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| Bahá’í News | October 1986 | Bahá’í Year 143 |
Peace Conference in San Francisco
On the cover: A crowd gathers outside the Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, California, before a session of the first Bahá’í International Peace Conference which was held August 28-31 in that West Coast city. The conference, sponsored by the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly, was a big success with some 7,800 people attending, about 800 of whom were not Bahá’ís. A complete report of the conference begins on Page 1.
Bahá’í News[edit]
A Bahá’í International Peace Conference is held in San Francisco | 1 |
Dr. Ervin Laszlo’s keynote address at the San Francisco conference | 8 |
Brazilian Society of Physicians for Peace established in Porto Alegre | 13 |
Around the world: News from Bahá’í communities all over the globe | 14 |
Bahá’í News is published monthly by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States as a news organ reporting current activities of the Bahá’í world community. Manuscripts submitted should be typewritten and double spaced throughout; any footnotes should appear at the end. The contributor should keep a carbon copy. Send materials to the Periodicals Office, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, U.S.A. Changes of address should be reported to the Office of Membership and Records, Bahá’í National Center. Please attach mailing label. Subscription rates: one year, $12 U.S.; two years, $20 U.S. Second class postage paid at Wilmette, IL 60091. Copyright © 1986, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. World rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
The conference[edit]
‘Peace waves’ rock San Francisco[edit]
San Francisco, which survived a devastating earthquake in 1906 to welcome ‘Abdu’l-Bahá six years later and to witness the birth of the United Nations at the close of World War II, made history again August 28-31 as the site of the first Bahá’í International Peace Conference ever held in North America.
That history was written by some 7,800 people, nearly 800 of whom were not Bahá’ís, who, galvanized by the Universal House of Justice’s peace statement and guided by the sure hand of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly, gathered at San Francisco’s Civic Auditorium to celebrate the concept of peace and to show by their very presence that the goal of a peaceful world is not only attainable but inevitable.
What they experienced, and will no doubt convey to others, were four days in which the many facets of peace were examined, honed and polished by a number of remarkably well-informed speakers, panelists and workshop leaders while the sheer joy of peace was conveyed by an impressive array of superb entertainers whose scintillating performances left their audiences applauding for more.
The Los Angeles Bahá’í Youth Workshop performs at the first Bahá’í International Peace Conference in San Francisco.
All of this was accomplished in an atmosphere of genuine love and cordiality by people of widely varying social, cultural, economic and ethnic backgrounds from 32 countries whose peaceful and accepting demeanor gave new meaning to the phrase “unity in diversity.”
It was accomplished, too, largely through the unflagging efforts of volunteer task forces of Bahá’ís in the San Francisco area—working under the guidance of the National Assembly—without whose support and dedication an event of this size and complexity would have been extremely difficult to plan and carry out.
The conference began on a high note Thursday evening with a number of ethnic groups elegantly expressing the concept of unity through the art of dance.
The Bahá’ís and their guests were then welcomed to San Francisco by Fire Commissioner Henry Berman, representing Mayor Diane Feinstein who had proclaimed August 24-31 “Peace Week” in the city to commemorate the UN Year of Peace and the Bahá’í-sponsored conference.
Friday morning’s keynote address was given by Dr. Ervin Laszlo, editor of the World Encyclopedia of Peace and a well-known and respected authority in the relatively new fields of systems science and world order.
Dr. Laszlo was introduced by Dr. William Maxwell, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly.
“I have been asked to speak to the question, ‘Is Peace Possible?’ ” Dr. Laszlo told his audience. “I can tell you that I’m convinced that not only is peace possible, but it is necessary and it is coming. I am convinced of that after being here today....
“Among you, I am convinced that mankind is on the threshold of adulthood ... If this experience here can be repeated in the world at large, mankind indeed will have come of age and the prophecy of Bahá’u’lláh will be fulfilled....
“You alone of all the communities of the world,” said Dr. Laszlo, “form a global community committed to the belief, and to the conviction, that peace will come—that peace requires unity—and that that unity is only possible in a global society. Therefore, you are committed to the creation of a global society. You already have created a global society among yourselves.
“Your example could be a very important factor in the development of a global society at large. You show that this is possible....
[Page 2]
“Shoghi Effendi wrote, and let me
quote this, ‘If long-cherished ideals
and time-honored 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.’ Ladies and gentlemen, dear
friends, it’s time to relegate and time to
evolve. Global society is the next step,
and it is this step that could bring with
it the end to strife and conflict in this
immature and intermediate stage.
“Peace can come at last to humanity, I am convinced of that. The insight of the Bahá’ís, now confirmed and bolstered by scientific knowledge, should give you the necessary wisdom and the necessary courage to be our leaders in this great movement....”
Dr. Laszlo’s penetrating remarks were followed by a dramatic and inspiring multi-media presentation, “The Promise of World Peace,” produced for the National Spiritual Assembly by audio-visual specialist Charles Nolley.
Friday afternoon and all day Saturday were devoted to a remarkable series of panel discussions and workshops that delved into the myriad aspects of peace with vigor and insight to inform and challenge the listener while increasing his awareness of the social, political and spiritual bases on which a lasting peace can and must be built.
The impressive roster of panelists included noted educators and authors, spiritual leaders and businessmen and women, jurists and philosophers, Native Americans, blacks and Hispanics.
Also taking part in the various panels were Counsellor Wilma Brady and two members of the National Spiritual Assembly, Dr. Maxwell and Judge Dorothy Nelson.
Two panel discussions were held on Friday and four on Saturday, beginning with Friday afternoon’s session on spiritual renewal (subtitled “The Bridge to World Peace”) whose panelists were Thomas Banyaca, an internationally known Hopi spiritual leader and lecturer; Robert Bellah, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley and author of the best-selling book, Habits of the Heart; and Dr. Brady, who is administrator-general of the Bahá’í International Community as well as a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors in the Americas.
