Compete to Cooperate II

Happy the soul that shall forget his own good and, like the chosen ones of God, vie with his fellows in service to the good of all.

(‘Abdu’l-Baha, The Secret of Divine Civilization: 116)

I want to further explore this topic of competing to cooperate, for it can easily be dismissed as pie-in-the-sky idealism about human nature.  I wrote last post: “While it may be hard to believe that, given humanity’s bloodstained past, unity, reciprocity and cooperation, and spiritually vying for the good of others, are possible to achieve and maintain, the reason lies not in our nature, but in an education that has brought us down to a poverty of self-understanding.  That is, the reason lies not in something we are and, therefore, cannot change, but something we have learned to be and can, therefore, unlearn.”  There is always a connection between economic crisis and moral possibility—do we become more selfish or more selfless?  Inducing us to become more selfless is the power and purpose of spiritual education—one model of which I developed in Renewing the Sacred.

One way to look at the transition from competition to cooperation is to see it as a centripetal to centrifugal shift of moral direction from me-first to you-before-me, from self-service to self-sacrifice.  When we compete to cooperate, that is, when we compete to express spiritual virtues, we compete to be more loving, more kind, more just and so on.  But another change is the change of competitor.  If we compete with another to be more kind, for example, we are simply playing the same me-first competition game with the same end goal—its all about me!  This is a hidden form of self-centeredness, though it is mostly only hidden from oneself.

In spiritual competition the focus is on helping another, of course, but the competitor one is jousting with is oneself, to do better than one has in the past, to be in more of a humble posture of learning, to really prefer the other before oneself, striving to be of service with less thought or need of reward, and the like. All these are part of a daily bringing oneself to account, and only you can be the accountant.  Nevertheless rewards are there, and we can legitimately seek them if we truly understand human nature and are sincerely pursuing spiritual development.  The Master wrote: “Sincerity is the foundation-stone of faith. That is, a religious individual must disregard his personal desires and seek in whatever way he can wholeheartedly to serve the public interest; and it is impossible for a human being to turn aside from his own selfish advantages and sacrifice his own good for the good of the community except through true religious faith. For self-love is kneaded into the very clay of man, and it is not possible that, without any hope of a substantial reward, he should neglect his own present material good. That individual, however, who puts his faith in God and believes in the words of God -- because he is promised and certain of a plentiful reward in the next life, and because worldly benefits as compared to the abiding joy and glory of future planes of existence are nothing to him -- will for the sake of God abandon his own peace and profit and will freely consecrate his heart and soul to the common good." (The Secret of Divine Civilization: 96-97)

In another place, Abdu’l-Baha reminds us that when operating from our higher nature “acts of cooperation, mutual assistance and reciprocity are not confined to the body and to things that pertain to the material world, but for all conditions, whether physical or spiritual, such as those related to minds, thoughts, opinions, manners, customs, attitudes, understandings, feelings or other human susceptibilities. In all these thou shouldst find these binding relationships securely established. The more this interrelationship is strengthened and expanded, the more will human society advance in progress and prosperity.  Indeed without these vital ties it would be wholly impossible for the world of humanity to attain true felicity and success.” (Compilation on Huququ’llah #61)  In another place he writes: “because the members of the world of humanity are unable to exist without being banded together, cooperation and helpfulness is the basis of human society.  Without the realization of these two great principles no great movement is pressed forward.” (Principles of Bahá’í Administration:52)  

Another sort of reward we can seek in the proper way through true self-sacrifice is the reward of greater life.  For example, ‘Abdu’l-Baha said that “we must be the servants of the poor, helpers of the poor, remember the sorrows of the poor, associate with them; for thereby we may inherit the Kingdom of heaven.” (The Promulgation of Universal Peace: 33

I am presenting what I hope is a “spiritual” perspective on the economic crisis, because the real crisis stems from a terrible misapprehension of our true nature. The crisis in our material life resides not in what Marxists would call “the relations of production”; rather, it is in our human relations: it is not in our material economy but in our moral economy; not in our knowledge, but in our self-knowledge.  It is a view on achieving general prosperity that is strongly self-sacrificing rather than self-centered in focus, altruistic rather than avaricious in motivation.  This view, that the solution to our economic and social woes is fundamentally spiritual in character, can, it is hoped, shed some light into our current darkness and show a way out for all of us.  The darkness that we need to escape, though, is within us.  It is the dark distortion generated by false assumptions of the nature of the human being.  These assumptions have crystallized into an educational philosophy the  social system of which it both supports and draws legitimacy from deprives us of that which we inherently possess.

But, so far I have concentrated on the individual and his or her relations with other individuals.  But there are indispensable social relations mediated by social institutions  that are also part of the moral economy, the “Divine economy” as Shoghi Effendi titles it.  The Universal House of Justice wrote in regard to the local Bahá’í community: “A Bahá'í community which is consistent in its fundamental life-giving, life sustaining activities will at its heart be serene and confident; it will resonate with spiritual dynamism, will exert irresistible influence, will set a new course in social evolution, enabling it to win the respect and eventually the allegiance of admirers and critics alike.” (Letter from the Universal House of Justice, dated Ridvan, 1984, to a National Spiritual Assembly)  Next post will begin an examination of the phrase “set a new course in social evolution.”

A direct link to my book, Renewing the Sacred is http://tinyurl.com/cndew5a  It is now also in Kindle

Compete to Cooperate

No two men can be found who may be said to be outwardly and inwardly united. The evidences of discord and malice are apparent everywhere, though all were made for harmony and union.

