Baha’i Perspectives

nadim July 31st, 2008

This video is another gem from DoubleTake.tv, a site that contains a growing collection of short Baha’i-inspired documentaries. Watch how an innovative “white bloke” living on the island of Vanuatu rolls up his sleeves and gets down to finding a homegrown solution to the problem of rising fuel prices.

Finished watching?

Let’s reflect for a moment on the video and then turn our thoughts towards the bigger picture…

The Biofuel Conundrum

Biofuel production is without doubt one hot topic these days. It provokes an entire spectrum of opinions from advocates and critics alike. Having initially been devised as a mechanism to reduce the world’s dependence on crude oil, the mass production of biofuel using food crops has precipitated another crisis — in the form of rocketing food prices and increased global famine. What are the possible reasons for this wretched situation? Was this outcome inevitable, or was it somehow avoidable?

Being a regular user of public transport, I’ve had to endure yet another rise in the base taxi fare, as well as a significant price rise for bus tickets, all in the past month. Clearly, biofuels haven’t lowered fuel prices — not for me anyway — and the trip over to the local grocery store is becoming more and more of a nervous window-shopping experience. So what exactly has gone wrong?

As usual, I dive into the World Wide Web to try and figure things out. A Time magazine article, Solving the Biofuels vs. Food Problem, points out that in 2006 alone the U.S. produced 4.86 billion gallons of corn ethanol. That sounds like a lot, but what does it really mean? Well, United Nations expert Jean Ziegler, explains that it takes the same amount of corn to produce 13 gallons of ethanol as it does to feed a child for one year. Divide 4.86 billion by 13 and we have 374 million starving children who could have been fed, all by a single country!! And this was back in 2006 — I can only imagine the numbers would have shot up by now. Ziegler, clearly exasperated by this situation, goes on to comment:

…the effect of transforming hundreds and hundreds of thousands of tons of maize, of wheat, of beans, of palm oil, into agricultural fuel is absolutely catastrophic for the hungry people… So it’s a crime against humanity… What has to be stopped is… the growing catastrophe of the massacre (by) hunger in the world.

Based on this statistic alone, it would take a foolhardy person to reject Ziegler’s statement outright.

When Baha’u'llah, Prophet Founder of the Baha’i Faith, pronounced that the prevailing world order is “lamentably defective”, need we look any further for proof?

Couldn’t They Have Waited?

Both Ziegler and the author of the Time article state that non-food alternatives for biofuel, such as switchgrass (which is energy-efficient) and Jatropha shrubs (which grow well on poor land), are only a few years away from becoming viable for mass production. The Science Blog reports on an even more promising alternative, a grass called Miscanthus. Why then, do the economically advantaged countries not wait a little while longer? Surely it should be obvious that all this excess corn can quite easily feed the world’s hungry population. Why do these countries ruthlessly trade human lives in order for their citizens to drive a few extra miles on the highway?

In the masterpiece entitled Century of Light, which examines the successes and failures of the 20th century, the The Universal House of Justice explains:

Tragically, what Bahá’ís see in present-day society is unbridled exploitation of the masses of humanity by greed that excuses itself as the operation of “impersonal market forces”… What they find themselves struggling against daily is the pressure of a dogmatic materialism, claiming to be the voice of “science”, that seeks systematically to exclude from intellectual life all impulses arising from the spiritual level of human consciousness.

(Commissioned by The Universal House of Justice, Century of Light, p. 137)

This captures, in essence, what Baha’is believe to be the root cause of humanity’s ills. What is completely disregarded by our present economic and political systems are those universal spiritual qualities spoken of in the Holy Books of the world’s religions — justice, honesty, trustworthiness, generosity, love of one’s neighbour and so on. Indeed, it is puzzling to observe how these guiding principles, which govern the behaviour of righteous individuals across just about every society, are conveniently swept under the rug in debates on international policy.

Having said this, individual transformation, although vital, is alone not enough. It is becoming increasingly urgent for nations to acknowledge that they belong to a single common homeland known as planet Earth, and that the good of the whole can never be achieved without sincerely seeking the best for each and every part. This implies moving from a culture of competition for natural resources towards one of collaboration. The implications of this change of thinking would be nothing short of revolutionary, and revolution, it seems, is precisely what is needed.

