There are spiritual principles, or
what some call human values, by which solutions can be found for every social
problem. Any well-intentioned group can in a general sense devise practical
solutions to its problems, but good intentions and practical knowledge are
usually not enough. The essential merit of spiritual principle is that it not
only presents a perspective which harmonizes with that which is immanent in
human nature, it also induces an attitude, a dynamic, a will, an aspiration,
which facilitate the discovery and implementation of practical measures.
Leaders of governments and all in authority would be well served in their
efforts to solve problems if they would first seek to identify the principles
involved and then be guided by them.
(The
Universal House of Justice, 1985 Oct, The
Promise of World Peace)
The world is rapidly disintegrating at every
level. Indeed, so pervasive is this
movement that Baha’u’llah saw more than one hundred years ago: “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: 163-164) The great challenge of today is to reunite at
every level. That is most difficult
because most try to do this from an inadequate understanding of how to
accomplish this. We operate from a
separatist and divided consciousness, with no clear idea of how to unify. So all attempts to unite actually make the situation go from bad to worse.
We ended last section with the note from the House of
Justice stating that “High aims and pure motives, however laudable in
themselves, will surely not suffice if unsupported by measures that are
practicable and methods that are sound. Wealth of sentiment, abundance of
goodwill and effort, will prove of little avail if we should fail to exercise
discrimination and restraint and neglect to direct their flow along the most
profitable channels.” Yet, they go even
further and state above that; “Any well-intentioned group can in a general
sense devise practical solutions to its problems, but good intentions and
practical knowledge are usually not enough.” The missing piece between "good
intentions and practical knowledge” is spiritual principle or human values. It is also what must also be added to “high
aims and pure motives” and measures that are practicable and sound methods.
Any examination of the how to universally unify
humankind can start with language, which presents a world-view to the mind: how
to see it and how to think about it.
Recall that the primary intent of the kerygmatic mode of language is not
to convey one’s own message to another, but to connect persons spiritually by
proclaiming God and, in doing so, to bring forth from the mind and heart spiritual
values and qualities. By proclaiming
God most effectively is not meant to shout the word “God” at every opportunity,
but to consistently speak from the divine aspect of the human reality. To do that, of course, the soul must
consistently be in that state of being. Most
of us are not there yet, including the writer.
Now a spiritual connection between souls is possible
through language, not from an overflow of “spiritual” feeling, which quickly
slides into incoherence and inarticulateness, but because spiritual principles
present a “perspective which harmonizes with that which is immanent in human
nature.” Individual souls connect and
unite because spiritual principle brings forth from each what is fundamentally
common to all. This connection is more
than a sense of kinship, though it is that.
Rather, spiritual principles evoke through our infinite outer diversity
the inner unity state of being, what Christ called the Kingdom of God within
you (King James Bible, Luke 17:20); that “place” and purpose where “all were
made for harmony and union”.
Further, the harmony between
principle and nature occurs because both are harmonized with God, the divine
aspect of human nature being that which responds to the divine Word. Recall Baha’u’llah’s advice to “recite divine verses
whenever the occasion demandeth it, inasmuch as these holy verses are the most
potent elixir, the greatest and mightiest talisman. So potent is their
influence that the hearer will have no cause for vacillation.”
(Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah: 200) To harmonize with “that which is
immanent in human nature” is to enter the condition where “Thy hearing is My
hearing, hear thou therewith. Thy sight is My sight, do thou see therewith.” (Baha'u'llah,
The Hidden Words Arabic #44) We can see with greater fidelity, hear more
acutely and know more profoundly in this higher mode of understanding that
helps “to make known amongst all peoples the sign of the singleness of God, so
that at last the primal oneness deposited at the heart of all created things
would bear its destined fruit, and the splendour of 'No difference canst thou
see in the creation of the God of Mercy,' would cast abroad its rays.” (Abdu'l-Baha,
Selections from the Writings of
Abdu'l-Baha: 263)
Again, we know that conditions,
such as peace, are an existent inner state that can be induced and evoked into
existence when supported by a moral attitude that is aroused by spiritual
principle. The sooner we understand the
role and power of spiritual principle in unifying humanity the better off we
shall be. The House of Justice states: “The teaching that we should treat
others as we ourselves would wish to be treated, an ethic variously repeated in
all the great religions…sums up the moral attitude, the peace-inducing aspect,
extending through these religions irrespective of their place or time of
origin; it also signifies an aspect of unity which is their essential virtue, a
virtue mankind in its disjointed view of history has failed to appreciate.
“Had humanity seen the Educators of
its collective childhood in their true character, as agents of one civilizing
process, it would no doubt have reaped incalculably greater benefits from the
cumulative effects of their successive missions. This, alas, it failed to do.” (The
Universal House of Justice, 1985 Oct, The Promise of World Peace, p. 1)
This is the age of the maturity of
the human reality, so it requires a mature mode of language to bring the power
of understanding, which discovers and receives the Word, to maturity. It is in its exclamation of spiritual
attitudes through effective speech that the kerygmatic, built upon and
expressing spiritual virtues that bring forth our innate unity, the essential
state of the oneness of humankind, “induces an attitude, a dynamic, a will, an
aspiration, which facilitate the discovery and implementation of practical
measures.”
