Rogério Marques recently became a new contributing author to this blog. So, we did an interview with him so you all can get to know a little bit of the person behind the name.
#1 Where did you grow up and how has that shaped your outlook on life and career?
“I was born in South Africa & raised in Johannesburg’s suburbs when Apartheid was in its last days. Me and my family left the country when I was nine years old. I took notice of the social injustice and grief.
My family and I moved from the African megalopolis to rural Portugal. I transitioned drastically from an Anglophone culture to Portuguese culture. It struck me pretty hard how ’93 Portugal was so humble, though much more socially just.
My parents, especially my mother, insisted on raising me as a Catholic Christian, following traditional schooling, and then going to university. I was deeply skeptical of religious thought. So, instead, I embraced natural science. I went to study Science, namely Biochemistry, and then work in the science communication and digital health fields.”
#2 When did you know you loved philosophy?
“When I read Carl Sagan’s Cosmos. One of the early chapters fascinated me. It highlighted how in Ancient Greece, before Plato and Socrates, philosophers pursued knowledge and wisdom. They did it just for the sake of curiosity.”
#3 What inspired you to start producing content?
“I create and share my writings and quote images online because it is a part of my study of philosophy. I feel like it is my duty to share the best thoughts I can find.”
#4 What has been the most exciting part of the journey?
“I found out that I can read audiobooks ten times faster than I can read a paper or e-book. I’ve also realized how incredibly important it is to reread books multiple times. It is only by rereading the best books periodically and multiple times that you can really benefit from them.”
#5 What is something people don’t know about you?
“Shortly after I finished my degree, I joined an international activist group. They were aimed at showing the flaws of our social institutions, globally. I saw collectivism crumble due to the lack of acquired self-improvement, including my own. So, I noticed then and there that the proper way is self-improvement firstly, and only secondly to seek societal improvement.”
#6 Who is an author you look up to and why?
“Marcus Aurelius, because he did an outstanding job at working on his self-improvement. He overcame incredibly challenging situations. All during his stewardship of a large portion of the planet, such as plague, war, and betrayal by a friend. His 19 years of experience in a highly demanding role were accompanied by his daily journaling habit that resulted in what we now call “Meditations”. “
#7 Where do you see yourself in the future? End goal?
“I want to see myself and others like me becoming highly visible on the internet. And have as much impact or more than the most famous artists, government officials, and typical social media influencers. While many focus mainly on superficial subjects, I want to go deeper and take others along the ride with me.”
To finish, author Rogério Marques leaves you with a quote of his:
“I used to collect stuff. Now, I gather wisdom and am way happier.“