Sure, it is easy to pass this off as some fanciful notion and continue seeking the latest popular explanation as to why our world systems are just so volatile. Commonly-heard phrases like “economic downturn”, “instability in the Middle East”, “rising interest rates”, “loss of investor confidence”, “farm subsidies” are forever making the rounds in the media, and people blindly accept these for the very reason that they are impersonal. These phrases, in my opinion, are comfortable to accept because they do not challenge the status quo. They do not challenge ingrained patterns of human and societal behaviour. Instead, all they do is mask the reality that we are governed by a system that has long passed it’s sell-by date; one which is described as “morally and intellectually bankrupt” by The Universal House of Justice. The only solution that will ensure a long-term future of peace and prosperity is spiritual — it can only be spiritual.

But what to do about the biofuel problem?

Ahh, the million dollar question. Obviously there is no such thing as a quick fix. Nevertheless, Baha’is believe that even the most complex economic problems can be solved through the application of spiritual principles. Now, supposing for a moment that Tony Deamer’s coconut fuel initiative in Vanuatu became a candidate for large-scale production. What are some questions that we would hope the Government would ask? What are some suggested potential international guidelines on this matter? Here is a quick list that came to my mind:

• What is the nutritional value of the crop in question? Is it a viable source of food for the world’s population?
• What is the current economic state of the country in question? In what ways can the money saved on importing fuel be channeled towards improving education, health care etc?
• Will the by-products of the fuel extraction process have any worth or be discarded as waste?
• What is the potential environmental impact in terms of greenhouse gas emissions etc?
• How do we “give back” to the land what has been taken from it?

In terms of coconut fuel in Vanuatu, you may find it interesting to read this article, in which Tony Deamer addresses some of the above questions.

Do you have any personal thoughts on this issue?

Tags: development, economics, fuel, materialism

• General Interest , News & Current Affairs , Principles in Action , Society
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negin June 9th, 2008

A sincere longing for being of use and helping one’s surroundings is a natural driving force that most people have. In the Baha’i Faith, love and service to mankind are regarded as “the worthiest and most laudable objects of human endeavor”, through which we can also develop virtues and spiritual qualities within ourselves. In the Baha’i community, the courses of the Ruhi Institute are being used to train individuals to develop skills and attitudes needed to succeed in this endeavour. The courses are offered at the grassroots level and are designed to instill in participants the capacity, as well as the confidence, to embark on service activities aimed at gradually uplifting the wider community.

The Ruhi Institute is an educational system that was originally developed under the guidance of the Baha’i community of Colombia in the 1970s, and is now being used all over the world. Based on the Writings of the Baha’i Faith, the material aims at giving its participants an understanding of the presented topics, not only on a level that generates reflection and analysis, but, more crucially, on a level that facilitates action and change:

O SON OF DUST!

Verily I say unto thee; Of all men the most negligent is he that disputeth idly and seeketh to advance himself over his brother. Say, O brethren! Let deeds, not words, be your adorning.

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

The main sequence of the institute consists of seven books, each with a specific theme and an act of service tied to it. The books are studied in study circles consisting of one tutor and 3-10 participants. Some of the themes of the main sequence are “Reflections on the Life of the Spirit” and “Teaching Children’s Classes”. The last book of the sequence is a tutor training, after which the participant herself/himself can serve as a tutor.

The Ruhi Institute has come to spread all over the world, being used by Baha’is and their friends from the Kiribati Islands in the South Pacific Ocean to the Faeroe Islands and Iceland in Northern Europe. Of course, culture, weather and tradition influences the shape and expression of the study circles in different corners of the world, but they all have in common the purpose of educating and training their participants to be of service to their fellow beings and to mankind.

The Great Being saith: Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom.

(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 259)

Tags: development, education, Ruhi books, service

• General Interest , Principles in Action , Society
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nadim May 21st, 2008

The 2006 documentary film “God Grew Tired of Us” tells the story of a large group of Sudanese boys, known as the Lost Boys of Sudan, who escaped near certain death during the country’s civil war in the 1980s by walking hundreds of miles through barren lands, eventually into neighbouring Kenya. Arriving at a refugee camp desperately malnourished and on the verge of starvation, the boys spend the next decade living hand-to-mouth, at each moment wondering what became of their families and dreaming of returning to Sudan. Naturally, after all this shared suffering, the degree of friendship shared by these boys is immense — such that when the United States agrees to accept some of them as refugees, it is with a great deal of difficulty that they bid farewell to one another.

