Bahá’í World/Volume 29/Culture and the Evolution of Consciousness

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[Page 145]

Robert Atkinson looks at the dynamic

relationship between the development of culture and humanity Is growing awareness Ofits essential oneness, as seen both in works of scholars from different disciplines and in the writings Ofthe Bahá’í Faith.

CULTURE AND THE EVOLUTION op CONSCIQUSNESS

ulture is a complex, dynamic concept that is so basic to hu man life, so all-pervasive, that, on one hand, it is overlooked or taken for granted, while on the other hand, it can represent all of what we think we need to know to become fully worthwhile human beings. Culture includes religion as well as attitudes, values, beliefs, worldview, customs, rituals, traditions, heritage, behaviors, the vast range of expressive and material arts, and all forms of communication. It determines the myriad ways that people within clearly defined groups respond to, share, organize, interpret, and pass on life’s challenges. F ar from static, culture is ever changing, a constant battleground for the tensions of dynamism and conservatism.

Culture is therefore understood as a primary catalyst to the growth and evolution of consciousness. One of the connotations of culture that best illustrates this is in modem biology, where bacteria are grown in a laboratory in an appropriate “culture.” Here, culture is literally a medium for growth. Humanity, similarly, is seen as divided into separate, distinct cultures, with each person being the product of the culture in which he or she lives and each

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culture being the primary catalyst for both individual and colleetive growth and evolution.

Culture, by its very nature and make up, directly impacts and influences the consciousness of the people who are recipients and carriers of it. The values, beliefs, worldview, customs, and other elements are designed to remind and instruct the people about themselves, their world, their place in it, and ultimately their purpose. Whatever these elements of culture tell them, the degree to which the people adhere to their own stated beliefs and the way they are interpreted will determine the potential growth, stagnation, or regression that the culture will experience.

One of the most intriguing questions regarding culture is whether there is a pattern, a direction, or a governing force attached to the unfolding of culture. Some say that growth is random; others, that all of history is directional and globalization is a natural culmination of the past. The answer may not be “either/or.” The actual path of evolution may be more along the lines of a combination of both randomness and purposive direction.

To explore this question in more depth, the Bahá’í concept of culture as a medium for growth will be examined, paying particular attention to the nature of cultural evolution as it relates to human consciousness. Central to the teachings of Baha’u’llah is the following, written in the middle of the nineteenth century: “All men have been created to carry forward an ever—advancing civilization.”1 Humanity is thus admonished to nurture the noble Virtues with which it has been entrusted, such as forbearance, mercy, compassion, and loving-kindness, through acts of service “towards all the peoples and kindreds of the earth,” so that progress will be continuous. In fact, Baha’u’llah states, “The progress of the world, the development of nations, the tranquility of peoples, and the peace of all who dwell on earth are amongst the principles and ordinances of God.”2 Progress, tranquility, and

‘ Baha’u’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh (Wilmette: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1984), p. 215.

2 Baha’u’llah, Tablets Of Bahá’u’lláh revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Wilmette: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1988), pp. 129—30.

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peace are both divine commandments, or laws, to be followed, and goals to be achieved.

Evolution may be designed to follow a process, a divine plan, moving towards an end goal, but the factor of human choice makes evolution seem either random or painfully slow, or both. Consider, for example, the innumerable wars and cultural conflicts that humanity has been, and is still, going through. Yet, these, too, can be seen as part of the process.

In a talk given in 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explains:

In this present cycle there Will be an evolution in civilization unparalleled in the history of the world. The world of humanity has, heretofore, been in the stage of infancy; now it is approaching maturity. Just as the individual human organism, having attained the period of maturity, reaches its fullest degree of physical strength and ripened intellectual faculties so that in one year of this ripened period there is witnessed an unprecedented measure of development, likewise the world of humanity in this cycle of its completeness and consummation will realize an immeasurable upward progress. . .3

We are all familiar with both the advances and setbacks in all realms of society from the middle of the nineteenth century throughout the entire twentieth century that resulted from the Clash between dynamism and conservatism.

The Bahá’í writings directly address this dialectical phenomenon. With each new prophetic cycle, or divine Revelation, the direction and rate of the progress of society is quickened by the release of “creative energies” designed, in this case, “to instill into the entire human race the capacity to achieve its organic unification, attain maturity and thereby reach the final stage in its age-long evolution.”4 Thus, a progressive series of Revelations, from ancient, indigenous religions with unknown revelators, t0 the Prophets Of

3 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by ‘Abdu ’l-Bahd during His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912, rev. ed. (Wilmette: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1982), pp. 37—38.

4 Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By (Wilmette: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1944), p. 58.

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world religions, has infused not only culture, but all aspects of civilization, from the sciences to politics to industries, with new ideas, theories, standards, and discoveries that advance civilization as a whole. Roughly every thousand years or so, the world of humanity undergoes a reformation that witnesses the passing of the old conditions and the advent of a new level of progress.5

This forward progress is not without great struggle, however. With each new cycle of spiritual renewal, there is greater evidence of both extremes in the dialectical tension created by the opposing forces. The twentieth century has been a time of the greatest advances of civilization to date, but it has also been “the most turbulent in the history of the human race.” “The loss of life,” “the disintegration of basic institutions of social order,” “the abandonment of standards of decency,” “the deployment of monstrous weapons of mass annihilation,” and “the reduction of masses of human beings to hopeless poverty” have all occurred to a magnitude previously unknown.6 While this might be seen as the nature—or result—of individual free will operating in conflict with divine will, it is still possible to recognize the general direction of the overall path of humanity’s collective evolution.

One of the more interesting literary contributions of the year 2000 that addressed the theme of evolution was Robert Wright’s book Nonzem: The Logic ofHuman Destiny. Looking at human history from the perspective of science, Wright illustrates how our evolution has been a directional process of weaving people into larger and richer webs of interdependence over the course of eenturies.

