Bahá’í World/Volume 7/A World Community

From Bahaiworks

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A WORLD COMMUNITY

BY GEORGE O. LATIMER

A COMMUNITY is a group of individuals bound together by common interests, privileges and subject to the same laws. It is a series of voluntary relationships of peoples and races having different customs, tastes, temperaments, varied thoughts and opinions, who, having been forced to face the same problems of human experience, have come to a "like-mindedness” in working out these difficulties. The fundamental urge or impulse to bring about this unity of divergent personalities is spiritual in character and results in a common faith. From this grouping of interests the ideals of government, of philosophy, of economic and social systems and primarily morals and religion are developed.

In past ages, owing to their isolation and lack of communication facilities, different environments and diversity of language, these groups have developed slowly and independently their systems of social order and spiritual outlook. Gradually the community has expanded, uniting with other groups to form a nation. When a nation has become sufficiently powerful it then seeks to widen its sphere of influence through aggression, colonization and eventually warfare upon weaker groups and communities. Then the world’s equilibrium becomes upset, the culture of the people wanes and the social order is destroyed. The body politic may be likened to the human body as an organism which needs harmonious cooperation of all its members for perfect health. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá points out, "As long as the members and parts of the human organism are at peace, coordinate, and cooperate together peacefully and harmoniously, we have as a result the expression of life in its fullest form; where they differ we have the reverse, which in the human organism is warfare; and when dissension continues and discord waxes grave in the human organism, the result is dissension and dissolution and untimely death.”

Amity, peace and unity are therefore essentially the saving factors of society; amity among races, peace between nations and unity of conscience in the individual members of the body politic.

In our present era conditions have altered greatly. The ever-increasing facilities of modern transportation, the wireless and radio, the interchange of literature, art and music, the complex international structure of finance, world-wide trade and commerce have broken down the former barriers of isolation. This change has been enhanced by the rapid development of our industrial civilization. The Chrysalis has broken. As John Herman Randall points out in his timely book, "A World Community”: "From a position of practical independence and self-sufficiency, all nations have been forced into a relation of the closest mutual interdependence where each needs the other, must have the help of the other, or else must perish. There is not a man or woman in America, or any other civilized land, whose daily life, both in the necessities we must have and in the luxuries we all crave, is not in constant touch with the life of people across the seas whose customs are strange to us, whose languages are unknown, of whom we may never have heard, but without whose daily toil our existence would be impossible. No one of us lives through a day without in some way getting help from all lands and all peoples.” These interchanges demand a new outlook by our business leaders. This leadership requires an "international mind” to focus on the strides that science, invention and trade have made in promoting the intercourse which affects the lives of people in every clime. "We cannot think clearly and sanely about these reactions, except as we learn to value civilizations, habits of thought and action, and spiritual outlooks on life which diverge widely from our own.”1 The

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1Business and the New Era, by W. E. Hotchkiss.

[Page 726] mechanical technique for the future progress of society is fully developed but the present state of man’s social intelligence for the creating of a new world order has not shown the same advancement.

Our present impotence in world affairs has been vividly portrayed by Shoghi Effendi in his word picture of the social, economic, political and religious spheres of human activity. In "The Goal of a New World Order,” he writes: "The disquieting influence of over thirty million souls living under minority conditions throughout the continent of Europe; the vast and ever-swelling army of the unemployed with its crushing burden and demoralizing influence on governments and peoples; the wicked, unbridled race of armaments swallowing an ever-increasing share of the substance of already impoverished nations; the utter demoralization from which the international financial markets are now increasingly suffering; the onslaught of secularism invading what has hitherto been regarded as the impregnable strongholds of Christian and Muslim orthodoxy—these stand out as the gravest symptoms that bode ill for the future stability of the structure of modern civilization.” "Humanity,” he continues, "whether viewed in the light of man’s individual conduct or in the existing relationships between organized communities and nations, has, alas, strayed too far and suffered too great a decline to be redeemed through the unaided efforts of the best among its recognized rulers and statesmen—however disinterested their motives, however concerted their action, however unsparing in their zeal and devotion to its cause. No scheme which the calculations of the highest statesmanship may yet devise; no doctrine which the most distinguished exponents of economic theory may hope to advance; no principle which the most ardent of moralists may strive to inculcate, can provide, in the last resort, adequate foundations upon which the future of a distracted world can be built.”

