Happiness

'Abdu'l-Bahá proclaimed in one of His talks in Paris

Joy gives us wings! In times of joy our strength is more vital, our intellect keener, and our understanding less clouded. We seem better able to cope with the world and to find our sphere of usefulness. But when sadness visits us we become weak, our strength leaves us, our comprehension is dim and our intelligence veiled. The actualities of life seem to elude our grasp, the eyes of our spirits fail to discover the sacred mysteries, and we become even as dead beings.

As a student I realize how true this can be even during my studies. During those times that I am completely elated, my studying becomes more efficient and I end up performing much better on my exams. My mind seems to open itself to reasoning. There are few things in the way which worry me, thus hold me back from understanding what I am doing.

These past few days I have been under the weather and various tests have come my way. Reflecting back on the entire situation, I see that my work level had decreased. In fact, I feel as if my studying I did and what work I did actually was negative. I lost time, energy and sleep. However, this is where prayer comes in.

'Abdu'l-Bahá continues the same talk with:

If sorrow and adversity visit us, let us turn our faces to the Kingdom and heavenly consolation will be outpoured.

If we are sick and in distress let us implore God’s healing, and He will answer our prayer.

When our thoughts are filled with the bitterness of this world, let us turn our eyes to the sweetness of God’s compassion and He will send us heavenly calm! If we are imprisoned in the material world, our spirit can soar into the Heavens and we shall be free indeed!

When our days are drawing to a close let us think of the eternal worlds, and we shall be full of joy!

Why not be happy? There is nothing wrong that can come of it. Of course, we are humans. Emotion is key to our existence. But happiness, if it overcomes all other emotions, will allow us to see every situation with a more attentive eye. "Why did I lose my job?" or "How can I finish this project in 4 hours?" are common questions that can be answered. Rather than wallow in pessimism, using an optimistic lens and with a mind full of happiness (or at least a more clear mind, detached from the hardship), one can perhaps move forward with relatively more ease. It makes the action easier, thus allowing for the Divine Confirmation to follow as necessary.

Thus, spirituality is the greatest of God’s gifts, and ‘Life Everlasting’ means ‘Turning to God’. May you, one and all, increase daily in spirituality, may you be strengthened in all goodness, may you be helped more and more by the Divine consolation, be made free by the Holy Spirit of God, and may the power of the Heavenly Kingdom live and work among you.

This is my earnest desire, and I pray to God to grant you this favour.

Are you happy?

Will

As usual, all opinions here are my own and do not represent the thoughts of Bahá'ís in general. I am simply stating my own in thoughts in hopes that others read them and offer their own thoughts so that I may learn from them. It is so beautiful that we all have this power of speech and intellect in order to discuss with one another and learn from one another. Too often is this bounty neglected.

What is will? Desire? Wanting? It is so much more than that alone. Desire and wanting denote weakness and limitation. One can desire something or want something, but this does not imply that it shall be. Whereas one can will something, and it is.

This is the power of will. It takes the desire and longing and implies action occurs.

In the Writings, we never see phrases such as, "God wanted" or "God desired." No. Once again, we cannot simply limit the Limitless. The Writings (and not only Bahá'í, but near all Sacred Scripture) has this same idea of the Will of God. There is a catch however that we need to be wary of:

Whatever God willed, happened.
Does this make sense? Certainly it may seem so. God, the omnipotent, wills something. Whatever He wills, must happen, right? True, but in this scenario we are limiting the Creator. It implies that something must be desired by God before it occurs. This is not so. Let us look at the next scenario.

Whatever happened, is God's Will.
Does this make more sense? I think so. What we need to understand here again, and this is something I think really needs to be emphasized, is that God is limitless. We are all under the Guidance of the Primal Will, Logos so to speak. Under such Guidance, we were created ("I loved they creation, hence I created Thee..." -Arabic Hidden Words). It is the "B and E joined and knit together." It is the Manifestations of God offering the Bounties of God and allowing us as a human race to progress and mature.

I have a tendency to go to various blogs and other opinionated websites to see what people are saying. Religion is looked down upon by many people. One famous claim states, "If your God is kind and loves everybody, why does He allow for people to suffer?" The person makes a valid point. Is it God's Will for people to suffer? Sure, we are offered tests to allow us to grow and prosper and we are not tested beyond our capacity. But then, why is it that people are born into suffering and starvation? Why are children forced into slavery in the sex trade or as child soldiers? Why are women raped and husbands killed? Is this really what God willed?

Yes. This is what God willed. We as humanity are maturing, but we are also confused. We are beginning to learn the power of free-will but we do not know how to control it properly. Education systems have not been put in place to allow us to near eliminate such suffering. These pains people are suffering are necessary. They are not fair. No, by no means is it fair. But God, the Most-Just will shower His Bounty upon them. These people are meant to serve as examples as to what we are becoming as a human race. The atrocities which they face are a symbol of what we wish to eliminate. We will need to work to improve our planet. This is God's Will.

