Classical scholar Alexis de Tocqueville differentiated between three types of revolutions.

1) political revolutions

2) sudden and violent revolutions that seek not only to establish a new political system but to transform an entire society

3) slow but sweeping transformations of the entire society that take several generations to bring about (ex. religion).

The revolution I am about to describe is mainly the third, with elements of the second. However, like all revolutions, the spark was lit by an enigmatic figure; the revolutionary.

Che Guevara once said this about revolutionaries:

At the risk of seeming ridiculous, let me say that the true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love. … We must strive every day so that this love of living humanity will be transformed into actual deeds, into acts that serve as examples, as a moving force.

Whether or not Che himself lived up to this ideal is a question to be answered by historians. During the 19th century, one individual not only fulfilled Che’s statement but exceeded it in ways we will never fully understand. His name was His name was Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází­, known more commonly by his title ‘The Báb,‘ or the ‘Gate’.

His character was described as “the gentle, the youthful and irresistible person of the Báb, matchless in His meekness, imperturbable in His serenity, magnetic in His utterance, unrivalled in the dramatic episodes of His swift and tragic ministry.”

Born on October 20th, 1819, in Shiraz, Persia (Iran) and belonging to a noble family, the Báb was a descendant from Muhammad through the Imam Husayn through both his parents. The Báb was endowed with innate knowledge, and had little schooling.

During his childhood he dumbfounded his teacher, who sent him home, realising he had nothing to teach this extraordinary child. The Báb later joined his uncle in the trade of being a merchant. Soon after marrying, the beginning of the ‘revolution’ began, on the 23nd May 1844, in Shiraz.

So why did this revolution start in 19th century Persia (Iran)?

The ancient Greeks saw revolution as a possibility only after the decay of the fundamental moral and religious tenets of society.

Persia of that time was a place which was seen to be one of the worst in the world. The country was in ruins spiritually and materially, through neglect and extreme corruption as well as religious hypocrisy and fanaticism:

The people among whom He appeared were the most decadent race in the civilized world, grossly ignorant, savage, cruel, steeped in prejudice, servile in their submission to an almost deified hierarchy, recalling in their abjectness the Israelites of Egypt in the days of Moses, in their fanaticism the Jews in the days of Jesus, and in their perversity the idolators of Arabia in the days of Muhammad.

Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 3

This portrayal of Iran by Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith, was not the only one at that time.

In the London Times Newspaper, dated December 26th 1845, Persia correspondent ‘Trebisonde’ wrote an article called ‘The State of Persia.’ He opened the article with the following sentence;

The state of Persia has never been more miserable, more unhappy, or more gloomy, than at present.

Trebisonde also goes onto describe the ‘avaricious’ character of the Vizier (Prime minister) of the Shah, who was so cruel that peasants have abandoned their villages and fled to the mountains and to the deserts, where they “prefer to suffer from hunger and misery rather than to be beaten to death” due to the greed of their governmental masters.

He then goes on to say:

none but an idiot like Mohammed Shah, the reigning King of Persia, would suffer his Grand Vizier to act as he pleases, and close his eyes against the sight of ruin of the kingdom. The feeble Shah regards his former precipitor as a saint, and interferes not in State affairs.

Thus an all too familiar scenario has been painted, a place where injustice, oppression and fear have reared their ugly heads. Persia of 1844 was a place ripe for revolution.

The world was an interesting place at this time. In Iran, people (Shaykhis) were waiting for the ‘Promised Qa’im’ or the ‘Mahdi‘, whilst in the western world, chiefly the U.S.A., thousands of Christians known as ‘Millerites’ (now know known as 7th Day Adventists) were waiting for the Second Coming of Christ, all in 1844.

On the 23nd May, 1844, the Báb declared himself to be that Promised one to both had been waiting for. His ministry lasted only 9 years, during which he composed hundreds of letters and books (often termed tablets) in which he stated his claims and proclaimed his teachings, which constituted a new sharí’ah or religious law. The mission of the Báb was to make way for one even greater than him, Baha’u'llah, the founder of the Baha’i Faith in 1863, whose Mission would be no less than to unite the entire world.

The Báb’s ideas were so new and revolutionary, they created other smaller revolutionaries. One such ‘revolutionary’ was the famous poetess known as Tahirih, who at the Conference of Badasht, in 1848, threw off her veil signifying a break with Islam and heralding in the new Faith, a heretical act unheard of in entire the Islamic world. She was seen to be one of the first emancipators of women.

Azar Nafisi, a famous Iranian (and not a Baha’i) author and scholar said in an interview on PBS “The first woman to unveil and to question both political and religious orthodoxy was a woman named Tahireh who lived in early 1800s, you know. And we carry this tradition.”

The Bábi movement eventually acquired tens of thousands of supporters, was virulently opposed by Iran’s Shi’a clergy, and was suppressed by the Iranian government leading to thousands upon thousands of his followers, termed Bábis, being persecuted and killed in the most horrific manner. In 1850 the Báb was executed by a firing squad of 750 men in Tabriz.

Whilst the detailed story of the Báb, and his 9 year Ministry are epic in scope, and on par with the miracles, tragedy and brilliance of the stories of the ministry of other Manifestations like Moses, Christ and Muhammad (albeit concentrated into 9 years), they are likewise beyond the capacity of this blog entry. An extremely brief summary can be read here.

This revolution was different to any other revolution previously experienced:

In sheer dramatic power, in the rapidity with which events of momentous importance succeeded each other, in the holocaust which baptized its birth, in the miraculous circumstances attending the martyrdom of the One Who had ushered it in, in the potentialities with which it had been from the outset so thoroughly impregnated, in the forces to which it eventually gave birth, this nine-year period may well rank as unique in the whole range of man’s religious experience.

Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 3

The Bábi Faith, however, stands unique, because it was a religion in its own right, lasting 9 years and paving the way for Baha’u'llah to found the Baha’i Faith.

Thus from a small room in Shiraz, to the creation of a Faith spanning the entire planet within 100 years is certainly a revolution. Especially as it has shaped, given vision and hopes to everyone of its members.

The Baha’i Faith was listed in The Britannica Book of the Year (1992-present) as the second most widespread of the world’s independent religions in terms of the number of countries represented. Britannica claims that it is established in 247 countries and territories; represents over 2,100 ethnic, racial, and tribal groups; has scriptures translated into over 800 languages; and has seven million adherents worldwide [2005].

It is not just the spread of this Faith that is truly revolutionary, in such a short period but also the fact that it is one of the fastest growing religions in the world.

In 2007, Foreign Policy magazine said it was the second fastest growing religion in the world. Islam being the first.

So why has this revolution been largely ignored?

The answer is, as Gill Scott Heron sings, because the ‘revolution will not be televised.’

He ends his poem with ‘The revolution is live’.

We miss out on the big picture and lack from the power of hindsight. Some of us are blinded by our own egos, others are not even aware, asleep on our couches.

The Bible says:

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in

which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the

elements shall melt with fervent heat…

II Peter 3:10.

So maybe this revolution came like a thief in the night…

a thief that evaded closed-circuit cameras.

Now before you start dusting off that dusty Che Guevara t-shirt, let us take some time to reflect on what true revolution is all about.

The term revolution comes from the Latin ‘revolutio’ which translates to “a turn around.”

Revolutions are usually led by a revolutionary, someone who has a major or sudden impact on society. These ‘revolutionaries’ are often iconic people; sometimes charismatic and sometimes notorious (and sometimes both).

Examples of 20^th century revolutionaries range from Ayatollah Khomeini to Che Guevara, Mao Zedong to Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King to Adolf Hitler.

Revolutionaries can be classified in two ways. One is according to the ideology they propose, whether religious or social, like the Islamic revolution in Iran or communist revolution in China.