Wright applies game theory to evolution by explaining the distinction between “zero-sum” games and “non-zero—sum” games. Zero-sum games are essentially win-lose situations, where competition places one side at the peril of the other, with no overall gain for the whole. Non-zero-sum, on the other hand, results in positive outcomes where all gain from the interaction because it is based on cooperation, or potential; it is a win-win situation. Zero—sum

5 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 439. 6 Century ofLight, prepared under the supervision of the Universal House of Justice (Haifa: Bahá’í World Centre, 2001), p. l.

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interactions lead, at best, to random movement, while non-zero interactions result in directional movement and long-term benefits for all. Wright says the fact that the non-zero approach turns potential into positive sums often creates more potential and more nonzero-sum possibilities to follow.

Wright’s thesis is that “the more 0105er we examine...the drift of human history, the more there seems to be a point to it all.” He posits a “core pattern” that captures history’s basic trajectory: new technologies arise that encourage new forms of non—zero-sum interactions, which stimulate evolution and help realize new potential, which, in turn, contributes to more non-zero situations, until more new technologies arise that cause a repetition and expansion of the pattern. The accumulation of these cycles constitutes growth in evolution and social complexity. Human cultural evolution points towards greater complexity and higher civilization, creating what Wright calls “the arrow of the history of life, from the primordial soup to the World Wide Web.”7

Wright says further, from the scientific perspective:

Globalization, it seems to me, has been in the cards not just since the invention of the telegraph or the steamship, or even the written word or the wheel, but since the invention of life. The current age, in which relations among nations grow more non-zero-sum year by year, is the natural outgrowth of several billion years of unfolding non-zerO-sum logic.8

Wright’s book serves as a scientific reference point in looking at whether the evolution of culture and the evolution of consciousness can be seen as logical—as part of a plan.

Cultural Evolution in Historical Perspective Earlier in history, when cultural groups were isolated from one another, when they still remained geographically separate from each other, and when each was homogenous, they were better able to maintain their own traditions, beliefs, and values. Although they had their own internal struggles, tribal and indigenous cultural

7 Robert Wright, Nonzem: The Logic ofHumarz Destiny (New York: Random House, 2000), p. 7. 8Wright, p. 7.

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groups on their own, with their close-knit communities, typically had fewer sources of conflict or external adversarial forces to contend with, and they were therefore usually able to extend their own way of life.

Rites of passage and ceremonies in traditional communities were intentionally designed to maintain and strengthen the communities’ traditions. Knowledge of the world was passed on both formally, through rites and ceremonies, and informally, through storytelling. All life cycle ceremonies were established as socially prescribed means for carrying on traditions that had already been formed and had sustained the welfare and harmony of the community. The coming together of the entire community for rites of passage served as a process for reaffirming the spiritual well-being of the community.

The ritual process has been described as a three-part pattern, consisting of separation, transition, and incorporation. There are many other versions of this pattern; in terms of myth, for example: birth, death, and rebirth; or story: beginning, muddle, resolution; or mysticism: purification, illumination, union. All are metaphors of transformation. The pattern is a built-in blueprint of how growth and evolution actually occur. Timeless and sacred, it ensures that, despite difficulties, we will persist in our inherent psychologically programmed way to continue to grow. As the pattern completes itself, it begins over again to carry individuals, communities, and civilization to further levels of growth.9

While traditional cultures remained isolated, they not only maintained their own values, beliefs, and customs effectively but also became more complex over time. Wright notes that archaeologists have accumulated evidence of hunter—gatherer societies of six thousand to fifteen thousand years ago that shows signs of growing social and technological complexity. This directional

9I have discussed how this sacred pattern parallels the biological principle of homeorhesis (that we persist along the specific pathway of our biological development once we have started on it, despite the environmental variations we encounter) and represents a blueprint for psychological and spiritual transformation, in The Gift ofStories: Practical and Spiritual Applications ofAutobiography Llfe Stories, and Personal Mythmaking (Westport: Bergin & Garvey, 1995), pp. 29—38.

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cultural change is seen as part of a global evolutionary pattern, an upward arrow of human history illustrating “stubborn ingenuity focused on the resources at hand.” One of the basic properties of cultural evolution in applying this kind of ingenuity is a parallel and simultaneous growth in consciousness, occurring in lockstep with growth in complexity.10

Later, when cultures began to move around, to expand into others’ territory, or to become imperialistic, their beliefs, values, and worldviews came into conflict and struggle became the norm, with a new culture emerging when two mixed. This is how and why the two primary forces of evolution—conservatism and dynamism—have come into play. Tradition, essentially a conservative force, is balanced by the dynamic force of change. Thus, the twin opposing forces of conservatism and dynamism can be seen as laws governing the process of change.

Change is a fundamental factor of culture and evolution. It “occurs each time new variations are introduced,” accepted, and “adapted gradually to the needs of the society and to the pre-existing culture patterns, which may themselves be modified somewhat to conform to the new invention.”” This change occurs on many levels at once, from an individual folk tale to the collective level of an entire community or culture and involving something as pervasive as a belief system.

Conservatism is the force that contributes to the retention of information, beliefs, customs, and other aspects of culture, and to maintainng them and passing them on to the next generation. Dynamism, 0n the other hand, comprises all those elements that function to change the contents, meanings, and forms of culture over time. These two opposing forces can thus be envisioned as opposite ends of a spectrum.12

Every culture is, in a way, at the mercy of these two forces and will either remain static or will change, depending on which

10Wright, pp. 39—42, 308—09.

“ William R. Bascom, “Folklore and Anthropology,” Journal ofAmerican Folklore 46 (1953), pp. 283—90.

'3 Barre Toelken, T he Dynamics ofFolklore (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1979), pp. 34—43.

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force is more dominant. At one time, perhaps in its isolated stage of development, a culture may be more conservative, while at another time, after it has interacted with other cultures, it will be more dynamic. Cultural evolution can occur at any point on the spectrum, but the more interaction there is between the two forces, the more tension and struggle there will likely be, and the more profound the evolution will be. Like biological evolution, cultural evolution is largely a selective process that ensures that both tradition and change will prove their effectiveness to the community, whether things stay the same or change.