(Tablets of Baha’u’llah:163)

Baha’u’llah wrote these words more than one hundred years ago. The situation has, on most fronts, only become worse, though encouraging signs of humanity’s unification are there to see.  A healing crisis, guided by the divine Physician, is underway.  But the deeper point of the phrase “all were made for harmony and union” is that disharmony and disunity either within the human soul, or between people, is not a God-created condition, but a human-created one, since human beings were created for “harmony and union.”  It should, therefore, be easier to cooperate in unity than to compete in disunity, as it is easier to smile than to frown.  But to do that individuals must live from the higher nature, not the lower one, and human institutions must be designed that nurture the expression of that higher nature.  This latter can only be achieved if those institutions themselves embody principles and express social virtues exemplifying the consciousness of the oneness of humanity. 

            Selfish competition is not an irremovable human quality but a removeable one.  With sufficient inducements and rewards, it can be transformed into cooperation, for both have to do with relations with others.  Competition is to bring the best out of oneself by striving with not against others.  Cooperation is to bring the best out of everyone by working together.  Materialism is really the legitimate desire for prosperity gone hideously awry, and the creators of this illusion are transfixed by their own creation. 

We can legitimately compete in the expression of spiritual virtues.  Ruhiyyih Khanum, wife of the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith, Shoghi Effendi, wrote that Shoghi Effendi “frequently quoted Bahá'u'lláh's admonition: ‘Vie ye with each other in the service of God and of His Cause’ and openly encouraged a competitive spirit in its noblest form.” (The Priceless Pearl: 400)   As an immature attitude and behavior, destructive competition is fed and nurtured by philosophies such as nationalism, sexism, racism, and all those other isms that divide a single humanity into separate camps of self-interested people.  The wellspring of all wrong competition is the attitude of me-first.  Such competition is more characteristic of the world of animals than the human kingdom.
         But the spiritual form of competition reverses the direction and purpose of moral effort.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha writes: “Happy the soul that shall forget his own good and, like the chosen ones of God, vie with his fellows in service to the good of all.” (The Secret of Divine Civilization:116) Looking out for others rather than "number one" is something “inherent” to our higher nature, though it must be brought forth or educed.  It can be done because such vying to serve others brings happiness to the soul.  But an improper education tells us that we are nothing more than naked monkeys and, ignorant of our true nature, we never grow out of this dreary, self-interested, ego-thinking and acting.

While it may be hard to believe that, given humanity’s bloodstained past, unity, reciprocity and cooperation, and spiritually vying for the good of others, are possible to achieve and maintain, the reason lies not in our nature, but in an education that has brought us down to a poverty of self-understanding.  That is, the reason lies not in something we are and, therefore, cannot change, but something we have learned to be and can, therefore, unlearn. But to prove these assertions is not possible through words alone.  Models of behavior must demonstrate the efficacy of spiritual principle to transform the self and society.  But also criteria that measure this new kind of real wealth are needed.

            In a material economy wealth is measured in financial terms, by the number and quality of goods available, the capital needed to produce these goods and deliver them to the consumer, and the amount of money one has to purchase commodities, whether goods or services, materials or labor.  In a spiritual economy wealth can be measured by the services and self-sacrifices community members give to each other.  Service is the currency of the Divine Economy.

Baha’u’llah admonishes, for example: “Man's merit lieth in service and virtue and not in the pageantry of wealth and riches….Dissipate not the wealth of your precious lives in the pursuit of evil and corrupt affection, nor let your endeavors be spent in promoting your personal interest.” (Tablets of Baha’u’llah: 138)  How opposite is this statement to the moral order we are trying to grow out from?  ‘Abdu’l-Baha echoes this sentiment: “the happiness and greatness, the rank and station, the pleasure and peace, of an individual have never consisted in his personal wealth, but rather in his excellent character, his high resolve, the breadth of his learning, and his ability to solve difficult problems.” (The Secret of Divine Civilization:23)

Prosperity is achieved between individuals and small groups primarily through networks of service, sharing, and cooperation.  It is a change from looking out for oneself to caring for each other.  ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says: “Think ye at all times of rendering some service to every member of the human race….Let each one of God’s loved ones centre his attention on this: to be the Lord’s mercy to man; to be the Lord’s grace. Let him do some good to every person whose path he crosseth, and be of some benefit to him. Let him improve the character of each and all, and reorient the minds of men.” (Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l Baha:3)  “Beware,” says Bahá’u’lláh, “lest ye prefer yourselves above your neighbors.” (Gleanings:315)  Service and preferring others is the foundation of prosperity.  But if we are to have ethical economies of scale, social justice achieved by law is required and, as I stated at the outset, institutions must be designed that nurture not denature our higher self.

‘Abdu’l-Baha said while in Paris: “Certainly, some being enormously rich and others lamentably poor, an organization is necessary to control and improve this state of affairs. It is important to limit riches, as it is also of importance to limit poverty. Either extreme is not good. To be seated in the mean is most desirable. If it be right for a capitalist to possess a large fortune, it is equally just that his workman should have a sufficient means of existence.

A financier with colossal wealth should not exist whilst near him is a poor man in dire necessity. When we see poverty allowed to reach a condition of starvation it is a sure sign that somewhere we shall find tyranny. Men must bestir themselves in this matter, and no longer delay in altering conditions which bring the misery of grinding poverty to a very large number of the people. The rich must give of their abundance, they must soften their hearts and cultivate a compassionate intelligence, taking thought for those sad ones who are suffering from lack of the very necessities of life.

There must be special laws made, dealing with these extremes of riches and of want. The members of the Government should consider the laws of God when they are framing plans for the ruling of the people. The general rights of mankind must be guarded and preserved.” (Paris Talks: 153-154)

Next post will conclude our discussion of the moral economy.

A direct link to my book, Renewing the Sacred, is http://tinyurl.com/cndew5a.  It is now also in Kindle.

The Fourth Part of Prosperity

It is not merely material well-being that people need. What they desperately need is to know how to live their lives — they need to know who they are, to what purpose they exist, and how they should act towards one another; and, once they know the answers to these questions they need to be helped to gradually apply these answers to everyday behaviour. 

