Audio version of this essay
This essay is the second part of a discussion on the oneness of humanity that I began in “The transcendent idea that will save the world”.
In confronting the crises erupting in today's world, three kinds of response are possible: frenetic, forlorn, or focused. Since a focused effort in the right direction is clearly the most likely to succeed, and keep you sane, any concerned person wants insight into worthwhile lines of action. One such major insight, put forward by the Bahá’í teachings, is to take as our guide, devotion to the oneness of humanity. This is really the master key. Profound reflection on this single point reveals a million insights at all levels from individual and family wellbeing, to national progress, to meeting global challenges. For, at every level the essential problem is the healing of human relationships — and human relationships form a vast network that today has come to extend worldwide. Every individual is part of it and, consciously or unconsciously, feels its impact on their lives. A heightened awareness of being part of this great whole brings about a transformation of our ideas and attitudes.
Even though, for most of us, our circles of activity are local, a universal outlook makes all the difference to the positivity of our influence. To see ourselves as contributors to the whole human family implies empathy towards the nearby members of that family, our neighbours, especially those who are different from ourselves in ethnicity, interests, views, or income level. This empathy may motivate a deliberate effort to make friends across conventional boundaries. Again, as well wishers of humanity, when we raise our voices in the forums of society, it will be in support of measures that are widely beneficial rather than just in our personal or parochial interest. And, in our careers, we will see success more in terms of being able to improve the lives of others and less in terms of accumulating wealth and accolades. Further, we will be mindful of our impact on the environment, which, without boundaries, sustains the whole human race, and all living creatures, with which we are also united at a fundamental level. Such caring and responsible attitudes are indeed demonstrated by countless hosts of people. Already, the social atmosphere glimmers with a dawning consciousness of global unity. But that consciousness has not yet become a force sufficiently resolute to defeat the inertia that withholds us from doing everything actually necessary for adequately transforming our way of life, hence the multiple severe crises descending upon us.
To stimulate the growth of global consciousness until humankind has the will and the power to leave its divisions behind and to coalesce into a single polity founded on spiritual values — this is the central mission of the Bahá’í community. It has pursued this mission ever since Bahá’u’lláh entrusted it to His followers as a solemn mandate some 160 years ago.
Bahá’u’lláh’s espousal of the oneness of humanity elevates this principle far beyond the realm of pious sentiments of peace and goodwill. He illuminates the many dimensions of oneness and points out clear pathways whereby unity can be strengthened at every level of societal functioning. The goal of His teachings is to enable humanity to finally eliminate war and establish a just society encompassing all countries of the globe. His discourse ranges over the mystical yearnings of the individual soul, profound meditations on ethics, the reconciliation of religious differences, the equality of the sexes, the necessity for a collective security pact between the nations of the world and the provisions required to make this pact effective, an analysis of the causes of social and geopolitical turmoil and remedies for them, the laws and institutions required to govern a progressive civilisation, expositions on the spiritual foundation of the oneness of humanity under God, and so much more. He wrote prayers, poems, mystical treatises, theological works that massively expand traditional religious concepts, letters of inspiring personal counsel, letters to powerful rulers concerning their duties to their subjects and calling upon them to reconstruct international affairs, and a book of laws laying out a framework for the advancement of civilisation. He initiated the Bahá’í community as an organised fellowship of His followers and established a written Covenant with them. This Covenant includes constitutional arrangements that have ensured the unbroken unity of the Bahá’í Faith down to the present, 130 years after His passing. He accomplished all this while an exile and prisoner under conditions expressly designed to break Him. Such is a glimpse of the life and message of this remarkable Luminary.