Now how to carry this forward:
"The betterment of the world can be accomplished through pure and goodly deeds, through commendable and seemly conduct." This quote has been used over and over in this blog, and will continue to be used. We have all been created from the same dust, in God's image. We all possess the various virtues and qualities of God to varying degrees depending on our capacities. However, it is useless until put into action. By purely, with no ulterior motive, putting these deeds into action, we can bring about the betterment of the world and assist to alleviate this ailing planet from the disease of warfare and injustice which is currently plaguing it's denizens.

This is not an easy task. This is not an overnight task. But, this task is what God has willed upon it. Do we not, as His creation, have an obligation to carry out His Will? What greater bounty do we have than to serve our fellow man and bring about the betterment of the world?

How do you plan to do it?

Me? I am currently a University student in the field of science. Personally, right now, my service is twofold. First is the short-term, where I can converse with others and see who would like to join and bring about the betterment of the world (for how, see the entry on July 23, 2010 for an example). Long-term... This is the difficult part for me. I need to study to make sure I do the best I can to reach a capacity where I can serve my brothers and sisters through my occupation directly. Whether it be through research, medicine, public health, or something completely unrelated to science, I do not know. All I know is that through action, Divine Confirmation will assist me.

Again, how do you plan to bring about the betterment of the world?

Time, Service, Responsibility

Time is such an interesting thing. Why is there time? Did we create it out of our minds, or does it truly exist in a forward backward motion (and in the case of some physicist, upwards and downwards)?

My thoughts though... Time, or at least the limitation in terms of how "long" we are allowed to live give us a sense of priority and necessity. See-we live for only so long. There are millions, no, infinite amount of choices we can make with ourselves. We need to decide what we want to do.

In a letter dated January 28, 1939, the Guardian writes, "There is no time to lose. There is no room left for vacillation. Multitudes hunger for the Bread of Life. The stage is set. The firm and irrevocable Promise is given. God's own Plan has been set in motion. It is gathering momentum with every passing day. The powers of heaven and earth mysteriously assist in its execution. Such an opportunity is irreplaceable. Let the doubter arise and himself verify the truth of such assertions. To try, to persevere, is to insure ultimate and complete victory."

It is time to teach. It is time to serve. The beauty is now we need to define service. The word service is very interesting in our modern world. In Middle School, Junior Youth are taught service is something meant to help others. Very true fact. But they are taught to look at that phrase in such a shallow way. Yes, we need to help other people-but does that service have to show forth at the given moment? If I study hard-with the intention to do well on an exam which assists me on my path to college or graduate school where I intend to learn a skill (i.e. Medicine, Research, Law) with which I can help my fellow man-is that not considered service for the long run? Why can we not teach Junior Youth that by studying, they are doing service? We tell them all the time they need to study to get a good job and make money. But look at all of the college dropouts who are now billionaires. Look at the multimillionaire movie stars, athletes, musicians, etc. Sure, they are giving us entertainment service, but the productivity is lacking. Many had natural talent and luck which allowed them to succeed.

But this is not a place to complain about such people. I personally enjoy much what they bring. However, we need to begin to redefine service is and bring a new social reality to the word.

Lastly, from the first Tablet to Napoleon III, Bahá'u'lláh wrote, "Ours is the responsibility to avenge the oppressed and succor the helpless." This is our service.

The goal is the unification of mankind. Everything we do must be in line with this ultimate goal, if we so desire it. Whether reading and memorizing the Writings, the key is to understand the purpose and implement it into our daily lives.

Take for example the first Hidden Word, which I believe we went in depth on a while back:

O SON OF SPIRIT! My first counsel is this: Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart, that thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable and everlasting.

It is easy enough to memorize. But now the comprehension. Why should we have a pure, kindly and radiant heart? To be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable and everlasting. But so what? We become an unconquerable territory-i.e. we are steadfast in our Faith not only to Bahá'u'lláh, but also in whatever task is at hand-in this case, service to the world (which is essentially the task bestowed upon us by Bahá'u'lláh). But lets take it a step further. How can the betterment of the world be achieved? Pure and goodly deeds, commendable and seemly conduct! Wait, how can perform such deeds and possess such conduct? It returns back to the pure, kindly and radiant heart. It all goes and links together.

As for another example, lets look at the Dawn Breakers. Why are we told to read it? Sure, they are the one's who came before us and it is always good to have a sense of history-but what comes of it? To quote Mullah Husayn, "May my life be a ransom for you. Are you not pleased with me?” The idea is to see their service and the level of sacrifice they brought forth. It is not the time to give our lives, sure. But it is the time to serve.

My favorite form of art has to be story telling. Perhaps one day we can have a retelling of the above.