The picture of our present plight is further magnified by the growing spirit of fear and suspicion, race hatreds and vindictiveness—remnants of the last war—the faithlessness to sacred obligations and the violation of covenants between nations. To this may be added the new trends in government such as communism, fascism and naziism—that are vying with democracy for the socio-political control of peoples. These modern doctrines of government have arisen from a condition of desperation in the social order and seek to impose the will of a dictator upon the binding voluntary relationships between individuals of the social group. By the very nature of their origin and the current working of their doctrines they are anti-social and do not create a structure that builds, molds and perpetuates a human community that satisfies both the practical and spiritual needs of man.

Therefore the primary task before us at this period of our evolution is to create and establish a social system that will embody in its scope, institutions that will encompass, not only the physical, economic and social needs of man, but also provide for a rekindling of his religious faith. It is becoming increasingly evident, concludes Shoghi Effendi, “that nothing short of the fire of a severe ordeal, unparalleled in its intensity, can fuse and weld the discordant entities that constitute the elements of present-day civilization, into the integral components of the world commonwealth of the future.”

In the formation of the future commonwealth, a form of Super-State must be evolved. The process will consist in the establishing of certain institutions that can and must maintain internal order within each local state and also have the power to enforce its authority in matters of dispute or conflict between member nations.

The first of these institutions is a World Parliament, composed of members elected by the people in their respective countries. Another institution will be a Supreme Tribunal whose judgment will be final. It will enact a single code of international law to control the relationships of the member nations. This body, which is titled the Universal House of Justice by Bahá’u’lláh, will define the rights to impose taxes, levy tariffs, limit armaments, settle disputes between capital and labor, and stabilize the financial structure of the world. It will have an International Executive powerful enough to arbitrate and to carry out its decisions, even though some member states may not

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The Third Annual Convention of the Bahá’ís of Írán, year 93 of the Bahá’í era.

[Page 728] voluntarily submit their problems and disputes for consideration. The sanction and authority of these institutions will rest upon the foundation of a world community, a combination of the federated units,—a community, freed from the narrow national outlook, that will develop a final and lasting consciousness of world citizenship. The life of humanity will be on a broader basis to meet the changing conditions of evolving society. A fresh impetus to the cultural pursuits of life, renewed inspiration in the realm of art and science, security in the economic relationships, a return of confidence and peace of mind and soul will be the ultimate result.

The Bahá’í plan does not seek to destroy existing institutions, but to remold the social order. "It can conflict with no legitimate allegiances, nor can it undermine essential loyalties,” Shoghi Effendi declares, for "its purpose is neither to stifle the flame of a sane and intelligent patriotism in men’s hearts, nor to abolish the system of national autonomy so essential if the evils of excessive centralization are to be avoided. It does not ignore, nor does it attempt to suppress, the diversity of ethnical 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 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 on one hand, and disclaims-all attempts at uniformity on the other. . . . It calls for no less than the reconstruction and the demilitarization of the whole civilized world.”

So far we have considered the need for the creation of a new social organism from the practical point of view. Many statesmen and scholars have outlined their plans for international stability along some of these lines. However if all the leaders of thought should unite upon one ideal program with the necessary agencies to make it effective, without including the spiritual factor as the motivating influence in the life of humanity, this highly desirable goal would not be attained, for "in the final analysis,” according to Horace Holley,2 “the existing world struggle is between faith and unfaith, between man as rational animal and man as spiritual intelligence. The historic movement as a whole includes the Prophet, and every philosophy dealing with less than the whole movement of history cannot deal adequately with man.” Man owes his capacity for change, adaptation, invention and creation to the spiritual impulse. A confident heart overcomes all obstacles. "As your faith is,” says ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, "so shall your powers and blessings be.”