This is where the real story of the film begins. Arriving in the U.S. never having seen electricity, never having taken a shower much less experienced running water, their plight is seemingly helpless. Indeed, were one to stop watching the film at this point, one would expect this film to proceed in the same vein as so many others: another supposed success story of the “undeveloped” finding “development”", the “have-nots” finding the keys to “prosperity”, the “less civilized” at long last discovering “civilization”. With these patterns of classification so deeply prevalent in society, no one can be surprised at their consequences, not only in the way they affect the nature of our interpersonal relationships with those perceived as outsiders, but also in the unnumbered prejudices, both overt and subtle, that arise as a result.

Watching the film, however, a different picture begins to emerge. The film’s protagonists, after the initial shock of being thrust into their new environment, proceed to evaluate the nature of the this life as compared to life in the refugee camp.

The perspective they provide is truly eye-opening. One of them wonders why, at Christmas time, so much emphasis is placed on Christmas trees and Santa Claus — to paraphrase his comments: “Where are these things mentioned in the Bible? Nobody can answer this question for me. Back in the camp, at Christmas we used to dance to celebrate. We would also reflect on the birth of Christ’s and think about how to improve ourselves.” Another, who found a job at a local supermarket, talks about a distressing incident where a lady was crying and everyone passed by without caring to ask her what was wrong. He reached out to her, as was the custom back home, and she took the opportunity to open up to him (much to his own surprise, it must be added). All of them speak of the sense of isolation that they feel living in a society where group culture is non-existent and neighbours hardly talk to each other.

Today, all the peoples of the world are indulging in self-interest and exert the utmost effort and endeavour to promote their own material interests. They are worshipping themselves and not the divine reality, nor the world of mankind. They seek diligently their own benefit and not the common weal. This is because they are captives of the world of nature and unaware of the divine teachings, of the bounty of the Kingdom and of the Sun of Truth.

(Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 103)

This film provides a striking demonstration of how the two dimensions of human existence, the material and the spiritual, should both be looked after in order to promote true human welfare. The lost boys of Sudan would never have achieved their dream of receiving a higher education were it not for the structural and material means afforded to them by moving to the United States. At the same time, by their simple yet moving commentary on the realities of life in the U.S. compared to back home, they display a maturity of insight that a purely secular system of schooling could never provide.

We must care for man’s two natures; for as the material man makes certain demands for food and raiment and if not looked after suffers, even so his spiritual reality suffers without care.

(Abdu’l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p. 96)

Reflecting further, there are two pairs of themes that are at play here, which historically have given rise to failed or failing ideologies. These themes are touched on somewhat indirectly during the film, yet in a sense they encapsulate the context that the boys find themselves in. In the next part, I will identify these themes and try to examine them.

Meanwhile, I suggest renting this film and watching it — it’s well worth it.

Tags: culture, development

• Baha'i Concepts , General Interest , Society
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negin May 7th, 2008

I have a plan: I want to buy a sewing-machine and earn my own living. I want to teach my brothers to read, and then I want to continue studying all the subjects we have studied here.

These are the words of a 25-year old woman from the village Siswala in India, as she is leaving the Barli Institute after completing a six-month program. Born and raised in one of the poorest areas of India, where education and training of women is almost inconceivable, her time at the Barli Institue has clearly changed the direction of her life.

Since 1985, the Barli Institute of Development for Rural Women, situated in the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India, has changed the lives of thousands of women from poor villages by teaching them to read and write, handicrafts, hygiene and personal development. Returning to their villages, they have been able to contribute to the economy of the household, take better care of the children and home and become supporting “pillars” in their families, as well as the whole village. This is where the name of the institute comes from; Barli means pillar.

The project is supported by the Baha’i Community in cooperation with the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA). It was founded by Mrs. Janak McGilligan, who at the time was a young woman with a degree in social sciences from Punjab University. She has since then been running the Institute as its director together with her husband, Mr James McGilligan.

The vital question of education of women — far from being a matter of course in some parts of the world -– is indispensible for the advancement of civilization. Abdu’l-Bahá, in expounding the principle of equality of the sexes, tells us:

Daughters and sons must follow the same curriculum of study, thereby promoting unity of the sexes. When all mankind shall receive the same opportunity of education and the equality of men and women be realized, the foundations of war will be utterly destroyed. Without equality this will be impossible because all differences and distinction are conducive to discord and strife. Equality between men and women is conducive to the abolition of warfare for the reason that women will never be willing to sanction it… There is no doubt that when women obtain equality of rights, war will entirely cease among mankind.