If you have any comments, please leave them below. I want to know what you have to say.

Community III

At this time, the building of the community revolves around four activities:

• Study Circles

• Devotionals

• Children's Classes

• Junior Youth Groups

Each serves its own purpose in the progression of society. Many times before, we have looked at the Bahá'í Writings and tried to understand topics as complex as the progression of the soul and justice. Such topics are admirable, but we cannot get into the heart of the meaning of the Bahá'í Faith without looking at the core principle.

As a Bahá'í, I believe that I was created to know God and to obey His Teachings. It seems a little strange, believing in an unknowable essence. I cannot see God. I cannot taste, touch nor understand Him. In fact, if it were not for His Manifestations, I doubt I would have ever thought of His existence. The world would simply find me wandering the planet as an animal, looking for my next meal. Each of the Manifestations give us a glimpse at the Power of God's Word. They come and bring down with them Teachings which allow us to progress as a society. Confirmation such as this is why I believe in God. These Great Beings come with Teachings, all claiming to come from One Source; if it works, why should I not believe?

Obeying the Teachings of God is another story. To do so, we need to serve our fellow man. And how do we do this? The core principle of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh is to unite all the peoples of the earth. This grand scheme seems near impossible. With the constant violence, unending prejudice and injustice enthroned within our hearts and minds, it is impossible. That is why we must start at the grassroots.

Would it not be wonderful to go to the kings and rulers of the earth and say, "The tabernacle of unity hath been raised; regard ye not one another as strangers. Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch, " or "O rulers of the earth! Be reconciled among yourselves, that ye may need no more armaments save in a measure to safeguard your territories and dominions."? And better yet, "Be united, O kings of the earth, for thereby will the tempest of discord be stilled amongst you, and your peoples find rest, if ye be of them that comprehend. Should any one among you take up arms against another, rise ye all against him, for this is naught but manifest justice."

Unfortunately, much of this has already been advised to the rulers of the earth, but they refused to heed to the call of Bahá'u'lláh. This means the normal layman must go out and teach the Cause and serve humanity-hence going to the grassroots.

Society is based on the community which is based on the family. A family needs a mother, the first educator of the child. The family needs a father, the bread winner and the enforces of education for the child. This does not mean that the mother does not work and that the father does not help the mother with the initial education. Since the child has been reared by the mother for nine months, he has a special connection with her, hence the first educator. The child in turn must be obedient to his parents for they have his best interest at heart. Obedience to the parents is the child's proof of Faith and love.

If the family unit is united, then the next step can be taken to the community and this is where the core activities mentioned at the very beginning come into place.

First we have Study Circles. Here, the community members come together to study the words of God or learn various skills which help with the building of the community. The current set of books used by Bahá'ís is called the Ruhi books, printed by Palabra Publications, and created initially in Colombia. Here is the list of the books:

• Book 1: Reflections on the Life of the Spirit. In this book, the participant learns the importance of prayer and spirituality in life and the continuation of life after the passing of the physical body. The skill learned from this book is the creation of devotionals.
• Book 2: Arising to Serve. The key of this book is to learn the joy of service and its importance in daily life. The skill learned from this book is simply how to serve.
• Book 3: Teaching Children's Classes. Here, as the title states, the participants learn how to teach classes for children. Currently, there are two books available, for grades I and II respectively, with a grade III becoming geared up for publication.
• Book 4: The Twin Manifestations. Here, the participant learns the history of the Bahá'í Faith and its implications for the future. They key is to learn to tell the stories from the Faith with eloquence-in this way, we can improve our public speaking and also allow others to learn about the history.
• Book 5: Releasing the Powers of Junior Youth. The participant learns the psychology first of being a Youth and the of being a Junior Youth; they learn what the goal is (the stage of youth, a servant to the community), and see what they will be working with (the junior youth, full of potential-but stuck in a conflicted point of life). From here, the participant will learn how to animate a group of Junior Youth (12-14 year olds)-more on this in a little bit.
• Book 6: Teaching the Cause. Multiple times in previous posts we have learned that teaching is the greatest gift of God. Through teaching, we find receptive souls who desire to serve the community alongside us. Teaching the Cause does not mean we make people Bahá'ís. It means we find people who want to serve.
• Book 7: Walking Together on a Path of Service. In this book, one learns how to become a tutor for Ruhi Books 1-6. Being a tutor does not mean one has the material mastered, but rather can give ideas and take ideas from the participants.
  
• Book 8: The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh. Currently in production, this book focuses on the idea of the Covenant and what it truly means to follow the Bahá'í Faith.

Through these books, we gain the skills to do the next three core activities, along with various other acts of service.

The second of the activities is devotionals. The community comes together to pray and meditate. They converse on spiritual ideas which are often neglected and, this way, become more spiritually close to one another.

