The recent release of the Epstein files has done what the justice system, for too long, could not: it has begun to pull back the curtain on a world of carefully constructed illusions. We are seeing the names of wealthy and influential men—doctors, scientists, businessmen—who orbited a convicted sex offender, exposed in black and white. Men like Peter Attia, the famed longevity doctor who joked with Epstein and lamented he couldn't tell a soul about their "outrageous" friendship. Men like Leon Black and Glenn Dubin, who continued to associate with him and, in some cases, welcomed him into their homes with their children present.
The files are a testament to a simple, brutal truth: the truth always comes to the light, sooner or later, in one form or another.
As I read these names—including the long list of doctors from Mount Sinai and other prestigious institutions who provided "VIP" services to Epstein—I am not surprised. I am, however, filled with a familiar, heavy feeling. It’s the same feeling I had in 2013, watching a resident from the community where I worked fall for the illusions of another charlatan promoted by Oprah Winfrey: the Brazilian "faith healer" John of God, who was later exposed and arrested.
We live in a world of puppets and puppeteers. And some of the most dangerous puppeteers are not the ones we fear, but the ones we are taught to trust. They are the "helpers" who, behind closed doors, create the chaos, only to later appear as the heroes. As I wrote to a corrupt former employer the day I resigned:
"A lot of the time, the 'helpers' who covertly, behind closed doors, create the chaos later appear to be the heroes and nice people. The most dangerous terrorists are in boardrooms. We live in a world where some very smart people have become master manipulators at creating big illusions to fool the emotionally blind public."
A Story Closer to Home
This brings me to my own story. While the world watches the downfall of Epstein’s associates, I think about the "prestigious psychiatric Dr. Julio Machado Vaz" in my country of birth, Portugal. I wonder when his mask will be ripped away.
I was 17 years old when he sexually abused me. He was a young, 27-year-old doctor. Back then, he was building a reputation, a career on the foundation of trust that his white coat and title afforded him. I have no doubt that during his long lifetime as a doctor, he abused many other vulnerable teenagers like me. He was, in his own way, a Portuguese equivalent to these men we are now seeing in the headlines—protected by his status, his connections, and the public's emotional blindness.
It may be that my story will only get the attention it deserves after I am dead. It may be that he will only be exposed after he is gone, too. But I have no doubt that it will happen. Because, as we are seeing now, the truth is patient. It waits. And eventually, it finds a way through the cracks in the illusion.
The Profitable Business of Illusion
The Epstein files show us that the "cult business" is very profitable, whether it’s the cult of personality around a financier, a TV host, or an author. We see it in the recent charges against acclaimed Australian children's author Craig Silvey, accused of child exploitation offenses. Another person in a position of trust, another illusion shattered for the families involved.
Oprah Winfrey famously said that her "job ended" and her "calling began." I would argue her calling became that of a master puppeteer, promoting cult leaders like John of God and cashing in on society’s desperate need for easy answers and charismatic figures. She is not alone. The boardrooms are filled with these "smart people" who have become experts at creating big illusions.
No Escape from Destiny
To those who continue to protect the prestigious psychiatric Dr. Julio Machado Vaz in Portugal, and to all the enablers who look the other way, I offer the same words I left with my former employer:
"Good luck to you all, too, but have in mind everyone will meet their own destiny sooner or later in one form or another -- there's no escape... When all your illusions burst, I'm glad I will not be around because it will not be pretty. Most importantly, I wish you all courage and strength to get through it when all your illusions burst."
The Epstein files are just one more chapter in humanity's long, slow reckoning with its hidden darkness. They prove that no amount of prestige, money, or carefully managed public image can shield a person from their own destiny. The truth is coming for them all. And one day, it will come for him, too.
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