Throughout history, the continual interaction between the forces of conservatism and dynamism has been a fact of life for most communities and individuals. Traditional ways of life have been increasingly threatened by the spread of exploitation, oppression, and domination, which has contributed to increased conflict, chaos, and struggle. This process can also be seen as a shift in focus of both extremes of the spectrum. The struggle has gradually taken the form of a battle between sacred and secular values. A recent illustration of this is the “Jihad vs. McWorld” phenomenon, from the 1995 book of the same name by Benjamin Barber, that depicts the world as “falling apart” on the sacred level while “coming together” on the secular level. The tension between the two forces has thus created a dual process of fragmentation (tribalisrn) and integration (globalization), both of which have a common impetus: cultural complexity. ‘ 3

The Bahá’í writings on the subject of these opposing forces are very clear. This process has its origin in the continual cycle of successive Revelations; as a former one wanes a new one waxes. Shoghi Effendi wrote in early 1941: “We are indeed living in an age which...is witnessing a dual phenomenon. The first signalizes the death pangs of an order, effete and godless, that has stubbomly refused...to attune its processes to the precepts and ideals” of a new era. “The second proclaims the birth pangs of an

‘3 Wright, pp. 202—04. See also Benjamin R. Barber, Jihad vs. Mc World (New York: Times Books, Random House, 1995).

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Order, divine and redemptive, that will inevitably supplant the

former.”14

The pains of this birth process are still evident sixty years later and will continue to be so into the future, as long as the disparity between the secular and the sacred, and the extremes of wealth and poverty, are as evident as they are today, and as long as the “unthinking imitation of earlier ages” produces superstition and “religious prejudices” keep alive “in successive generations smoldering fires of bitter animosity.”15

In a Bahá’í context, the two primary forces of this process are often referred to as “material” and “spiritual.” One is not necessarily good and the other bad. Both are considered important and necessary to the progress of human evolution. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá speaks of “two calls to success and prosperity” being raised. The “call of civilization, of the progress of the material world” refers to the principles of material achievement and includes “the laws, regulations, arts and sciences through which the world of humanity hath developed.”

“The other,” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá continues,

is the soul-stirring call of God, Whose spiritual teachings are safeguards Of the everlasting glory, the eternal happiness and illumination of the world of humanity, and cause attributes of mercy to be revealed in the human world and the life beyond. This second call is founded upon the instructions and exhortations of the Lord and the admonitions and altruistic emotions belonging to the realm of morality, which, like unto a brilliant light, brighten, and illumine the lamp of the realities of mankind. Its penetrative power is the Word of God.16

The key is balance and the full development of both, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá makes clear: “. .. until material achievements, physical accomplishments and human Virtues are reinforced by spiritual perfections, luminous qualities and characteristics of mercy, n0 fruit

‘4 Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day 15 Come (Wilmette: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1980), p. 17.

‘5 Century ofLight, pp. 5—6.

‘6 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selectionsfrom the Writings of ‘Abdu ’l-Bahd (Haifa: Bahá’í World Centre, 1982), pp. 283—84.

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or result shall issue therefrom, nor will the happiness of the world of humanity, which is the ultimate aim, be attained.” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá uses vivid imagery to explain this idea fiirther:

For man two wings are necessary. One wing is physical power and material civilization; the other is spiritual power and divine Civilization. With one wing only, flight is impossible. Two wings are essential. Therefore, no matter how much material civilization advances, it cannot attain to perfection except through the uplift of spiritual civilization.l7

Historically, material advancements appear most evident. The outward expression of human capacity has been greatly developed. What is needed, from the Bahá’í perspective, is the equal development of the inner forces of morality. This is what has suffered the most when tradition, when sacred values, have lost in the zerosum game to secular change.

The forced loss of tradition has been a win—lose situation. Clearly, it has had an adverse impact on the lives of indigenous and tribal peoples and has made their struggle to survive more difficult. The key to progress, cultural evolution, and an ever—advancing civilization lies in the principle of moderation. Baha’u’llah made this clear over a century ago: “. . .civilization. . .will, if allowed to overleap the bounds of moderation, bring great evil upon men... If carried to excess, civilization will prove as prolific a source of evil as it had been of goodness when kept within the restraints of moderation.”l8 The principle of moderation in action will result in win-win outcomes, or non-zero-sum interactions, while moving the evolution of humanity more smoothly toward its goal of unity.

The Pattern of Collective Evolution

One factor that contributes to the growth of consciousness 0n the collective level is the pattern of growth itself. Earlier indigenous and traditional cultures generally lived in harmony with each other, interacting mostly in a mutually profitable fashion. The emphasis was primarily on their own cultural values, beliefs, and customs, maintaining these, and passing them on to the next generation.

'7 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation 0/ Universal Peace, p. 12. '8 Baha’u’llah, Gleanings, pp. 342—43.

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There are exceptions to this, of course, but while arguing and accusations occurred, “generalized reciprocity” or “reciprocal altruism” is seen to be the rule of natural selection and evolution. As Wright points out, evolutionary psychologists believe that various impulses designed for the “practical purpose of bringing beneficial exchange” are built into us, including generosity, gratitude, a sense of obligation, and empathy for those who reciprocate. These feelings and the behaviors they evoke are found in all cultures, they say.19

This observation recalls CG Jung’s notion of archetypes. He says the psyche of a newborn child is not a “tabula rasa in the sense that there is absolutely nothing in it.” The child’s differentiated brain “is predetermined by heredity and therefore individualized.” It meets external sensory stimuli with specific aptitudes, and “this necessarily results in a particular, individual choice and pattern of apperception. These aptitudes can be shown to be inherited instincts and preformed patterns... They are the archetypes, which...produce...astonishing mythological parallels.” They are, therefore, “inherited possibilities of ideas” that represent “the authentic element of spirit,” or “a spiritual goal toward which the whole nature of man strives.”20 The archetype is that which potentially connects us to our own divine nature.

With these inherited possibilities as part of our genetic make-up, it follows that traditional and tribal cultures were founded on the principle of unity in homogeneity, or unity in sameness. They were primarily concerned with unity 0n the level of their own community. The beliefs and values of the world’s indigenous peoples emerged originally as a consciousness of oneness, expressed on the level that they knew and within which they lived. Oneness, 0r unity, is thus the first phase in this pattern of collective evolution.