The third of the activities is Children's Classes. It is easy to mold children. Through children's classes, the child learns various spiritual qualities which he would not gain through modern education. These spiritual qualities will last the child through the rest of their lives. Imagine a future community where all children have learned to be truthful, detached, steadfast, determined, loving, kind, etc. to all people. This vision is only enhanced with the following program-the Junior Youth Animating program.

The forth of the core activities is the Junior Youth Group. These groups aim at empowering those who are no longer children yet not yet adults. They will learn their potentials and capacities which they can use for their futures. There are four aspects of the Junior Youth Group.

• Art activities-to enhance the creativity of the Junior Youth
• Outdoor activities-to allow Junior Youth to exert energy
• A set of books. There are 8 titles planned for each age (12, 13 and 14)-2 from each of the below sub groups:

1. Continuation of Bahá'í Children's Classes. The title says it all. This set allows the Junior Youth to cover issues that range from evolution to the existance of God. Only groups with Bahá'í Junior Youth are obligated to complete this sequence.
2. Language. The Junior Youth learn the power of expression and the proper method to execute such expression. They then will become great teachers and great animators of Junior Youth Groups in the future. The power of language is extremely important. A proper understanding of various forms of argumentation from logos, pathos and ethos must be learned and administered properly. Otherwise, one becomes corrupt like the modern politician.
3. Science and Mathematics. Logic and rational thinking are absent from scientific education many times until a person hits upper level science classes in high school or even college. Here the Junior Youth learns to think scientifically from a younger age-thus progressing science (think about it, training people from a younger age mean they have more room and time to advance by the time they hit college).
4. Living in Society. Growing up in today's world is not easy, thus learning how to stand up morally in society and also thinking about the implications of one's actions on the future are key to assist with progression. The more people we have who live life with high standards, the more we will see society progress.

• Service projects make up the forth activity of Junior Youth Groups. Service is how one puts into action everything they have learned. With everything mentioned beforehand, there is much to put into action. Projects are dedicated to assist with the building of the community. Junior Youth have been to start classes for children, community learning projects (i.e. importance of recycling and caring for the environment), fundraisers, painting murals, clothes drives, etc. It is the culmination of the Junior Youth Animating program and prepares Junior Youth for a life of service.

Once a community dedicated to united service is established, it can be expanded to the level of the city (which is made much easier when there are dozens, if not hundreds, of neighborhoods dedicated to the same thing). And from the city, to the region, to the nation and finally to the world. None of this is conditional to people becoming Bahá'ís. It is conditional on people following the Word of Bahá'u'lláh and desire to serve humanity.

And it will not end here. After a thousand years or so have passed, another Manifestation will come to continue assisting us with the progression of mankind through its various stages.

Next, we will discuss the various institutions of the Bahá'í Faith and how they assist with the entire process of community building and the creation of a new world civilization.

Community II

Before I do any sort of analysis on the idea of community, let us look at the 2010 Ridvan (pronounced Rez-van) Letter.*

What the establishment of 1,500 intensive programmes of growth has made evident is how courageous and deliberate the rank and file of the believers have become in stepping outside their immediate circle of family members and friends, ready to be led by the guiding Hand of the All-Merciful to receptive souls in whatever quarter they may reside.


To the extent that the conversation continues beyond the initial encounter and veritable friendships are formed, a direct teaching effort of this kind can become a catalyst for an enduring process of spiritual transformation. Whether the first contact with such newly found friends elicits an invitation for them to enrol in the Bahá’í community or to participate in one of its activities is not an overwhelming concern. More important is that every soul feel welcome to join the community in contributing to the betterment of society, commencing a path of service to humanity on which, at the outset or further along, formal enrolment can occur.

The significance of this development should not be underestimated. In every cluster, once a consistent pattern of action is in place, attention needs to be given to extending it more broadly through a network of co-workers and acquaintances, while energies are, at the same time, focused on smaller pockets of the population, each of which should become a centre of intense activity. In an urban cluster, such a centre of activity might best be defined by the boundaries of a neighbourhood; in a cluster that is primarily rural in character, a small village would offer a suitable social space for this purpose. Those who serve in these settings, both local inhabitants and visiting teachers, would rightly view their work in terms of community building. To assign to their teaching efforts such labels as "door-to-door", even though the first contact may involve calling upon the residents of a home without prior notice, would not do justice to a process that seeks to raise capacity within a population to take charge of its own spiritual, social and intellectual development. The activities that drive this process, and in which newly found friends are invited to engage—meetings that strengthen the devotional character of the community; classes that nurture the tender hearts and minds of children; groups that channel the surging energies of junior youth; circles of study, open to all, that enable people of varied backgrounds to advance on equal footing and explore the application of the teachings to their individual and collective lives—may well need to be maintained with assistance from outside the local population for a time. It is to be expected, however, that the multiplication of these core activities would soon be sustained by human resources indigenous to the neighbourhood or village itself—by men and women eager to improve material and spiritual conditions in their surroundings. A rhythm of community life should gradually emerge, then, commensurate with the capacity of an expanding nucleus of individuals committed to Bahá’u’lláh's vision of a new World Order.