The late Italian patriot, Joseph Mazzini, clearly saw the need for a common faith when he wrote that “the first real, earnest religious faith that shall arise upon the ruins of the old wornout creeds, will transform the whole of our actual social organization, because every strong and earnest faith tends to apply itself to every branch of human activity; because in every epoch of its existence the earth has ever tended to conform itself to the heaven in which it then believed; and because the whole history of humanity is but the repetition—in form and degree varying according to the diversity of the times—of the words of the Dominical Christian prayer: Thy Kingdom come on Earth as it is in Heaven.” Today the heaven of humanity is a universal canopy covering all peoples, all sovereign nations and all religions. The final evolution of the spirit of faith under its sheltering dominion leads man to a recognition of the Unity of all the Divine Prophets and the acceptance of the basic principle upon which a world community must rest—namely the Oneness of Mankind.

This principle of the Oneness of Humanity is the cornerstone teaching of Bahá’u’lláh for the reformation of society. It is divine in origin, ideal in its majestic sweep and practical in attainment. It can accomplish the federation of mankind because it is initiated by the Word of God. Religion is established through the potency of the Logos (Word) and it is therefore the one power capable of directing the feelings and sentiments of mankind toward unity, peace and reconciliation. Stanwood Cobb in his recent book, "Security for a Failing World,” makes the convincing argument that the worldwide

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2The Clue to World Strife.

[Page 729] catastrophes are not due so much to the fault of man’s intellect, but rather to the fault of his emotions. The only force that can rule the emotions is a master emotion, and “the greatest of all master emotions is religion. This is the force which normally governs and directs the emotions of human beings, harnessing them into spiritual and cultural unities.” Hence religion in the new day must become increasingly ethical and social, rather than remain theological and individualistic. It must furnish a new ethical vision that will create a morality for group action that can destroy the idol of self-interest; abolish sectarianism and dogmatic theological disputes, for as Professor Hayden of the University of Chicago states, "truly religious men and women are no longer interested in the theoretical differences of theology; they seek rather to make all knowledge and power serve in the building of a social order, including races, nations and religions, and offering justice and opportunity to every human being.”

The rapid growth of the Bahá’í Faith is due to the irrefutable fact that it has the power to rule man’s emotions, change his outlook, overcome his antagonisms, inculcate the spirit of self-sacrifice for the common weal, remove the tensions caused by the diversity of temperaments and create a real desire for union and fellowship in a social and spiritual brotherhood. In short it unites individuals of various walks of life, different religious beliefs, opposing political theories into voluntary association. These groups of like-minded friends, called Bahá’í communities, are to be found throughout the world. Though their start has been small and inconspicuous, they have the advantage of mutual protection and unity of aim by identifying all their group activity with the life and teachings of their prophet. In referring to the Bahá’í Faith in her book, "The Life of the Spirit and the Life of To-day,” Evelyn Underhill says that our hope for the future depends upon the formation of such groups which she aptly terms “hives of the spirit.” She writes: "Such a group would never permit the intrusion of the controversial element, but would be based on mutual trust; and the fact that all the members shared substantially the same view of human life, strove though in differing ways for the same ideals, were filled by the same enthusiasms, would allow the problems and experiences of the Spirit to be accepted as real, and discussed with frankness and simplicity. Thus oases of prayer and clear thinking might be created in our social wilderness, gradually developing such power and group-consciousness as we see in really living religious bodies.”

A study of the operation and administration of a Bahá’í community discloses a striking contrast with the outworn institutions of today. It is not wholly democratic in character for the Will of the people is tempered by the Sovereign Authority of the divine Prophet. The entire local community elects its own administrative body of nine members, called a Spiritual Assembly. This body acts as a trusteeship, a consultative group for the solution of problems and difficulties, both secular and spiritual. It cannot be confused with any system of autocracy or of dictatorship for its elected representatives have the right of legislating on matters not revealed in the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, the Founder of their Faith, nor can it be classed as an aristocratic order or an ecclesiastical theocracy. It has no professional clergy, each member serves to the best of his ability. The elected representatives are chosen for their combined qualities of unquestioned loyalty, of selfless devotion, of a well-trained mind, of recognized ability and mature experience. These Assemblies combine an executive, judicial and legislative function limited only by the scope of their respective jurisdictions, and their guiding principles are prayerful consultation and practical cooperation.