The qualities that define traditional cultures (morality, mutuality, complementarity, cooperation, stability, and interrelations), as well as their clearly defined, socially prescribed rites, ceremonies,

‘9 Wright, pp. 22—24. 2” CG Jung, Psychological Reflections (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1973), Pp. 38, 42.

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and traditions, contribute in an essential way to the pattern that sustains them. Traditions based upon a firm foundation of values and beliefs lead to bonding, which leads to solidification, which leads to internal strength, which leads to the further growth of internal complexity.

As cultures and societies became more complex, through the natural process of evolution, and as different peoples interacted and experienced conflict, this consciousness of oneness was tested and challenged. Eventually it shifted to accommodate the introduction of greater chaos and struggle in people’s lives. The consciousness of unity within, and loyalty to, one’s known group was replaced, almost through force, by the expectation that members would express the same attitude towards new and larger groups with different Views and values.

The Bahá’í perspective on this process is expressed in this way: “Unity of family, of tribe, of city-state, and nation have been successively attempted and fully established. World unity is the goal towards which a harassed humanity is striving.”21

But this is not a smooth process; it involves a time of transition, of darkness, stress and disorder, a period of limbo between each new level of complexity. Between the level of tribe and city—state, or of city-state and nation, for example, would be liminal periods of chaos and conflict, resulting in the second, temporary, phase of unwanted, nonreciprocal pluralism, in which distinct cultures interact, find what they think are important differences, and are nevertheless expected to get along. Such phases are characterized by separateness and collective disagreements, which have brought about long periods of oppression, prejudice, racism, armed conflicts, and wars between various cultural and ethnic groups. As this process is played out at each level, in every continent of the world, there remain pockets of resistance within each level, as we see even today in nations where brutal ethnic stn'fe still occurs.

The process is always made up of the ongoing interaction and struggle between the forces of conservatism and dynamism, but is today taken to the grandest scale. As the conservative desire to

21 Shoghi Effendi, The World Order ofBahd ’u 716%: Selected Letters, 2d rev. ed. (Wilmette: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1974), p. 202.

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keep things the way they are gives way to dynamic forces of change, conflict and struggle escalate until the change is incorporated and integrated into a new cultural system, whether or not it is welcomed by all.

While some factions within nations resist, the world moves onward towards unification. This next step in humanity’s evolution will bring us to our destined climax. The Bahá’í thesis is that “A world, growing to maturity, must. . .reeognize the oneness and wholeness of human relationships, and establish once and for all the machinery that can best incarnate this fundamental principle of its life.”22

Completing this pattern of the collective evolution of humanity, the third phase returns us to where we began, but on the grandest scale—to oneness, 0r unity. The pattern as a whole can thus be described as follows: oneness followed by duality followed by oneness, or unity followed by separateness followed by unity. It could even be described as a collective version of the pattern individuals follow during traditional rites of passage (separation, transition, incorporation), and so it illustrates the principle of the oneness of creation: that what is true on the individual level is also true on the collective level.

With each new level of complexity, a new struggle is experienced, and a new level of expansion of the basic quality of the stage is reached. This is the essence of the process of the evolution of consciousness.

The Bahá’í thesis is that, having moved beyond the level of unity in sameness and having experienced many phases of duality and forced pluralism throughout the world, we are today faced with achieving unity 0n the final level; we are at the threshold of the third phase of the pattern: that of unity on a global scale. This is the cycle of unity in diversity, 0r unity in difference, entailing nothing less in our evolution than the unity of the entire human race, in which, as envisaged by Baha’u’llah, “all nations, races, creeds and classes are closely and permanently united.”23

22 Shoghi Effendi, World Order OfBahd ’11 7162/1, p. 202. 23 Baha’u’llah, Cited in World Order OfBahá’u’lláh, p. 203.

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To summarize, the whole pattern can be seen as one of inherent unity, followed by a temporary, transitional period of disunity, followed by intended unity.24 The intended unity we are faced with at this point in our evolution is to understand deeply, accept, and put into action, the concept of unity in diversity on a global scale. This third stage will bring us to a practical realization of “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.”25

“Unity in diversity” is not just a slogan or buzzword. It is a way of explaining the principle of the oneness of humanity while honoring and cherishing all the natural and unique forms of diversity that exist within the human family, from every ethnic group to each individual temperament. Diversity in the cultural and personal realms is just as Vital and essential to the well-being of humanity as it is in the realm of the human gene pool.26 To accept and put into action the concept of unity in diversity means broadening affiliations without giving up any legitimate allegiances.

In 1931 Shoghi Effendi explained unity in diversity by saying:

It does not ignore, nor does it attempt to suppress, the diversity of ethnieal origins, of climate, of history, of language and tradition, of thought and habit, that differentiate the peoples and nations of the world. It calls for a wider loyalty, for a larger aspiration than any other that has animated the human race. It insists upon the subordination of national impulses and interests to the imperative claims of a unified world. It repudiates excessive centralization 0n the one hand, and disclaims all attempts at uniformity 0n the other.27

24 For ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s discussion of inherent unity and intended unity, see Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu ’l-Bahd, pp. 260—61, and Promulgation of Universal Peace, pp. 129—30.

25 Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 42—43.

26 See Bahá’í lntemational Community, Valuing Spirituality in Development (London: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1998), pp. 14—15.

27 Shoghi Effendi, World Order ofBahd ’11 7152/1, pp. 4142.

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On the global scale, unity in diversity is founded not only upon the encouragement of the full participation of all groups and individuals in the life of the world community, but also upon the protection of the immense diversity of the human family. Bahá’í communities understand the nurturing and safeguarding of diversity as “a moral responsibility,” and an “inescapable obligation,”28 because, as Baha’u’llah asserts, “There can be no doubt whatever that the peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion, derive their inspiration from one heavenly source, and are the subj ects of one God.”29

‘Abdu’l-Bahá makes this idea even clearer when he says, “The most important teaching of Baha’u’llah is to leave behind racial, religious, national and patriotic prejudices. Until these prejudices are entirely removed mankind will not find rest.” Humanity’s range of diversity is more a reason for unity than for discord, because it lends “a composite harmony and beauty of color to the whole.” Unity in diversity, therefore, “should be the cause of love and harmony, as it is in music where many different notes blend together in the making of a perfect chord.”3O

The Views of some scientists accord with these spiritual principles, which have been elaborated through a succession of Revelations that have released creative energies to guide the process. As Wright points out, kin-selected altruism is the original source of love, and this love is based in the genes of the mother and her offspring. “Give evolution long enough,” he says, “and reciprocal altruism will arise yet again—and again and again and again. . .”3' Occurring on ever greater levels each time, eventually it is expressed as unity in diversity in the human family.