Within this context, receptivity manifests itself in a willingness to participate in the process of community building set in motion by the core activities. In cluster after cluster where an intensive programme of growth is now in operation, the task before the friends this coming year is to teach within one or more receptive populations, employing a direct method in their exposition of the fundamentals of their Faith, and find those souls longing to shed the lethargy imposed on them by society and work alongside one another in their neighbourhoods and villages to begin a process of collective transformation. If the friends persist in their efforts to learn the ways and methods of community building in small settings in this way, the long-cherished goal of universal participation in the affairs of the Faith will, we are certain, move by several orders of magnitude within grasp.

In this light, local deepening classes, winter and summer schools, and specially arranged gatherings in which individual believers knowledgeable in the writings were able to share with others insights into specific subjects emerged naturally as prominent features of Bahá’í life. Just as the habit of daily reading will remain an integral part of Bahá’í identity, so will these forms of study continue to hold a place in the collective life of the community. But understanding the implications of the Revelation, both in terms of individual growth and social progress, increases manifold when study and service are joined and carried out concurrently. There, in the field of service, knowledge is tested, questions arise out of practice, and new levels of understanding are achieved. In the system of distance education that has now been established in country after country—the principal elements of which include the study circle, the tutor and the curriculum of the Ruhi Institute—the worldwide Bahá’í community has acquired the capacity to enable thousands, nay millions, to study the writings in small groups with the explicit purpose of translating the Bahá’í teachings into reality, carrying the work of the Faith forward into its next stage: sustained large-scale expansion and consolidation.

That the Bahá’í world has succeeded in developing a culture which promotes a way of thinking, studying, and acting, in which all consider themselves as treading a common path of service— supporting one another and advancing together, respectful of the knowledge that each one possesses at any given moment and avoiding the tendency to divide the believers into categories such as deepened and uninformed—is an accomplishment of enormous proportions. And therein lie the dynamics of an irrepressible movement.

Concern for the spiritual education of children has long been an element of the culture of the Bahá’í community, a concern that resulted in two, coexisting realities. One, emulating the achievements of the Bahá’ís of Iran, was characterized by the capacity to offer systematic classes, from grade to grade, to children from Bahá’í families, generally with the aim of imparting basic knowledge of the history and teachings of the Faith to rising generations. In most parts of the world, the number who benefited from such classes has been relatively small. The other reality emerged in areas where large-scale enrolments took place, both rural and urban. A more inclusive attitude dominated that experience. Yet while children from households of all kinds were at once eager and welcome to attend Bahá’í classes, various factors prevented lessons from being conducted with the required degree of regularity, year after year. How pleased we are to see this duality, a consequence of historical circumstances, begin to fall away as friends trained by institutes everywhere strive to offer classes, open to all, on a systematic basis.

Such promising beginnings have now to be vigorously pursued. In every cluster with an intensive programme of growth in operation, efforts need to be made to systematize further the provision of spiritual education to increasing numbers of children, from families of many backgrounds—a requisite of the community-building process gathering momentum in neighbourhoods and villages. This will be a demanding task, one that calls for patience and cooperation on the part of parents and institutions alike. The Ruhi Institute has already been requested to expedite plans to complete its courses for training children's class teachers at different levels including the corresponding lessons, starting with youngsters aged 5 or 6 and proceeding to those aged 10 or 11, in order to close the present gap between existing lessons and its textbooks for junior youth, such as Spirit of Faith and the forthcoming Power of the Holy Spirit, which provide a distinctly Bahá’í component to the programme for that age group. As these additional courses and lessons become available, institutes in every country will be able to prepare the teachers and the coordinators required to put in place, grade by grade, the core of a programme for the spiritual education of children, around which secondary elements can be organized. Meanwhile, institutes should do their best to provide teachers with suitable materials, from among others currently in existence, for use in their classes with children of various ages, as necessary.

The rapid spread of the programme for the spiritual empowerment of junior youth is yet another expression of cultural advance in the Bahá’í community. While global trends project an image of this age group as problematic, lost in the throes of tumultuous physical and emotional change, unresponsive and self- consumed, the Bahá’í community—in the language it employs and the approaches it adopts—is moving decidedly in the opposite direction, seeing in junior youth instead altruism, an acute sense of justice, eagerness to learn about the universe and a desire to contribute to the construction of a better world. Account after account, in which junior youth in countries all over the planet give voice to their thoughts as participants in the programme, testifies to the validity of this vision. There is every indication that the programme engages their expanding consciousness in an exploration of reality that helps them to analyse the constructive and destructive forces operating in society and to recognize the influence these forces exert on their thoughts and actions, sharpening their spiritual perception, enhancing their powers of expression and reinforcing moral structures that will serve them throughout their lives. At an age when burgeoning intellectual, spiritual and physical powers become accessible to them, they are being given the tools needed to combat the forces that would rob them of their true identity as noble beings and to work for the common good.