A panel on social and economic development (“Diminishing the Disparity Between Rich and Poor: The Release of Human Potential”) was held later that afternoon with panelists Jeff Faux, an economist, author and president of the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, D.C.; Roshan Billimoria, chairman of the executive committee of the United Nations Non-Governmental Organizations/Department of Public Information and UN representative for the World Relations Department, YWCA of the U.S.; and two Bahá’ís: Phil Lane, an associate professor and coordinator of the Four Worlds Development Project at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada; and Falairiza Taafaki, former director of the New Era Center for Development in Panchgani, India, who is presently studying for a doctoral degree at the Center for International Education, University of Massachusetts.
Kevin Locke, a Lakota Sioux Indian, performs his renowned hoop dance at the Peace Conference.
Saturday’s first panel session, which dealt with the elimination of racism (“The Essence of Unity”), was, as expected, lively and provocative. It featured two non-Bahá’í panelists with impressive credentials—Dr. C. Eric Lincoln, a professor of religion and culture at Duke University whose most recent book is Race, Religion and the Continuing American Dilemma, and Motlalepula Chabaku, an exile from South Africa who is pastor to three United Methodist churches near Asheboro, North Carolina—and two Bahá’ís, Dr. Richard Thomas, associate professor of history and urban affairs at Michigan State University in East Lansing, and Linda Giardina, an educational consultant from Boston.
It was followed by a panel on the equality of men and women (“A Prerequisite to Peace”) with Riane Eisler, coordinator of the Institute for Futures Forecasting in Carmel, California, and author of The Equal Rights Handbook; David Loye, co-director of the Institute for Futures Forecasting and author of The Sphinx and the Rainbow; and Jack Guillebeaux, deputy director of the Federation of Child Care Centers of Alabama and chairman of the Bahá’í Social and Economic Development Committee.
Saturday afternoon’s first panel was on universal education (“The Key to an Ever-Advancing Civilization”) and had as its members Annie Dodge Wauneka, a Navajo tribal leader and the first Native American ever to be awarded the Medal of Freedom; Cecilia Burciaga, associate dean of graduate studies and research at Stanford University and co-chairman of the National Network of Hispanic Women; and Dr. Maxwell, who is president of the IQ Foundation in Houston, Texas.
Also presented Saturday afternoon was a panel discussion on conflict resolution (“The Power of Consultative Will”). Panelists were Craig Schindler, a lawyer, psychologist and co-founder of Project Victory, dedicated to non-adversarial communications and conflict resolution; Frank Newman, retired Justice of the California Supreme Court and professor of law at the University of California at Berkeley; and Judge Nelson, who is a member of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and treasurer of the National Spiritual Assembly.
Held concurrently with the panel discussions were 70 workshops, conducted by experienced and carefully
[Page 3]
Above left: One of the singing MacPhersons from Los Angeles. Above:
Dr. C. Eric Lincoln, one of many distinguished panelists at the Peace Conference, is interviewed by a reporter
from the Voice of America. Below left:
Drummers from San Francisco’s Taiko-dojo Japanese Dance Company who electrified the audience at the Civic Auditorium’s main arena Friday
evening. Below right: The Peace Conference’s youngest speaker, eight-year-old Nima Masroori of Sunland, California, who had the audience on its
feet Saturday evening.
[Page 4]
chosen facilitators, many of which emphasized group participation to instill
“take-home” skills for spreading the
concept that peace is inevitable.
Because of the great diversity of those attending the conference—for example, more than 70 Hmong Bahá’ís came from the Stockton-Fresno area in California—workshops were conducted in Spanish and Chinese as well as in the Hmong and Khmer languages of Southeast Asia.
Meanwhile, the more than 1,000 children at the conference had their own classes, at the Civic Auditorium and Hilton Hotel, and special sessions and other activities were planned for the nearly 800 youth who attended.
Among those activities were a latenight “race unity dance” on Friday; a Saturday afternoon session with Counsellor Robert Harris, the Los Angeles Bahá’í Youth Workshop and other guests; and a Saturday night performance by a jazz group led by vocalist Diane Varga.
Mr. Harris and Dr. Brady were among six Counsellors at the conference. The others were Counsellors for the Americas Fred Schechter and Arturo Serrano, and two members of the International Teaching Centre in Haifa, Hooper Dunbar and Masu’d Khamsi.
Evening sessions, held in the Civic Auditorium’s main arena, which can accommodate up to 8,000 spectators, were meant to entertain, which they did with verve, élan and a singular level of musicianship.
A stellar group of performers from across the country was assembled to present a series of events whose quality has not been equaled since the fabled Jamaica conference in 1971.
Sunday morning’s closing session, the hallmark of which was an eloquent and powerful address by Dr. Robert Henderson, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, was entertaining as well thanks to exquisite performances by two Chinese musicians, Liu Weishan and Charles Lee, and santour virtuoso Manoochehr Sadeghi, and a second multi-media presentation, “Highlights of the Conference.”
Transportation between the auditorium and the half-dozen San Francisco hotels at which attendees were housed was on foot, by car or in shuttle buses which made round trips every quarter-hour while the conference was in session.
In spite of the rather hectic pace of the conference, about 400 Bahá’ís somehow found the time to take part in a blood drive sponsored by the city’s Irwin Memorial Blood Bank.
Many of them also stopped to browse or to buy in the well-stocked bookstore and to view a number of splendid exhibits in the auditorium and at the Hilton Hotel, among which were “Peace in the Arts,” “Bahá’ís in America,” “Children in the United Nations,” and photographs of the construction of the Bahá’í House of Worship in India.
A ‘Wage Peace’ balloon floats above the crowd at the Civic Auditorium.
The local media, most notably newspapers in and around San Francisco, took note of the conference, publishing a number of items about it, and the conference was covered by a broadcaster from the Voice of America who filed several hours of reports.