28 See Shoghi Effendi, The Advent ofDivine Justice (Wilmette: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1990), p. 35; and the statement of the Bahá’í International Community, The Protection of Diversity in the Bahá’í' Community, available at <www.bahai.org/article- 1-3 -3 -4.html>.

2" Bahá’u’lláh, Gleam'ngs, p. 217.

3° Abdu’l-Bahá, quoted in The Power of Unity (Wilmette: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1986); Promulgation of Universal Peace, pp. 68—69; and Paris Talks: Addresses given by ‘Abdu’l—Bahd in Paris in 1911—1912 (London: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1995), pp. 51—54.

3' Wright, pp. 262, 294.

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Charles Darwin echoes this View of evolution:

As man advances in civilization, and small tribes are united into larger communities, the simplest reason would tell each individual that he ought to extend his social instincts and sympathies to all the members of the same nation, though personally unknown to him. This point being once reached, there is only an artificial barrier to prevent his sympathies extending to the men of all nations and races.32

To make this even clearer, Shoghi Effendi puts the collective evolution of consciousness within the framework of the transformations of the human life cycle:

The long ages of infancy and childhood, through which the human race had to pass, have receded into the background. Humanity is now experiencing the commotions invariably associated with the most turbulent stage of its evolution, the stage of adolescence, when the impetuosity of its youth and its vehemence reach their climax, and must gradually be superseded by the calmness, the wisdom, and the maturity that characterize the stage of manhood.33

This acknowledges and reminds us of the differences, difficulties, and discord of the present, helps us to remember the spiritual nature of all life and the essential unity of the diverse expressions of human life, and offers a clear direction for the future.

To recap the pattern of collective evolution: inherent unity is family and tribal unity, unity on the level of the most basic human unit. Intended unity is universal unity, on the largest possible scale. Yet only when we have achieved, or truly understood, our intended unity on the universal level, will we recognize that it, too, is part of our inherent unity. Unity on this highest level is learned, and requires, along with an acceptance of the concept of unity in diversity, a similar understanding of the concepts of a global consciousness, and a sense of world citizenship, all of which are ultimately understood and expressed as a love for humanity as a whole.

32 Charles Darwin, quoted in Wright, frontispiece. 33 Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 202.

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Towards a Global Consciousness

With each shift of the pattern of collective evolution towards its next level of expansion and incorporation, both cultures and individuals undergo an expansion of consciousness to accommodate the change and prepare them for the next step in their own and the world’s cultural evolution. Both the expansion of cultures and shifts in consciousness are initiated by the progressive release of divine energies, or renewals of Revelation, which play the key role in shaping the course of human society.

At each new level of consciousness, humanity becomes more aware of its personal and collective destiny and makes greater efforts to express the truth of that new consciousness. The first questions of consciousness are “Who am 1?”, “Where am 1?”, “Where am I going?”, and “What should I do?” If unity of family is inherent and universal unity is intended, or learned, then at each higher level of consciousness we seek to build unity on greater levels. We want “to transform situations of discord and conflict into those of harmony and fellowship” to match the truth of our new consciousness, until at the highest level of consciousness we “become Champions of justice and help create a just social order” on a global scale.34

Evidence of this movement towards a global consciousness is illustrated and supported not only in the Bahá’í writings, but also by many writers in the scientific fields. For example, a thread that traces our evolution towards a global consciousness runs throughout the field of psychology. Wilhelm Wundt, the founder of experimental psychology, turned later in his life to social or cultural psychology and employed a more ethnographically based methodology that he favored over experimental methods. He capped a highly significant career with an under—appreciated but truly pioneering work on the psychological history of mankind, in which he delineated the stages of cultural development, concerning himself primarily with the evolution of the collective mind of humanity.

3“ Paul Lample, Creating a New Mind: Reflections on the Individual, the Institutions and the Community (Riviera Beach, Florida: Palabra Publications, 1999), pp. 4—5.

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In his 1912 book Elements of F 01k Psychology, Wundt outlines the four stages of the cultural, social, religious, and psychological history of mankind, which will culminate in a fourth stage characterized by a world consciousness. The first stage he calls “Primitive Man,” or the childhood of humanity’s evolution. The second is the “Totemic Age,” or the era of the newly discovered symbolic world. The third is the “Age of Heroes and Gods,” in which community concerns give way to national concerns. The final stage is the “Development to Humanity,” when national affiliations give way to worldwide humanistic concerns. During this fourth stage, a world consciousness develops through a four-step process.

Discussing the concept of humanity, Wundt says that, on the one hand, “humanity” means the whole of mankind, while on the other, it is a value-attribute referring to the development of ethical characteristics that transcend “the limits of all more restricted associations, such as family, tribe, or State,” and in which the individual’s “appreciation of human worth shall have become a universal norm.” He explains further that this evolution does not “entail the disappearance of previous conditions,” but that

humanitarian culture takes up into itself the creations of preceding eras, and allows them to take firmer root. Thus, the idea of a cultural community of peoples has not weakened, but...has strengthened and enriched, the self—consciousness of separate peoples and the significance of the individual State.