Bahá’u’lláh declared that He had come “to unite and weld together all that dwell on earth.” (Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf) The pathway He envisaged for this has been described as “Bahá’u’lláh’s prodigious scheme for world-wide human solidarity”. (Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh) An ambition of such breathtaking scope bespeaks an authority not of this world. His Voice is not that of a politician or a philosopher. It is more akin to the Voice of the prophets of old Who told the people what God had said to Them on the mountaintops. But the form of religion Bahá’u’lláh proclaims is not like religion as we know it in the traditions that have come down to us. The character of Bahá’u’lláh’s message and its claim to a Divine source make it challenging to people who are steeped in traditional religious beliefs and alike to those steeped in a secular ethos. To surface appearances, His vision has found slow acceptance. His enlisted followers are rather few, compared with popular movements that sweep through, exciting mass enthusiasm and holding sway for a time. Bahá’u’lláh’s vision looks far ahead, sees more deeply into the nature of things, and addresses a far wider range of concerns than any merely human vision. In fact, Shoghi Effendi says, “Its implications are deeper, its claims greater than any which the Prophets of old were allowed to advance.” (Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh) Bahá’u’lláh says: “This is not a Cause which may be made a plaything for your idle fancies, nor is it a field for the foolish and faint of heart. By God, this is the arena of insight and detachment, of vision and upliftment, where none may spur on their chargers save the valiant horsemen of the Merciful, who have severed all attachment to the world of being.” (Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas) I am confident the time is coming when great contingents will arise to bring forth valiant qualities from within themselves, and “spur on their chargers” for this Cause, as its organic development unfolds to the stage where its extraordinary potentiality becomes more visible, and the world’s need for its its insights becomes more acute and urgent.
The principle of unity conceived in the Bahá’í Writings rests ultimately on the unity of God (that is, there is but one God). The Báb testified: “He is the One Who holdeth in His grasp the mighty kingdom of all created things and unto Him shall all return. He is the One Who revealeth whatsoever He willeth and by His injunction ‘Be Thou’ all things have come into being.” (The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb) God is one and the universe of creation, emanating from God, is one.1 All things throughout the vast universe are connected interactively. The existence of humankind is an outcome of these interactions and in this sense we humans are one with nature. And, within its place among the kingdoms of nature (mineral, plant, animal, and so forth), humankind is a single, indissoluble entity. The Universal House of Justice points out: “Anthropology, physiology, psychology, recognize only one human species, albeit infinitely varied in the secondary aspects of life. Recognition of this truth requires abandonment of prejudice — prejudice of every kind — race, class, colour, creed, nation, sex, degree of material civilization, everything which enables people to consider themselves superior to others.” (The Universal House of Justice, Message to the Peoples of the World – October 1985) The following comments of ’Abdu’l-Bahá are so apposite, they are worth quoting at length:
Racial and national prejudices which separate mankind into groups and branches, likewise, have a false and unjustifiable foundation, for all men are the children of Adam and essentially of one family. There should be no racial alienation or national division among humankind. Such distinctions as French, German, Persian, Anglo-Saxon are human and artificial; they have neither significance nor recognition in the estimation of God. In His estimate all are one, the children of one family; and God is equally kind to them. The earth has one surface. God has not divided this surface by boundaries and barriers to separate races and peoples. Man has set up and established these imaginary lines, giving to each restricted area a name and the limitation of a native land or nationhood. By this division and separation into groups and branches of mankind, prejudice is engendered which becomes a fruitful source of war and strife. Impelled by this prejudice, races and nations declare war against each other; the blood of the innocent is poured out, and the earth torn by violence. Therefore, it has been decreed by God in this day that these prejudices and differences shall be laid aside. All are commanded to seek the good pleasure of the Lord of unity, to follow His command and obey His will; in this way the world of humanity shall become illumined with the reality of love and reconciliation. (’Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace)