Also present were several Chinese and Spanish journalists.
Thursday evening’s opening session, which began with an incomparable Sioux hoop dance by Native American Bahá’í Kevin Locke and included dances by African, Chinese, Spanish and Russian troupes, marked the introduction of the conference theme song, “Listen ...,” by Red Grammer, lead singer with the “Limelighters,” who wrote the song with his wife, Kathy.
At the close of Mr. Locke’s performance the marvelous stage, designed especially for the conference by John Kavelin of Los Angeles, was lighted and a large blue-and-white two-dimensional globe ascended slowly toward the ceiling to thunderous applause while Mr. Locke fashioned a smaller globe from his hoops.
Also on the opening program were Harambee, a professional African dance troup from the San Francisco area which presented traditional Nigerian and Congolese dances; the San Francisco Chinese Folk Dance Association; Los Lupenos, a professional Spanish dance group from San Jose; and the Neva Dance Ensemble whose members live in the San Francisco area and perform traditional Russian folk dances.
Friday morning’s audience was on its feet from the outset, cheering a dynamic performance by the Los Angeles Bahá’í Youth Workshop whose members use dance, mime and vocals to underscore the principles of the Faith including the need for peace and brotherhood.
Variety was the keynote of Friday evening’s session in the main arena which began with the down home country sounds of vocalists Wilford Johnson and Mary Davis, moved to comedy and juggling by talented Dana Smith and his dog, Sunshine, shifted into high gear with contemporary vocals by the five lovely MacPhersons, then traveled eastward for dynamic dancing and drumming by the San Francisco Taiko-dojo Japanese Dance Company complete with menacing dragon.
The master of ceremonies for that session was Phil Lane, a Chickasaw/Sioux Bahá’í from Canada who combined a traditional Native American pipe ceremony with readings from the Bahá’í writings.
If some were wondering how the music presented to that point could possibly be equaled or surpassed, they had their answer Saturday evening when
[Page 5]
Above: Red Grammer sings the Peace
Conference theme song, ‘Listen ...’
Mr. Grammer, a professional musician
who is the lead singer with ‘The Limelighters,’ co-authored the song with his
wife, Kathy. Below left: Chinese classical musicians Thomas Lee and Liu Weishan perform at Sunday morning’s
closing session which also featured an
address by Dr. Robert Henderson, secretary of the U.S. National Spiritual
Assembly. Below right: For one young
attendee at the conference, the T-shirt
said it all.
| Joyfully report outstanding success of Bahá’í International Peace Conference, August 28-31, 1986, San Francisco, California. Eleven percent of 7,800 participants non-Bahá’í. Without exception, non-Bahá’í keynote speaker and panelists declared highest respect for Faith, challenged Bahá’ís to be more assertive in distributing “The Promise of World Peace” as well as Bahá’í teachings. Diversity of persons attending included young, old, many strata of society, blacks, whites, Hispanics, Chinese, Southeast Asians, and American Indians. Twenty-eight countries were represented. Five members Continental Board of Counsellors, two International Counsellors attended. American Indians well represented in every aspect of conference: prayers, entertainment, panelists, workshop leaders, planning committee, and attendees. Approximately seventy workshops offered and six major panel presentations. Concurrent children’s conference and youth program outstanding success. Slide presentation adapted from “The Promise of World Peace” impressive in capturing diversity of humankind, celebrating promise of peace. Entertainment very high caliber, crossing cultural expression. Three conference goals met and surpassed: bringing leaders of thought together to share ideas regarding attainment of world peace; social time for conference participants to better know one another and strengthen bonds of love and commitment; sharing of artistic expression through entertainment of the inevitability of peace. Crucial to success of conference was planning and execution of many facets of event at the local level; the involvement of “grass-roots” Bahá’ís in this historic celebration of the promise of world peace. Deepest appreciation for prayers offered at World Centre for success.
National Spiritual Assembly of
the Bahá’ís of the United States September 4, 1986
Universal House of Justice September 8, 1986 |
the Do’a World Music Ensemble appeared on stage to open the session.
For virtuosity, depth of feeling and sheer brilliance, the five-member group has few peers. Led by co-founders Ken LaRoche and Randy Armstrong, who between them play nearly every musical instrument known to man, Do’a also includes saxophonist Charlie Jennison, drummer Marty Quinn and bassist Volker Naumann.
Their set ran the gamut from the best in Eastern and Western musical traditions, closing with the moving “One World Symphony” which was dedicated to the martyrs in Iran and the UN’s International Year of Peace.
Next, master of ceremonies Mike Pritchard introduced vocalists Leslie and Kelly, Marva King and Australia’s Ren Teppano whose upbeat blend of contemporary jazz, rock and pop had many in the audience standing, swaying and applauding enthusiastically.
They were backed by a quintet led by keyboard and computer master John Barnes and including guitarist Jamie Findlay and percussionist Jeff Barnes, each of whom took a solo turn later in the program.
As if that weren’t enough musical excitement for one evening, those with any excess energy remaining were invited to attend a late night jazz session at the Hilton Hotel’s main ballroom emceed by vocalist Diane Varga of Los Angeles.
Others performing on that program were trumpeter George Graham, saxophonist Roger Hogan, keyboard player Robert Rosario, drummer Richard Marks, bassist George Burbage, percussionist Gary Bulkin, and Mr. Findlay on guitar.
Saturday evening also brought an unexpected pleasure—a brief but well-crafted speech on the need for world peace, flawlessly delivered in a commanding voice by Nima Masroori, an eight-year-old Bahá’í from Sunland, California, who is one of several youngsters tutored in public speaking by Gayle Woolson of Evanston, Illinois.
Nima also spoke to children’s classes at the conference as did three other young members of Mrs. Woolson’s children’s speaking project, 12-year-olds Rachael Palmateer and Diana Werle and 10-year-old Saba Firoozi.
