The Good Servant
nooshin November 4th, 2008
I am on holiday in the United States, and being here right now, during their presidential elections has been fascinating. It is, after all, one of the world’s oldest democracies, and should have it all worked out by now. Right?
If their political advertising is anything to go by, not really. There seems to be mainly two tactics: Chicken Little politics (“the sky is falling down, the sky is falling down”) and the politics of fear (“Mr. X voted 125 times to ban alligator hunting. If you vote for Mr. X, he will destroy you, your family and the whole American way of life”). Four out of five adverts I have seen are negative ones, focusing on what is wrong with the opponent, rather than what is positive about the candidates themselves.
Shoghi Effendi, explaining that Baha’is are expressly forbidden to take part in partisan politics, said the following:
It remains for the individuals to so use their right to vote as to keep aloof from party politics, and always bear in mind that they are voting on the merits of the individual, rather than because he belongs to one party or another.
The merits of the individual, as far as I can see, should be what kind of a servant s/he would be. In the present world order, to be a servant is to have a low social standing, a low salary and little respect. In Baha’u'llah’s new world order, this definition will be turned on its head, with the rendering of service a duty and an aspiration.
So, what makes a good civil servant? `Abdu’l-Bahá clearly outlines what is expected of those entrusted with service to civil society;
Should any one of you enter into the service (or employment) of the government, he must live and act with the utmost truthfulness, righteousness, chastity, uprightness, purity, sanctity, justice and equity. But if—I seek refuge in God—any one betray the least of trusts or neglect and be remiss in the performance of duties which are intrusted to him, or by oppression takes one penny of extortion from the subjects, or seeks after his own personal, selfish aims and ends in the attainment of his own interests, he shall undoubtedly remain deprived of the outpourings of His Highness the Almighty.
Bahá’u'lláh, the Founder of the Baha’i Faith, addressed a series of letters to the kings and rulers of the time, which included the following exhortation:
Take heed, O concourse of the rulers of the world! There is no force on earth that can equal in its conquering power the force of justice and wisdom… Blessed is the king who marcheth with the ensign of wisdom unfurled before him, and the battalions of justice massed in his rear. He verily is the ornament that adorneth the brow of peace and the countenance of security. There can be no doubt whatever that if the day star of justice, which the clouds of tyranny have obscured, were to shed its light upon men, the face of the earth would be completely transformed.
These are tough standards to meet, even for those with the best of intentions. I believe becoming a good servant is a life-long pursuit, one based on the suppression of the ego and increasing selflessness. For instance, a good civil servant should be a master at consultation. Consultation is only effective when its participants learn to be detached from their ideas, and work towards the greater good. The more our egos get involved, the more they get bruised, and need to be protected, and the more we lose sight of the goal:
…is there any deed in the world that would be nobler than service to the common good? Is there any greater blessing conceivable for a man, than that he should become the cause of the education, the development, the prosperity and honor of his fellow-creatures? No, by the Lord God! The highest righteousness of all is for blessed souls to take hold of the hands of the helpless and deliver them out of their ignorance and abasement and poverty, and with pure motives, and only for the sake of God, to arise and energetically devote themselves to the service of the masses, forgetting their own worldly advantage and working only to serve the general good.
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Thank you for bringing to our attention something POSITIVE and INSPIRATIONAL about public service. I pray our government leaders will take these things to heart!
This is an excellent post putting the “service” back into public service. It is always fruitful I think to discuss with people what it is they are looking for in a leaders once partisanship and personality worship are set aside. Sometimes people are so caught up in passion and prejudice it becomes clear they don’t really know what they want other than the “other side” to lose. Not a good way to choose one’s leadership for sure! An excellent post for this election day in the U.S.
I was listening to the speech Obama gave at the Gardens today (in South Africa here) and while he was emphasizing the importance of his election in the course of US history – what struck me is what an incredible victory this is for Africans all over the world. That people of Africa can look to the President of the US and say – look, he’s one of US (however far removed) is such an affirmation for the people of Africa who have for so long been regarded as “poor cousins”.
While its a heavy weight to bear, I don’t think he yet realizes the import of his election to global unity and empowerment.
Think about it – what icons does Africa have view of (through TV etc) – gangsters, rap singers, bling people and the occasional sports star (that then ends up either in jail or being charged for something). We see a few slapstic hunour type comedians and yes, there are a handful of Africa-rooted actors and stars . . . but the fewness makes them the exception. And now, here we have an eloquent man, that the majority of Americans CHOSE to be president of their country – just this occurrence slashes at the tattered shreds of racism and poor africa self-imagery the world over.
What a victory for Equality and Unity!!!
What a great way of looking at it! If only all of our public servants had those qualities… ah, I can only imagine the beautiful and perfect state our world would or could be in! Well, perhaps one day…
P.S. Thanks for stopping by Evolving Beings – the movie indeed was great in terms of comedy and making one just look a little deeper at the state the world is in and why.
Thank you all for your encouraging comments. I have been thinking about the contents of this blog for a long time, since as a Baha’i I have a well-developed sense of civil responsibility, but do not participate in partisan politics. I also believe that there is a great sense of fulfilment to be gained from public service, even as private individuals. The heroes that we are looking for are all around us, performing untold number of selfless acts every day. Like the Red Cross home-based care volunteer in Zimbabwe who goes hungry because she gives her food to her HIV-positive client. Or the South African lady who takes in orphaned children into her home, even though she has limited financial means. Like them, I believe we all have the power to make a difference.