(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986: 283)

I said at the beginning of these posts on the moral economy that to solve our economic crisis two kinds of education were required, spiritual, or ideal education, and material, or practical education.  Of these two, spiritual education is by far the more important one, so I have dwelt at some length upon it, as it not only gives us a new paradigm for economic study, but also points to the way out of our economic malaise. But to do as the House of Justice advises and apply the answers to the first three questions—i.e. who are you?, to what purpose do you exist?, and how should we act towards one another?—“to everyday behavior”, takes us to the practical side.   

In practical education are learned the arts and sciences and skills for employment, the finding of one’s calling and performing acts of service.   Many educational systems today focus solely on preparing students for career, for employment, and for going about the business of earning a living.  But many students leave their “education” without being able to find a job.  In my opinion, this is because conceptualizing the moral context for study remains an elusive goal.  While jobs are obviously important, the proper moral context is larger than that of achieving merely personal comfort.  Achieving comfort seems practical, but it is only self-centeredly so.  It is ego-practical.  The practical education I have in mind must promote a moral context of, among other things, empowering the disempowered, of generating sustainable material wealth by focusing upon stewardship of the renewable energy sources of sun, wind and water in the physical environment, and of removing all material incentives to engage in war and exploitation, or that legitimate an unchecked profit-motive. 

Too, besides obtaining skills for employment, a spiritually practical education would inculcate moral principles of behavior and develop the intellectual skills of critical thinking and evaluation that enable students to comprehensively analyze their social and intellectual environment in the light of spiritual principles.  Further they must be helped to understand the interplay of spiritual principles and material forces to know how to build a sustainable social system, and, if their current system is not sustainable, then execute the means to bring about a progressive change. 

The House of Justice wrote that youth must have a program that “engages their expanding consciousness in an exploration of reality that helps them to analyse the constructive and destructive forces operating in society and to recognize the influence these forces exert on their thoughts and actions, sharpening their spiritual perception, enhancing their powers of expression and reinforcing moral structures that will serve them throughout their lives. At an age when burgeoning intellectual, spiritual and physical powers become accessible to them, they are being given the tools needed to combat the forces that would rob them of their true identity as noble beings and to work for the common good.” (Universal House of Justice Ridvan 2010)

We are created rich in the spiritual wealth of virtue, but we need to know how to bring these riches out of our higher nature and apply them in order to transform an increasingly dysfunctional materialist order into a functioning spiritual one.  A realignment of the material and social forces and values of the current order will not be sufficient to make the needed change.  Something far more fundamental is required.  Spiritually-inspired action is needed.

Bahá’u’lláh in one short statement indicated how any individual can apply spiritual principles: “Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him with a bright and friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an answerer of the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge. Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be unjust to no man, and show all meekness to all men. Be as a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression. Let integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine acts. Be a home for the stranger, a balm to the suffering, a tower of strength for the fugitive. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring. Be an ornament to the countenance of truth, a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind, an ensign of the hosts of justice, a luminary above the horizon of virtue, a dew to the soil of the human heart, an ark on the ocean of knowledge, a sun in the heaven of bounty, a gem on the diadem of wisdom, a shining light in the firmament of thy generation, a fruit upon the tree of humility.” (Gleanings: 284)

By now it should be obvious that the inherently divisive and obsessively polarizing ego-based reason that has dominated human thought and action for centuries is not the source of attitudes of cooperation, altruism, sharing and giving that are the basis of human prosperity, but are the very antithesis of them.  There is no doubt that spiritual behavior can not appear so long as we remain at the level of ego-consciousness, however idealistic it can appear to be.  Ego-consciousness is founded upon seeing another as the other.  ‘Abdu’l-Bahá warns: “See ye no strangers; rather see all men as friends, for love and unity come hard when ye fix your gaze on otherness.” (Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha: 24)   If prosperity is to be achieved for all we must first be infused with a consciousness of humanity’s oneness and recognize the need for greater cooperation.  This is the prerequisite for all other activity.   

Greater wealth and real growth is created more by cooperation than by competition, no matter what the theorists of unbridled free-market capitalism say.  Modern physics tell us that all visible matter represents about 4% of the known matter in the known universe.  If a similar ratio holds between the known forms of wealth and the unmanifest potential for wealth, then only 4% of our wealth capacities are known and in use and circulation.  We humans spend a great deal of time competing to get a piece of that 4%.  But in doing so we are missing out on the 96% of wealth that is possible to create through cooperation.  To bring these untapped possibilities into existence requires that: “We should continually be establishing new bases for human happiness and creating and promoting new instrumentalities toward this end.”  (The Secret of Divine Civilization:3)  We must learn to cooperate not compete.  Until that point, though, we can compete to cooperate.  I'll discuss that in detail next post. 

A direct link to my book, Renewing the Sacred, is http://tinyurl.com/cndew5a.  It is now also in Kindle.

The Virtues of Prosperity: Detachment, Contentment, Action

To know that it is possible to reach a state of perfection, is good; to march forward on the path is better. We know that to help the poor and to be merciful is good and pleases God, but knowledge alone does not feed the starving man, nor can the poor be warmed by knowledge or words in the bitter winter; we must give the practical help of Loving-kindness.

(Abdu'l-Baha in London:60)

          So far I have presented seven of the ten virtues of prosperity: love, truthfulness, trustworthiness,  faith, generosity, gratitude, humility. 

The eighth virtue is detachment.  Detachment is the opposite of attachment.  If wealth is to flow freely and humanity is to achieve prosperity, detachment from material things is necessary so wealth may flow, so that all may be affluent.  But detachment, in turn, stems from a real consciousness of humanity’s oneness, and from a sense of inner well-being. Baha’u’llah wrote: “Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts how ye were created. Since We have created you all from one same substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of detachment may be made manifest.” (The Hidden Words Arabic #68)   With detachment the fires of greed and avarice will be stilled, and the fears of insecurity dissolved.

