Deprivations

Man is the supreme Talisman. Lack of a proper education hath, however, deprived him of that which he doth inherently possess.

(Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah:259)

Last post discussed the three types of human character along with the three kinds of education that bring them forth, ending with a contrast between what we often say about ourselves—usually from some viewpoint originating either within the physical (inherited) or social (acquired) character, and what the Bahá’í Writings say, which elucidate our essential character.  The above quote can start any discussion that attempts to uncover that strata of human nature called the essential character, the divine or holy character.  Hence when we read other statements of Bahá’u’lláh’s like: “Behold Me standing within thee, mighty, powerful and self-subsisting,” Bahá’u’lláh means by “Me” the likeness or similitude of the divinity within our being, our talismanic essence that holds all creation within it and can, therefore, attract all creation to it. 

There is clearly, in Bahá’u’lláh’s mind, a difference between an education which will “educe” our spiritual nature and much of what passes for education today, which is, from a spiritual perspective, really a “lack of a proper education” for it deprives us of what we inherently possess, namely, our spiritual endowments.  It does this by distorting their nature, marginalizing their importance, or obscuring their value completely.  What are the results of being deprived of that which we inherently possess?  There are many, but I will concentrate on only two at present, the first negatively affects the relationship each individual has with himself or herself, while the second distorts our social relationships.            

Foremost among those inherent powers and faculties which an improper education deprives us of is the faculty of recognizing the Word of God Itself.  For many religionists the relationship with God is an inherent one, and without it the intelligence can make no coherent sense of the universe and themselves.  Yet for those under the sway of a secular rational system, that relation with God is problematic at best, non-existent at worse.  Whatever benefits this intellectualistic education has brought, and there are many, from a spiritual point of view it has cost its proponents something necessary to be fully human.  Bahá’u’lláh wrote: “Gracious God! It was intended that at the time of the manifestation of the One true God the faculty of recognizing Him would have been developed and matured and would have reached its culmination. However, it is now clearly demonstrated that in the unbelievers this faculty hath remained undeveloped and hath, indeed, degenerated.” (Tablets of Baha’u’llah:52)   This faculty is what enables the human heart to recognize the Voice of God as uniquely different from any human voice.  This is the faculty of the soul which perceives either the divine Message or the divinity within things.  Having this faculty in action enables the soul to be “the first among all created things to declare the excellence of its Creator, the first to recognize His glory, to cleave to His truth, and to bow down in adoration before Him.” (Gleanings:158)  

Lack of a proper education deprives us of knowing ourself to be a “supreme talisman” with terrific powers, of knowing the voice of divinity when it speaks, and all this has a direct impact upon the economic crisis.  “This unprecedented economic crisis, together with the social breakdown it has helped to engender, reflects a profound error of conception about human nature itself. For the levels of response elicited from human beings by the incentives of the prevailing order are not only inadequate, but seem almost irrelevant in the face of world events. We are being shown that, unless the development of society finds a purpose beyond the mere amelioration of material conditions, it will fail of attaining even these goals. That purpose must be sought in spiritual dimensions of life and motivation that transcend a constantly changing economic landscape and an artificially imposed division of human societies into "developed" and "developing". (The Prosperity of Humankind:3)

Now, what is meant by the phrase spiritual dimension of life?  “Although there are mystical aspects that are not easily explained, the spiritual dimension of human nature can be understood, in practical terms, as the source of qualities that transcend narrow self-interest. Such qualities include love, compassion, forbearance, trustworthiness, courage, humility, co-operation and willingness to sacrifice for the common good--qualities of an enlightened citizenry, able to construct a unified world civilization.” (Baha'i International Community, Sustainable Development Human Spirit)  But let us also remember that while the source of higher qualities is the "spiritual dimension of human nature" the awakener of that source, the Source of this source itself, is the Word of God.  Abdu’l-Baha again: “Through the breaths of the Holy Spirit man is uplifted into the world of moralities and illumined by the lights of divine bestowals. The moral world is only attained through the effulgence of the Sun of Reality and the quickening life of the divine spirit. For this reason the holy Manifestations of God appear in the human world.” (The Promulgation of Universal Peace:329)

 The second and social result of being deprived of what we inherently possess is found in these statements of Bahá’u’lláh: “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:138)  And: “Ye were created to show love one to another and not perversity and rancour.” (Tablets of Baha’u’llah:138)

For individuals to unite into real community means assisting each other to create peace and prosperity for all, uniting in a way that each separate quality adds to the composite beauty and power of the whole.  ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote: "Verily, God loveth those who are working in His path in groups, for they are a solid foundation." Consider ye that he says "in groups," united and bound together, supporting one another. "To work," mentioned in this holy verse, does not mean, in this greatest age, to perform it with swords, spears, shafts and arrows, but rather with sincere intentions, good designs, useful advices, divine moralities, beautiful actions, spiritual qualities, educating the public, guiding the souls of mankind, diffusing spiritual fragrances, explaining divine illustrations, showing convincing proofs and doing charitable deeds. When the holy souls, through the angelic power, will arise to show forth these celestial characteristics, establishing a band of harmony, each of these souls shall be regarded as one thousand persons and the waves of this greatest ocean shall be considered as the army of the hosts of the Supreme Concourse.” (Baha’i World Faith: 401)

For me, being “made for harmony and union” and “created to show forth love” puts to rest all those theories of human nature which say humans are only selfish, conflict-driven creatures.  Rather, it is an improper education that skews our vision, that deprives us of understanding this innate nature of harmony and union, which hides this treasure from view and so prevents us from acting on that understanding.  Because we are deprived of knowing our true selves, we do, indeed, become conflict-driven, both psychologically and socially.  Yet there is some truth to the belief that we are conflict-driven.  But to understand this we must see the human reality as double-natured, with conflict being an inherent part of only one nature.  We’ll look at that in the next post.

A direct link to purchase my book, Renewing the Sacred: A New Vision of Education, is: http://tinyurl.com/cndew5a