His View is that national differences have led to increased dissemination of cultural products, and this has “thus enhanced the value attaching to the spiritual distinctiveness of a people and Of the individual personality.”35

Raising the question of whether we live in an age of “a universally human culture,” he answers: “We are on the way to this goal, but are still far from having actually achieved it.” The goal is still distant because, even though phenomena in the Heroic Age

35 Wilhelm Wundt, Elements ofF 01k Psychology (N ew York: Macmillan, 1912), pp.472—73.

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“might properly be interpreted to indicate the gradual rise of feelings of humanity,” the Development to Humanity stage in our collective development is one “in which the idea of humanity, having come to clear consciousness, exercises an influence upon the various phases of culture, and is entertained by a significantly large portion of mankind to ensure its permanent effectiveness.”36

In this context, Wundt outlines the four steps leading towards world consciousness, by which the “permanent effectiveness” of the idea of humanity can be measured. The first step is the rise of “world empires.” This is not meant “to refer merely to a great kingdom that results from the absorption of a number of separate States” or the extension of any single state, but the establishment of a universal society that “involves the conscious idea of a unity embracing the whole of mankind.”37

In the second step, or “world culture,” the intermingling of peoples and culture results in an interest in humanity as a whole and bn'ngs the transition from folk culture to a world culture. With the third step, “world religion” makes its appearance. During this phase, “we find religions that lay claim to being universal,”38 and we have a universal human religion in which national traits become secondary to universal characteristics.

Finally, world culture and world religion form the basis of the fourth step leading to a global consciousness, “world history,” by which Wundt means not political or cultural events, but “the historic consciousness of. . .the idea of mankind as a unity.”39 Thus, world empires, world culture, world religions, and world history represent the four main steps in humanity’s evolution toward the conscious recognition of its unity.

In tracing the idea of a global consciousness through psychology, we encounter CG Jung and the collective unconscious. Like Wundt’s idea of humanity’s development through a series of increasingly inclusive stages towards recognition of its unity, Jung’s concept of the collective unconscious deals with a heritage

3" Wundt, pp. 470—01, 475. ”Wundt, p. 476. 38 Wundt, p. 477. 39 Wundt, p. 478.

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common to all human beings, which also emerges through a series of differentiations of the collective psyche. These differentiations are envisioned as a series of layers in the psychic system, moving from an inner core of unconscious “central energy,” through human ancestors to ethnic groups to national groups, and from tribe to family, and finally to the individual human psyche at the most conscious level.40

Unlike Wundt, who conceives that evolution towards humanity is conscious, Jung implies that we are born with a consciousness of our oneness within us, but it is initially unconscious and only gradually rises to the level of awareness as it passes through each differentiation. As Jung says, “The collective unconscious contains the whole spiritual heritage of mankind’s evolution born anew in the brain structure of every individual.”41

Jung’s idea of the collective unconscious is that, “in addition to our immediate consciousness, which is of a thoroughly personal nature,” a second psychic system is “of a collective, universal, and impersonal nature which is identical in all individuals. This collective unconscious does not develop individually but is inherited. It consists of pre-existent forms, the archetypes, which can only become conscious secondarily and which give definite form to certain psychic contents.”42

Wundt and Jung are talking about the same goal, which is not merely the psychic unity of mankind but, as Wundt says, “the conscious idea of a unity embracing the whole of mankind.” As

Jung puts it, in comparing the basic difference between East and West,

...since there is only one earth and one mankind, East and West cannot rend humanity into two different halves. Psychic

“‘0 Jolande Jacobi, The Psychology of CG Jung (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1973), pp. 8, 34—35.

4‘ CG Jung, “The Structure of the Psyche,” in The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche, Collected Works, Vol. 8 (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1960), p. 158.

47- CG Jung, “The Concept of the Collective Unconscious,” in The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious, Collected Works, Vol. 9, Part 1 (Princeton: Princeton University Press, Bollingen Series, 1980), p. 43.

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[Page 165]reality exists in its original oneness, and awaits man’s advance to a level of consciousness where he no longer believes in the one part and denies the other, but recognizes both as constituent elements of one psyche.43

In his View, “Despite all the differences, the unity of mankind will assert itself irresistibly.”44

However, Wundt and Jung describe a reverse process to reach that goal; for Wundt, it is an external, social process, while for Jung it is an internal, personal process. Both lead to the same end, and both identify the same truth; they are describing two parts of one process. We are born with this awareness of our oneness, and we gradually move towards a consciousness of this awareness as we move through the stages of our evolution. Each in his own way emphasizes a different but key element of the process as a whole, while returning us to the idea of recognizing that both inherent unity (collective unconscious) and intended unity (social consciousness) are essential in achieving the goal of our collective evolution.

Erik Erikson’s concept of identity, which belongs to this same thread in twentieth-century psychology, offers yet another perspective on the evolution of consciousness. Erikson built his original theory of life cycle development around the task of identity formation in adolescence. He later moved from the personal to the social sphere, writing about “man’s wider, more inclusive identity.”

Erikson states, as “evolutionary background for the whole identity problem,” that “instead of a consciousness of being the one species he is, man has, as far back as we know, imagined his tribe or his nation, his caste or his class, and yes, even his religion to be a superior species.” Erikson uses the term “pseudo—species” to describe this tendency toward exclusivity, and adds that “identity is an issue reaching much deeper than the conscious choice of roles or the rhetorical demand for equality.” He says that mankind’s task now, in what we might see as its collective adolescence, is “to create a new and all-human identity” and, “beyond a technological civilization,

43 CG Jung, Modern Man in Search ofa Soul (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, A Harvest/HBJ Book, 1933), p. 191.

4“ CG Jung, T he Undiscovered Self(New York: New American Library, A Mentor Book, 1958), p. 105.

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[Page 166]an all-human culture.”45 Erikson’s concept of the wider identity parallels the ideas of global consciousness, world citizenship, and the oneness of humanity. As some cultures expand and others contract, or try to survive, there is an overall movement and growth towards wholeness and unity.

Building a Culture of Oneness

To move from a culture of duality, in which many cultures exist in conflict with one another, to a culture of oneness, in which many cultures exist in harmony with each other, requires conscious effort—even a transformation of consciousness. Such a transformation must consist of a new, deeper understanding of the core notion of nonduality, or the concept that reality is one and truth is indivisible. This notion is one of the most profound, fundamental verities of the world’s religions. The idea of the unity of existence, or of all creation as one, can appear to be either contradictory and paradoxical or essentially true, because reality is both one and many, depending on one’s point of View or the level of consciousness from which it is approached. From a temporal, cultural, or disciplinary perspective, reality is divided up into many parts; while from an eternal, divine perspective, division is an illusion, and reality, even all of existence, is one.