Or they can be classified by the methods they use to bring about change; for example, a violent or non-violent approach (e.g. Che Guevara and Gandhi, respectively).

Many revolutions come and then, after time, dwindle. Communism and Fascism have had their fire burn fiercely but have dwindled away in a relatively short space of time, gradually being replaced by other menacing ideologies like religious fanaticism or rampant consumerism.

The ideologies promoted by some revolutionaries, especially in the 20^th century, have persisted and penetrated throughout the global consciousness. These are the ideas promoted by people such as Martin Luther King (Civil Rights Movement), Mohandas Gandhi (Truth-seeking and non-violent struggle) and Emmeline Pankhurst (Suffragette movement-Women’s right to vote).

Since these luminaries have pushed their ideas forward, we have witnessed the election of an African-American President of the United States of America, a female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (two terms no less), formation of the United Nations, creation of recognized borders for each country, and in a few days, the 60^th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

A new world order is certainly being created before our very eyes.

The question is, what is the nature of this New World Order, and where did it come from?

From my own research, the first recorded usage of the phrase ‘New World Order’ was in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, the ‘Most Holy Book’ by Bahá’u'lláh, founder of the Baha’i Faith, in 1873.

The world’s equilibrium hath been upset through the vibrating influence of this most great, this new World Order. Mankind’s ordered life hath been revolutionized through the agency of this unique, this wondrous System — the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed.

Baha’u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, paragraph 181

To understand the full nature of this New World Order from a Baha’i perspective would require a discussion far greater than the scope of this post.  Notwithstanding, it will be dealt with in more detail in part 2 where, for instance, the origins of this ‘revolutionizing and wondrous system‘ will be described.

Before I continue, let me just say that the New World Order Baha’is are talking about has nothing to do with U.F.O.s, reptiles masquerading as humans, the Illuminati, secret societies, or any conspiracy theory.

It has everything to do with a global spiritual civilization with community development at its grass roots.

For a New World Order to be created, an old world order would have to disintegrate in its wake.

A transition on this scale would certainly require a revolution on an extremely large scale.

Thus a revolution and a New World Order go hand in hand.

So where is this process? When did it start? Who was the charismatic leader that began this revolution?

Was there even one?

Is the author of this post completely deluded?

The revolution I am going to describe is one that does not fit neatly into any category of revolution because it transcends the material plane of existence.

One thing I can tell you now is that it began on the evening of the 22^nd of May, 1844, in Shiraz, Persia. (More to follow in part 2).

From my understanding, the forces released from that momentous day are still being felt today.

Already in the space of less than a century the operation of the mysterious processes generated by its creative spirit has provoked a tumult in human society such as no mind can fathom. Itself undergoing a period of incubation during its primitive age, it has, through the emergence of its slowly-crystallizing system, induced a fermentation in the general life of mankind designed to shake the very foundations of a disordered society, to purify its life-blood, to reorientate and reconstruct its institutions, and shape its final destiny.

Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By

A revolution on this scale cannot be ignored. So why has it been?

As Gil Scott Heron sings ‘The Revolution will not be Televised’.

I’ll stop here and continue in part 2 to describe the characteristics of the ultimate revolutionary, the history surrounding this revolution and explain why this one will not be televised.

So now what?

In the film ‘The Matrix,’ after making that choice, Neo embarks on a process that is the acquiring of Knowledge…..in this case, one of the first things he learns is ‘Kung Fu.’ Or at least he thinks he learns it. Watch scene here

He then practices this new found skill before using it out in the material world, where he almost dies in the process.

Soon after this, he really learns it.

This is part of the journey of the soul.

Baha’u'llah, founder of the Baha’i Faith, talks about the journey of the soul through seven stages.

He uses poetry to describe the stages of the soul’s journey, in the style of 12th Century Sufi poet Farid al-Din Attar, as used in the Conference of the Birds.

The seven stages of the journey of the soul are called Valleys, and thus the imagery is that of a seeker making a journey through a series of valleys. Thus the book is called ‘The Seven Valleys.’