In the realm of action, detachment is to leave all things to God, the Universal, infinite Mind, to achieve any result wished for.  But to be receptive to whatever God decides is not to put our desire out there and do nothing except enter into a passive state of listless waiting.  That would make apathy appear principled.  While working diligently, we should let go of any notion of how we think the desire must be realized because the infinite Mind knows far better than we do how to organize things to accomplish our wish through the universal relationships organizing the world.  The essence of detachment in economic circumstances was summed up by Baha’u’llah this way: “Should prosperity befall thee, rejoice not, and should abasement come upon thee, grieve not, for both shall pass away and be no more.” (The Hidden Words Arabic #52)  That is, true detachment is from the world entirely, from both its prosperity and its abasement.  The reason for this is that, as we read earlier, fear and peril are embedded in material riches.  We should flee from the world and its false promises of wealth by accumulation and turn to God for security and help, for He is the help in peril, and give generously of our substance.  We are potentially in peril just by being in the world.  Detachment is an ark.

The ninth virtue is contentment.  Contentment is the obverse of detachment.  They work together.  Baha’u’llah writes: “Put away all covetousness and seek contentment; for the covetous hath ever been deprived, and the contented hath ever been loved and praised.” (The Hidden Words Persian #50)  The soul in the Valley of Contentment, Bahá’u’lláh says: “…feeleth the winds of divine contentment blowing from the plane of the spirit. He burneth away the veils of want, and with inward and outward eye, perceiveth within and without all things the day of: “God will compensate each one out of His abundance.” (The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys: 29)

Contentment means to be satisfied with whatever comes our way.  If we have the desire for some goal,  work hard for its realization yet with detachment from result, practice the virtues faithfully, and still the desired reality does not manifest, then it is for the best.  Believing this enables contentment to kick in.  All desires should be with the proviso: “If God so wishes.”  In this regard Bahá’u’lláh wrote to a petitioner: “Concerning thine own affairs, if thou wouldst content thyself with whatever might come to pass it would be praiseworthy. To engage in some profession is highly commendable, for when occupied with work one is less likely to dwell on the unpleasant aspects of life.” (Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh:175)  Truly contentment is a wonderful gem.

The tenth virtue is Action.  This is perhaps the most important virtue.  At least it is the one that, like a convex lens, brings the radiant light of the other virtues into a single focal point of energy.  To one individual Shoghi Effendi gave a concise and comprehensive outline of the steps to take to solve problems or meet challenges.  In his full explanation the Guardian listed five steps, the first four—prayer, meditation, determination, confidence—tell how to get up some inner steam.  But the fifth step is action.  But it is action of a certain kind which many of us should keep in mind.  It is the action of the supreme talisman.

The recorder wrote: “Then, he said, lastly, ACT; Act as though it had all been answered. Then act with tireless, ceaseless energy. And as you act, you, yourself, will become a magnet, which will attract more power to your being, until you become an unobstructed channel for the Divine power to flow through you. Many pray but do not remain for the last half of the first step. Some who meditate arrive at a decision, but fail to hold it. Few have the determination to carry the decision through, still fewer have the confidence that the right thing will come to their need. But how many remember to act as though it had all been answered? How true are those words – “Greater than the prayer is the spirit in which it is uttered” and greater than the way it is uttered is the spirit in which it is carried out.” (Principles of Baha’i Administration: A Compilation:91.)

These are my ten personal virtues of prosperity.  While it may be hard to believe that, given humanity’s supposedly selfish nature, such virtues are possible to achieve and maintain, the reason lies not in our nature, but in an education that has brought us down to a poverty of self-understanding.  The fault is not in something we are and, therefore, cannot change, but something we have learned to be and can, therefore, unlearn. But to prove these assertions is not possible through words alone.  Models of behavior must demonstrate the efficacy of spiritual principle to transform the self and society.  But this, too, by itself may not generate a transformative power within the soul.  Shoghi Effendi admonished the Baha’is regarding their own work to advance the influence of their Faith: “One thing and only one thing will unfailingly and alone secure the undoubted triumph of this sacred Cause, namely, the extent to which our own inner life and private character mirror forth in their manifold aspects the splendor of those eternal principles proclaimed by Bahá'u'lláh.” (Baha'i Administration: 66)  The same kind of admonition goes for practicing nobility.

Let us turn to the final question and discuss how to practically apply this spiritual knowledge.

A direct link to my book, Renewing the Sacred, is http://tinyurl.com/cndew5a.  It is now also in Kindle.

Virtues of Prosperity: Generosity; Gratitude; Humility.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness..

(Galatians 5:22)

The last few posts have presented the first four of what I call the Ten Virtues of Prosperity.  These virtues are the different denominations of the currency of the moral economy, as dollars and cents are for the material economy.   Exemplifying these virtues will be difficult to say the least.  I mean that we should be clear about one thing: applying spiritual principles of thought and behavior among people whose values are materialistic, whose conception of human nature is ego-centered, and whose idea of human purpose is self-centered action, creates upheaval, arouses suspicion, and invites negative reaction. 

Ideally, of course, spiritual principle and practical action are inseparable, one seamless flow of thought and behavior.  But we do not live in such an ideal condition, but one that is almost exactly the opposite of it.  Baha’u’llah wrote of the effects of moral acts in an immoral society: “One righteous act is endowed with a potency that can so elevate the dust as to cause it to pass beyond the heaven of heavens. It can tear every bond asunder, and hath the power to restore the force that hath spent itself and vanished.” (Gleanings: 286)  I call your attention especially to the “tear every bond asunder” threat wedged in between the two firm promises of elevating the dust and restoring the force that hath spent itself and vanished.  Christ said that new wine cannot be poured into old wineskins, for as the new wine ferments it expands and the old skin having lost its elasticity bursts.  This is what happens when the new wine of Revelation gets poured into our old wineskins of social and mental reality.  We are seeing increasing insanity and immorality, because our old thought patterns, values and assumptions about Reality have burst asunder. Virtue is the new wineskin.    

