Living and Learning to Live, a book that promotes human development

Raul Franzolin (photo) is a veterinary surgeon and a retired university lecturer in the Brazilian city of Pirassununga, in the state of São Paulo. He is the editor of the world’s first online Spiritist group, GEAE (Grupo de Estudos Avançados Espíritas), founded on October 15th, 1992. In the following interview he talks about his first book, Vivendo e Aprendendo a Viver – Uma visão espiritual da vida (Living and Learning to Live - A Spiritist Approach to Life), published by Editora Viseu and also available on ebook format: 

Can we infer from the title of your recently-published book that it is based on your own way of understanding life in the light of Spiritism?

Yes, without a shadow of a doubt. All the thoughts in the book came from my life experiences and intuition, inspired by the Spiritual Benefactors and based on the Spiritist Teachings codified by Allan Kardec. 

How hard was the effort of organising all the issues discussed in the book. It has an educational approach and deals with so many aspects of living, from the planet per se and the environment to Spiritism and the digital era we are living in now?

Human beings can’t live in isolation. We are never alone, as we are surrounded by Spirits. Life in society is essential for the development of all human beings, which contributes towards a wider universal harmony. 

Bearing that in mind, I planned the book with the aim of emphasising the importance of reflecting, constantly, about life around us – from the structure of the universe, Earth, life on Earth to life in society with all the social and environmental problems concerned. And I always stress the importance of spirituality in our lives. 

The digital era is a phase in the development of the planet. But it’s like nothing we’d seen before. It’s about putting the power of communication at the service of humankind. But as the Earth is still in a transition phase to become a better world, low vibration individuals use the internet to spread fear, to inflict financial losses on others, to carry out cyber crimes and to disseminate fake news. The Spiritual Benefactors, on the other hand, have at their disposal a wonderful tool to take messages of fraternity and solidarity to the whole world.

Taking that into account, what is the main contribution Spiritism can give?

The digital world is the tool that Spiritism can employ to give its contribution to the current transition process until the Earth becomes a world of Regeneration. It can use the digital media to take the Spiritist message to those who need support to do good. Spiritism, if well explained and understood, encourages work for good causes, with the support of the Spiritual Benefactors. And we see new leaders coming up all the time, holding high the banner of true charity according to the principles of Our Master Jesus. 

It’s regrettable to see, in the 21st Century, the outbreak of new wars. The works of Kardec dealt with that issue back then, in the 19th Century, and showed us the main cause of armed conflicts: the prevalence of the selfish nature of men. Do you think that continues to be the case?

The outbreak of a war in general shows how low humankind can go, as any war destroys so many innocent lives. Conflicts are everywhere, from a clash of ideas and words, from those who patronise others, to pointless gossiping and verbal, moral and physical assault, at an individual or collective level. And then we have the bloody wars. All this is a reflection of a world that is still at a low level of spiritual development. 

But humankind continues to evolve spiritually, albeit slowly. It’s an endless process. We can now observe how many people react in anger and indignation as any new war that breaks out. That’s a sign of progress. Spirits on a much higher level of development continue to reincarnate on the planet and in great numbers. And they live a spiritual life from a very young age. That is making a big difference.

From the many aspects of the art of living, which one should we pick to start a process to achieve individual and social balance?

Considering how complex life is, I would say that reflecting about spiritual life can mark a new beginning for those seeking changes that will lead to eternal happiness. We won’t find the necessary balance in society if we build our lives around material values. The great challenge, however, is to make good use of reason and common sense, elevating our thoughts to areas that go much beyond what we are used to seeing. At that point, our prejudices and paradigms will begin to fall apart. 

How can our readers buy your book?

The book was produced by Editora Viseu. It’s being commercialised by online shops across Brazil and other countries. On the GEAE website, we have a summary of the book, feedback and additional information. Here’s the LINK to access our website.