Living abroad this year, I’ve soaked up the news more than ever before. I don’t know if it’s an attempt to stay connected with home, or just a new means of procrastination.

And what a year to stay connected — natural disaster in Burma, a heated race in Zimbabwe, Olympic protests against China, a historical presidential election in the U.S.

I reflect on the year, and I can’t help but notice that the vast majority of the news is, well, quite gloomy. Even with the unprecedented breaking of gender and racial boundaries in the U.S. presidential election, the news was constantly fraught with the polarizing, oftentimes nasty coverage that emphasized personality and appearance over issues of substance.

It made me remember why, in the past, I avoided reading the news in the first place — because it was so darn depressing.

But my personal habits have also shifted a bit this year, in that I’ve made a more serious commitment to read from the Bahá’í Writings. And in the process of steadily increasing my knowledge of the Bahá’í Faith, the gloomy nature of the world suddenly seems less depressing to me. In fact, it makes a lot of sense — and, I’d venture to assert, it’s kind of exciting?

Let me backtrack by saying that lives lost, the triumph of dictators, or partisan quarreling in the presidential election is not exciting. It’s sad, and, if I didn’t have the writings of Bahá’u'lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi from which to draw perspective, I’d hop on the next train to the Himalayas with my bag of soy nuts to stare at the clouds in seclusion rather than face the pain of this world.

Two words, however, ring in my head as I read about the world’s woes and triumphs: disintegration and integration.

Let me put this in some context. Most of the world’s traditions — religious, cultural, tribal, or otherwise — speak of the promise of a bright, peaceful, unified future. Bahá’ís believe that that time has arrived.

“But what of all the depressing gloominess you were just talking about?” some of you might be thinking.

This is where my favorite analogy — that comparing the whole of humankind to a human being — comes in. Humanity has gone through its childhood already: grappling with the fact that women are equal to men, that slavery is inhumane, how to rub two sticks together to create fire, and the like. Not everyone is fully in accordance with all those issues (except for the fire part), but in the past century and a half, we’ve made more progress than all previous centuries combined.

Nowadays, we seem to be zooming ahead in certain aspects. Information from India to Chile in seconds? Check. Eradication of many communicable diseases? Check. And yet, we still haven’t figured out a way to get along. We’re making inroads, but somehow, the tension in the world seems to be getting worse and worse.

Isn’t it a bit like adolescence? You’ve figured out how to walk, talk, and feed yourself, but suddenly, a whole new set of problems abounds. Mom and dad are still driving you around -- embarrassing! –, that blemish on your nose never goes away, and you seem to be a lot smellier these days.

And so it is with humanity. We’ve figured out some of the basics, and we astonish ourselves with our scientific and technological advancements. But doesn’t some of that partisan political sniping remind you of gossiping middle-schoolers? Are not the waves of violence and oppression that plague societies reminiscent of the turbulence that surrounds the teenage years? Our global community searching for commonality — what are human rights, what is justice? — similar to an adolescent seeking his or her identity? And likewise, doesn’t our endless quest for knowledge and truth, or our rising suspicion of and exasperation with many present institutions, bring to mind that struggle in the chasm between childhood and adulthood?

It’s certain that the old, oppressive ways are the world are disintegrating – at times rapidly, and other times at a painfully lethargic pace. But with this disintegration has come a gradual, sometimes subtle integrative process.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá elucidated this theme in a talk given in New York City, in 1912:

From every standpoint the world of humanity is undergoing a reformation. The laws of former governments and civilizations are in process of revision; scientific ideas and theories are developing and advancing to meet a new range of phenomena; invention and discovery are penetrating hitherto unknown fields, revealing new wonders and hidden secrets of the material universe; industries have vastly wider scope and production; everywhere the world of mankind is in the throes of evolutionary activity indicating the passing of the old conditions and advent of the new age of reformation. Old trees yield no fruitage; old ideas and methods are obsolete and worthless now. Old standards of ethics, moral codes and methods of living in the past will not suffice for the present age of advancement and progress.

(Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 438)

In Part II, I’ll explore the integrative phenomena arising in today’s world, and the central role the Bahá’í Faith plays in the building up of a new civilization.

Meanwhile, a homework assignment: try reading the news today. Any examples of the integrative processes I mentioned? Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

The disintegrative forces — those old, oppressive, corrupt phenomena in the world — were, no doubt, getting me down.