The first Valley is called the Valley of Search, the Second Valley, the Valley of Love…..

The third Valley is the Valley of Knowledge.

In the Matrix, Neo begins his journeying with the Valley of Search by choosing the red pill.

I guess the film skipped out the Valley of Love because it wasn’t commercially viable (or more likely because it’s just a film and not a comprehensive religious text).

The Knowledge sought in the third Valley is the Knowledge of God and not one based on conventional learning. The seeker begins to understand and find wisdom when faced with pain, suffering, tests and trials. About the Valley of Knowledge, Baha’u'llah says:

With inward and outward eyes he witnesseth the mysteries of resurrection in the realms of creation and the souls of men, and with a pure heart apprehendeth the divine wisdom in the endless Manifestations of God. In the ocean he findeth a drop, in a drop he beholdeth the secrets of the sea.

(Baha’u'llah, The Seven Valleys, p. 11)

He also uses his newly acquired skills, constantly learning new ones and improving the ones he has.

These ‘skills,’ from a Baha’i point of view are universal religious truths known as ‘virtues’ and are used to battle the forces of darkness, which in reality is the human ego, symbolically represented as Satan or Agent Smith in this case.

Armed with the power of Thy name nothing can ever hurt me, and with Thy love in my heart all the world’s afflictions can in no wise alarm me.

(Baha’u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u'llah, p. 208)

We may read about virtues all day long and Neo may download as much as he wants about Kung Fu, however, until we apply it, through service to others, we will not really understand and learn.

The ‘Kung Fu’ we need is Patience, Justice, Humility, Truthfulness, Love, Generosity, and the list goes on (for a more comprehensive list click here)

When confronted with Agent Hate, we destroy him with Love. Agent War is stopped with Peace. Agent Greed is neutralised with Generosity.

I’m sure you get the idea. Sounds easy, but we know it’s not.

If ignorance is bliss, what is knowledge, pain?

I know what you’re thinking, ’cause right now I’m thinking the same thing. Actually, I’ve been thinking it ever since I got here: Why oh why didn’t I take the BLUE pill?

(Cypher, the ‘Judas’ of the Matrix.)

Like Judas, he too was tempted by the inner promptings of the human ego (Agent Smith), betraying Neo and the life of hardship for an apparently easier life of material happiness. (watch scene here)

Baha’u'llah, in The Hidden Words, says:

….Busy not thyself with this world, for with fire We test the gold, and with gold We test Our servants.

So we have to bring ourselves to account and ask, what’s our gold? What’s our kryptonite? Since we’re conveniently on the subject of kryptonite, we can talk about other superheroes briefly. Continue reading >

This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill – you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.

…Morpheus says to Neo, Keanu Reeves character in Warner Brothers’ movie; ‘The Matrix.’ (here is the scene on YouTube)

Before I hear you sigh; ‘oh dear, sci-fi geek alert!,’ I’m kindly requesting a few minutes of your precious time, even if you found Mamma Mia! far more riveting than the Matrix.

Now, what if I told you that this piece of science fiction is far closer to reality than might first appear? And we’re not talking about Keanu Reeves’ acting skills either.

“The Matrix describes a future in which the reality the perceived by humans is actually the Matrix, a simulated reality created by sentient machines.” says Wikipedia.

In the aforementioned movie quote, Morpheus a prophet of sorts is giving the film’s protagonist, Neo, a computer programmer, the option to see the world for what it really is.

If he takes the blue pill, he stays ‘asleep,’ carrying on with his daily routine but if he takes the red pill he awakens to his inner reality, another world:

In the beginning of his human life man was embryonic in the world of the matrix. There he received capacity and endowment for the reality of human existence. The forces and powers necessary for this world were bestowed upon him in that limited condition. In this world he needed eyes; he received them  potentially in the other. He needed ears; he obtained them there in readiness and preparation for his new existence. The powers requisite in this world were conferred upon him in the world of the matrix, so that when he entered this realm of real existence he not only possessed all necessary functions and powers but found provision for his material sustenance awaiting him.

