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CHAPTER X
“This Century of Radiance”
The whole world is astir with new ideas, new aspirations and new strivings. The ideals and necessary principles of a world civilization such as Bahá’u’lláh proclaimed are dawning everywhere in the consciousness of humanity. Many of these ideals—universal education, cqual rights of men and women, social security, the abolition of poverty—are already being achieved in part, and are moving on rapidly toward complete fulfillment. Other ideas——such as a universal auxiliary language; a world monetary system; abolition of racial, religious and national prejudice; the hannonization of science and religion—are realized as essential to world unity.
How long will it take for universal acceptance and a fairly effective universal achievement of these important and essential elements of a new world order? It does not need a clairvoyant to answer this question. Sociologists, through their science of statistics, are frequently able to prognosticate with remarkable fidelity situations a few decades ahead. This they do by plotting the past curve of progress of any particular trend, and continuing this curve into the future. This can even be done mathematically, and this process is called “extrapolation.”
A careful study of all the above mentioned trends, tracing their curve of progress from 1850 on, would give a rather definite assurance of universal success before the end of the present century.
This optimism was frequently voiced by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in his public addresses in this country near the beginning of the century. He called the twentieth cen 75
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tury the century of light, the century of radiance, the century in which humanity would come of age and establish world unity. “Verily the century of radiance has dawned, minds are advancing, perceptions are broadening, realizations of human possibilities are becoming universal, susceptibilities are developing. . . . From every standpoint the world of humanity is undergoing a re-formation . . . is in the throes of evolutionary activity indicating the passing of old conditions and the advent of the new age of reformation.”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá declared emphatically that the twentieth century would bring the consummation of all this evolutionary activity, and witness the dawn of world unity and peace. And he described the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh as being “the very healing of the sick world. the remedy for every need and condition. In them may be found the realization of every desire and aspiration, the cause of the happiness of the world of humanity, the stimulus and illumination of mentality, the impulse for advancement and uplift, the basis of unity for all nations, the fountain—source of love amongst mankind, the center of agreement, the means of peace and harmony, the one bond which will unite the east and the west.”*
As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is believed by Bahá’ís to have had a prophetic power in wearing the mantle of his father, a general faith and optimism prevail within their ranks. In fact, a prominent government official———not himself a Bahá’í recently remarked, “The Bahá’ís are the only optimists left in the world.”
2
Regarding the continuance and successful culmination of these cultural and humanitarian trends already
- The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 434-35. From an
Address given in New York, November 1 , 1912.
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mentioned, there can be on the part of all thinking people—as we pointed out at the beginning of this chaptcr—a general though not a specific assurance. But one field of human aspiration remains blocked and obstacled in such degree as to cause a prevailing despair. And this despair is deep indeed because the aspiration referred to, that of world peace, is essential to the successful achievement of all the other aforementioned aspirations of humanity. Among all humanitarian and progressive ideals world peace has priority. Unless it can be achieved, we may well despair of achieving anything of stable value upon the planet!
And disappointingly we find that no method of sociological or statistical prognostication can give us here that measure of assurance that our hearts desire. There are too many unforeseen, uncontrollable and incalculable factors here, in this field of war and peace, to permit of assured forecasts.
All we can say is that the world is in crying need of peace; as a whole wishes peace; and in fact, is committed with all its heart to this great desideratum. We can go further and say that war is too dreadful, that humanity cannot survive if it continues, and that a way must be found to eliminate it from this planet!
We can say all this, but still have little faith. In fact, we are today at the very nadir of our confidence as regards the possibility of achieving, within any recognizable period, that ultimatum to Mars which we have, through the late weary years, so longed to make effective.
But the Bahá’ís have faith even in this field of blood and darkness. Two main concepts lift them
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above discouragement in the face of whatever perils threaten. First, they believe that destiny operates in human affairs; and that, as Bahá’u’lláh said, it is the will of God that war should cease. They believe that a great Cosmic Force is available as a leverage to world peace—a Force able to help humanity to overcome all obstacles. Secondly, they accept with complete faith ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s repeated assurances that world peace and world unity will be achieved within this century.
The Bahá’ís have faith. But they are also realists. They do not expect this apogee of the star of world peace until after still greater darkness and world perturbations. It will be these perturbations—rather than any general trend of idealistic progress——that will force humanity to end war and establish peace once and for all.
These cataclysmic calamities are near at hand, it is believed. So foretold ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. And so warns their present world leader, Shoghi Effendi. A decade or more of immense suffering lies before humanity, the world over. A suffering which will bear fruit in a universal and successful devotion to the tenets and practice of world peace.
This planetary ordeal will be brief. It will be in fulfillment of all the Biblical prophecies. The best preparation any individual can make is to increase the attachment of his heart to God and strengthen his spiritual forces. This will both enable him to endure, and to teach others the way of endurance and of final escape. There is no escape for humanity from its dilemma, the Bahá’ís believe, save through turning to God and learning how to spiritualize those human institutions which are now so proudly and so wantonly secular; so ridden by termites of evil that they are ripe for fall.