The fifth virtue is generosity.  As opposed to any Calvinist-type thinking that accumulation of material riches is the proof of spiritual felicity, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says: “Eternal happiness is contingent upon giving.” (Promulgation of Universal Peace: 131)   There is no greater means to achieve general prosperity than by generosity.  Bahá’u’lláh commands us to: “Be ye the trustees of God amongst His creatures, and the emblems of His generosity amidst His people.” (Gleanings: 297)  In another place He warns the rich, saying: “Tell the rich of the midnight sighing of the poor, lest heedlessness lead them into the path of destruction, and deprive them of the Tree of Wealth. To give and to be generous are attributes of Mine; well is it with him that adorneth himself with My virtues.” (The Hidden Words Persian #49)  

In His letter to the Central Organization for a Durable Peace, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote:  “Among the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is voluntary sharing of one’s property with others among mankind.  This voluntary sharing is greater than equality, and consists in this, that one should not prefer oneself to others, but rather should sacrifice one’s life and property for others.” (Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha: 302)  To the great financier and philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, He wrote: “Man reacheth perfection through good deeds, voluntarily performed, not through good deeds the doing of which was forced upon him. And sharing is a personally chosen righteous act: that is, the rich should extend assistance to the poor, they should expend their substance for the poor, but of their own free will, and not because the poor have gained this end by force. For the harvest of force is turmoil and the ruin of the social order.  On the other hand voluntary sharing, the freely-chosen expending of one's substance, leadeth to society's comfort and peace.  It lighteth up the world; it bestoweth honour upon humankind.” (Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha: 115)   And while in Paris He said: “The rich must give of their abundance, they must soften their hearts and cultivate a compassionate intelligence, taking thought for those sad ones who are suffering from lack of the very necessities of life.” (Paris Talks: 153)

But just to tell someone “be generous like Christ or Bahá’u’lláh” probably will not get him or her very far.  This is because whenever an immature soul gives to another he may well fear that he is impoverishing himself, for he thinks life is a competitive zero-sum game with only winners and losers.  But we are not in competition with each other if we are cooperating with higher powers.  For in that cooperative relation there is plenty for all, and we need not fear running out of wealth, either personally or collectively.  The spiritualized soul recognizes that the act of giving itself is wealth in a higher form.  This is our true affluence—a word which means flows freely.  Personal prosperity is founded on and expressed through generosity. It is not those who have too little that are in poverty; it is those who wish for more than they need that are poor in spirit.

The sixth virtue is gratitude.  Gratitude is an active power drawing to us the good pleasure of God—the first attracting the second.  Gratitude works for prosperity by establishing good human relations and relations with divinity.  Grace is the root of gratitude, so we should be grateful for our innate virtues and use them to contribute to prosperity.  But gratitude must be sincere to be effective.

‘Abdul-Baha wrote: “There is a cordial thanksgiving, too, which expresses itself in the deeds and actions of man when his heart is filled with gratitude. For example, God has conferred upon man the gift of guidance, and in thankfulness for this great gift certain deeds must emanate from him. To express his gratitude for the favors of God man must show forth praiseworthy actions. In response to these bestowals he must render good deeds, be self-sacrificing, loving the servants of God, forfeiting even life for them, showing kindness to all the creatures.” (Promulgation of Universal Peace: 236)

It takes little effort to imagine what other kinds of deeds and “praiseworthy actions” would contribute to prosperity, besides the one’s the Master lists: self-sacrificing, loving the servants of God, showing kindness to all creatures.  The important point for this discussion is that we do these services for others to show our gratitude to God: we give because we have already received and thus have something to give.

Seventh is humility.  ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was often likened to an ocean, not just because He seemed bigger than any situation, but also because His deep humility made Him put Himself lower than everyone else and thus serve them.  All waters flow to the ocean for it lies at the lowest point, yet the ocean is also the fount of all life.  So is service the fount of wealth in the moral economy.  Now a strange kind of happy math would happen if all were humble and serving others instead of being self-serving.  That is, if everyone is looking out for me, and not just me looking out for me, there is a lot more security and wealth for me, so long as I am looking out for others.  Hence, humility is not such total self-effacement that one feels unworthy to do anything, or that one has nothing to give.  Humility is an attitude that seeks out service; that always wishes to help.  It should be the chief quality of the leaders of humankind.

Steven Covey, author of Principle-Centered Leadership, writes: “You can’t have a oneness, a unity, without humility….The great servant leaders have that humility, the hallmark of inner religion.” (Principle-Centered Leadership: 92.)  I will complete the ten virtues in the next post.

A direct link to my book, Renewing the Sacred, is http://tinyurl.com/cndew5a.  It is now also in Kindle.

Virtues of Prosperity: Trustworthiness and Faith

(T)he happiness and greatness, the rank and station, the pleasure and peace, of an individual have never consisted in his personal wealth, but rather in his excellent character, his high resolve, the breadth of his learning, and his ability to solve difficult problems.

(Abdu'l-Baha, The Secret of Divine Civilization: 23)

In a spiritually-based economy, what I call the moral economy, material wealth must of course be generated.  But we are not after material wealth per se.  We are after prosperity.  Wealth is absolutely essential for prosperity to mean anything but fine words, but material wealth itself is not prosperity. Indeed Baha’u’llah wrote: “Know ye in truth that wealth is a mighty barrier between the lover and his beloved... Well is it then with him who, being rich, is not hindered by his riches from the eternal Kingdom.” (The Hidden Words, Persian #53)

Prosperity comes from combining of spiritual riches (virtues) with material wealth.  Wealth can be used to build hospitals or bombs.  But prosperity makes one decision infinitely better than the other.  But in either case, wealth is like having a strong hammer to drive a nail.  Poverty is like having only your hand to do it.  The question is not, then, to choose between a false dichotomy of either ethics or economics.  The real question is: How is the ethical economy established?  That is why I am putting forth what I am calling the ten virtues of prosperity.  Last post discussed love and truthfulness.  This post discusses trustworthiness and faith.

If we are lovingly caring for others, are cooperating with them, and are truthful in all matters, we are demonstrating that we are trustworthy, that others may repose their trust in us to take care of the poor in our midst who are His trust.  Trustworthiness is also trusting that we will be cared for in ways which we may not know or understand, that we will be fed by hidden celestial springs.  In a phrase I discussed in a previous post (August 9, 2012), Shoghi Effendi wrote: “To be continually giving out for the good of our fellows undeterred by the fear of poverty and reliant on the unfailing bounty of the Source of all wealth and all good – that is the secret of right living.” (Directives from the Guardian: 32). 

So important is trustworthiness in social and economic affairs that Bahá’u’lláh had a vision of trustworthiness as: “one of the Beauties of the Most Sublime Paradise, standing on a pillar of light, and calling aloud saying: “O inmates of earth and heaven! Behold ye My beauty, and My radiance, and My revelation, and My effulgence. By God, the True One! I am Trustworthiness and the revelation thereof, and the beauty thereof. I will recompense whosoever will cleave unto Me, and recognize My rank and station, and hold fast unto My hem. I am the most great ornament of the people of Baha, and the vesture of glory unto all who are in the kingdom of creation. I am the supreme instrument for the prosperity of the world, and the horizon of assurance unto all beings.” (Tablets of Baha’u’llah: 37)  In another tablet He wrote: “The goodliest vesture in the sight of God in this day is trustworthiness. All bounty and honour shall be the portion of the soul that arrayeth itself with this greatest of adornments.” (The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 327)

In another place He wrote: “We have enjoined upon all to become engaged in some trade or profession, and have accounted such occupation to be an act of worship. Before all else, however, thou shouldst receive, as a sign of God's acceptance, the mantle of trustworthiness from the hands of divine favour; for trustworthiness is the chief means of attracting confirmation and prosperity.” (The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 335)

 “Commerce,” He wrote in yet another connection, “is as a heaven, whose sun is trustworthiness and whose moon is truthfulness. The most precious of all things in the estimation of Him Who is the Sovereign Truth is trustworthiness: thus hath it been recorded in the sacred Scroll of God. Entreat ye the one true God to enable all mankind to attain to this most noble and lofty station.” (The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 335-336)  Nothing more need be said about this virtue than what Bahá’u’lláh wrote.

Faith is the greatest creative power in the human reality.  It is an intrinsic impulse of the human spirit.  The power of faith was summed up by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá when He said: “Nothing shall be impossible to you if you have faith. As ye have faith so shall your powers and blessings be.” (Bahiyyih Khanum: 225)  Much of the hopelessness present today is really a lack of faith.  Of course, there is good reason to put no faith in failing systems and institutions and untrustworthy people.  But the general lack of faith comes from the breakdown of trust, in oneself, in others and in institutions, because more and more relationships and systems no longer work.  In relation to prosperity, should we have real faith we would believe that: “The Spirit breathing through the Holy Scriptures is food for all who hunger. God Who has given the revelation to His Prophets will surely give of His abundance daily bread to all those who ask Him faithfully.” (Paris Talks:57)  To ask faithfully doesn’t mean to put in your sincere request to the divine food bank and passively wait for a magical cornucopia to open.  It means to work hard toward a necessary or noble goal, all the while believing that divine assistance is aiding you in your quest.

            Many recoil from belief in invisible power and say: “Seeing is believing.”  They mean by this little gnome of supposed insight that wisdom is to be skeptical of anything that can’t be seen with the physical eye.  But actually the opposite is true.  Real faith is never blind belief, or belief in something we cannot relate to.  The Biblical statement of the correct attitude is Jesus declaration: “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (The Book of Mark 11:24)   Jesus is saying look into the world of vision, perceive with your spiritual eye, as He did, and believe that what you perceive there is real and can be manifested. 

            So many don’t really believe what they mentally envision, calling it “just imagination” or "only a dream."  This is doubt speaking and the lower form of faith is doubt.  We often lose heart and feel doubt when pursuing a dream because we encounter obstacles or resistance.  This, too, is a form of poverty thinking (See the November 4, 2012 post) that can become a self-fulfilling belief.  Doubt has an impoverishing effect, for we are actually saying that we don’t believe in the reality of spirit.  Thus what we desire from that realm will never manifest.  But to believe that you have received before you have actually received, as Christ said, means that you must mentally make a place in your life for the desired reality.  If you are not prepared for it you are actually strengthening doubt not belief.  In this case, doubt will increase, faith will decrease, and you are ensnared in a self-fulfilling prophecy of hopelessness and despair.

A direct link to my book, Renewing the Sacred, is http://tinyurl.com/cndew5a.  It is now also in Kindle.

Virtues of True Prosperity

The honor and exaltation of every existing being depends upon causes and circumstances….the honor and exaltation of man must be something more than material riches. Material comforts are only a branch, but the root of the exaltation of man is the good attributes and virtues which are the adornments of his reality. These are the divine appearances, the heavenly bounties, the sublime emotions, the love and knowledge of God; universal wisdom, intellectual perception, scientific discoveries, justice, equity, truthfulness, benevolence, natural courage and innate fortitude; the respect for rights and the keeping of agreements and covenants; rectitude in all circumstances; serving the truth under all conditions; the sacrifice of one's life for the good of all people; kindness and esteem for all nations; obedience to the teachings of God; service in the Divine Kingdom; the guidance of the people, and the education of the nations and races. This is the prosperity of the human world! This is the exaltation of man in the world! This is eternal life and heavenly honor!