Bahá’u’lláh’s “prodigious scheme for world-wide human solidarity” establishes the means for neutralising the “imaginary lines” that ’Abdu’l-Bahá denounces. Bahá’u’lláh’s scheme does not call for the literal abolition of national boundaries but for the nations to make such effective collective arrangements as to eliminate the terrible evils that proceed from unfettered national rivalry — the worst of which is, of course, outright war. Shoghi Effendi wrote that Bahá’u’lláh’s scheme “calls for no less than the reconstruction and the demilitarisation of the whole civilised world — a world organically unified in all the essential aspects of its life, its political machinery, its spiritual aspiration, its trade and finance, its script and language, and yet infinite in the diversity of the national characteristics of its federated units.” (Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh) ’Abdu’l-Bahá saw the world undergoing a vast historical progression towards “unity in the political realm”, “unity of thought in world undertakings”, “unity in freedom”, “unity in religion”, “the unity of nations ”, “unity of races” and “unity of language ”. “Each and every one of these will inevitably come to pass,” He wrote, “inasmuch as the power of the Kingdom of God will aid and assist in their realisation.” (‘Abdu’l‑Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá) Bahá’u’lláh is the Divine Lawgiver Who, in the realm of spirit, has set this progression in motion, and whose written guidance provides the programme for navigating our way to a brilliant future. Shoghi Effendi writes of the Law of Bahá’u’lláh: “Far from aiming at the subversion of the existing foundations of society, it seeks to broaden its basis, to remould its institutions in a manner consonant with the needs of an ever-changing world.” (Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh) He also observes:
The call of Bahá’u’lláh is primarily directed against all forms of provincialism, all insularities and prejudices. If long-cherished ideals and time-honoured institutions, if certain social assumptions and religious formulae have ceased to promote the welfare of the generality of mankind, if they no longer minister to the needs of a continually evolving humanity, let them be swept away and relegated to the limbo of obsolescent and forgotten doctrines. Why should these, in a world subject to the immutable law of change and decay, be exempt from the deterioration that must needs overtake every human institution? For legal standards, political and economic theories are solely designed to safeguard the interests of humanity as a whole, and not humanity to be crucified for the preservation of the integrity of any particular law or doctrine. (Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh)
On the contemporary scene, many obsolescent doctrines parade their disruptive influence, and the work of replacing them must occupy the minds and hands of everyone who sees through their inadequacy. Bahá’u’lláh’s programme encourages a posture of learning in order to create positive alternatives to failing systems and practices. Herein lie the lines of action worth focusing on. Bahá’u’lláh says: “This is the Day in which God’s most excellent favours have been poured out upon men, the Day in which His most mighty grace hath been infused into all created things. It is incumbent upon all the peoples of the world to reconcile their differences, and, with perfect unity and peace, abide beneath the shadow of the Tree of His care and loving-kindness.” (Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh) It is a message that anyone with an open heart can appreciate and act upon in their own way. It has more specific implications for the Bahá’í community, which is charged with conducting an organised effort to demonstrate the spirit, model the principles and create a pattern of life that reflects Bahá’u’lláh’s vision of a regenerated world order.
What is it like to be a Bahá’í? It is not like being a member of a club that meets weekly to discuss interesting ideas, although many interesting ideas are discussed in Bahá’í gatherings. It is unlike living a life of prayer in an isolated monastery, although prayer is a central feature of the daily life of a Bahá’í. It is unlike the life of a political activist who spends their time devising dramatic interventions to highlight injustices, although Bahá’ís are devoted to justice, which they pursue through educational endeavours, economic initiatives, and thoughtful contributions to societal discourse. To be a Bahá’í, it seems to me is to commit oneself unreservedly to implementing the vision of Bahá’u’lláh, shoulder to shoulder with others, fully participating in the planned activities of the Bahá’í community, loyally supporting the institutions that lead the Faith, through thick and thin, for life. Holding the course brings with it great joys but can also be difficult when obstacles appear and frustrations must be overcome. A sense of inadequacy can be overwhelming at times. It is relieved by forgetting self and calling upon the limitless power of Divine help. Like all adventurous journeys, that of following the way of Bahá’u’lláh includes smooth runs and rough patches, and much of the richest learning is found during the rough patches. It’s an exhilarating journey because your faith, knowledge and love keep deepening all the way.
To be a Bahá’í is to find meaning in living today for goals that will take centuries to bring to fruition. Meanwhile, we bring from the future into our present lives an energy which, little by little, transforms our souls and flows out into our surroundings and, we hope, blesses all with whom we share planet Earth.
In this essay I have attempted to peek into a theme that was enunciated by Bahá’u’lláh in these words:
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. Concerning this We have previously revealed that which is the means of the reconstruction of the world and the unity of nations. Blessed are they that attain thereunto. Blessed are they that act accordingly. (Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh)