Let deeds, not words, be thy adorning
I was reading through some of my previous posts. I seem to rant a lot about things I do not like in "society" but do little in the way of offering a solution. Funny, because I have little tolerance for people who complain a lot but take no steps to remedy situations if it's within their power to do so. Though I have, undoubtedly, surely been that annoying person myself many times.
In any event, do I think we're all doomed or is there a solution to all of this...decay?
Get ready for it....YES! :) There is a solution. Hope. The possibility of change.
Baha'is believe that God sends us Divine Teachers (what many refer to as Prophets, what we like to call Manifestations or Messengers of God)to guide humanity and draw us nearer to Him. These Manifestations of God do this by bringing us laws and teachings according to our collective capacity as a human race. These laws are both new and the same. They are appropriate for the day in which we live--as every new age has its own ill, and every new ill requires a different medicine, the social teachings change and address the specific "disease" of the time--and the spiritual laws which are eternal and unchanging are renewed rather than rewritten. We believe that there are so many different religions for this very reason. Not because one is right and all the rest are false, but because each authentic religion was right in its own historical context, was necessary for the age in which it was revealed, and is renewed, not lost, when the next Manifestation comes. So essentially, there is only one religion-- "eternal in the past, eternal in the future"--though at different times it had different names and different laws. Even different teachers. Much like the child going through the same school, but at each new grade learning newer and more complex ideas, humanity is educated by God in the same progressive and gradual way.
Therefore, we believe that Baha'u'llah, the most recent in this series, has brought the teachings which are appropriate for today. He says:
And what do we believe is the major crying need of the world today? Peace.
Okay, well, this all sounds great and lovely, but how is change put into practice?
Baha'is the world over are engaged in core activities to help address the root problems which result in the symptoms of the diseases plaguing humanity. Too many organizations and institutions address it the other way around--they address the symptoms, not the cause. Which at best postpones further symptoms, but does nothing in the way of truly curing and preventing the problem from reocurring.
(Did you know that the the highest expenditure in the world is on weapons? And that as a planet we spend 1.3 TRILLION dollars designing methods to blow each other (aka ourselves) up. TRILLIONS of dollars on ways to literally wipe out our own human race.)
Our core activities include as a vital component children's classes and junior youth classes. These classes aim at infusing these youngsters with morality, all too lacking and underrated these days, so that they can use their lives for the betterment of society.
We believe in grassroots change. We believe in the power of the individual to arise and make a difference. To be an active agent of social transformation, rather than a passive bystander in the perishing of society. Or someone who sits on his or her couch all day feeling depressed about the world but offering nothing more than complaints.
We support, encourage, and are participating in socioeconomic development projects, especially those aimed at helping the underserved in our world have a voice. Be able to provide for themselves and their families.
But, we can't do it alone. We don't want to do it alone. We want to work shoulder-to-shoulder with our neighbors, our coworkers, our friends, our friends' friends- in taking responsibility for our planet and together, rebuilding the world in which we live. Transforming it into that long-awaited Kingdom of God on earth.
Why not today?
There is so much more to say, but this post, and its author, are far too incapable of doing these themes the justice they deserve. For more information about these topics or how to get involved, www.bahai.org is the place to go!
In any event, do I think we're all doomed or is there a solution to all of this...decay?
Get ready for it....YES! :) There is a solution. Hope. The possibility of change.
Baha'is believe that God sends us Divine Teachers (what many refer to as Prophets, what we like to call Manifestations or Messengers of God)to guide humanity and draw us nearer to Him. These Manifestations of God do this by bringing us laws and teachings according to our collective capacity as a human race. These laws are both new and the same. They are appropriate for the day in which we live--as every new age has its own ill, and every new ill requires a different medicine, the social teachings change and address the specific "disease" of the time--and the spiritual laws which are eternal and unchanging are renewed rather than rewritten. We believe that there are so many different religions for this very reason. Not because one is right and all the rest are false, but because each authentic religion was right in its own historical context, was necessary for the age in which it was revealed, and is renewed, not lost, when the next Manifestation comes. So essentially, there is only one religion-- "eternal in the past, eternal in the future"--though at different times it had different names and different laws. Even different teachers. Much like the child going through the same school, but at each new grade learning newer and more complex ideas, humanity is educated by God in the same progressive and gradual way.
Therefore, we believe that Baha'u'llah, the most recent in this series, has brought the teachings which are appropriate for today. He says:
The All-Knowing Physician hath His finger on the pulse of mankind. He perceiveth the disease, and prescribeth, in His unerring wisdom, the remedy. Every age hath its own problem, and every soul its particular aspiration. The remedy the world needeth in its present-day afflictions can never be the same as that which a subsequent age may require. Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements.
And what do we believe is the major crying need of the world today? Peace.
Okay, well, this all sounds great and lovely, but how is change put into practice?
Baha'is the world over are engaged in core activities to help address the root problems which result in the symptoms of the diseases plaguing humanity. Too many organizations and institutions address it the other way around--they address the symptoms, not the cause. Which at best postpones further symptoms, but does nothing in the way of truly curing and preventing the problem from reocurring.
(Did you know that the the highest expenditure in the world is on weapons? And that as a planet we spend 1.3 TRILLION dollars designing methods to blow each other (aka ourselves) up. TRILLIONS of dollars on ways to literally wipe out our own human race.)
Our core activities include as a vital component children's classes and junior youth classes. These classes aim at infusing these youngsters with morality, all too lacking and underrated these days, so that they can use their lives for the betterment of society.
We believe in grassroots change. We believe in the power of the individual to arise and make a difference. To be an active agent of social transformation, rather than a passive bystander in the perishing of society. Or someone who sits on his or her couch all day feeling depressed about the world but offering nothing more than complaints.
We support, encourage, and are participating in socioeconomic development projects, especially those aimed at helping the underserved in our world have a voice. Be able to provide for themselves and their families.
But, we can't do it alone. We don't want to do it alone. We want to work shoulder-to-shoulder with our neighbors, our coworkers, our friends, our friends' friends- in taking responsibility for our planet and together, rebuilding the world in which we live. Transforming it into that long-awaited Kingdom of God on earth.
Why not today?
There is so much more to say, but this post, and its author, are far too incapable of doing these themes the justice they deserve. For more information about these topics or how to get involved, www.bahai.org is the place to go!
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