world for us” 

The well-known journalist and writer talks about his works and what
to expect from the book he is writing, entitled “Você Tem Fome
de Quê?” (“What Are You Hungry For?”) 

	Born in a Spiritist family, Marcelo Teixeira (photo) lives in his hometown of Petrópolis, near the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. He is a member of the Municipal Spiritist Union of Petrópolis. He is a journalist, with two published books, and is the Media Coordinator of the Spiritist Unification Council in the state of Rio de Janeiro. He is curren-
tly working on a book gathering the works of several Spiritist authors on the main needs of human beings. He talks about this new project in this interview.

You revised and wrote the preface to a very successful book in Brazil, “Young Spiritists Want to Know”. Tell us a bit more about that book. 

The aim was to put together the main questions and doubts of the Youth Spiritist Movements across the state of Rio de Janeiro and send them to Spiritist writers and thinkers. The questions concern a number of issues, such as family, abortion, the environment, homosexuality and suicide. Twenty-five authors were involved. That book came from a unique idea and it has been very successful.  

What are the main concerns of the youth and why? 

Apart from the issues mentioned above, there was also a great deal of interest for answers on death, legal and illegal drugs, shyness, the media and violence. Young people want to live in peace with themselves and with their choices. They are also asking for guidelines that will enable them to make as few mistakes as possible on matters of love and sex. And they want to go about in the world feeling more secure, understanding the reasons behind so many existential conflicts and so much lack of affection, which often drive them to look for dodgy ways of escaping. They want, in sum, to help make the world a better place, with better opportunities for all, environmentally sustainable and surrounded by enlightened consciences, without manipulation. 

How did this new project – “Você Tem Fome de Quê?” – come up? 

I would like to make it clear, first of all, that that will not be the final title of the book, as there is already a published book with the same title. I like to mix pop culture with Christian and Spiritist Teachings, and that is how this came about. It is a reference to a popular Brazilian rock song from the end of the 1980s by Titãs. The song said, “we don’t only want food, we want food, entertainment and arts”. And I decided to ask Spiritist authors: What are you hungry for and how can Spiritism satiate their hunger? 

What was the main idea behind the book? 

I was driven by the ideal of talking about Spiritism in a modern and light manner, focusing on the anxieties of modern man. One of my books is called “Spiritism is Pop”. Why? Because pop is short for popular both in English and in Portuguese. Spiritism must take all the issues that are relevant in our times and debate them with society. All the articles I have received so far mention the uncertainties and doubts we are going through in the world. We are hungry for so many things! How can we satiate our desire to live in a better world? And before we are Spiritists we are citizens of such a troubled world! Spiritism, and the Consoler promised by Jesus, comes to help us satiate our hunger for love, life in abundance and justice for all… In the light of the immortality of the soul, we can make something different and change history. 

Is there any particular experience that you would like to share with us? 

From the material received so far, I have realised that Spiritist thinkers are honest and pro-active people. There is no one really lost in their thoughts or pondering too much. They all have their feet on the ground.  

When is the book going to be published? 

I believe in the second half of 2016.  

Tell us about the two books you have published. 

I am a journalist. I work with words. But it had never crossed my mind writing a Spiritist book. After I wrote the preface to “Young Spiritists Want to Know” I realised I could it. I published the first one, “Concerns of a Spiritist,” and it was very successful. I published the second book, “Spiritism Is Pop,” I am now preparing the third one and organising material for the fourth one. It is amazing how the ideas come flourishing once you start up. There is no avoiding it now. I have become a Spiritist writer! 

Is there anything else you would like to add? 

I get sad when I see that many people think Spiritism is only about healing and getting messages from people who passed away. It is a lot more than that. It is a liberating philosophy, which teaches human beings to write their own destiny. It teaches them to live better with themselves and with other people, to look after the planet and to help achieve social justice. No one will change the world for us; each one of us will need to do our part.