Following the Saturday evening session Mr. Nolley and several of his colleagues worked through the night to produce a second audio-visual program, “Highlights of the Conference,” which was presented to a standing ovation after Dr. Henderson’s address on Sunday morning.
The audience remained standing as the children, led by Mr. Grammer, entered the auditorium from their classes and gathered on stage to serenade the friends with some peace-oriented songs.
The conference ended on that high note with many of those present dancing in the aisles and looking forward, no doubt, to 1992 and the conference in New York City that will mark the centenary of the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh and celebrate the successful conclusion of the Six Year Plan.
And even after the conference itself had ended the music played on with a fund-raising concert and dance that evening at the main ballroom of the Hilton Hotel at which Leslie and Kelley, Persian singer Aghili, Canada’s Doug Cameron, and Heros Minasion and his band helped raise nearly $25,000 for the various Bahá’í Funds.
Photographs of the Peace Conference are by Laura Hildreth, Wayne Kessler and Paul Slaughter. ———————————————————————————————————————>
[Page 7]
Above left: Mitchell Silas gives a demonstration of Indian sand painting.
Above: Santour virtuoso Manoochehr
Sadeghi performs. Left: A workshop session with Larry Miller of Roswell,
Georgia. Below left: A worker attends
to one of about 400 Bahá’ís who gave
blood in a drive sponsored by San
Francisco’s Irwin Memorial Blood
Bank. Below: The Do’a World Music
Ensemble with members (left to right)
Ken LaRoche, Randy Armstrong and
Charlie Jennison.
The keynote[edit]
‘... mankind is coming of age’[edit]
Dr. Ervin Laszlo delivers the keynote address.
I am deeply moved. It is usual to say that one is honored and pleased to be here, but I can’t tell you how deeply I feel honored to be among you. I have been asked to speak to the question “is peace possible?” I can tell you that I’m convinced that not only is peace possible, but it is necessary and it is coming. I am convinced of that after being here today.
Peace today seems to be a long way off—but mankind is coming of age. Among you, I am convinced that mankind is on the threshold of adulthood.
| The keynote address, “Is Peace Possible?” was given August 29 at the first Bahá’í International Peace Conference in San Francisco, California, by Dr. Ervin Laszlo, editor of the World Encyclopedia of Peace and a well-known authority in the fields of systems science and world order. |
This has been a demonstration that has deeply moved me this morning, seeing these young people (the Los Angeles Bahá’í Youth Workshop—ed.) dance, perform—unity in diversity—and seeing all of you here today. If this experience here can be repeated in the world at large, mankind indeed will come of age and the prophecy of Bahá’u’lláh will be fulfilled.
But for peace to come we have to have unity, and for unity we have to have a society on the level of the world as a whole. This is not yet the case. We can make it the case, we can move toward this global civilization, toward a global culture, a global society—but whether we move so within our lifetime is in our hands. If we can act with individual maturity, with the feeling of oneness in our hearts, with the knowledge of the necessity of oneness in our minds, then a global society will come and with it will come global peace.
We need to act with wisdom. The challenge before us is great. The challenge of our time is, I think, greater than that before any generation of humans ever in human history. We now have the means to create a peaceful global society. We also have the means to destroy ourselves and to destroy the life-supporting environment of this good planet in a matter of hours, if not days. The choice is ours. If we are not completely sunk to folly and short-sightedness, we shall create a global civilization. This is the prophecy; this, I believe, is also the way of evolution in nature, evolution in history, and this is the topic to which I would like to speak today—this remarkable parallelism between the intuitive revealed wisdom that you, as Bahá’ís, share, and the newest, latest systems of knowledge that come from the empirical sciences.
This should give you courage, this should give you heart, this should give you the enthusiasm, the will to be yourself and to lead the way, because many of the great teachings, many of the writings of these Bahá’í prophecies, Bahá’í revelations, are today on the point of being reaffirmed by an entirely different route, by the independently investigated route of science—more precisely, in new branches of science which are known collectively as the sciences of systems, sciences of complexity or sciences of evolution. Because the wisdom that’s conveyed in the Bahá’í writings is now today, more than ever, apropos, more than ever timely, and more than ever believable, credible to all people regardless of what faith they profess.
This wisdom anticipates by a century and a half the emerging knowledge of the sciences. Let me cite first some of the passages of your Faith and then outline some of these same processes as
[Page 9]
Dr. Robert Henderson, secretary of the
U.S. National Spiritual Assembly, addresses the Peace Conference’s closing
session. With him on stage are seven other members of the National Assembly and six Counsellors.
they are understood in the contemporary sciences.
Bahá’u’lláh said, “The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens.” The World Order anticipated by Bahá’u’lláh is an Order that, He said, shall come to be regarded as “the fairest fruit of a slowly maturing age.” Having passed through the stages analogous to the stages of infancy and childhood in the life of individuals, humanity is now about to come of age. It is struggling through the turbulence of adolescence to reach, at last, full maturity.
But the step to maturity doesn’t come smoothly. Already in the middle of the last century, Bahá’u’lláh foresaw the strife, the conflict, the suffering that besets our own times. “The winds of despair,” He wrote, “are, alas, blowing from every direction, and the strife that divides and afflicts the human race is daily increasing. The signs of impending convulsions and chaos can now be discerned”—and this was a century and a half ago. This evolutionary conception of history, and this holistic, dynamic conception of society, with a lag of a century and a half, is now being reaffirmed in our time.
This new knowledge from the sciences comes perhaps in the nick of time to save humanity from the perils of this critical transition, the transition from adolescence to maturity, from disunity to unity. The new insights have been brought to us first through revelation, and are now being brought to us in the sciences. Let me say a few words about the nature of these scientific insights and then show to you how closely they indeed parallel and reaffirm the writings, the beliefs that you all share.
