The 2010 FIFA World Cup is just around the corner, hosted in a country where the disparity between rich and poor is striking.  The paradox of hosting a multi-billion dollar global entertainment event amongst an economically lopsided population brings to light society’s seemingly tunnel-vision attitude towards pleasure-seeking, coupled with an indifferent oversight of attempting to meet the community’s basic needs:

We see amongst us men who are overburdened with riches on the one hand, and on the other those unfortunate ones who starve with nothing; those who possess several stately palaces, and those who have no where to lay their head.

Abdu’l-Bahá : Paris Talks

One could mention that an event such as the 2010 FIFA World Cup provides employment for thousands.  This may be true, but of a certainty there exist more genuine approaches of sustainable empowerment and community building; approaches that are not the mere by-products of a once-off event.

One could also argue that this camaraderie and entertainment promote personal as well as community well-being. This may be true, but where do our boundaries lie?

One of the signs of a decadent society, a sign which is very evident in the world today, is an almost frenetic devotion to pleasure and diversion, an insatiable thirst for amusement, a fanatical devotion to games and sport, a reluctance to treat any matter seriously, and a scornful, derisory attitude towards virtue and solid worth…Frivolity palls and eventually leads to boredom and emptiness, but true happiness and joy and humour that are parts of a balanced life that includes serious thought, compassion and humble servitude to God, are characteristics that enrich life and add to its radiance.

(From a letter dated 8 May 1979 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)

Presently, the global sports industry is worth billions.  The question is what should it be worth?  Are the salaries that individual players earn just and acceptable?  Is the importance attached to one’s fanatical devotion to largely commercial entities justified?  Importantly, what qualitative value can be attached to sports, as far as the rank of professions and service to society is concerned?

The arrangements of the circumstances of the people must be such that poverty shall disappear, that everyone, as far as possible, according to his rank and position, shall share in comfort and well-being…Now the remedy must be carefully undertaken. It cannot be done by bringing to pass absolute equality between men…Equality is a chimera! It is entirely impracticable! Even if equality could be achieved it could not continue — and if its existence were possible, the whole order of the world would be destroyed. The law of order must always obtain in the world of humanity. Heaven has so decreed in the creation of man.

Some are full of intelligence, others have an ordinary amount of it, and others again are devoid of intellect. In these three classes of men there is order but not equality.

Certainly, some being enormously rich and others lamentably poor, an organization is necessary to control and improve this state of affairs. It is important to limit riches, as it is also of importance to limit poverty. Either extreme is not good. To be seated in the mean [1] is most desirable.

[1 'Give me neither poverty nor riches.' -- Prov. 30: 8]

Abdu’l-Bahá goes on further to outline the basic requirements of preserving the ‘law of order’:

There must be special laws made, dealing with these extremes of riches and of want. The members of the Government should consider the laws of God when they are framing plans for the ruling of the people. The general rights of mankind must be guarded and preserved.

The government of the countries should conform to the Divine Law which gives equal justice to all. This is the only way in which the deplorable superfluity of great wealth and miserable, demoralizing, degrading poverty can be abolished. Not until this is done will the Law of God be obeyed.

Rapid technological leaps forward in the last 10 years mean mankind is closer than ever before to knowing whether extra-terrestrial life exists in our galaxy, one of Britain’s leading scientists said on Tuesday.

It’s been a fascinating week in the world of astronomy. The article continues:

“Now we know that most of the stars, like the sun, are likely to have planetary systems around them and we have every reason to suspect that many of them have planets that are rather like our earth,” Rees told Reuters in an interview.

He said great strides in space search techniques over the last decade had removed one of the big obstacles in finding other worlds, and possibly even complex life forms, in our Milky Way galaxy of more than a 100 billion stars.

“Indeed, we live in very exciting times,” he said.

What rings in the mind of Baha’is are the prophetic utterances of Baha’u'llah from well over a century ago, which not only assure us that many stars have planets, but that they all do:

The learned men, that have fixed at several thousand years the life of this earth, have failed, throughout the long period of their observation, to consider either the number or the age of the other planets. Consider, moreover, the manifold divergencies that have resulted from the theories propounded by these men. Know thou that every fixed star hath its own planets, and every planet its own creatures, whose number no man can compute.

(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah)

It is indeed exciting to observe how the path of scientific discovery re-enforces the Baha’i writings. Next, perhaps scientists will find an Earth-like planet, or discover creatures on these planets, or even change our perception of the word “creatures”? I wait for that day, with eager anticipation.