Humanity as a whole currently sees primarily the duality, and even the plurality, of the world, with a consciousness of the many. At the same time, however, it appears close to being ready to move on to the next phase, that of nonduality, in which it will adopt a consciousness of its oneness, leading to a culture of concord and unity. A culture of oneness does not mean that all become the same. It means acknowledging our oneness within our multiplicity and honoring our diversity within our common heritage as human beings. It means safeguarding our differences while recognizing that we may be more alike than we think we are unalike.46

45 Erik Erikson, “Remarks on the Wider Identity,” in A Way ofLooking at T kings: Selected Papers from 1930 to 1980 (New York: Norton, 1986), pp. 498, 499, 501.

46 The expression “more alike than unalike” comes from Maya Angelou’s poem “Human Family” in I Shall Not Be Moved (New York: Knopf, 1990).

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It is evident now, in both sacred and secular aspects of society, that a set of spiritual principles is needed to serve as a framework for ushering in this age of unity. Such principles would be universal, characterized first and foremost by an all-human inclusiveness that incorporates the best interests of all. The essence of this set of principles is reflected in the pronouncements of Baha’u’llah that “The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens,” and “Ye dwell in one world, and have been created through the operation of one Will.”47

This primary spiritual principle of oneness is interpreted further by the Universal House of Justice:

World order can be founded only on an unshakable consciousness of the oneness of mankind, a spiritual truth which all the human sciences confirm. Anthropology, physiology, and psychology, recognize only one human species, albeit infinitely varied in the secondary aspects of life. Recognition of this truth requires abandonment of prejudice—prejudice of every kind—race, class, color, creed, nation, sex, degree of material civilization, everything which enables people to consider themselves superior to others.48

The secular world and its thinkers also recognize this fundamental principle of the global age. Ervin Laszlo, science advisor to UNESCO, has stated that mankind “needs a star to follow,” or “standards by which we can direct our steps.” These will come from “the great ideals of the world religions,” he says, listing Christianity’s Vision of universal brotherhood; Judaism’s Vision of an elected people in whom all the families of the earth are to be blessed; Islam’s universal Vision of an ultimate community of God, man, nature, and society; the Hindu Vision of matter as the outward manifestation of spirit attuned to cosmic harmony; the Buddhist Vision of all reality as interdependent; and the Confucian Vision of supreme harmony in disciplined and ordered human relationships. He then says, “the essential goal of the Bahá’í Faith is to achieve a vision that is world-embracing and could lead to

47Baha’u’llah, Gleanings, pp. 250, 334. 48 The Universal House of Justice, The Promise of World Peace (Wilmette: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1985), pp. 28—29.

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the unity of mankind and the establishment of a world Civilization based on peace and justice.” These, he concludes, “are perennial ideals based on universally human values,” and must be rediscovered to guide our steps.49

A Vision that can help lead women and men away from despair, and society away from chaos, also came from the second Parliament of the World’s Religions in 1993. The Parliament adopted a “global ethic” founded upon the principles that there can be no new global order without a new global ethic and that every human being must be treated humanely. The ethic was also based upon four irrevocable directives: commitment to a “culture of nonviolence” and respect for life; commitment to a “culture of solidarity” and a just economic order; commitment to a “culture of tolerance” and a life of truthfulness; and commitment to a “culture of equal rights and partnership between men and women.” These directives arise from ancient values “which are found in most of the religions of the world.”50

Gender equality, economic equity, racial unity, and scientific and religious harmony are also values for a global age. Enunciated by Baha’u’llah in the nineteenth century, these values are more and more being recognized as those that will lead us from a culture of duality to a culture of oneness. In this gradual process, as with evolution itself, we have seen a shift, even a transformation, of consciousness around these values in the areas of war and peace, economy, and ecology. However, this transformation of consciousness has yet to be achieved in the area of ethics and values. Keeping the timeless, universal values alive and passing them on to future generations is the special task of religions, the Parliament also noted.51

A global ethic, encompassing universal values meant to benefit and protect all human beings, is not something easily or immediately accepted by all. Nor is the concept of globalization, which is seen by

4" Ervin Laszlo, The Inner Limits ofMankina’ (Oxford: Oneworld, 1989), pp. 65—=67.

5” Hans Kfing, ed. A Global Ethic: Declaration Ofthe Parliament of the World Is Religions (New York: Continuum, 1998), pp.17~34.

5‘ Kfing, pp. 34—35.

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large numbers of people around the world as a threat to the future. This is evidenced by the Violence of the riots set off by the meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, which were due in large part to a fear of widening the economic gap even further. But, as the document Century ofLight points out:

globalization itself is an intrinsic feature of the evolution of human society. .. It no longer requires the gift of prophecy to realize that the fate of humanity in the century now opening will be determined by the relationship established between these two fundamental forces of the historical process, the inseparable principles of unity and justice.52

The central task of the Bahá’í teachings, which have been revealed for, and have signaled the beginning of, this global age, is not only to point out the gradualness and the inevitability of the evolutionary process towards the goal of oneness, but also to assist in bringing it about. The rate at which evolution occurs depends ultimately upon the sincerity with which humanity’s investigation of reality proceeds, as this is what will bring about the needed transformation of consciousness. As more and more individuals come independently to the understanding of the essential unity of humankind and begin to live accordingly, the collective cultural and spiritual development of humanity will reach maturity. As greater numbers embrace an orientation of world citizenship and as this is reflected in various spheres of action, from interpersonal to social, cultural, and economic affairs, the principle of the oneness of humanity will become accepted, as that of nationhood was in its time.

Baha’u’llah’s Vision of unity came at a time when the world was still caught within the limitations of separate nations and deepseated conflicts. Its purpose was to give humanity the means to see, in very practical as well as spiritual terms, its own inherent and intended unity, and to outline a process and order that would help it bring about the next developmental stage in its collective evolution—a stage of globalization characterized by a consciousness of its interdependence and wholeness.