(Abdu’l-Baha, Foundations of World Unity, p. 63)

This quote from Abdu’l-Baha, pre-dates the movie by about 80 years. Abdu’l-Baha is talking about the world inside a mother’s womb being the ‘world of the matrix.’ This world, the only world we know as an embryo, is preparing us for the world we know now, the ‘post-birth’ world.

Both worlds are connected of course, and this starts at conception. You just don’t realise this until you actually arrive here, whether it’s by c-section or naturally.

You can discern hints of it, however, like the muffled voices of our louder relatives.

Conversely you can also make impressions in it, by kicking your chubby baby legs to the glee of your mother’s co-workers.

Now how does this relate to the Matrix film? Well, from my limited understanding of the Baha’i Faith, THIS world, the world of Poverty, Climate Change, Racism, Consumerism, War, Climate change and Sex in The City (okay, it’s not that bad!) is OUR world of the Matrix.

Here we develop our capacity and endowment for the next world, through tests:

Therefore, in this world he must prepare himself for the life beyond. That which he needs in the world of the Kingdom must be obtained here. Just as he prepared himself in the world of the matrix by acquiring forces necessary in this sphere of existence, so, likewise, the indispensable forces of the divine existence must be potentially attained in this world…

(Abdu’l-Baha, Foundations of World Unity, p. 63)

In the womb, we had no choice.

In this world, it’s like the red pill or the blue pill.

Every Manifestation from God, whether Moses, Buddha, Krishna, Muhammad, Jesus or Baha’u'llah, has offered us a choice like this; the choice of true liberty or to go back to sleep wearing shackles of ignorance and blinded by our ego.

Baha’u'llah tells us when He was ‘awakened’:

O King! I was but a man like others, asleep upon My couch, when lo, the breezes of the All-Glorious were wafted over Me, and taught Me the knowledge of all that hath been.

(Baha’u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 11)

He also gives us a choice, rather than a red pill or blue pill, to look with the inner eye rather than the outer one:

O MAN OF TWO VISIONS!

Close one eye and open the other. Close one to the world and all that is therein, and open the other to the hallowed beauty of the Beloved

(Baha’u'llah, The Persian Hidden Words)

The quote above must not be taken out of context. It is not suggesting that we become aloof from human affairs in this material world. In fact, Baha’u'llah teaches the contrary and I’ll expand on this topic in greater detail in part 2.

The quote above, according to my understanding, is saying that we look at things in this world with a ‘spiritually attuned’ eye, rather than looking at things viscerally. The spiritual world is not another location, or to be experienced solely after we die. It is intricately interwoven into the very fabric of our existence. Like lines of code which make up the physical world in the Matrix movie, in this world we have to read in-between these lines:

The one true God is My witness! This most great, this fathomless and surging Ocean is near, astonishingly near, unto you. Behold it is closer to you than your life-vein! Swift as the twinkling of an eye ye can, if ye but wish it, reach and partake of this imperishable favor, this God-given grace, this incorruptible gift, this most potent and unspeakably glorious bounty.

(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 326)

Now the main difference between the film’s premise and the Baha’i Faith is that in the film, the ‘real’ world, the world that Neo will see if he chooses to know reality, is actually quite dark, and not a nice place at all.

The Baha’i view point is quite the opposite. Should we choose to know the Truth, that reality, that world is paradise.

Thus to conclude, if I were sitting in the dusty old chair that Neo was, and given a choice between ignorance and paradise, I don’t think I’d hesitate to take that leap of Faith to investigate further.

I mean what do you have to lose? Only something to gain.

Other than a few calories from a red jelly bean.

Part 2-Coming Soon

“So, you’ve chosen the pill (presumably). What do you do next? What does this mean? Will it mean you have to take part in two poorer sequels? These questions (except the 3^rd) plus more will be answered in Part 2.”