O SON OF EARTH!

Know, verily, the heart wherein the least remnant of envy yet lingers, shall never attain My everlasting dominion, nor inhale the sweet savors of holiness breathing from My kingdom of sanctity.

Baha’u'llah : The Persian Hidden Words

Looking at a simple example of a teacher and a student.  The role of the teacher is to impart knowledge to the student.  In many cases it may be that the teacher is uncomfortable with allowing the student to surpass them.  Under this scenario progress, materially or spiritually, will be hampered.  The common adage today is “making a better world for our children” but with hints of envy subsequently grooming a culture of competition, this goal becomes more difficult to realise.  Someone mentioned a few weeks ago, “what greater joy for the teacher than to see their student surpass them”.  Progress is iterative and if we are sincere in our desire to “make a better world for our children”, we should allow ourselves to take gladness in the qualities and achievements of those around us and to use this as inspiration to strive higher.  Inspiration trumps competition.

Removing lingering hints of envy is more difficult to conquer. Perhaps a capability to try to develop is to see oneself (and the qualities one strives to possess) in the light of self-worth and, hence, as a tool of God for the benefit of society.  In this case,  not a self-aggrandizing form of  ’self-worth’, but rather one which is founded  upon meekness and humility, in the context of service.  In addition, what is needed to overcome envy is a mentality whose focus transcends the perception that happiness is achieved through the accumulation of material goods and, in particular, that which others may possess.

An excerpt from something I have been reading:

“He remembers his mother telling him doing the right thing will always make him happy.”

Will doing the right thing always make us happy? When we do good, or what we deem to be the right thing, is it done selflessly or is it merely an ego “happiness” boost? We know that merely imitating prevalent societal norms will never lead us to the spiritual heights we aspire to reach, so it becomes necessary to be better informed, educated and spiritually discerning  when making decisions.  Key to this decision-making process is the element of selflessness.  This may be contrary to present ideals where benefit-to-self is highly emphasised. With personal interest always lingering in our thoughts, doing the “right thing” is often most difficult as we grapple with “disconnection” from self in making decisions based on impartiality and using the laws of God as our benchmark:

The second attribute of perfection is justice and impartiality. This means to have no regard for one’s own personal benefits and selfish advantages, and to carry out the laws of God without the slightest concern for anything else. It means to see one’s self as only one of the servants of God, the All-Possessing, and except for aspiring to spiritual distinction, never attempting to be singled out from the others. It means to consider the welfare of the community as one’s own.

Abdu’l-Baha : The Secret of Divine Civilization

What are some of your own reflections on this theme? Your comments are welcome.

After the mother had explained to her 5-year-old son about the importance of preferring your “brother”, or thinking of others ahead of yourself, the 5-year-old brother chases his 8-year-old sister around the house repeatedly trying to force her to accept something which she doesn’t particularly want. When asked by his mother to explain his behaviour, he reminds her of what she had explained to him about preferring others ahead of himself…

Blessed is he who preferreth his brother before himself. Verily, such a man is reckoned, by virtue of the Will of God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, with the people of Baha who dwell in the Crimson Ark.

Baha’u'llah : Tablets of Baha’u'llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas

Drawing a parallel to this story, in today’s commercial world where personal gain seems to be driving force behind most individuals or organisations, one should be wary of being taken advantage of or over-exploited, whilst at the same time not disregarding the need to consciously heed the aforementioned quotation.

I feel that over-cautious cynicism and the expectation of “good” always being returned prevents us from wholeheartedly preferring our fellow man ahead of ourselves.  What are ways in which we can overcome these hindrances?

Starting at the apex of the organisational pyramid, those in prominent positions — leaders of organisations or rulers of countries — could go a long way in dispelling cynicism if a sincere effort is made in upholding altruistic principles:

Concerning the prerequisites of the learned, He saith: “Whoso among the learned guardeth his self, defendeth his faith, opposeth his desires, and obeyeth his Lord’s command, it is incumbent upon the generality of the people to pattern themselves after him….”