In this new perspective, society is not an arbitrary assemblage of individuals. It’s not the prey of chance and of accident in its development. It is indeed a dynamic system; it is almost like a living organism. It evolves, it grows, it develops. Human society is a social and a cultural system. It is made up of individual human beings, but together all these beings make more than the sum of their parts—they make a new whole, with its own laws, with its own development, and this development today influences and, in a crucial sense, determines the lives of all of us.
There are several things we are beginning to understand even in these slow and careful and plodding methods of the sciences that you, perhaps, have understood through your beliefs and through the revelation of the Bahá’í Faith for a long time. Among these new insights is that the development of any complex system undergoes stages, and these stages can always be understood by the way they have evolved in the past. If we look back at the evolution of the human species through the entire span of recorded history and through the entire span of biological evolution, which now goes back perhaps three and a half billion years on this planet, we can always find reasons, we can find the progression, we can find how one species evolves, gives place to another, how complexity grows, how species and organisms become more autonomous, more able to manage themselves, to manage their
[Page 10]
environment. And we also come to a
remarkable new insight: despite the
widespread belief that nature is but
tooth and claw—the law of the jungle—indeed the jungle, or nature, is a
remarkably cooperative, remarkably
symbiotic, unified place because pieces
live through symbiosis, live through
other species, live in unity. There is
nothing that breaks the unity of nature—it was only mankind, humanity,
with its first egotistic splurge of technology, believing that it can get above
nature, that it can create a world entirely in its own image.
Nature always goes harmoniously, always creates systems within systems, builds systems on top of other systems. And as in nature, so in the long run will it be in history. We have built societies through small steps; we have built them from little tribes, hunting, gathering—nomadic tribes, moving with their animals, moving to where the crops, where the fruits and the berries, the animals are moving. From these little units we have built them to settled communities where some people grow food, other people administer the affairs, some people take care of justice, others engage in the arts; still others commit to history, write down the experiences that they all undergo together.
We have built villages into larger units, into these great empires of antiquity. We have built city-states. We have built the more modern empires. We have built the medieval societies. We have built, finally, nation-states. And in all these societies, there have been levels within levels, systems within systems.
The lowest level system, the family—and by lowest I don’t mean any value judgment, I simply mean the most simple, the most basic system—these most basic systems have not disappeared, they have remained vital elements: the family, then the community; the community that works together, that lives together, that prays together, it remains a founding block, a foundation for all of society, no matter how complex it becomes.
Society has evolved by bringing these units together, by creating larger units, by coordinating the diversity of these units without losing the diversity. A good term that is sometimes used in these new sciences is “convergence.”
Convergence as it has been classically used, of course, has meant increasing similarity, uniformity. This is not what is meant, and this is not what I would like to mean by convergence. By convergence, I would like to mean what the Founders of the Bahá’í Faith have meant—unity in diversity. The lowest, most basic level systems converge on the next level. Families converge by living together in communities; communities converge among themselves by
We live in a global village, but within this village we are not a unified whole. We are still warring tribes within the village—and this is the sadness, this is the tragedy of the contemporary condition of humanity. This is still the stage of adolescence.
creating nations; and nations converge among themselves to create a global society.
But where are we today in this process? We have indeed created nations. We have now something like 180 or perhaps more nation-states in the world, each one of them claiming sovereignty, claiming independence from the others, claiming that they alone, independently of one another, are the masters of their own destiny, that they are not accountable to any higher authority. Nation-building, as Shoghi Effendi pointed out, has now come to an end, but humanity is still in the stage of adolescence, is still in the stage of nation-building. This goes on all over the world: new nations try to create their own identity; established nations jealously safeguard their own powers, their own sovereignty.
What do we have in the world today? We do have, in one sense, a global village, because we communicate with one another, we interact, we ship our goods all over the world, we never know when we pick up something in the store where it was made—the food we eat could have been imported from the other side of the world; the products that we believe in, if you look on the back, have been made on the other side of the world. We live in a global village, but within this village we are not a unified whole. We are still warring tribes within the village—and this is the sadness, this is the tragedy of the contemporary condition of humanity. This is still the stage of adolescence.
This is why we need to go beyond this stage—because peace cannot come in a stage where we are all dependent on one another but we do not understand one another. Only conflict can result, and instead of interdependence we could have mutual annihilation. But interdependence, according to the Bahá’í prophecies, and according to the sciences of complexity and evolution, does lead in time to a new level, to a new whole, to a new system, higher, more complex, more harmonious than any that went on before.
And this is the challenge before us. Shall we let our disunity take the upper hand and dissolve our interdependence into war, into destruction? Shall we destroy ourselves and our environment so that only grass and the lowest forms of life on the bottom of the sea would survive? Or shall we let interdependence, our mutual dependence on one another, lead us to maturity, lead us to true trust in each other, to understanding?
In the context of evolution as it unfolds through history, the next step is a society of global unity. This society, I am convinced, will come—but when it comes, and how it comes, is not predetermined. We can always explain—and I am talking now as a scientist—we can always explain what has gone on in the past, logically; we can always find reasons for it. But we can never predict with one hundred per cent assurance the future. And this is what should give us encouragement, this is what should give us faith, because we do not live in a predetermined, fated world. We live in a world that’s open to the future. What is given to us is the general trend, the over-all megatrend, the enormous new wave that will take us toward this global society within which global peace will become possible. But how we reach it, when we reach it, and even if we reach it, provided we do not kill ourselves with these enormous technologies that are now available, that can be activated at any moment’s notice, and if we do not do that we no doubt will reach that new level which will herald the coming of age of humanity.
There is much that I could tell you about the details of these insights, the
[Page 11]
details of how convergence works in
nature, how it unfolds through history.