Sometimes, it seems as if oppression, corruption, and injustice are King. Sometimes, it seems the change brought about by the integrative forces is painfully slow.

As I scanned the news, it seemed all hope was lost: a bomb in Istanbul, soaring fuel prices, and the inevitable snarkiness that surrounds the U.S. presidential elections.

Then, hidden among the headlines, I found a gem of a story. It spoke of a music program at a woman’s prison in Venezuela. The women — some thieves, some drug smugglers, and even a Malaysian law student who claimed she was wrongly imprisoned — participate in a voluntary orchestral program that offers classical training. In this program, the women find hope and purpose. One participant remarked, after her three daughters watched her performance, “I finally felt useful in this life.”

This, to me, is an example of the integrative forces arising in the world. Sometimes small, sometimes quiet, but altogether a reflection of a changing attitude in the world.

It’s easy, though, to look at these integrative efforts with a sense of cynicism. I often hear, from my peers or in my own mind, lamentations about how the U.N. is mired in stagnation, or that the millions of dollars the World Bank pours into development hardly produces equivalent results. Or, that successful and well-meaning endeavors in social and economic development are too small to make any kind of true impact.

Our generation is an eternally impatient one, and tends to seek quick-fixes. If we only stopped to reflect on how much we’ve accomplished in the past century, and how much more, as our consciousness expands, humanity will inevitably grow.

In order for humankind to progress, though, it is imperative that we reflect on the nature of the world, on the failures and successes of present institutions, and then act accordingly. Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, wrote:

The world is in great turmoil and its problems seem to become daily more acute. We should, therefore, not sit idle, otherwise we would be failing in carrying out our sacred duty. Bahá’u'lláh has not given us His Teachings to treasure them and hide them for our personal delight and pleasure. He gave them to us that we may pass them from mouth to mouth until all the world becomes familiar with them and enjoys their blessings and uplifting influence.

– Shoghi Effendi, Bahá’í News, no. 73 (May 1933), p. 2

Bahá’ís believe that Bahá’u'lláh’s teachings, rooted in the concept of the oneness of humanity, are not only those that will help solve the world’s ills in the future, but are already beginning to do so. Bahá’u'lláh was imprisoned and placed into exile for most of His life — yet His teachings have already manifested themselves in ways both small and large, and millions of individuals around the world, on all continents, have embraced His Faith.

And I’d venture to assert that as a steadily growing cohort of individuals who engage in sustained social action emerges, beginning from the grassroots, and based on the spirit of Bahá’u'lláh’s teachings, our adolescent world will, ever steadily, blossom into the calm of maturity.

So, while my awkwardness personally never ended after adolescence, my adherence to Bahá’u'lláh’s teachings makes me certain that humanity’s will.

To discriminate against any race, on the ground of its being socially backward, politically immature, and numerically in a minority, is a flagrant violation of the spirit that animates the Faith of Bahá’u'lláh.

(Shoghi Effendi, Advent of Divine Justice, p. 35)

I recently watched a program conducted by Bill Moyers, a journalist for PBS, during which he interviewed a gentleman named Douglas Blackmon about his new book, Slavery by Another Name. This book concerned the world of post-Emancipation slavery in the South, and more generally, the American attitude towards freed slaves. The book discusses the evolution of forced labour by companies in Texas, Alabama and Georgia, and illustrated accounts of labour camps in which African Americans were held under the pretense of imprisonment.

The majority of these cases overwhelmingly affirm that the practice of falsely accusing blacks of perpetrating crimes in the South was a ruse to create a new brand of slavery, one that was technically legal in the post-Civil War and Reconstruction periods of the United States. It was during this time that former slave owners, in compliance with new anti-slavery laws, that slavery took another name and the southern economy, and even the American economy, continued its addiction to forced labour.

During this time, thousands of black men were arrested and then sold to plantations, mills, and labour camps right up to World War II. Large numbers of African Americans were arrested on specious claims, and those individuals that spoke up were at risk of being ostracized or facing complete excoriation.

Mr. Blackmon went on to give a couple of specific examples from his book. One concerned a young African-American named Green Cottenham who lived during the 1880s. His parents were slaves who had been emancipated. When Cottenham married, he and his wife went off to search for work. But in the twentieth century–although slavery had been outlawed–for some of white America it was more than permissible if blacks returned to a station of absolute servility.