The communities of each nation annually elect delegates, who in turn meet in convention and elect a national Spiritual Assembly, likewise composed of nine members, and this body administers the collective affairs of all the local communities. The next step is the formation of an international Assembly, the Universal House of Justice. This institution is created by the electoral body of national Assemblies through universal suffrage and thus becomes an international tribunal which represents the fusion of numerous groups into a worldwide community. The prime requisites of these counselors, according to [Page 730] ‘Abdu’l-Bahá are "purity of motive, radiance of spirit, detachment from all else save God, attraction to His divine fragrance, humility and lowliness amongst His loved ones, patience and long-suffering in difficulties and servitude to His exalted Threshold.” Their prestige and power are enhanced by their self-sacrifice and devotion to the common good, not by any display of arbitrary authority. They stand for an ideal of morality that is worldwide in scope—an inclusive fellowship, and they maintain their contact with the source of spiritual inspiration and guidance by having as their permanent head, the present and future Guardians of the Faith.

"The Bahá’í World,” Volume V, gives a graphic survey of the manifold activities of approximately eight hundred Bahá’í communities established throughout the five continents and in many islands of the seas. It is a vivid portrayal of the progress of a working, well-ordered society that cannot be ignored by a disillusioned, shaken humanity. The varied evidences of an unfolding community, recorded therein, comprise, according to Shoghi Effendi, “The vitality which the organic institutions of this great, this ever-expanding Order so strongly exhibit; the obstacles which the high courage, the undaunted resolution of its administrators have already surmounted; the fire of an unquenchable enthusiasm that glows with undiminished fervor in the hearts of its itinerant teachers; the heights of self-sacrifice which its champion-builders are now attaining; the breadth of vision, the confident hope, the creative joy, the inward peace, the uncompromising integrity, the exemplary discipline, the unyielding unity and solidarity which its stalwart defenders manifest; the degree to which its moving Spirit has shown itself capable of assimilating the diversified elements within its pale, of cleansing them of all forms of prejudice and of fusing them with its own structure.”

The Bahá’í group is a community freed from the complexities of federal management, neutral in political controversies, but obedient therewithal, to the recognized authority of a just government; it has lost the sense of “locality” in the broader feeling of world citizenship. In America, in Europe or in the Orient the association of its members, —whether of the red, black, brown or white race; whether of Jewish, Muḥammadan, Christian or other religious faith, caste or creed; whether artist, merchant, scientist, statesman or artisan,—is based upon acceptance of the spiritual equality of all mankind and the oneness of God. The natural inequality and difference in capacity and intelligence of men is recognized, but the right of equal opportunity is vouchsafed to all. There is a difference in the social and economic status of men and the degrees of society are preserved, but in their spiritual relationship there is a parity of station.

The chosen members of an Assembly must acquaint themselves with the conditions and problems of their community, weigh dispassionately the merits of any case brought to them and in a prayerful attitude render an unfettered and just decision. They act under divine inspiration and are therefore primarily responsible to God for their actions and not governed by their feeling of loyalty to those who elect them. The provision for annual elections guarantees a method whereby the quality of membership can be continually elevated and improved, but the personal qualifications of the individual members do not establish the perfection or imperfection of the body, nor do they make the elected representatives inherently superior to their fellow citizens. It is the institution that is perfect because of its divine endowment.

The present national upheavals, the political turmoils, the ever-increasing disparity in the social-economic life of man and the embittered racial clashes and religious conflicts indicate the urgent necessity for the immediate establishment of a sovereign world state for the preservation of our civilization. The social program given by Bahá’u’lláh offers, in its entirety, a workable solution for the reconstruction of the economic, political and religious life of humanity, and provides for the institutions of a World Commonwealth. Scientific invention and modern industrialism have laid the material foundations for international cooperation. Bahá’u’lláh has evolved the plans for the moral and spiritual superstructure. It is now man’s privilege to erect upon the [Page 731] foundations, an edifice that will shelter all mankind,—a temple for a world community. The underlying aim of the Bahá’í plan, according to Shoghi Effendi, is "the establishment of the New World Order as adumbrated by Bahá’u’lláh. The method it employs, the standard it inculcates, incline it to neither East nor West, neither Jew nor Gentile, neither rich nor poor, neither white nor colored. Its watchword is the unification of the human race; its standard the ‘Most Great Peace’; its consummation the advent of that golden millennium —the Day when the kingdoms of this world shall have become the Kingdom of God Himself.”