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4
The structure of world unity and world federation must be erected on spiritual foundations. This, in a word, is the message of the Ba 'i World Faith. Nothing short of this will endure. Religion has always been a cohesive force, capable of unifying diverse cultures and habits. On the intellectual plane human beings will always differ; and this is as it should be, for the intellect is essentially an analytical instrument. Only on the spiritual plane can complete harmony of aim and action be achieved—under devotion to a common truth, a common cause, and to goals accepted as spiritually mandatory.
Therefore, although the beginnings of world unity and the inauguration of world federation may be achieved through secular means, the Bahá’í’s believe that this noble experiment must be strengthened and supported by a fast-growing and universal spiritual consciousness that will yield complete fealty to the concept and practice of oneness in human affairs.
Certainly all the great world religions can, and actually do unite in loyalty to this program of peace and unity. It is the splendid goal, glittering from afar, to which the earliest Christians dedicated their livesthe establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth. Every religion, in fact, preaches such a brotherhood.
But the dynamic power to mold human wills and control human affairs has somehow died out; leaving the Church in all lands less effective than the dollar, the laboratories of science, or the sword.
Will a new and vital spiritual inspiration seize hold of humanity and bestow upon it the mind and will to live more nobly? The Bahá’í’s believe so. They dedicate their lives and all their abilities to this great goal of a spiritualized humanity banded together in love
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and harmony, building noble institutions within the pattern of a federated world.
The greater the darkness that envelops the world the nearer is the dawn. That is the faith that upholds Bahá’ís in both thought and action. And certainly it is true for all of us, that no activities are ineffective that are directed toward the achievement of these world goals. The dread of futility is apt to paralyze action. But we can be assured that no effort is futile that is spent in the direction of destined and inevitable goals.
Everything that pertains to human progress as a whole pertains to each individual as a necessary factor of this progress. Let us repeat what we said at the beginning of this book, the world of tomorrow will be what we choose and work to make it.
Therefore the greater the obstacles that menace world peace the greater must be our devotion and zeal for this object. What the world needs in this transitional epoch is a supreme and spiritualized dedication to these planetary goals that are in reality spiritual in essence.
As the writer bade farewell to Ernest Gross and wished him Godspeed in his new work as alternate delegate to the United Nations Gross remarked soberly, “Secular means are not enough!” “You mean that spiritual means are needed?” “Yes!” was his terse reply.
The Bahá’ís would say “Amen!” to this. And they rejoice at every contribution to world unity on the part of any individuals or movements. They are keen to discern progress or even sincere efforts toward the goals they envision; and they hold to their faith even when world disasters obstruct and endanger these goals.
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6
Josiah Royce, greatest philosopher Harvard has produced, gave an inspiring message to the world in
his little booklet, “The Philosophy of Loyalty.” ‘Uh: ' , like most of his writings this can easily be understood.
In it he says that man as an individual does not reach maturity until he ds a cause to which he can devote himself and in which he can lose himself. Then his individual life is raised above those perturbations which daily annoy or threaten tranquility. For he lives not in and for himself, but in and for a great movement which can defy the years and seemingly outlast Time itself. Man is mortal but Truth is immortal. Man as an individual is feeble; but as a loyal adherent to a
Great Cause he partakes of an infinite courage and_
strength. Such has been the history of loyalty. Perhaps it
is this that Christ had in mind when He said, “He who would save his life shall lose it”—t.hat is, never attain to real maturity. “But he who shall lose his life for My sake (for Truth’s sake), shall find it unto life eternal.” As we look around us today and study the movements which so strenuously occupy humans in every part of the world, we can easily perceive that where these movements are effective they are movements of loyalty.
It is not difficult for us to see what goals today are worthy of our striving. What is needed is not only choice but dedication; not only wise effort but spiritual potency. In the great exigencies of humanity today no man can be lukewann; no man can remain neutral. We must take sides. We must assume loyalties.
That movement which enlists and holds the greatest loyalty will ultimately prevail. Numbers alone do not count. Mathematics are less than spirit. Obstacles
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will yield to devotion and zeal. We are in reality dealing, at this present crisis of the world’s existence, with intangibles. And the sooner we realize that we are dealing with intangibles, the sooner will we hew a path to success. Outer force may be rallied to meet outer force. But it is the side that can enlist the greatest amount of intangible force that will win in the end.
Of these intangible forces, shall it be said that the Force of Evil can outweigh the Force of Good? Never has it been so in the history of the universe, and never will it be so. The Force of Good will outweigh the Force of Evil, and order will prevail over disorder. But goodness, as mere goodness, cannot win the battle. To goodness must be added force. And then evil, of itself, will galvanize into successful action this force of goodness.
On the planet Earth, in this day and generation, goodness means world peace; and the force of good is equivalent to that power of a federated world which can guarantee this peace.
Let all of us who pray and work for this great end hold fast to that noble vision of endeavor which Brown ing voiced:
“One who never tumed his back but marched breast forward, Never doubted clouds would break, Never dreamed, though right were worsted, wrong would triumph, Held we fall to rise, are baffled to fight better, Sleep to wake.”
