Baha’i Perspectives

Interview Series August 12th, 2008

The Interview Series aims to reflect the unity in diversity of the Baha’i Faith through a series of informal interviews with people from various cultures and backgrounds, touching on their personal experiences and insights. This week, we chat with Veronica from Australia.

Where are you from?

Wollongong, a city an hour and a half from Sydney, Australia.

How long have you been a Baha’i?

7 years. Since I was 15. It was one year previous that I was first introduced to the Baha’i Faith.

When did you first hear or see the word?

My parents first introduced me to the Baha’i Faith when I was 14. They told me that they had heard about this new religious group and wanted to check it out. They asked me to come along, and to be honest, I was a little skeptical at first, thinking it was probably a hippie group that my alternative parents would be interested in. I went along to a meeting with them anyway, and found it to be nothing like I had expected.

Why does one need faith?

I think people need faith to give their lives meaning, direction and a sense of purpose. For me, the Baha’i Faith provides me with guidance on how to live my life and provides me with inspiration to become the best person I can be, and to use my life to contribute to the betterment of the world. Without faith I think life would not have much of a purpose beyond purely satisfying our material needs and desires.

What about the Baha’i Faith gives you hope?

For me, everything about it gives me hope. The Baha’i Faith assures us that we are part of an ever-advancing civilization that will one day achieve universal peace. Without this, I don’t know how I would make sense of what is happening in the world, in terms of the suffering that exists. Most importantly, the Faith provides a practical blueprint for how we are going to achieve this universal peace in the world and eliminate things such as extremes of poverty and wealth, prejudice, lack of education etc.

While most religions have a notion that we should work towards peace, they were not, because of the circumstances of the time in which they were revealed, able to provide detailed information on how it would be brought about, and the fact that we have this in the Baha’i Faith definitely gives me hope. The Faith also has inspirational teachings about the next world that we will pass to on leaving here, and provides me with hope that I will be reunited with my loved ones, will retain my memory of my life here, and will continue to work towards developing spiritual qualities.

What virtue do you esteem most highly or try to adhere to most often?

There are so many qualities I esteem highly that its difficult to pick one. There are also many that I am striving to develop. I guess that if I had to chose, I would say that the quality of excellence—that is, striving for excellence in everything that I do—is one of the most important to me. By trying to develop excellence, one is also forced to develop the other qualities to the best of ones ability.

What do you consider your greatest achievement in life, to date?

The greatest achievement in my life…again that’s a difficult question. I don’t know, I really don’t think I have done anything that would constitute being that great an achievement. One of my achievements could be recognition of the Baha’i Faith which has provided my life with a wonderful sense of meaning and direction, however I don’t think I can take personal credit for this, but rather think I have been blessed, undeservedly so, by being guided to it.

I really don’t have an answer to this question, perhaps except for saying that I am somewhat proud of the fact that I have been able to be there for my family during the times they needed me most, even when, at times, it wasn’t an easy thing for me to do.

What life lesson do you wish you had known earlier?

I wish I had understood earlier that happiness isn’t really about what is happening in your life, although if things are going well it obviously helps. Its more about finding a sense of contentment within that carries you through whatever you may be experiencing, good or bad.  If we can achieve a state of contentment, I think we can also live more fully in the present, without always looking into the future and waiting for a time when we think things will happen that will make us happy, which I have learnt inevitably don’t, not for the long-term anyway.  So, I guess that I wish I had understood the need to achieve contentment while living in the present.

What is your favourite passage from the Writings?

Again, like the virtues I esteem, there are so many quotes that I love. One of my favourites though is from Abdu’l-Baha:

Know thou of a certainty that Love is the secret of God’s holy Dispensation, the manifestation of the All-Merciful, the fountain of spiritual outpourings. Love is heaven’s kindly light, the Holy Spirit’s eternal breath that vivifieth the human soul. Love is the cause of God’s revelation unto man, the vital bond inherent, in accordance with the divine creation, in the realities of things. Love is the one means that ensureth true felicity both in this world and the next. Love is the light that guideth in darkness, the living link that uniteth God with man, that assureth the progress of every illumined soul. Love is the most great law that ruleth this mighty and heavenly cycle, the unique power that bindeth together the divers elements of this material world, the supreme magnetic force that directeth the movements of the spheres in the celestial realms.”

(Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 27)

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Interview Series June 25th, 2008

The Interview Series aims to reflect the unity in diversity of the Baha’i Faith through a series of informal interviews with people from various cultures and backgrounds, touching on their personal experiences and insights. This week, we chat with charming Ndumiso over coffee and a sandwich.

Where are you from?

My passport says South Africa so I guess I could say Cape Town, but then I mention I’m from Swaziland. My link to Swaziland is strong because it’s culturally stronger than most other sub-cultures in Southern Africa, in terms of the language, the accent and the relaxed way of living. I was 20 when I went to South Africa, but I was born and raised in Swaziland. I think where you come from is important because it’s like a reference point. I wouldn’t mind eventually going back to Swaziland [Ndumiso is currently finishing his Energy Sciences doctorate at Kyoto University in Japan].

How long have you been a Bahá’í?

Since March 1990, just before I turned 21. I had finished high school, but hadn’t started university yet.

When did you first hear or see the word?

None of my family are Baha’is, so I didn’t grow up with it. I went to high school with Baha’is. They told me some things, but since Baha’is don’t proselytize, I didn’t get much. But I got some stuff, like the no alcohol thing. With them, it wasn’t just something on paper — it was their behavior. I remember when we graduated, I was like, “We’re finishing high school, let’s go get drunk!” The Baha’is obviously didn’t do that.

I also remember that someone came to the school to present the Peace Statement once. They were from the Baha’i community, but I remembered this after I became a Baha’i. They came and said “Let’s pray.” I remember the prayer was different. I remember I didn’t make fun of it, and I would’ve, being in high school! I took the Statement home, and I think it was then that the seeds were being laid.

Also, when I was around 8, I went to a boarding school. It was a 7^th Day Adventist school. The matron’s daughter used to give this Bible class. In the class, she said, “Baha’is say Christ has returned.” And I said, “So where is He?” Years later I remembered that moment, after I was a Baha’i.

My mother went to Chicago to study when I was between 17 and 19 years old. After she came back, I looked through the photos. The following year, I became a Baha’i. After I became a Baha’i, I realized she had photos in front of the Baha’i House of Worship in Chicago. I asked her, “What’s this?” and she told me that her Christian friends in Chicago had told her some things about the House of Worship, trying to discourage her to go there and visit it. They said things like “the Baha’i God lives in the dome of the House of Worship.” My mother isn’t a follower, so she went to see this “God in the dome” for herself!

My mother was the most positive person in my family about my decision when I became a Baha’i. Before she passed away, I would read to her from the Baha’i Writings often.

Why does one need faith?

I wish I could give a wise answer, like, “picture a bird…”

For me, as a child, my grandmother and family were Christian. Originally, they would tell you things about God and religion, but then you were free to figure things out for yourself as you got older. I started to realize that all people have a limited interest. The only thing that went beyond this was Christ’s message.

When I was about 13 or 14, I started to really feel like the world is full of this limited interest. There is nothing to die for, and nothing real to celebrate. But the Writings of Christ — they were inspiring. I was attracted to these admonitions and ideals. They seemed like light compared to other things.

What about the Baha’i Faith gives you hope?

The most simple reason is because it answered a number of my questions. The answers that it offered were quite compelling. Questions like, “Why am I here?” The best reason for me for following the Bahá’í Faith is that it answers those questions “Why am I here? What do I do with my life?”

Science gives you power. We can build skyscrapers, atomic bombs etc… science gives us ability. But it doesn’t give you direction. Technology is animalistic. Only when it is applied to humanity does it have a special meaning.

What virtue do you esteem most highly or try to adhere to most often?