Baha’u'llah : The Summons of the Lord of Hosts

At the level of the individual, the expectation of personal gain dims our potential to be genuinely sacrificial:

…a religious individual must disregard his personal desires and seek in whatever way he can wholeheartedly to serve the public interest; and it is impossible for a human being to turn aside from his own selfish advantages and sacrifice his own good for the good of the community except through true religious faith.  For self-love is kneaded into the very clay of man, and it is not possible that, without any hope of a substantial reward, he should neglect his own present material

Abdu’l-Baha : The Secret of Divine Civilization

I woke up with a thought in my mind: why do I sometimes resist change; character improvement for the better?  It’s simply easier to stay the same, I guess, even if it’s not always comfortable. Sometimes it may be because we are too comfortable that we don’t feel the urge to adjust ourselves. Sometimes we just don’t realize that we need to change. Realization occurs only after careful and constant reflection on our actions; but sometimes we don’t reflect and don’t try to change. In truth, however, it isn’t easy to disregard all past habits and experiences and start anew.  Abdu’l-Baha says:

It is extremely difficult to teach the individual and refine his character once puberty is passed. By then, as experience hath shown, even if every effort be exerted to modify some tendency of his, it all availeth nothing. He may, perhaps, improve somewhat today; but let a few days pass and he forgetteth, and turneth backward to his habitual condition and accustomed ways.

Therefore it is in early childhood that a firm foundation must be laid:

It followeth that the children’s school must be a place of utmost discipline and order, that instruction must be thorough, and provision must be made for the rectification and refinement of character; so that, in his earliest years, within the very essence of the child, the divine foundation will be laid and the structure of holiness raised up…Know that this matter of instruction, of character rectification and refinement, of heartening and encouraging the child, is of the utmost importance, for such are basic principles of God.

Hardship and tests can act as a catalyst for change, not only on a personal level but also on a global one. Mankind as an entity faces challenges similar to those restraining us in our journey of personal transformation. It seems to be the common case, globally, that change is resisted. It seems as though only until our ‘backs are against the wall’ that we begin to discern the importance of altering our unsustainable patterns of old.

How long will humanity persist in its waywardness? How long will injustice continue? How long is chaos and confusion to reign amongst men? How long will discord agitate the face of society?…The signs of impending convulsions and chaos can now be discerned, inasmuch as the prevailing order appeareth to be lamentably defective.

(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 215)

Shoghi Effendi goes on to say:

Economic distress…together with political confusion, financial upheavals, religious restlessness and racial animosities, seem to have conspired to add immeasurably to the burdens under which an impoverished, a war-weary world is groaning…The world…is everywhere assailed by forces it can neither explain nor control.

That the forces of a world catastrophe can alone precipitate such a new phase of human thought is, alas, becoming increasingly apparent. That nothing short of the fire of a severe ordeal, unparalleled in its intensity, can fuse and weld the discordant entities that constitute the elements of present-day civilization, into the integral components of the world commonwealth of the future, is a truth which future events will increasingly demonstrate.

Does this imply that dire times lie ahead?

Nothing but a fiery ordeal, out of which humanity will emerge, chastened and prepared, can succeed in implanting that sense of responsibility which the leaders of a new-born age must arise to shoulder.

(Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha’u'llah, p. 45)

Drawing on Ohm’s law, the more the resistance experienced, the greater the potential. The onus is on us to make use of this potential.

... the foundations of the religions of God are one foundation. This foundation is not multiple for it is reality itself. Reality does not admit of multiplicity although each of the divine religions is separable into two divisions. One concerns the world of morality and the ethical training of human nature. It is directed to the advancement of the world of humanity in general; it reveals and inculcates the knowledge of God and makes possible the discovery of the verities of life. This is ideal and spiritual teaching, the essential quality of divine religion and not subject to change or transformation. It is the one foundation of all the religions of God. Therefore the religions are essentially one and the same.

An interesting article explains how a few trial cities, in Europe, have removed all traffic signs-with seemingly good results.  It seems, nevertheless, that the sense of traffic etiquette of the drivers on these roads has derived from somewhere; their past experience on roads with traffic signs possibly?

Consider the following scenario.  Say these same “sign-free roads” were all dirt roads, and that the drivers on these roads have only ever known dirt roads.  Now, if one day the roads were to be upgraded to tarred roads, the rules on the road can also be modified — for example, it may now be safe to travel at higher speeds on the tarred roads.  If the traffic signs aren’t there (because we figured we didn’t need them), the benefits of the new road will remain unknown:

The second classification or division comprises social laws and regulations applicable to human conduct. This is not the essential spiritual quality of religion. It is subject to change and transformation according to the exigencies and requirements of time and place. For instance in the time of Noah certain requirements made it necessary that all sea foods be allowable or lawful…

…During the cycle of Adam it was lawful and expedient for a man to marry his own sister, even as Abel, Cain and Seth the sons of Adam married their sisters.