Applying this universal principle to the poor villages of central India is the purpose of the Barli-institute. Supporting the economy, participating in the decision-making processes of their villages and passing on the knowledge gained to their children are some of the many ways that the participants contribute to development.

By giving women an education, they are given the key to independence and influence — they are given the possiblity to have a plan.

Tags: development, education, women

• General Interest , Principles in Action
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geoffrey March 24th, 2008

The falcon preyeth not on a dead mouse.

(Baha’u'llah, The Seven Valleys)

The concept of motion is a principle that the Bahá’í Faith derives much energy from – not only in its intonations on personal spiritual development, but also in the implications it holds for the betterment of mankind as a whole. The above quotation is from a poem of Rumi, and is quoted in the Sacred Writings of the Bahá’í Faith, I reason, to explicate this point of movement.

Motion is often related and tied to the conceptions of love, service, creativity, perception and insight. We are counseled in the Bahá’í Writings to “seek neither rest nor composure” but to continually strive to achieve the betterment of the world and of ourselves. The “Falcon”, I think, can therefore encompass many different interpretations. It can take the form of a hardened will, a continually growing desire to motivate oneself in positive directions; there is the movement of the mind, to constantly strive towards creativity and innovation; and ultimately, I believe, it may come to us in the appearance of Divine assistance, which I believe, is inextricably linked to that of spiritual development and envelopes all other planes of existence.

Should there be ignited in thy heart the burning brand of the love of God, thou wouldst seek neither rest nor composure, neither laughter nor repose, but wouldst hasten to scale the highest summits in the realms of divine nearness, sanctity, and beauty.

(Baha’u'llah, Gems of Divine Mysteries, p. 13)

In light of the past few posts on issues pertaining to our world’s natural resources, education and moral development (and in truth, to the purpose of this blog), motion is the outward expression of love in the world that must needs be understood and harnessed. How many of the world’s problems today are due to negligence and apathy, estrangement and inattention? Examples, in this case, would be completely exhaustive and overwhelming, and are likewise being cataloged in this forum. The world cannot afford more time spent immobile.

This is my first post. As such, I make these initial statements general, but foundational nonetheless. My next one will focus on the concept of guilt.

Tags: development, love

• Baha'i Concepts , Inspiration , Society
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nadim February 10th, 2008

…the size of the armaments of every government should be strictly limited, for if the preparations for war and the military forces of any nation should be allowed to increase, they will arouse the suspicion of others.

(Abdu’l-Baha, The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 64)

Revealed well over a century ago, the significance of these words has been demonstrated time and time again on the world’s fragile political scene. And now, here are the latest set of incidents presented in the news that have aroused the suspicion of political leaders:

• Russian President Vladimir Putin expresses strong reservations over the proposed U.S. missile defense shield, saying that this will lead to a new arms race.
• The West fears the recent rocket test by Iran is ominous in terms of their perceived nuclear ambitions.

The increase in incidents of this nature is deeply worrying, for in the Atomic Age, differences between nuclear powers can no longer be resolved by simply resorting to warfare, as the consequences would clearly be catastrophic. We find ourselves in an unfortunate situation, where the technological gains made in the past century have not progressed in parallel with the moral sense of how best to use them. Distressing, too, are the vast sums spent worldwide in developing weapons and military equipment. We are only 40 days into 2008, and already estimated spending has topped the USD$150 billion mark (click on the link to watch that how quickly that number rises).

The Baha’i International Community, in it’s statement on The Relationship Between Disarmament and Development, makes three important observations:

• Disarmament and development are interrelated. Funds used to make weapons are a drain on the national and world economies. Such funds could be better used to raise the living conditions of the world’s peoples.

• The economic connection between disarmament and development represents only one side of the issue. A spiritual connection also exists. Resources spent for weapons drain not only national treasuries; they also drain the reservoirs of human hope and trust.

• The two issues must be approached in an integrated manner. Not only can disarmament further the cause of development; development can further the cause of disarmament. Indeed, the key to advancing the cause of both disarmament and development lies in fostering a sense of global unity. Unless unity is attained, true peace and security will remain out of reach.

Part 2 will discuss some of the options available to us…

Tags: development, disarmament, unity

• Baha'i Concepts , News & Current Affairs
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