Baha’i Perspectives

iman March 31st, 2008

Part 1 presented the analogy of the unity and inter-connectedness of the human body, and how if a single part malfunctions — even something as seemingly insignificant as a tooth — the entire organism is affected. Extending the analogy of the human body further, a statement issued by the Bahá’í International Community on conservation and sustainable development proposes that harmony within the human race is a necessary condition for preserving the ecological balance of the Earth in the long-term. The statement stresses the importance of the unification of mankind as the foundation for global solutions. “Universal acceptance of this principle will entail a major restructuring of the world’s educational, social, agricultural, industrial, economic, legal and political systems. This restructuring will facilitate the emergence of a sustainable, just and prosperous world civilization. Ultimately only a spiritually based civilization - in which science and religion work in harmony - will be able to preserve the ecological balance of the earth, foster stability in human population, and advance both the material and the spiritual well-being of all peoples and nations.”

Unity, far from being viewed merely as a pleasant ideal, must form the basis of any long-term solution to the world’s ills, including those related to the environment. It is not an ignorant feeling of sentiment, rather it is the human expression of a Divine law that we see manifested throughout nature. The longer we choose to ignore this fact, the longer we remain ambivalent about this law of nature, the greater will be our collective suffering.

Now, how can the unity of humanity have a practical, lasting impact on environmental concerns?

The unity of the human race, as envisaged by Bahá’u'lláh, implies the establishment of a world commonwealth in which all nations, races, creeds and classes are closely and permanently united, and in which the autonomy of its state members and the personal freedom and initiative of the individuals that compose them are definitely and completely safeguarded. This commonwealth must, as far as we can visualize it, consist of a world legislature, whose members will, as the trustees of the whole of mankind, ultimately control the entire resources of all the component nations, and will enact such laws as shall be required to regulate the life, satisfy the needs and adjust the relationships of all races and peoples… In such a world society, science and religion, the two most potent forces in human life, will be reconciled, will cooperate, and will harmoniously develop… The economic resources of the world will be organized, its sources of raw materials will be tapped and fully utilized, its markets will be coordinated and developed, and the distribution of its products will be equitably regulated…

A world federal system, ruling the whole earth and exercising unchallengeable authority over its unimaginably vast resources, blending and embodying the ideals of both the East and the West, liberated from the curse of war and its miseries, and bent on the exploitation of all the available sources of energy on the surface of the planet, a system in which Force is made the servant of Justice, whose life is sustained by its universal recognition of one God and by its allegiance to one common Revelation — such is the goal towards which humanity, impelled by the unifying forces of life, is moving.

(Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha’u'llah, p. 203)

Tags: environment, sustainability

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iman March 17th, 2008

The earth’s vast resources had remained largely untapped until a few hundred years ago. These days the situation is significantly different. The excessive and indiscriminate use of resources have resulted in environmental concerns such as rising carbon dioxide emissions, deforestation, fresh water pollution and a plastic blighted landscape, which have both direct and indirect global consequences.

In all matters moderation is desirable. If a thing is carried to excess, it will prove a source of evil.

(Baha’u'llah, Tablets of Baha’u'llah, p. 68)

United Nations initiatives such as the Kyoto protocol, a recent proposal, GLOBE, and the latest EU climate plan can act as an indicator of the level of global concern. Such initiatives represent an effort to achieve an equilibrium mark that has been overshot. However, one important aspect is still missing:

We cannot segregate the human heart from the environment outside us and say that once one of these is reformed everything will be improved. Man is organic with the world. His inner life moulds the environment and is itself also deeply affected by it. The one acts upon the other and every abiding change in the life of man is the result of these mutual reactions.

(Shoghi Effendi, letter dated 1933)

Rather than merely tweaking an unstable system of environmental administration, it seems as though nothing less than a complete shake-up will help us reach the goal of a balanced environment:

We need a change of heart, a re-framing of all our conceptions and a new orientation of our activities. The inward life of man as well as his outward environment have to be reshaped if human salvation is to be secured.

(Shoghi Effendi, letter dated 1932)

What should be the foundation of such a “re-framing”? Part 3 will offer some suggestions.

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iman March 7th, 2008

Nature is a reflection of the Divine:

Nature in its essence is the embodiment of My Name, the Maker, the Creator. Its manifestations are diversified by varying causes, and in this diversity there are signs for men of discernment. Nature is God’s Will and is its expression in and through the contingent world….It is endowed with a power whose reality men of learning fail to grasp….and Nature itself is lost in bewilderment before its revelations, its compelling evidences and its effulgent glory which have encompassed the universe.

(Bahá’u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u'lláh, p. 141)

Furthermore, all things flourish through their interdependence:

Reflect upon the inner realities of the universe, the secret wisdoms involved, the enigmas, the inter-relationships, the rules that govern all. For every part of the universe is connected with every other part by ties that are very powerful and admit of no imbalance, nor any slackening whatever.

(Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 157)

Nature. Inter-connectedness. The rules and relationships which bind the planet as a single entity. Just as with the human body, where a mere toothache causes suffering for the entire system, so it is with our planet, where even the slightest disruption in equilibrium can cause a bewildering chain reaction, affecting all manner of related entities. Sadly, very often we don’t even realize the delicate connections between things until the damage is done.

Along with this principle of inter-connectedness is another essential law of nature — the existence of all organisms is conditioned on the coming together, or union, of constituent elements. Non-existence is caused by the dissociation of those same elements. Taking the simple example of a tree; so long as the constituent elements of the tree are bound together and operating in unison, we see continuous strengthening and growth. As the tree ages or parts fall off, the result is decay and decomposition of the elements, leading to eventual death of the organism.

Since all things in nature are bound by this law of union, what should preclude the human race from striving to reach this condition? Indeed, a sustained solution to the problems of the environment requires us, as individuals, to consider ourselves as being an active part of the “worldwide organism”, and that includes how we connect with our fellow human beings.

Part 2 will examine these thoughts in further detail and also take a look at the current global environmental situation (although I suspect we all have some idea of where we stand).

Tags: environment, sustainability

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