But in the law of the Pentateuch revealed by Moses these marriages were forbidden and their custom and sanction abrogated.

Other laws formerly valid were annulled during the time of Moses. For example, it was lawful in Abraham’s cycle to eat the flesh of the camel, but during the time of Jacob this was prohibited.

Such changes and transformations in the teaching of religion are applicable to the ordinary conditions of life but they are not important or essential. His Holiness Moses lived in the wilderness of Sinai where crime necessitated direct punishment. There were no penitentiaries or penalties of imprisonment. Therefore according to the exigency of the time and place it was a law of God that an eye should be given for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. It would not be practicable to enforce this law at the present time; for instance to blind a man who accidentally blinded you. In the Torah there are many commands concerning the punishment of a murderer. It would not be allowable or possible to carry out these ordinances today. Human conditions and exigencies are such that even the question of capital punishment, — the one penalty which most nations have continued to enforce for murder, — is now under discussion by wise men who are debating its advisability. In fact, laws for the ordinary conditions of life are only valid temporarily. The exigencies of the time of Moses justified cutting off a man’s hand for theft but such a penalty is not allowable now.

Time changes conditions, and laws change to suit conditions. We must remember that these changing laws are not the essentials; they are the accidentals of religion. The essential ordinances established by a Manifestation of God are spiritual; they concern moralities, the ethical development of man and faith in God. They are ideal and necessarily permanent; expressions of the one foundation and not amenable to change or transformation. Therefore the fundamental basis of the revealed religion of God is immutable, unchanging throughout the centuries, not subject to the varying conditions of the human world.

(Abdu’l-Baha)

“Time changes conditions, and laws change to suit conditions.” So it is with the growth and evolution of Divine religion — sharing the same basic rules of the road yet adapted to physical conditions. Without signs to show us how to navigate these changing conditions, our own approximations would at best be sub-optimal. And at worst, catastrophic.

Indeed shouldst Thou desire to confer blessing upon a servant Thou wouldst blot out from the realm of his heart every mention or disposition except Thine Own mention; and shouldst Thou ordain evil for a servant by reason of that which his hands have unjustly wrought before Thy face, Thou wouldst test him with the benefits of this world and of the next that he might become preoccupied therewith and forget Thy remembrance.

This quote threw my rudimentary ideas of reward and punishment into disarray….”hmmmmm, that lottery I won was a reward from God?…. no wait, was it a punishment?”  It seems that to try to compartmentalize one’s life (our limited understanding may make us do so) into a series of ‘good’ and ‘bad’, ‘rewards’ and ‘punishments’ would be entirely false.  With regards to justice, Baha’u'llah says:

The structure of world stability and order hath been reared upon, and will continue to be sustained by, the twin pillars of reward and punishment. And in another connection He hath uttered the following in the eloquent tongue: Justice hath a mighty force at its command. It is none other than reward and punishment for the deeds of men. By the power of this force the tabernacle of order is established throughout the world, causing the wicked to restrain their natures for fear of punishment.

Suggestions of what we can do — instead of dwelling on the dubieties of reward and punishment — are to reflect on our actions, strive to correct these actions if necessary, move on with the understanding that God’s grace and forgiveness will deal with us justly at some stage in our earthly life (or afterlife),  and all the while to remember:

Worship thou God in such wise that if thy worship lead thee to the fire, no alteration in thine adoration would be produced, and so likewise if thy recompense should be paradise. Thus and thus alone should be the worship which befitteth the one True God. Shouldst thou worship Him because of fear, this would be unseemly in the sanctified Court of His presence, and could not be regarded as an act by thee dedicated to the Oneness of His Being. Or if thy gaze should be on paradise, and thou shouldst worship Him while cherishing such a hope, thou wouldst make God’s creation a partner with Him, notwithstanding the fact that paradise is desired by men.  Fire and paradise both bow down and prostrate themselves before God. That which is worthy of His Essence is to worship Him for His sake, without fear of fire, or hope of paradise.”

Abuse commonly stems from, amongst other things, cultural standards, prior abuse of the now-abuser, insufficient parenting, broken homes or genuine illness. Barring the latter, all indicate just how pivotal education is:

The basis for such [moral] curricula is the belief that every person is a spiritual being with limitless potential for noble action but that potential, in order to manifest, must be consciously cultivated through a curriculum attuned to this fundamental human dimension.