(‘Abdu’l-Baha, Some Answered Questions: 78-80)

        With ‘Àbdu’l-Bahá’s statement in mind, we can say that real prosperity lies in advancing ourselves into higher realms of spirit where true wealth resides.  It is not to be rich in this world, but to use this wealth to express more spirit.

In the next few posts I am going to discuss what I call the ten personal virtues of prosperity.  These virtues all derive from the central pivot of Baha’u’llah’s teachings, which is the consciousness of the oneness of humanity.  That is, these virtues come out of and support that central ideal and give it varied expression in interpersonal relations.  They do not exist or have real power without that larger context provided by that consciousness.  This must be kept in mind, or they become simply disembodied ideas and airy beliefs. 

Before I get to the heart of the discussion, however, I want to put forward two considerations.  First, ‘Abdu’l-Baha reminds us that: “These virtues do not appear from the reality of man except through the power of God and the divine teachings, for they need supernatural power for their manifestation. It may be that in the world of nature a trace of these perfections may appear, but they are unstable and ephemeral; they are like the rays of the sun upon the wall.” (Some Answered Questions: 80)

Secondly, some may question my choice of virtues: “What, only these virtues and not others?”; or, “Why did he not include….”?  My answer is that I have found this approach a useful one and I hope the reader does also.  It is comprehensive but not overly complex.  If any reader wishes to add to or subtract from the list, fine, for they are, naturally, free to make their own list using other virtues.  The goal, though, is neither to make lists, nor to argue over whose list is better, but to practice virtues.  

The two virtues to discuss today are love and truthfulness.  The discussion will necessarily be short, but the hope is that the essentials will be apparent. 

First is love.  Love is both the foundation and center of everything human.  In a talk in America, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explained the connection between love and true economics: “The fundamentals of the whole economic condition are divine in nature and are associated with the world of the heart and spirit….Hearts must be so cemented together, love must become so dominant that the rich shall most willingly extend assistance to the poor and take steps to establish these economic adjustments permanently. If it is accomplished in this way, it will be most praiseworthy because then it will be for the sake of God and in the pathway of His service. For example, it will be as if the rich inhabitants of a city should say, ‘It is neither just nor lawful that we should possess great wealth while there is abject poverty in this community,’ and then willingly give their wealth to the poor, retaining only as much as will enable them to live comfortably.

Strive, therefore, to create love in the hearts in order that they may become glowing and radiant. When that love is shining, it will permeate other hearts even as this electric light illumines its surroundings. When the love of God is established, everything else will be realized. This is the true foundation of all economics….Economic questions will not attract hearts. The love of God alone will attract them. Economic questions are most interesting; but the power which moves, controls and attracts the hearts of men is the love of God.” (The Promulgation of Universal Peace: 239)  

            But this love is no mere soft and lifeless acceptance of things as they are.  It is divine love, not human imitations of it.  We must understand the dynamic power of love to change human conditions.  Think of a Mother Teresa.  Without love there is only tolerance of others, without unity there is only passive acceptance of differences.  To quote again a statement from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: “See ye no strangers; rather see all men as friends, for love and unity come hard when ye fix your gaze on otherness.” (Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha: 24)  “Love is a light that never dwelleth in a heart possessed by fear,” says Bahá’u’lláh, (The Four Valleys:58) bringing to mind Shoghi Effendi’s admonition to give “undeterred by the fear of poverty.” (Directives from the Guardian: 32

            But to get a real sense of the power of love let us ponder these words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha: “Love is…the vital bond inherent, in accordance with the divine creation, in the realities of things. .... the unique power that bindeth together the divers elements of this material world, the supreme magnetic force that directeth the movements of the spheres in the celestial realms. Love revealeth with unfailing and limitless power the mysteries latent in the universe. Love is the spirit of life unto the adorned body of mankind, the establisher of true civilization in this mortal world, and the shedder of imperishable glory upon every high-aiming race and nation.” (Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha: 27)  Love, then, is the binding power of all things, especially of human relations.  If we truly loved each other we would never think of taking advantage or justify self-interest.

The second virtue is truthfulness.  Though it is the second virtue, it is the first intellectual virtue and therefore the foundation of mental activity and progress.   The Master says: “Truthfulness is the foundation of all the virtues of the world of humanity. Without truthfulness, progress and success in all of the worlds of God are impossible for a soul. When this holy attribute is established in man, all the divine qualities will also become realized.” (Bahá’í World Faith: 384)  Mere casual reflection tells us that if people were truthful in their personal dealings then misunderstanding, suspicion, hurt and anger would decrease, and trust, cooperation and service would increase.  Truthfulness by itself would increase prosperity, for watchdog agencies would not be necessary to police the graft, bribery, tax evasion, and other forms of immoral self-interest that siphon off so much from the public funds.  Truthfulness in the corporate and public world would be a great benefit to society, and would eliminate all those scandalous underhanded dealings that so plague our world today. 

The collective form of truthfulness is consultation, the aim of which is to determine the truth in any matter by each one speaking truthfully his or her opinion on the matter at hand.  Bahá’u’lláh admonishes: “Take ye counsel together in all matters, inasmuch as consultation is the lamp of guidance which leadeth the way, and is the bestower of understanding.” (Tablets of Baha’u’llah:168)

A direct link to my book, Renewing the Sacred is http://tinyurl.com/cndew5a

Poverty Thinking

God grant that all men may turn unto the treasures latent within their own beings.

(Tablets of Baha’u’llah:72)

            We are learning the hard way that real happiness resides neither in a mad, frenetic pursuit of material things, nor in that drowsy complacency resulting from gorging on a glut of material wealth, or rather it may for awhile, but it cannot endure without the developments of our virtues, both private and public. 

The evolution of what has become a materialist order of life, thought, and society was built upon an ethos of self-interest.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha summed up that ethos this way: “Today, all the peoples of the world are indulging in self-interest and exert the utmost effort and endeavour to promote their own material interests. They are worshipping themselves and not the divine reality, nor the world of mankind. They seek diligently their own benefit and not the common weal. This is because they are captives of the world of nature and unaware of the divine teachings, of the bounty of the Kingdom and of the Sun of Truth.” (Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha:103)

            Opposed to this self-centered ethic of anarchy, competition and division, Baha’u’llah asserts the moral view that has animated every great religion: “Forget your own selves, and turn your eyes towards your neighbor. Bend your energies to whatever may foster the education of men.” (Gleanings: 9)  And: “Do not busy yourselves in your own concerns; let your thoughts be fixed upon that which will rehabilitate the fortunes of mankind and sanctify the hearts and souls of men.” (Tablets of Baha’u’llah: 86)  And in relation to the inner gems of virtue within His Revelation He promises: “Were ye to discover the hidden, the shoreless oceans of My incorruptible wealth, ye would, of a certainty, esteem as nothing the world, nay, the entire creation.” (Gleanings:323)

Bahá’u’lláh’s estimation of the value of this world is: “The world is but a show, vain and empty, a mere nothing, bearing the semblance of reality. Set not your affections upon it.” (Gleanings:323)  ‘Abdu’l-Bahá elaborates on His father’s statement: “This present life is even as a swelling wave, or a mirage, or drifting shadows. Could ever a distorted image on the desert serve as refreshing waters?  No, by the Lord of Lords! Never can reality and the mere semblance of reality be one, and wide is the difference between fancy and fact, between truth and the phantom thereof.” (Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdul-Baha:177)

            Now material things are real enough, as anyone running into a wall can tell you.  So when Bahá’u’lláh says the world is a mere nothing, He does not mean it is not real.  He means it is of little value compared to spiritual reality and that the materialistic mind overvalues it.  Bahá’u’lláh identifies our true psychological relation with material wealth: “In earthly riches fear is hidden and peril is concealed.” (Tablets of Baha’u’llah:219) 

One can never gain a feeling of security and peace from pursuing, possessing and accumulating material riches because fear and peril are hidden and concealed in their very essence.  These dangers are there because material riches are always threatening to dissolve.  They are a fleeting form of congealed dust.  Compared to spiritual wealth, the reality of material riches is illusion itself. The gold they give is only a fool’s gold, material wealth being but the semblance of inner spiritual riches.  Their promise of happiness, security and peace is a lie because they can only deliver fear, suspicion and competitive self-interest.  The more material riches are pursued and accumulated, whether by individuals or nations, the more fear and a sense of imperilment is brought into human life, for that pursuit is merely chasing shadows and reflections through the looking glass!  But fear and peril are difficult to see because they are hidden beneath the sparkling glitter of allurement—“If I get that big raise I can….” 

            Material needs and desires are a necessary part of human life and well-being: but only in a proper measure.  However, materialism as a philosophy is built entirely on fiction and illusion, for it is founded upon poverty thinking, and poverty generates anxiety which fuels a compensating avariciousness.  The  whole materialist paradigm is driven to overcome these paralyzing feelings of scarcity and fear of poverty by the donkey’s carrot of aggressive self-interest and material accumulation.  Not only is there no common prosperity there, there can never be any sense of prosperity for the lower nature is a poverty mentality seeking enrichment.  As we become engaged in cutthroat competition for limited resources we lose any sense of our spiritual nature and become blind to true human purpose.  The inner anxiety is compensated for by a lust for power and material security—but it never goes away.  Yet, from prolonged exposure to this illusion, to this improper education that brings forth our ego-qualities of negativity, we have bought into the delusion given us and the development of human consciousness suffers correspondingly. 

Shoghi Effendi put it this way: “Indeed the chief reason for the evils now rampant in society is the lack of spirituality. The materialistic civilization of our age has so much absorbed the energy and interest of mankind that people in general do no longer feel the necessity of raising themselves above the forces and conditions of their daily material existence. There is not sufficient demand for things that we call spiritual to differentiate them from the needs and requirements of our physical existence.

The universal crisis affecting mankind is, therefore, essentially spiritual in its causes. The spirit of the age, taken on the whole, is irreligious. Man’s outlook on life is too crude and materialistic to enable him to elevate himself into the higher realms of the spirit….the core of religious faith is that mystic feeling which unites Man with God.” (Directives from the Guardian 1973 edition: 86)

            Inner poverty can only be cured by spiritual riches, not by greater material wealth.  The real scarcity today is within our empty souls, not in our empty pocketbooks.  We don’t see this, or only see it through a heavy fog of confused thoughts, because our value system, as it is called, is horribly skewed.  We have an ego-based morality. 

            In viewing our relationship with material wealth Bahá’u’lláh again presents a view opposed to the common one: “Thou dost wish for gold and I desire thy freedom from it. Thou thinkest thyself rich in its possession, and I recognize thy wealth in thy sanctity therefrom.” (The Hidden Words #56Arabic)  So that we may be educated to see ourselves and the world properly the divine Educator warns: “Busy not thyself with this world, for with fire We test the gold, and with gold We test Our servants.” (The Hidden Words #55A)  We are finding out that the attraction for gold, or material wealth, is a spiritual fire we put our souls in—and it can roast the spirit.       

            True prosperity is where the spiritual and the material are in harmonious balance for everyone, not just for oneself.  So a spiritual solution to the economic problem means, at this juncture, to use our inner spiritual resources to create this balance, to mine and express those inner gems deposited within the soul of every human being, to bring about the death of scarcity.  Spiritual resources we have in abundance for we are created rich.  Spiritually, wealth is not something we need but something we are. 

            What are the virtues we need to manifest to solve our economic problem?  The first three are love, truthfulness and trustworthiness.