Further knowledge is sure to accrue in this area of endeavour, although a pattern of action is already clear. Only the capacity of the Bahá’í community limits the extent of its response to the demand for the programme by schools and civic groups. Within the clusters that today are the focus of an intensive programme of growth, there is a wide array of circumstances, from those with a few sporadic junior youth groups to those maintaining a number sufficient to require the services of a dedicated coordinator, who could receive ongoing support from a site for the dissemination of learning. To ensure that this capacity increases across the entire spectrum of these clusters, we are calling for 32 learning sites, each serving some twenty clusters with full-time coordinators, to be in operation by the end of the current Plan. In all other such clusters, priority should be given to creating the capacity over the coming year to offer the programme,multiplying the number of groups systematically.

It signals the significant strengthening of a culture in which learning is the mode of operation, a mode that fosters the informed participation of more and more people in a united effort to apply Bahá’u’lláh's teachings to the construction of a divine civilization, which the Guardian states is the primary mission of the Faith.

Not only does this advance in culture influence relations among individuals, but its effects can also be felt in the conduct of the administrative affairs of the Faith. As learning has come to distinguish the community's mode of operation, certain aspects of decision making related to expansion and consolidation have been assigned to the body of the believers, enabling planning and implementation to become more responsive to circumstances on the ground. Specifically, a space has been created, in the agency of the reflection meeting, for those engaged in activities at the cluster level to assemble from time to time in order to reach consensus on the current status of their situation, in light of experience and guidance from the institutions, and to determine their immediate steps forward. A similar space is opened by the institute, which makes provision for those serving as tutors, children's class teachers, and animators of junior youth groups in a cluster to meet severally and consult on their experience. Intimately connected to this grassroots consultative process are the agencies of the training institute and the Area Teaching Committee, together with the Auxiliary Board members, whose joint interactions provide another space in which decisions pertaining to growth are taken, in this case with a higher degree of formality. The workings of this cluster-level system, born of exigencies, point to an important characteristic of Bahá’í administration: Even as a living organism, it has coded within it the capacity to accommodate higher and higher degrees of complexity, in terms of structures and processes, relationships and activities, as it evolves under the guidance of the Universal House of Justice.

On previous occasions we have explained that the maturity of a Spiritual Assembly cannot be assessed by the regularity of its meetings and the efficiency of its functioning alone. Rather its strength must be measured, to a large extent, by the vitality of the spiritual and social life of the community it serves—a growing community that welcomes the constructive contributions of both those who are formally enrolled and those who are not.

The development that we are sure to witness in Local Spiritual Assemblies over the next several years is made possible by the growing strength of National Spiritual Assemblies, whose ability to think and act strategically has risen perceptibly, especially as they have learned to analyse the community-building process at the grassroots with increasing acuity and effectiveness and to inject into it, as needed, assistance, resources, encouragement, and loving guidance. In countries where conditions demand it, they have devolved a number of their responsibilities in this respect to Regional Councils, decentralizing certain administrative functions, enhancing institutional capacity in areas under their jurisdiction, and fostering more sophisticated sets of interactions. It is no exaggeration to say that the full engagement of National Assemblies was instrumental in creating the final thrust required to attain the goal of the current Plan, and we expect to see further developments in this direction as, in concert with the Counsellors, they exert in the course of the critical, fleeting months ahead a supreme effort to ready their communities to embark on the next five-year enterprise.

Bahá’u’lláh's Revelation is vast. It calls for profound change not only at the level of the individual but also in the structure of society. "Is not the object of every Revelation", He Himself proclaims, "to effect a transformation in the whole character of mankind, a transformation that shall manifest itself, both outwardly and inwardly, that shall affect both its inner life and external conditions?" The work advancing in every corner of the globe today represents the latest stage of the ongoing Bahá’í endeavour to create the nucleus of the glorious civilization enshrined in His teachings, the building of which is an enterprise of infinite complexity and scale, one that will demand centuries of exertion by humanity to bring to fruition. There are no shortcuts, no formulas. Only as effort is made to draw on insights from His Revelation, to tap into the accumulating knowledge of the human race, to apply His teachings intelligently to the life of humanity, and to consult on the questions that arise will the necessary learning occur and capacity be developed.