But let me just leave you for now with
this one assertion, that it is a fact, it is
reality: any dynamic system, any whole
that exists in the world always progresses, always evolves toward a higher
unity. This in a way will happen if we
are wise enough to survive. And I believe especially, being here today, that
we are wise enough to survive.
But let me just say a few words now about the unique responsibility that you have as members of the Bahá’í community, a responsibility that I myself accept as scientist and as humanist, but that many more people should accept, whether they base themselves on faith or on science. The responsibility that you have is a unique one because you alone, I think, of all the communities of the world, form a global community committed to the belief, to the conviction that peace will come, that peace requires unity, and that unity is only possible in a global society. Therefore, you are committed to the creation of a global society. You already have created a global society among yourselves.
Your example could be a very important factor in the development of a global society at large because you show that it is possible. And today we live in turbulent times when the effect of one example like this, a living example, could spread. Why? Because, first of all, we have all the means of communication at our disposal. Your example could become known all over the world, and it is already becoming known. First, it is becoming known because it is persecuted, with all the deplorable conditions of persecution, the worst ones that we can see anywhere in the world. But it should also become known, in addition, for the good it does, for the way you live, for the unity that you find among yourselves. This demonstration effect could be a crucial catalyzing force in the world because not only do we have the means of communication at our disposal, we also live in a time that has been called variously a time of uncertainty, a time of transformation, a time of unpredictability.
This is a time in which people are looking for solutions. They are looking for meaning; they are looking toward a future that they cannot quite see. They do not have this conviction, they do not have the belief, nor do they have the scientific insight that says, “If only we can survive, we will create a global society with global peace.” They think the future is unpredictable, is unknowable. It could be dark; and therefore, many young people today are prey to pessimism. It’s important under these circumstances to bring this example to light— to let people know that one can live the way you live.
Keynote speaker Dr. Ervin Laszlo is escorted onstage at San Francisco’s Civic Auditorium arena by Dr. William Maxwell, a member of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly, who introduced him to the audience.
Perhaps I would like to add a final word which is a little more somber but nonetheless, I believe, encouraging. Another thing that we learn, you see, from the study of how these complex systems evolve is that they do not do so smoothly. Evolution is not like the flight of an arrow, continuous and upward-tending. It may be upward-tending, but it is certainly not continuous. It is interspersed with peaks and valleys; it has many jagged discontinuities, many painful transitions. We know that from our experience with our own development. As you move from infancy to childhood, from childhood to adolescence, from adolescence to adulthood and then to seniority in life, none of these transitions are easy. Many of them are beset with crises. And when a time is totally calm, totally monotonous, and is totally ordered and unchanging, it is a sign that a transition is not yet coming. But do not be afraid—we do not have such signs today. Our world is full of crises.
We live in the most exciting age of the greatest challenges in this transition from a disunited yet interdependent world into one that could be united as well as interdependent. This coming age, when it comes, will be the fruit of much effort, much foresight, but it will also have as a price many crises to pay, and, I am afraid, much suffering as well. It is up to us to minimize this. But we have to be ready for the fact that we are facing a transformation—a trans-
[Page 12]
San Francisco Fire Commissioner Henry Berman (second from right), who
welcomed the Bahá’ís to that city on
behalf of Mayor Diane Feinstein, is
greeted after his address by National Spiritual Assembly members (left to
right) Dorothy Nelson, Soo Fouts, Alberta Deas, Robert Henderson (partially hidden) and William Davis.
formation that affects all aspects of life, that affects human relationships at all levels, that affects all institutions of society. Nothing can remain the way it was if we move to the next level of evolution.
In a contemporary nation-state, the institutions of justice, the institutions of government, the institutions of the economy, of the market did not remain unchanged when we created nation-states. In a medieval princedom, in an archaic empire all these institutions were different. Just as we moved from these earlier phases to the present phase and changed with it, we will move from the present phase into the future.
The differences in your system of justice, of administration of democracy already show, in contrast to the normal, to the dominant mode of organization and institutional arrangements in society, how great these differences will be in the future.
So we will transform ourselves, and the transformation will start at home, will start in ourselves, the way we relate to others, in our values, in our life style. It will move on to the way we organize our businesses, our communities, our governments. Everything will change, and the change will not be easy. But it will change because it has to change. One thing I think we all should remember: we cannot remain as we are. We have created a world committed to change. As it is, I do not think it can even survive into the 21st century. It will change because it must change, and it is up to us to make this change into a globally beneficial one.
Shoghi Effendi wrote, and let me quote this, “If long-cherished ideals and time-honored 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.” Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends, it’s time to relegate and time to evolve. Global society is the next step, and it is this step that could bring with it the end to strife and conflict in this immature and intermediate stage.
Peace can come at last to humanity, I am convinced of that. The insight of the Bahá’ís, now confirmed and bolstered by scientific knowledge, should give you the necessary wisdom and the necessary courage to be our leaders in this great movement. Thank you very much.
Taiwan[edit]
The Universal House of Justice’s peace statement was presented January 25 to Hsu Sway-teh (right), the mayor of Taipei, Taiwan, by David Huang, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of Taiwan, and his wife, Jan. Also presented were Chinese-language translations of The Hidden Words and The New Garden.
Brazil[edit]
‘Physicians for Peace’ founded[edit]
On August 6, in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil, the Brazilian Society of Physicians for Peace was founded.
A group of Bahá’í physicians, inspired by the statement from the Universal House of Justice to the peoples of the world, “The Promise of World Peace,” took the initiative to establish the Society.
The foundation ceremony was attended by 120 doctors, the presidents of the Medical Association and Medical Councils, professors at medical universities, and the most outstanding authorities in the region in the fields of medicine and health.
Hundreds of cables and letters pledging the support of hospitals and physicians from all over Brazil were received, as well as special messages from the Brazilian office of the United Nations Organization and the international group, “Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War” (IPPNW) whose founders, Drs. Lown and Chazov, were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985.