During Cottenham’s search for employment, he was arrested, falsely accused, and enslaved in a mining camp on the outskirts of Birmingham, Alabama (incidentally, two hours south of my home town) called Slope Number 12, which employed the use of forced labour, or industrial slavery. He eventually passed away in the camp, and was buried on the outskirts of Birmingham.

This is an example of how African Americans were subjected to extreme suffering and economic disadvantage with no means of compensation, and which eventually lead to harmful repercussions for decades to follow. The question for the later generations, specifically for white Americans, is: how could we be so unaware? Even those that were children during this period grew up in an environment of collective amnesia. This is a history we haven’t wanted to know or face. False mythologies were created, as many attempted to deal with the reality that had been created.

The descendants of past generations of African Americans often know these stories in their hearts, aware that these events have shaped the pattern of present society. These events help build an irrefutable case for appreciating the present-day frustration against those institutions which generated those devastating consequences, some of which persist to this day, although perhaps to a more subtle degree.

All of this raises one fundamental question: what are the qualities and attitudes we need to move forward?

Perhaps, one day, those who have escaped knowledge of this tragic part of our history will understand better why any accomplished African American, Hispanic, female, etc., can justifiably and honestly say that he/she finally gets a chance to prove her/his worth, often against many obstacles that continue to be present, both visible and hidden: “For once I am proud to be an American.” Legitimate patriotism is not reserved only for those who historically have always had the wind to their backs and therefore have no reason to be critical. Nor is it reserved for those not having been so favorably blessed by history to remain silent until they pass the approval screening of those whose ancestors have made it difficult for them to become proud of this country.

Shoghi Effendi, the grandson of the Founder of the Bahá’í Faith, Baha’u'llah, described the racial animosity and prejudice that existed in America, and persists to this day, as “the most vital and challenging issue” facing the country.

He further states, when writing this around the 1930’s and 40’s, that to resolve this issue which “has bitten into the fiber, and attacked the whole social structure of American society”, we are required to exercise:

“ceaseless exertions“,
“sacrifices“,
“care and vigilance“,
“moral courage and fortitude“,
“tact and sympathy“.

Now, I think this idea of racial equality is one that is more or less popularly accepted by much of America today. Acceptance and recognition, however, though a step, is far different from what is required to restructure the varied landscapes of America, and transform systems and persistent societal ills and traditions that perpetuate within. It goes beyond a simple recognition or celebration of multiculturalism, phrases which one commonly hears today. It finds its answer in the deep and abiding recognition in the nobility and oneness of humanity (which in turn has implications outside the transitory borders of nations).

Abdu’l-Baha, the son of Baha’u'llah, revealed a prayer for America:

O Thou kind Lord! This gathering is turning to Thee. These hearts are radiant with Thy love. These minds and spirits are exhilarated by the message of Thy glad-tidings. O God! Let this American democracy become glorious in spiritual degrees even as it has aspired to material degrees, and render this  just government victorious. Confirm this revered nation to upraise the standard of the oneness of humanity, to promulgate the Most Great Peace, to become thereby most glorious and praiseworthy among all the nations of the world. O God! This American nation is worthy of Thy favors and is deserving of Thy mercy. Make it precious and near to Thee through Thy bounty and bestowal.

In this prayer, what resonates with me is how Abdu’l-Baha gives recognition to the diversity of America, as that varied and democratic place which has a role to play in uplifting humankind past the bounds of narrow objectification.

While it does not do to create a collective guilt over those that did not play a part in the atrocities of the past, we nonetheless have to give credence to the fact that these atrocities have shaped the societies we now find ourselves in. What is important is that next transitional and transformative step. For the Bahá’í Faith, this involves an organic progression and reorganization of the systems which, again, have lost their usefulness or were built upon the bones of useless and damaging ideals – it’s about having and utilizing a mindset of learning – it’s about letting our future identity be shaped by a greater power; a force that is fueled and driven by the spiritual recognition of our essential oneness.

My own family does pretty well in the global stakes too. We have Singaporian, Ukranian, Eritrean, Ethiopian, Japanese, American (white and black), as well as a good dose of Iranian.  And all this in just one generation.  When my parents were growing up in Iran, I doubt that they could have imagined that in their lifetime our extended family would start to look like the United Nations.