53 Century quz'g/zz‘, pp. 133—35.

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Baha’u’llah’s core principle, the oneness of mankind, goes beyond the popular ideas of universal brotherhood and goodwill. In the words of Shoghi Effendi:

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 constitutes a challenge...to outworn...national creeds... It calls for...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. It represents the consummation of human evolution... [It] carries with it no more and no less than a solemn assertion that attainment to this final stage in its stupendous evolution is not only necessary but inevitable, that its realization is fast approaching.53

At the conclusion of his scientific look at cultural evolution and the logic of human destiny, Robert Wright discusses the evolutionary growth of goodness and verifies the global value of scientific and religious harmony. Noting that as cultural evolution has progressed, the size of society has grown, he reminds us that “one role of religious doctn'ne has always been to congeal societies.” After all, he adds, “the word ‘religion’ comes from the Latin ligare, ‘to bind.’” But is it really possible, he asks, for religion to take society to the next moral threshold and “help congeal the world”? Here, even from “a truly scientific perspective,” he considers consciousness to be a key factor in the question of purpose. He says, “a strictly empirical analysis of both organic and cultural evolution. . .reveals a world with direction.”

Wiight concludes his stimulating tour of human history with a reconsideration of the statement in the Gospel of St. J ohn that reads, “In the beginning was the Word. . .” He translates “word,” from the Greek logos, to mean “reason” or “argument.” Thus, we have “a line of reasoning, a chain of logic,” or “a very long argument” which “had

53 Shoghi Effendi, World Order QfBahá’u’lláh, pp. 42—43.

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been set in motion” several billion years ago. We can reasonably speculate, then, that “the expansion of humanity’s moral compass was the purpose of history’s game-theoretical argument all along. In the beginning, you might say, was the end, and the end was a basic truth—the equal moral status of all human beings.” So, according to Wright, “life on earth” was designed for both “the potential for good” and “the potential for bad.” Now, logic “finally shows signs ofraising the ratio of good to bad.” He continues, “More souls are crammed onto this planet than ever, and there is the real prospect of commensurably great peril. At the same time there is the prospect ofbuilding the infrastructure for a planetary first: enduring global concord. .. Which is to say: winning will depend on not wanting other peoples to lose.”54

Such a consciousness of oneness and of world citizenship is embodied in the principle of service to humanity, which is central to the teachings of Baha’u’llah, Who wrote, in the midst of the separatism and discord Of the nineteenth century, “That one indeed is a man who, today, dedicateth himself to the service of the entire human race. .. Blessed and happy is he that ariseth to promote the best interests Of the peoples and kindreds of the earth.”55

Bahá’í communities in all regions of the world are currently building a culture of oneness, as the realized goal of the process towards which humanity has been evolving since earliest times. Service to humanity, whether through humanitarian acts or social and economic development proj ects, is a sacred and obligatory element in the pattern of life of every Bahá’í community. Such efforts to improve material and social conditions are conducted for the benefit of all humanity. Emphasis is placed on cultivating the capacity in individuals and institutions to participate in their own development. The purpose is to build both material and spiritual civilization.56 Acts of compassion and altruistic service that promote the general welfare of humanity can be seen as the ultimate expression of a consciousness of oneness. The energies released by such

54 Wright, pp. 330—33. 55 Baha’u’llah, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 167. 5“ Lample, p. 107.

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service are part of a transforming power that “can become an ocean of oneness that will cover the face of the planet.”57

Projects inspired by such Bahá’í principles are currently being carried out all over the world to help to build a culture of peace, harmony, and unity. In Bosnia, students and faculty from Landegg Academy in Switzerland are conducting intensive training seminars on the principles of peace for hundreds of teachers, school administrators, and support staff in the cities of Sarajevo, Banja Luka, and Travnik. This is part of the Education for Peace proj ect, designed to contribute to the collective process of recovery from the conflict of the 19905 by assisting the members of a younger generation and their teachers and parents to become peacemakers. In Cambodia, the Hope for the Heart literacy project seeks not only to improve reading and writing skills but also to instill values needed to create a nonviolent culture. In India, the New Era Development Institute approaches rural development by combining vocational training with a specialized curriculum in spiritual and moral principles, aimed at producing capable and energized individuals who return to their Villages with a new Vision of community service to undertake and encourage local, sustainable development efforts.

In December 1999, at the third Parliament of the World’s Religions, held in South Africa, an interreligious group made up of many who were key players in the struggle against apartheid unveiled an effort called Gifts of Service to the World, which consisted of some 250 proj ects that reflect a commitment to interreligious and religious/seeular cooperation. In Colombia, an innovative microenterprise program run by FUNDAEC, a social and economic development foundation unique for its emphasis on training that seeks to promote cooperation and a sense of service to the community at large, has granted small loans to thousands of rural farmers. EcoAg Service is a youth agricultural apprenticeship program matching apprentices with farm sites in Barbados, England, Latin American countries, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and the United States. The program is designed, in part, to recognize

57 The Universal House of Justice, Messages thhe Universal House of Justice, 1963—1986 (Wilmette: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1998), p. 179.

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the dynamic coherence between the spiritual and practical requirements of life on earth.

Each of these efforts, and many more, contributes to a culture of service, Which helps to overcome a culture of Violence and prejudice and, in turn, helps to establish a culture of economic equity and racial unity—ultimately, a culture of oneness. On 21 March 2001, in observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Bahá’í International Community released a statement that begins:

The coming together of the peoples of the world in a harmonious and creative relationship is the crucial need of the present hour. In the wake of advances in human knowledge, which have deepened bonds of interdependence and contracted the planet, the central task now before all its inhabitants is laying the foundations of a global society that can reflect the oneness of human nature. Creating such a universal culture of collaboration and conciliation Will require a return to spiritual awareness and responsibility.58

When these principles, intentions, and actions are fully accepted in the world, our descendants will look back a century or two from now and see how the oneness of humanity makes as much sense to them as nationhood does to us.

5" For the full text of this statement, see pp. 261—64.

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