At the dedication ceremony it was stressed that Bahá’í physicians had been instrumental in establishing the Society, and the Universal House of Justice’s peace statement was presented as part of an audio-visual program by Auxiliary Board member Luis Henrique Beust.
The Society aims to awaken medical professionals on a national scale to the importance of their contribution to peace, and intends also to serve as a forum for studies on scientific, ethical, educational, social and spiritual aspects of peace and to submit to national and international bodies positive proposals to stop the arms race and attain a real and lasting peace.
The Society will act as an organ of the Medical Association for the “Non-Violence Campaign” in the community and the country, offering concepts of harmony and unity.
Pictured at the foundation ceremony August 6 of the Brazilian Society of Physicians for Peace in Porto Alegre are (left to right) Dr. Flávio Moura D’Agosto, president of the Brazilian Medical Universities; Dr. Gerda Horn Caleffi, president of the Medical Association; Dr. Farhad Shayani, a Bahá’í who is the principal founder of the Society; and Dr. Eugênio Mentz, a Medical Council member from southern Brazil.
Among the members of the Society’s Administrative Council are two Bahá’í doctors and other physicians who are friendly toward the Faith. In one of its first meetings, the Council approved an agenda to work for peace based on Bahá’í principles.
It has also been affirmed that the bylaws of the Society should be based on the principles of absence of struggle for authority, an electoral process without candidates, parties or electoral campaigns, and for a collegiate administration without personal leadership.
It has been decided too that the Brazilian Society of Physicians for Peace will work for the elimination of prejudices based on race, class, nationality and belief, supporting unity among all peoples and forbidding any involvement in political or ideological disputes.
The Society has been invited to coordinate one of the panel sessions at the “First National Symposium for Peace in the Nuclear Era” to be held in Goiania, capital city of the Brazilian State of Goiás.
The world[edit]
Leaders given ‘Promise of Peace’[edit]
At a recent “Forum for Problems Concerning Peace and War” held in Florence, Italy, “The Promise of World Peace” was read to a gathering of distinguished guests from France, Yugoslavia and Italy, representing the legal, medical and academic fields, as well as some international organizations.
The statement was read by a Bahá’í, Sharrokh Makhanian, who then presented copies of the statement to nine of the participants who are acknowledged leaders in their fields.
The Forum is an association of scholars and professionals from various disciplines whose aims are the production and exchange of knowledge on the topics of war and peace.
Toward this end they promote meetings, research, the gathering of documentation, and contacts among organizations with similar aims.
Pakistan[edit]
A Bahá’í youth speaks on ‘Youth and World Peace’ at a symposium held March 25 at Bahá’í Hall in Karachi, Pakistan, and organized by the Bahá’í Youth Committee of Karachi.
The Local Youth Committee of Karachi, Pakistan, held a symposium on “Youth and World Peace” last March 25 at the Bahá’í Hall in Karachi.
Among the speakers were Senator Javed Jabbar, Miss Farah Akhtari, Mrs. Seema Nekakhter and the chairman of the meeting, Riaz Ahmad Shirazi.
Sen. Jabbar, the symposium’s final speaker, said that instead of fantasizing about peace we must be practical about it and see that we must bring about peace in the home before we can attain it in the outside world.
He added that after reading about the 12 basic principles of the Faith he was pleased to note that “they are almost identical with the teachings of Islam.”
Mr. Shirazi then summed up the proceedings, agreeing with Sen. Jabbar that practical measures must be taken now to ensure peace and exhorting the youth to continue their activities, promoting world unity and the establishment of international peace.
Costa Rica[edit]
The Bahá’í community of Costa Rica held its second annual Human Rights Day celebration last December. During the event, awards were given to individuals who have distinguished themselves in the field of human rights in Costa Rica.
Among the honorees was Demetrio Tinoco, a lawyer and writer who was the Costa Rican delegate to the first meeting of the United Nations 40 years ago. His is the first signature on the first document on human rights issued by the UN.
Others honored were the president of the University Council of the Costa Rican University, a woman who is dedicated to the protection of the rights of the country’s indigenous people; and the Refugee Commission, a government agency that has opened doors to more than 200,000 refugees.
United Kingdom[edit]
The University of Edinburgh’s Journal for December 1985 reviewed The Phoenix and the Ashes (George Ronald, 1985), Geoffrey Nash’s analysis of the social history of the last two centuries in light of the emergence of the Bahá’í Faith. The reviewer calls the book “a careful analysis of conditions and backgrounds” and “a thesis lucidly presented.”
Japan[edit]
The Spiritual Assembly of Utsunomiya, Japan, sponsored a fireside and barbecue June 1 at Utsunomiya Shinrin Park. This was an exciting event for the relatively new Bahá’í community of Utsunomiya. Pictured are most of the 80 people from nine countries including 50 non-Bahá’ís who attended the event.
Colombia[edit]
On January 19, the Bahá’í community of Barranquilla, Colombia, celebrated World Religion Day with a public meeting at which representatives of five of the world’s great religions spoke on “Religion, the Source of Peace.”
Besides the Faith, which was represented by Dr. Gustavo Correa, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Colombia, speakers were from the Hindu, Jewish, Christian and Islamic faiths.
The atmosphere at the meeting was cordial, and the hall was filled to capacity with about 300 people attending.
The moderator was Salvador Rivas, a Bahá’í from El Salvador who is a student in Barranquilla.
Radio and television coverage of the event has brought news of the Faith to many people in the area. There were no less than eight radio interviews in Barranquilla with Dr. Correa alone. Newspaper coverage was also exceptional.
Mariana Islands[edit]
The legislature of the Trust Territory of Guam, in a resolution passed last November 29, paid unprecedented tribute to the Faith, the Universal House of Justice, and the document, “The Promise of World Peace.”