But it was probably inevitable, given that as Baha’is, almost the first thing that we are taught as children is that the “Earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens”.

Baha’u’llah, the founder of the Baha’i Faith, explained the fundamental importance of the unity of the human race:

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.

The most glorious fruit of the tree of knowledge is this exalted word: Of one tree are all ye the fruit, and of one bough the leaves. Let not man glory in this that he loveth his country, let him rather glory in this that he loveth his kind.

The story goes something like this. Over the past few years I’ve done a fair deal of travelling back and forth. And there is one airport, in particular, that I’ve had to pass through often.

The typical routine is a pre-dawn landing (because as we all know airlines love to schedule flights at the worst hours — the joke must be on us), followed by a brisk walk down to the immigration line. As I try to get the blood flowing to the legs again and shake the drowsiness from my head, my thoughts turn towards the comfort of a warm bed. Mmmmm, wouldn’t that be amazing right now? My strides lengthen, as I figure that the quicker I walk, the quicker I’ll be out of here. Then, as I round the corner, the sign comes into view and shakes me from my stupor. “Foreign Passports“. The line I have to stand in. My progress is halted. Sneaking a uneasy peak over at the immigration officer, I try to figure out what to expect — she looks part impatient, part bored, and part annoyed that she ended up doing the dreaded graveyard shift. Eventually it’s my turn and I “step up to the plate”.

“Good morning!” I say, trying my best to sound alive, hoping to demonstrate through my cheery demeanour that the officer has absolutely nothing to worry about.  The reply is a somewhat disinterested yawn, as she slides my passport towards her. And then, as if by magic, the facial expression changes… not in a dramatic way but quite noticeably nonetheless. As she thumbs her way page-by-page through my passport, I catch a glimpse of what’s going on in her mind… “Wait…what’s going on here? In front of me stands a Middle-Eastern looking guy with a passport from a strange African country whose name I can’t pronounce. And he even speaks English. Something is clearly not right.”

The rest of the routine is pretty standard. She picks up the receiver and dials a number, mumbles some words to the person on the other end. “Someone is coming to speak to you,” she says. That’s my cue to turn around and wait for this individual to appear, following which we amble off to the small room, the room with the chairs, the TV… and the vending machine.

The lengthy pause before questioning gives me ample time to toss some thoughts around my head. It’s fair to say my feelings are mixed. I neither feel angry nor victimized, but at the same time something just doesn’t sit right. In a society where human safety is far from guaranteed, where just a few drops of liquid carried by a person with evil intentions can cause untold damage, it makes perfect sense to have precautionary measures in place. Certainly, most people who travel by air have that tiny (sometimes great) concern that their plane will be the next one that is “targeted”, and security measures do provide a certain peace-of-mind, for which I am grateful. There’s no debating that point.

However, it is the application of these measures, or rather the assumptions that are made in defining them, that are fast becoming outdated. How is it possible, I ask myself, that in the brief moment when someone is standing in front of the immigration officer, an accurate judgment call can be made about a person’s background/character/threat level?

How would this person know, for example, that when I was a child attending spiritual education classes, one of the first quotes I memorized was Baha’u'llah’s statement: “Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch“, a quote that instills in one’s heart a love for the diversity, yet essential oneness of all people? A quote that says that this picture of society:
is nicer than this one: .

Of course, they would never know this, so instead the judgment call is based on superficial factors, like a name, facial hair (aka the 5 o’clock shadow) and some arbitrary lines drawn on a map. I should imagine that as time goes by this is going to become much harder to enforce; as we see an increase in the number of 1/2 Togolese, 1/2 Indonesians holding Brazilian passports, or 1/4 Serbian, 1/4 Pakistani, 1/2 Bolivians holding Irish passports, this discriminatory line of thinking is due for a major reassessment.

As racial and national lines become blurred, it stops making sense to continue using them as the standard for imposing travel restrictions. I mean, we may as well use the Happy Planet Index as our standard. Picture this scene…

Officer – “Sir, you need a visa to enter this country.”
Traveller – “How can that be? My passport says Norway, we have a powerful economy.”
Officer – “We only want happy people in our country and it says here your country is 115th on the index. You need to go back to your country and apply for a visa.”
Traveller – “But generally I’m quite a happy person.”
Officer – “Sorry sir. Those are the regulations.”
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