Among the moral capabilities identified by Bahá’í­ educational institutions include the ability to:

• participate effectively in non-adversarial collective decision-making

• act with rectitude of conduct based on ethical and moral principles

• cultivate one’s sense of dignity and self-worth

• create a vision of a desired future based on shared values and principles, and to inspire others to work for its fulfillment

• understand relationships based on dominance and to contribute towards their transformation into relationships based on reciprocity and service.

In this way, the curriculum seeks to develop the individual as a whole integrating the spiritual and the material, the theoretical and the practical and the sense of individual progress with service to the community.

Such capabilities can be taught in schools but will not be effective unless they take root in family and community:

…it is the family environment in which children grow and form views about themselves, the world and the purpose of life. To the degree that a family fails to meet the fundamental needs of the children, to that same degree will society be burdened with the consequences of neglect and abuse and will suffer greatly from the resulting conditions of apathy and violence.

In the family, the child learns about the nature of power and its expression in interpersonal relationships; it is here that she first learns to accept or reject authoritarian rule and violence as a means of expression and conflict resolution. In this environment, the widespread violence committed by men against women and girls constitutes an assault on the foundational unit of the community and the nation.

Religion has historically been the primary contributor of the values espoused in most of the world, yet, today, it is voices arising in the name of religion that are obstacles to the eradication of abuse and violent behaviour:

Using religious appeals as a vehicle for their own power, proponents of extremist religious interpretations have sought to tame’ women and girls by limiting their mobility outside of the home, limiting their access to education, subjecting their bodies to harmful traditional practices, controlling attire and even killing to punish acts which were claimed to abase the family honor. It is religion itself that stands in desperate need of renewal.

A core element of such renewal is the need for religious leaders to state unequivocally and become the standard bearers of the principle of equality of men and women, a moral and practical principle urgently needed to realize progress in the social, political and economic spheres of society. Today, religious practices and doctrines in flagrant violation of international human rights standards must be subject to deeper examination and scrutiny, bearing in mind that all religions contain the voices of women, which have often been absent from the evolving definition of what religion is and what it requires.

Who is responsible for the protection of women? The highest, most influential (in terms of enforcement) body of power available to us is the State:

…the State has the duty and responsibility to protect the individual. It is at this level that enlightened leadership is desperately required. Many governments continue to hide behind cultural and religious reservations to international treaties, perpetuating a climate of legal and moral impunity and rendering this kind of violence and its victims invisible.

Ultimately, however, how can a self-sustaining solution to common plagues such as abuse be found? Progress is iterative. As each generation embraces, more and more, the idea that education is the sturdy foundation that can stabilize society’s shaky core, the closer will be the goal of eradicating societal ills.

Quotations extracted from separate statements located here and here at www.bic.org

In the search for spiritual contentment, everything that draws us closer to God will make up happier, and to find God in this day is to recognize and accept His Channel to us.  Baha’u'llah, who Baha’is believe is the latest in the line of  Manifestations from God says, in the first paragraph of His Most Holy Book, the Kitab-i-Aqdas:

The first duty prescribed by God for His servants is the recognition of Him Who is the Dayspring of His Revelation and the Fountain of His laws, Who representeth the Godhead in both the Kingdom of His Cause and the world of creation.

(Baha’u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 19)

We owe it to ourselves to conquer sadness with joy, and to actively seek it. We owe it to our latent capacities of intellect, comprehension and intelligence; in other words, to achieving our God-given potential. Consider this passage:

Joy gives us wings! In times of joy our strength is more vital, our intellect keener, and our understanding less clouded. We seem better able to cope with the world and to find our sphere of usefulness. But when sadness visits us we become weak, our strength leaves us, our comprehension is dim and our intelligence veiled. The actualities of life seem to elude our grasp,  the eyes of our spirits fail to discover the sacred mysteries, and we become even as dead beings.

(Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 109)

The nature of life is such that it will always have it’s ups and downs. Nobody goes through life without experiencing some form of hardship, be it mental or physical. Yet, the degree to which external factors affect one’s internal well-being is a true indicator of spiritual strength.

“Anybody can be happy in the state of comfort, ease, health, success, pleasure and joy; but if one will be happy and contented in the time of trouble, hardship and prevailing disease, it is the proof of nobility.”

(Abdu’l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu’l-Baha v2, p. 263)