One of the primary themes in the Tablets and Writings of Baha’u’llah is the remarkable nature of the time in which we live, the significance of this “Day” in history.
This is the Day whereon the Ocean of God’s mercy hath been manifested unto men, the Day in which the Daystar of His loving-kindness hath shed its radiance upon them, the Day in which the clouds of His bountiful favor have overshadowed the whole of mankind. Now is the time to cheer and refresh the down-cast through the invigorating breeze of love and fellowship, and the living waters of friendliness and charity.
Baha’u’llah taught that the revelations of God come to humanity in line with humanity’s capacity to receive them, and that they are geared to humanity’s capacity at that time in history. Our time in history is especially blessed because society had evolved to the point where it was ready for a great leap forward. Undoubtedly, from the late 1700s, humanity has been on quite a roller coaster ride of change, with a trajectory pointed straight up. The growth of science, knowledge, technology, economic growth, energy production and use, population size, education and a host of other factors has expanded so dramatically that our world is almost unrecognizable to peoples who would have lived in the same places 300 years ago. There is a graph of humanity’s technological development until the 1850’s- and then after. It shows very slow growth with an almost completely horizontal line nearly paralleling the x-axis until 1850, then a dramatic upward turn in about 1850 such that the line now nearly parallels the y-axis- a full 90 degree turn straight up.
This is the Day in which God’s most excellent favors 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. It behooveth them to cleave to whatsoever will, in this Day, be conducive to the exaltation of their stations, and to the promotion of their best interests. ..Beseech ye the one true God to grant that all men may be graciously assisted to fulfill that which is acceptable in Our sight. Soon will the present-day order be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead. Verily, thy Lord speaketh the truth, and is the Knower of things unseen.
Considering what we know about the world since the time of the revelation of these words, sometime in the mid to late 1800’s, we have to admit that they are astonishing. Looking at recent history, it truly seems that a “most might grace hath been infused into all created things”. The “order’ at the time of Baha’u’llah- imperialist kings with religious systems that had a firm grip on the conceptions of the people- are all gone and a new “order” is being rolled out as we speak.
What are the features of that new “order”? As our world hurdles into the future, what are the principles we can cling to so that we ensure our peace and security? Baha’u’llah not only knew our place in history but he also revealed the principles we needed to cling to in order that our roller coaster ride turns out ok. The term “salvation” has had many meanings, and can be sort of a controversial word, but the image that always comes to mind is a life raft in the middle of a swirling sea, and we cling to that life raft to stay afloat and move forward in our journey. The principles of Baha’u’llah are humanity’s salvation.
Baha’u’llah taught that the fundamental principle to recognize and implement in our societies is the oneness of humanity. As He says above, 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. It behooveth them to cleave to whatsoever will, in this Day, be conducive to the exaltation of their stations, and to the promotion of their best interests”. The oneness of humanity has always been a spiritual truth, but now it needs to be a social truth as well. As ‘Abdu’l-Baha’ further explained-
In cycles gone by, though harmony was established, yet, owing to the absence of means, the unity of all mankind could not have been achieved. Continents remained widely divided, nay even among the peoples of one and the same continent association and interchange of thought were well nigh impossible. Consequently intercourse, understanding and unity amongst all the peoples and kindreds of the earth were unattainable. In this day, however, means of communication have multiplied, and the five continents of the earth have virtually merged into one. And for everyone it is now easy to travel to any land, to associate and exchange views with its peoples, and to become familiar, through publications, with the conditions, the religious beliefs and the thoughts of all men. In like manner all the members of the human family, whether peoples or governments, cities or villages, have become increasingly interdependent. For none is self-sufficiency any longer possible, inasmuch as political ties unite all peoples and nations, and the bonds of trade and industry, of agriculture and education, are being strengthened every day. Hence the unity of all mankind can in this day be achieved. Verily this is none other but one of the wonders of this wondrous age, this glorious century. Of this past ages have been deprived, for this century—the century of light—hath been endowed with unique and unprecedented glory, power and illumination. Hence the miraculous unfolding of a fresh marvel every day. Eventually it will be seen how bright its candles will burn in the assemblage of man.
Baha’u’llah outlined these realities in His Tablets to the Kings-
Be reconciled among yourselves, that ye may need armaments no more save in a measure to safeguard your territories and dominions. Be united, O concourse of the sovereigns of the world, for thereby will the tempest of discord be stilled amongst you and your peoples find rest. Should any one among you take up arms against another, rise ye all against him, for this is naught but manifest justice.”
Baha’u’llah praised the formation of representative democracies, stating that it “benefitted all the peoples of the earth” but gave guidance as to how the representatives should conduct themselves- “It behoveth them, however, to be trustworthy among His servants, and to regard themselves as the representatives of all that dwell on earth. This is what counselleth them, in this Tablet, He Who is the Ruler, the All-Wise.”
As the world was increasing becoming interdependent, it was critical that the representatives see themselves as representing “all that dwell on earth”. He further stated that we needed to develop a “world-embracing vision”. Like it or not, the world that was emerging in Baha’u’llah’s time and that has now arrived is one in which we- all over the world- are dependent on each other. Baha’u’llah compared humanity to the human body, which required that all its various parts work in harmony for the system to work effectively.