In this long-term process of capacity building, the Bahá’í community has devoted nearly a decade and a half to systematizing its experience in the teaching field, learning to open certain activities to more and more people and to sustain its expansion and consolidation. All are welcome to enter the community's warm embrace and receive sustenance from Bahá’u’lláh's life-giving message. No greater joy is there, to be sure, than for a soul, yearning for the Truth, to find shelter in the stronghold of the Cause and draw strength from the unifying power of the Covenant. Yet every human being and every group of individuals, irrespective of whether they are counted among His followers, can take inspiration from His teachings, benefiting from whatever gems of wisdom and knowledge will aid them in addressing the challenges they face. Indeed, the civilization that beckons humanity will not be attained through the efforts of the Bahá’í community alone. Numerous groups and organizations, animated by the spirit of world solidarity that is an indirect manifestation of Bahá’u’lláh's conception of the principle of the oneness of humankind, will contribute to the civilization destined to emerge out of the welter and chaos of present-day society. It should be clear to everyone that the capacity created in the Bahá’í community over successive global Plans renders it increasingly able to lend assistance in the manifold and diverse dimensions of civilization building, opening to it new frontiers of learning.

A rich tapestry of community life begins to emerge in every cluster as acts of communal worship, interspersed with discussions undertaken in the intimate setting of the home, are woven together with activities that provide spiritual education to all members of the population—adults, youth and children. Social consciousness is heightened naturally as, for example, lively conversations proliferate among parents regarding the aspirations of their children and service projects spring up at the initiative of junior youth.

it will prove fruitful to think in terms of two interconnected, mutually reinforcing areas of activity: involvement in social action and participation in the prevalent discourses of society.

The scope and complexity of social action must be commensurate with the human resources available in a village or neighbourhood to carry it forward. Efforts best begin, then, on a modest scale and grow organically as capacity within the population develops. Capacity rises to new levels, of course, as the protagonists of social change learn to apply with increasing effectiveness elements of Bahá’u’lláh's Revelation, together with the contents and methods of science, to their social reality. This reality they must strive to read in a manner consistent with His teachings—seeing in their fellow human beings gems of inestimable value and recognizing the effects of the dual process of integration and disintegration on both hearts and minds, as well as on social structures.

And that is only part of the entire letter! (11 pages, 33 paragraphs in total).

Think about what is given here, leave a response if you would like. I will give my take on it next time.



*Ridvan is a celebratory time for the Bahá'í Faith as it is the commemoration of the Declaration of Bahá'u'lláh that it was He who was in fact "Him Whom God Shall Make Manifest." Every year during this time, it is common place for the Universal House of Justice (world governing body-democratically elected-for the Bahá'ís) to write a letter congratulating the Bahá'ís for achieving certain goals (the goals are all leading to the unification of the world in a step by step process) over the past year. Along with this, the House shares various items which have been learned across the globe which allow for future goals to be achieved with greater ease.

Community I

What makes a community? Does it require geographic boundaries or can it simply be people bounded by a singular idea? Social network sites such as Facebook thrive on the fact that they bring together much of the users on the internet as a one giant global community. I personally don't buy it as much. Sure we are all connected together in a more easier fashion, but does this single website make us a community or is there a greater power or force which does this job?

Sit on this for a little while-I'll be back in a few days with my response.

Life, Motion, Atoms

I began this in September and finish it now. Please forgive the 8 month delay. This also is completely unedited. There is probably much revision that needs to be done.

Everything comes from God. The Báb writes, "There is none other God but Thee and in truth unto Thee do we all return." Though human's are the beings that have been designated with the soul and the capacity to recognize God as our Creator, other beings still feel his presence. Bahá'u'lláh in the Tablet of Carmel declares, "Sanctified be the Lord of all mankind, at the mention of Whose name all the atoms of the earth have been made to vibrate, and the Tongue of Grandeur hath been moved to disclose that which had been wrapt in His knowledge and lay concealed within the treasury of His might."

Do we look at the claim of vibrating atoms figuratively or should we take this literally? Let us begin with the idea of laws of attractions. Everything is held together by various attractions such as gravity, magnetics, electromagnets, nuclear forces, etc. In like manner, the human hearts are attracted by love for one another which bring us together. Such as the sun which has a greater pull on the planets closer in orbit to its center, we also have a great pull on those whom we love to be near us at all times. Hence, Bahá'u'lláh wrote, "Whither can a lover go but to the land of his beloved? and what seeker findeth rest away from his heart’s desire? To the true lover reunion is life, and separation is death. His breast is void of patience and his heart hath no peace. A myriad lives he would forsake to hasten to the abode of his beloved."

To continue from this point, our greatest love must be our Creator for He gave us life and everything we possess. The same goes for all the atoms and all of Creation. They vibrate at the sound of the name of their Creator.

The reality is that everything has a spirit. The Master spoke, “In the mineral world the spirit shows itself, but limited to that mineral condition.” With the mineral being the lowest of the kingdoms, we can assume all else above has spirit too. It is simply to the capacity to show whatever this spirit may be. For the plant, this is growth. For the animal, it is movement and frolicking through the lower kingdoms. For man, it is the knowledge of God.