The resolution of the 18th Guam Legislature was sent to the Universal House of Justice on March 13 by its legislative secretary, Sen. Elizabeth P. Arriola.
The resolution sets forth 11 clauses describing the Bahá’ís’ peace efforts and expresses the appreciation of the government of Guam for such efforts. It says in part:
“Resolved, that the 18th Guam Legislature, on behalf of the people of Guam, recognize the efforts of the people who embrace the Bahá’í Faith to effectuate the promise of world peace and recognize the Bahá’ís for publicizing this cause and encouraging mankind to work for this worthy and high goal.”
It further resolves that copies of the resolution “be transmitted to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the Mariana Islands; to the Universal House of Justice in Haifa, Israel; to the President of the United States; to the Secretary-General of the United Nations; to the Pacific Basin Governors’ Council; to the Association of Pacific Island Legislators; and to the Governor of Guam.”
Bahá’ís in the Mariana Islands are being encouraged by the National Spiritual Assembly to volunteer for humanitarian activities such as feeding the elderly at a local hospital, working with the handicapped at a Life Skills Center, or joining in an island-wide fund-raising campaign for primary health care to less-developed countries.
The National Assembly cites the exhortation of Shoghi Effendi in The Advent of Divine Justice to take part in “social, cultural, humanitarian, charitable and educational organizations and enterprises ...”
Israel[edit]
In an eloquent response to the Universal House of Justice’s peace statement, Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres wrote on February 14, “Peace is not only the behest of prophets and sages. Peace is also more than a natural and elementary ideal. Peace is a guarantee that mankind will not perish from the earth. It is a promise from one generation to the generations to come.... Let us hope that your vital message will win support and followers in all corners of the world.”
Meanwhile, an assistant to Chaim Herzog, the President of Israel, responded to receipt of the peace statement on February 24, writing on behalf of Mr. Herzog that “... (the message) is a penetrating analysis of the problems that afflict humanity today” and “an impressive and inspiring tract for our time.”
Mexico[edit]
A public meeting was held January 12 in Mexico City to formally present the Universal House of Justice’s peace statement. About 200 people including members of the press, university professors, workers for peace and Esperantists, assembled at a downtown hotel to hear a brief history of Bahá’í peace statements from the Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh to the kings and rulers of the world and up to and including “The Promise of World Peace.”
A press conference was held five days before the meeting at which three topics were discussed: the peace statement, the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran, and the resolution condemning those persecutions approved last December by the United Nations General Assembly.
As a result of the two events, a number of excellent articles appeared in several newspapers.
Republic of Ireland[edit]
A local Spiritual Assembly whose members are Iranian, American, Finnish, Dutch and Irish pioneers was formed last February 16 in County Leitrim, Republic of Ireland. It is the first Assembly in the county, which borders on Northern Ireland.
Trinidad/Tobago[edit]
On March 21, Stephenson Sargeant, the mayor of Port of Spain, Trinidad, was presented a copy of ‘The Promise of World Peace’ by two members of the Spiritual Assembly of Port of Spain, Edna Ruth Caverly (center) and Julie Abraham. The mayor said he seldom gets to meet with Bahá’ís, adding that it was a pleasure to receive them. He voiced his appreciation for the Bahá’ís’ concern for peace.
Hawaii[edit]
Pictured are delegates and guests at the 23rd National Convention of the Bahá’ís of the Hawaiian Islands held in April. Among the special guests were Counsellor Gayle Morrison and three Auxiliary Board members.
Papua New Guinea[edit]
A Bahá’í Center was recently opened on the main road of Rabaul, Papua New Guinea. It has a sign that bears its name, and is attracting favorable attention from the public.
Taiwan[edit]
The “Friendship Forum,” an English-language conversation class taught by the Bahá’ís as a service to the community, is one of the socio-economic development projects undertaken by Bahá’ís in Taiwan as a response to the directive from the Universal House of Justice.
Students attend the weekly classes for two months. Topics discussed include “What is the purpose of life?” and “How can women abolish war?”
Each week the students receive a paper that provides quotations from the Bahá’í writings about the topic under discussion. The quotations are intended to stimulate participants to share their ideas.
Many of the students seek more information about the Faith after the classes have ended, attending firesides and Holy Day events. Some have embraced the Faith, and all have become friends of the Faith.
Mayor Yung (right) of Tainan County, Taiwan, is pictured as he received the peace statement last December 17 from Auxiliary Board member Jean Wu and her husband, Danel Boone. The Boones were warmly received by the mayor, who had been an English student of theirs, and after the new election the Boones were invited to sit with dignitaries during Mayor Yung’s outgoing ceremony and the installation of the new mayor.
The first Bahá’í Center on the island of Taiwan, built when Taiwan’s first pioneers from Iran, Mr. and Mrs. Suleimani, settled in Tainan in 1956, has recently undergone much-needed renovation. Funds for the project were raised in part by the friends in Taiwan, with the help of a loan from the Universal House of Justice.
Pictured are participants in the ‘Friendship Forum,’ an English conversation class sponsored by the Bahá’ís of Taipei, Taiwan. The conductor for this session was Jan Huang (second from left in front row).
Some 50 Bahá’ís attended a National Teaching Conference the weekend of January 18-19 in Tainan, Taiwan, that began with a Unity Feast and ended with a FUNd night.
David Huang, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, shared the historic message from the Universal House of Justice announcing the forthcoming Six Year Plan.
Other speakers included Auxiliary Board member Yip Kin-fook, who spoke about how ‘Abdu’l-Bahá taught the Faith; Auxiliary Board member Edward Chang, who talked about the history of the Faith and the spirit of the martyrs; and a member of the National Proclamation Committee, who discussed the upcoming campaign of proclamation.
During the FUNd night, the friends formed groups and took turns performing for each other. At the end of each performance, the audience contributed to the Fund what they thought the show was worth.
Bahá’í writings on establishing unity and peace
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