The best way to practice this mode
of speech is in the arena of consultation and the means to mature the power of
understanding is through the practice of consultation. The Bahá’í writings aver: “Consultation
bestoweth greater awareness and transmuteth conjecture into certitude. It is a
shining light which, in a dark world, leadeth the way and guideth. For
everything there is and will continue to be a station of perfection and
maturity. The maturity of the gift of understanding is made manifest through
consultation.” (The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 93) And: “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)
The purpose of consultation is the
finding of truth guided by spiritual principles. It is a creative and shared means of creating
knowledge, and a cooperative approach to problem solving that activates the
creative powers of individuals to find good solutions to their problems. Consultation as an
art is founded upon two complementary spiritual principles: the independent
search for truth and the union of these searches within a common framework of
understanding.
The independent search for truth implies the
right of each person to her or his own opinion based on that search. I have said that the purpose of the
kerygmatic is not to simply state or transfer one’s opinion to another. So true consultation is more than simply a happy
blending or balancing of opinions. In full, frank, and open consultation,
several lines of thought and opinion merge and combine to give a complete
picture of any problem, because a comprehensive unit of thought, built up by
the contributions of all participants, then surrounds the subject. Where
unity of thought is not initially present, the process of consultation, when
undertaken within the framework of spiritual principle, can build or create it
by seeing how the varied faces of individually expressed thought can be the
different facets of a collective diamond of thought. In this way, a common framework of thinking
and a unity of purpose is created, for we think together when we speak together.
Two qualities I believe must be present for
good consultation to occur. The first is
truthfulness. Truthfulness is
important not only for its intrinsic merit, but also it holds a special rank
among all human virtues: “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.” (Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith: 384)
However, compassion works collectively to
build the unity of a group. It is itself an unique form of knowing and generating
knowledge. Baha’u’llah says compassion is of equal importance to consultation
in the meaningful exchange of thought: “The heaven of divine wisdom is
illumined with the two luminaries of consultation and compassion...” (Tablets of
Baha'u'llah: 126) Should we
ask: How can this be?, let us recall
that a kindly tongue “clotheth the words with meaning; it is the fountain of
the light of wisdom and understanding.” (Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf: 15)
Such assertions are consistent not only with my
personal experience in consultation, but also aligned with other statements
proclaiming that consultation generates perspectives unavailable to individual
minds alone, and matures human thinking. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
wrote in this regard: “Man must consult on all matters, whether major or minor,
so that he may become cognizant of what is good. Consultation giveth him
insight into things and enableth him to delve into questions which are unknown.
The light of truth shineth from the faces of those who engage in consultation.
Such consultation causeth the living waters to flow in the meadows of man's
reality, the rays of ancient glory to shine upon him, and the tree of his being
to be adorned with wondrous fruit. The members who are consulting, however,
should behave in the utmost love, harmony and sincerity towards each other. The
principle of consultation is one of the most fundamental elements of the divine
edifice. Even in their ordinary affairs the individual members of society
should consult.” (From a Tablet translated from the Persian. The Compilation of Compilations vol. I,
p. 97)
Consultation and compassion bring out the
cooperative side of human nature, yet will not sacrifice individual expression
in the process if individuals “behave in the utmost love,
harmony and sincerity towards each other.” Indeed good consultation depends upon honest individual
expression. In true consultation disagreement is never frowned upon. Indeed,
the Bahá’í Writings see the value of divergent thinking coming to unity in such
statements as "the shining spark of truth cometh forth only after the
clash of differing opinions." (Selections from the Writings of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: 87) Yet, the goal is
never opposition and dissension, but, rather, personal and community spiritual
transformation.
We started out
this post calling attention to the disunity characterizing human relationships
at every level of society. To unify
means not to repair these crumbling relationships but, rather, to
reconceptualize them within a consultative framework. The Prosperity of Humankind points out that “a
fundamental redefinition of human relationships is called for... Central
to the task of reconceptualizing the system of human relationships is the
process that Bahá’u’lláh refers to as consultation. (The Prosperity of
Humankind: Section III para: 3)
At every level of human interaction,
consultation will grow in importance as its power to unify people into
community and generate the knowledge and insights that will solve seemingly intractable
problems, defuse explosive issues and harmonize contentious disputes is
understood.
The Prosperity of Humankind
states: “[C]onsultation is the operating expression
of justice in human affairs. So vital is it to the success of collective
endeavor that it must constitute a basic feature of a viable strategy of social
and economic development. Indeed, the participation of those on whose
commitment the success of such a strategy depends becomes effective only as
consultation is made the organizing principle of every project. ‘No man can
attain his true station,’ is Bahá’u’lláh's counsel, ‘except through his
justice. No power can exist except through unity. No welfare and no well-being
can be attained except through consultation.’" (The Prosperity of
Humankind: Section III para: 6)
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