Unfortunately, the kings and leaders of the world in the 19th century did not follow Baha’u’llah’s counsels. They continued to compete for world resources and engaged in petty skirmishes over issues that have been long since forgotten. One by one, their empires fell, some due to war, other due to the revolution from the people they had ignored and oppressed. But no matter who was in charge, they continued to plot against each other, angling for wealth and influence. When ‘Abdu’l-Baha’ came to the United States and Europe in 1912, the world was already a tinderbox ready to explode.
‘Abdu’l-Baha’s presentations in America have been captured in a compilation known as the “Promulgation of Universal Peace”, and it is well-worth everyone’s time to read them. He spoke with such clarity, focused on universal values, and exhibited such extraordinary kindness and wisdom that he quickly became a personality that newspapers would follow daily. Even government leaders- such as Supreme Court Justices, Presidential Cabinet Members- sought out his advice, and he was invited, though declined due to a scheduling conflict, to speak to Congress.
In ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s presentations, he laid out the principles of his Father’s Revelation, the principles of universal peace among nations. He taught that they should apply the principle of federalism that welded together the states in America- to world governance structure. Such a system was the natural outcome of the nations increasing interdependence on each other and would provide an administrative structure for peace and coordination, while preserving national sovereignty and diversity. ‘Abdu’l-Baha’ stated again and again that all prejudices- national, racial, religious, and political- were all unreal and the destroyer of the foundation of human solidarity. He challenged even the most enlightened thinkers of the time. For instance, W.E.B Dubois, an influential intellectual, founder of the NAACP, and civil rights activist- and also a great admirer of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’- wouldn’t even touch the idea of inter-racial marriage. ‘Abdu’l-Baha’ fearlessly addressed it in inter-racial gatherings that he himself sponsored in Washington, D.C.- actively encouraging people of different races to marry- for thereby the foundations of the oneness of humanity would be promoted.
‘Abdu’l-Baha’ not only promoted women’s education and full engagement with the political and work world, but stated that the promotion of women’s rights would be a foundation of the world’s peace. Indeed, we have seen since that time that the education of women is a key element- if not the most important element- in the social and economic development of a nation.
But the most prominent theme in his talks was the value and truth of religion, and its fundamental oneness. ‘Abdu’l-Baha’ stood for everything that was good about religion- promotion of virtue, high-mindedness, inspiration for social change- and he met with scores of religious leaders in his travels. He promoted the progressive revelation of religious truth and stated that we all must look at the fundamentals of our own religion and see how they have been also part of other faiths. He decried the increasingly materialistic turn of human thinking- both in economics and science- describing it as a profound limitation to the nature of reality and of human beings themselves.
As we now sit 100 years after Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha presented these ideas to the world, we now see how profound and important they are. We have 100 years of history to reflect on since that time. Two world wars ravaged the planet, after which a broken humanity founded the United Nations organization and it’s surrounding bodies like the WHO, UNICEF and others. NATO was founded in Europe and promoted the principle of collective security- a principle Baha’u’llah had taught 100 years before to ensure peace among nations- and Europe has enjoyed over 60 years of peace and prosperity- the longest period of peace in it’s history. Indeed, it is the degree to which we have implemented the principles revealed by Baha’u’llah and further explained by ‘Abdu’l-Baha’ that we have seen peace and success. But there is still much more work to do.
Shoghi Effendi led the Baha’i community for 36 years and guided the development and growth of Baha’i institutions throughout the world. In his letters to those communities, he continued to expand on the ideas and principles of Baha’u’llah, and how they applied to the modern day. We will conclude this essay with one of his most famous passages on the implications for the principle of the oneness of humankind. As described, the oneness of humanity is not simply an ideal, but is a reality that implies an “organic change” in the way we have always done business, a transformation in our collective identity of who we are and how we structure our societies.
“The principle of the Oneness of Mankind—the pivot round which all the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh revolve—is no mere outburst of ignorant emotionalism or an expression of vague and pious hope. Its appeal is not to be merely identified with a reawakening of the spirit of brotherhood and good-will among men, nor does it aim solely at the fostering of harmonious coöperation among individual peoples and nations. Its implications are deeper, its claims greater than any which the Prophets of old were allowed to advance. Its message is applicable not only to the individual, but concerns itself primarily with the nature of those essential relationships that must bind all the states and nations as members of one human family. It does not constitute merely the enunciation of an ideal, but stands inseparably associated with an institution adequate to embody its truth, demonstrate its validity, and perpetuate its influence. It implies an organic change in the structure of present-day society, a change such as the world has not yet experienced. It constitutes a challenge, at once bold and universal, to outworn shibboleths of national creeds—creeds that have had their day and which must, in the ordinary course of events as shaped and controlled by Providence, give way to a new gospel, fundamentally different from, and infinitely superior to, what the world has already conceived. It calls for no less than the reconstruction and the demilitarization of the whole civilized 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.
