Last weekend, Brasil concluded it's 2026 presidential elections. It was a very tough one. Even more polarization than the past one ¹.

I have tried to have meaningful conversations with people that voted for the other candidate. But unfortunately all I heard in response was the same set of sentences and arguments. ² It seemed that the people that I approached were not able to sustain a simple debate, were not able to argue on ideas other than the ones that are printed in their heads.

The point of this post, however, is not to talk about politics, social media, brainwashing, psy-ops nor the state of the education system in Brasil or around the world. Is to talk about myself. About what is inside my head and my heart.

During those days of heated political debate, I've found this website with a detailed set of questionnaires to define your political profile, PolitikUp. I took the short (about 5 minutes) and the longest one, taking more than 30 min. I then asked my girlfriend, Bia, to do it. Then my parents, my sister, my father-in-law. We ended up comparing our profiles, having (healthy) discussions about some of the specific axes and our differences (e.g. Liberty vs Authority, Justice, State, etc).

Bia and I had an hour-long conversation during dinner about one of the points we disagreed on most: Rehabilitation vs Tough on crime.

It was one of the best conversations we had. Please don't judge our relationship based on that statement. We do have great conversations. But debating these kinds of deep topics is by far one of the best ways to connect deeply with a person. To see the world through their eyes. To understand how their mind works.

Why the fuck don't we all do this more often? With everyone? Everywhere?

Why can't we have deep and meaningful debates about how we organize our society and our government? About our values?

I'm usually an optimist (realistic optimist to be more specific). However, I don't think most people have the tools for this type of discussion. Most people hold their beliefs and values as an integral part of who they are. Almost as an actual vital physical organ. When you question it, it feels like you are trying to remove their heart. Most people can't listen. They can't even open a space in their minds to hold the opposite argument for a minute. It is automatically refuted, thrown away.

Unfortunately I don't have a solution for this. At least not for others. But during all of this, I remembered about my own Codex Vitae, an idea I originally got from Buster Benson, but that originated in Robin Sloan’s novel Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. It is a living document that holds your own beliefs and perspectives on the world. It's a document where you write what you believe is the meaning of life, your perspective on society and even your bets on the future if you want. It's a great tool to understand your thoughts and actions in daily life.

Most of the time, our actions are driven by values that are not clearly labeled and defined in our minds. Knowing what is driving you is a great relief and a powerful tool to help you become a better person (hopefully). Most people don't ever look inside. We should all be doing the work to understand ourselves. Know thyself, as the Greeks said.

"Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate." Carl Jung.

It is a living document because it's always changing. Some beliefs might not change and might be held in the document for years and years. But as you grow older, your views and even your values might evolve.

And that's one of the beauties of this idea (and of life). It is a record of how your inner workings have changed over time. It is nothing to be ashamed of. It's actually something to be proud of. it’s a great tool to understand who you are and why you are who you are.

I'm still debating if I should make my Codex Vitae public or not. But I do recommend that everyone start their own. Ideally do it in a way that you can see the changes over time. But don't overcomplicate. Just open a notebook and write whatever you believe and have fun.

You can write what you value in life (e.g.: "I value high-quality relationships"), what your position on prisons is, what your religious beliefs are, if you think AI will ever be conscious. Don't overthink what to write when you are starting it. Accept that you will change. We all change. Or at least we should.