However, we need another piece of existence and this is the soul. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, “When we speak of the soul we mean the motive power of this physical body which lives under its entire control in accordance with its dictates.” It is through our soul we have free-will and understanding. It controls what patterns we will choose to follow in life; whether we will find God within us and show forth the virtues He bestowed upon us or not. Then there is also “the power of the mind” which “gives [man] a power whereby he may investigate the reality of every object. It leads man on and on to the luminous station of divine sublimity and frees him from all the fetters of self, causing him to ascend to the pure heaven of sanctity.” Through the mind, we understand science and the natural world. In a Tablet to August Forel, the Master writes, “It is by the aid of such senses as those of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch, that the mind comprehendeth, whereas, the soul is free from all agencies.” Likewise, as the soul cannot comprehend the physical realm, the mind cannot comprehend the abstractness of the realm of the soul. Our Faith, thus, cannot be something we ponder and piece together with equations and observations. Rather, we need to detach ourselves of the physical mind and instead focus on the soul, and there we will find the attributes latent within us.

Finally, we return to the spirit. What is it? In the Divine Philosophy we find written, “The spirit is the axis round which the eternal life revolves. It is conducive to everlasting glory and is the cause of the exaltation of humanity.” It is the divine energy which keeps everything going together and which interconnect everything in life.

You may then ask if the spirit causes life. This I cannot answer, but I can again quote ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and say, “The test of existence is motion. An object which has in itself the power of motion lives. If motion is withheld growth ceases. That is mortality.” It is settled then, everything that is not at 0 Kelvin is alive because every atom at every moment is moving, vibrating (I do not mean here, that even in death we are truly alive because the atoms in our dead body are moving. I mean that the dust we are made of is alive. They are simply the building blocks which give rise to another type of motion, which is our existence). Let us quote the Master again,

“There are different degrees of motion. There is a motion of transit, that is from place to place. For example, the revolution of the earth around the sun; a bird flies from branch to branch. Another kind is the motion of inherent growth, like that of man from the condition of childhood to the estate of manhood, or the development of a tree from the seedling to its full fruition. The third is the motion of condition — the sick man passes from the stage of sickness to the state of health. The fourth motion is that of the spirit. For instance, the child while in the mother's womb has all the potential qualities of the spirit, but those qualities begin to unfold little by little
as the child is born and grows and develops, finally manifesting all the attributes and qualities of the spirit. The fifth is the motion of the intellect whereby the ignorant become wise; the indifferent, alert; the dark, illuminated and the carnally-minded, spiritual.

In this century a great impelling stream is manifest in the world of intellect. Minds have been stirred by this impulse and have made marvelous progress. The sixth motion is that of the eternal essence. That is to say, all phenomena either step forth from the arena of non-existence into the court of objectivity, or from existence into non-existence. Just as being in motion is the test of life, so being stationary is the test of death and when a moving object stops it retrogrades. To stop means to fall. When a tree stops giving fruit it decays.

In other words, man must throughout all the degrees of life evolve and progress day unto day, for life is continuous. The manifestors of divine law have appeared so that they may confer upon man an ideal power which will enable him to advance along all the degrees of human attainment. The power of the world of existence is limited, while the power of God is unlimited. If the reality of man should not be confirmed by a divine power human progress would terminate.
On the other hand, the divine reality is unlimited and immeasurable and can never stop or deteriorate, therefore the holy souls who are confirmed with this divine power are likewise.”

Yes, that is a huge quote-but I really could not leave any of it out. The existence of the atom, or the life of the atom I should then say, is that of the first degree. From place to place. It does not move a far distance, but it moves all the same. (Quick side note: What do you think of the sixth degree of motion in terms of quantum mechanics where for some period of time, it seems as if the electron does not exist as it passes through a double slit?)

Now all of this may seem crazy, but hang in there. Using all of the above definitions, we can assume that the atom is alive, and if it is alive, it is part of the mineral kingdom and thus has spirit. Now, spirit is all interconnected together with one another in the divine energy of life.
Since everything is interconnected, we all feel the same pains (or at least should if we open ourselves up) and happiness. The atoms vibrate at the power of the Word, as mentioned at the beginning, and they feel the evolution of the human spirit as they progress from one Dispensation to another (i.e. from Christianity to Islam). Here, the power is so great, that the world is literally shaking at the tumultuous changes occurring and the pains and strifes we inflict upon one another.

I do not mean to go against science and say that earthquakes and weather patterns are occurring because of God. No. I do not mean that. The proper scientific conditions need to be in place, such as two straining faults, or enough evaporated water traveling at certain speeds. But what I mean is perhaps the atoms can “think” and put themselves in this proper position as they turmoil at our turmoil.