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