It changes throughout one’s life! At different stages I’ve been concerned with different virtues. At one stage I was more concerned with harmony — the harmony of the human race, of the people around me.

Now, patience is a big one. The things that come around with patience are really beautiful. I think it’s important to keep it simple, to be patient. If it doesn’t come as quickly as I assumed, then I’ll just have to wait.

What do you consider your greatest achievement in life, to date?

I really value the small moments in my life the most. Like, if there was a little kid getting beaten up at school and I stepped in to help… those are the ones I really cherish. Intervening on behalf of others.

I would say recognizing the Manifestation of God for today, but I don’t know whether that is really an achievement or a bounty!

What life lesson do you wish you had known earlier?

That things work out. If you have a good foundation, or a good intention, things work out. That I shouldn’t be so impatient with things. I wish I would have been more patient with things in my life.

What is your favourite passage from the Writings?

CX. The Great Being saith: O ye children of men! The fundamental purpose animating the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human race, and to foster the spirit of love and fellowship amongst men. Suffer it not to become a source of dissension and discord, of hate and enmity. This is the straight Path, the fixed and immovable foundation. Whatsoever is raised on this foundation, the changes and chances of the world can never impair its strength, nor will the revolution of countless centuries undermine its structure. Our hope is that the world’s religious leaders and the rulers thereof will unitedly arise for the reformation of this age and the rehabilitation of its fortunes. Let them, after meditating on its needs, take counsel together and, through anxious and full deliberation, administer to a diseased and sorely-afflicted world the remedy it requireth.

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

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Interview Series June 6th, 2008

The Interview Series aims to reflect the unity in diversity of the Baha’i Faith through a series of informal interviews with people from various cultures and backgrounds, touching on their personal experiences and insights. In our first interview, we chat with John from the United Kingdom.

Where are you from?

I’m from a small village in rural Suffolk, England.

How long have you been a Baha’i?

10 years, 1 month and 14 days.

When did you first hear or see the word?

I had a friend who lived in a neighboring village. When his family moved, a Bahá’í family moved into his home. I grew up with their son and we went to school up to the end of high school together. He would be there when we would go out and drink sometimes but he wouldn’t drink. I had heard the word Bahá’í somewhere during this period of time.

Why does one need faith?

I was totally anti-God. At the age of twelve I came to the conclusion that God was all a bunch of hokus pokus. When my dad had a heart attack I was certain there wasn’t a God, so I entered into a bargain with God something to the effect of ‘if you let him live I will believe in you’ - he lived, not sure that God bought into my bargain though or not! I was always into philosophy, and I came to the conclusion that all these religions in the world cannot be wrong and I wanted to know what it was that united them, what the truth was in all of them. I went to a gathering to find out more about the Baha’is and that’s where the last jigsaw piece was put in. It was pretty instant when I heard about progressive revelation - that was the key!

What about the Bahá’í Faith gives you hope?

The Faith gives me a very specific certainty in some things - faith in the human race, it gives a person confidence to contribute to society and it gives meaning to the things I do in life. To genuinely believe that there will be a better world, to truly believe it, to have a conviction, that I, as an individual, can do something. Anyone who has faith believes that something can be done which enables a solution (to the problems of the world) to be found.

What virtue do you esteem most highly or try to adhere to most often?

Sincerity. To be sincere with those around you.

What do you consider your greatest achievement in life, to date?

Getting married! (His wife was sitting next to him when he answered this question )  

Being able to adapt and live in any country (John has lived in 5 countries/territories.) The more places you go and see, the less strange the world becomes, and the world truly becomes your home!

What life lesson do you wish you had known earlier?

I wish I had been a Bahá’í earlier! If you grew up in it, it would be easier to apply the teachings to your life.

The relevance of religion, especially to the day in which we live in now, which for a long time I didn’t believe in. That God provides the tools we need in life.

Your favorite passage from the Writings?

Every age hath its own problem, and every soul its particular aspiration. The remedy the world needeth in its present-day afflictions can never be the same as that which a subsequent age may require. Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements.

(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 213)

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