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viii FOREWORD
Foreword
In January 1984 the Universal House of Justice ad-
dressed a historic message to the Baha'i youth of the world.
Although the immediate concern of the message was with
the 1985 International Youth Year, the letter’s impact was far
greater, as its soul-stirring contents conveyed an exciting
vision of the future opportunities and tasks of an entire
generation. The response of the Baha’i youth has subse-
quently led to plans beyond 1985 and to an upsurge of youth
activity in many countries that may well signal the begin-
ning of a movement that, in the words of the Universal
House of Justice, has already “caught the imagination of the
friends far and wide.”
During the many consultations of the youth about the
implications of a Baha’i youth movement that would attract
the support of thousands of youth on every continent, it
became clear that the greatest challenge to each individual
participant would be learning to live according to a spiritual
discipline akin to that of the first generation of the youth of
this Dispensation—of Mulla Husayn, Tahirih, Quddus, and
Badi‘. Striving for such a discipline, in turn, would imply
achieving a new balance in life, a balance that would be
conducive to heroic deeds and to a state of complete devo-
tion. Indeed, each individual youth would have to struggle
against the pressures of an environment that at its best
interprets as moderation the notion of living comfortably
according to the norms of mediocrity and that consistently
tries to pull youth away from true spiritual excellence and
from commitment to significant social change. The Baha'i
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Foreword ix
youth would have to achieve a different vision of moderation and, to do so, would have to remind themselves constantly of the sacrifices of their brethren in Iran during the recent years.
It became clear in the deliberations that, in order to rise to their high destiny, the Baha’i youth would have to analyze themselves, their potential, and the world with a logic different from the reasoning they have inherited from a materialistic society; they would have to see through the eyes of faith and systematically plan and achieve goals that would seem impossible to everyone untouched by the fire of their zeal. Yet practical questions always remained. How would the youth organize their lives to meet the challenges of their generation and of their own growth and preparation and, at the same time, follow the standards of dedication and action required by the special call of the Universal House of Justice that they “contribute significantly to shaping the societies of the coming century” and that they “move the world.”
The answer clearly lies in the dynamic of a spiritual life very different from the present life-style fragmented by op- posing social forces, forces that themselves are in conflict with the true human spirit. The challenge is to live a spiritual life that is whole, pure, intense, purposeful, active, and responsive to all the requirements of being a Baha'i youth in this moment of history. The present compilation prepared by the Baha’i National Youth Committee and the Publishing Trust of the Baha'is of the United States exactly tries to integrate the many aspects of such a spiritual life of service and dedication to the Cause of Baha'u'llah. It is hoped that it will become our close companion in all our endeavors as we participate in the unfoldment of the destiny of the present generation of Baha’i youth throughout the world.
FARZAM ARBAB
