READ IT!: July 31st Edition

Baha'i blogging just keeps getting hotter and hotter. I'm actually going to have to figure out how to arrange my life between trying to buy a house, welcoming a baby boy and starting my classes again to actually read these amazing, high quality blogs! Check it out:

Baha'i Perspectives continues to deliver the best social commentary out there with a post on biofuels!

New blog Baha'i Education takes on memorization and understanding

Baha'i Faith in Egypt and Iran shares another comical take on the absurd situation facing Baha'is in Egypt

BahaiQ one of my favorite new blogs ponders the Universal Force

Barnabas links to CNN coverage of arson attacks on Baha'is in Iran

Doberman Pizza has a little fine music to share

Quest for Certitude ponders vengeance and mercy

The Baha'i Covenant addresses the important question of the difference between individual and authoritative interpretation

Where the World's Going takes the price for most interesting blog post title with Super-powers and Jesus Clouds

Finally if you want a little extra treat, you can listen to Rainn Wilson, a star on "The Office" talk about being a Baha'i on National Public Radio's "Fresh Air" here.

What's Wrong With World Citizenship?

A friend of mine in Los Angeles sent me this amusing blog post from someone who is unhappy with a statement made by Senator Obama during his recent journey abroad:

"We do not want or need a world citizen to head our country, we need an American President. Obama, in Berlin and at his most vacuous announced, " Tonight, I speak to you not as a candidate for President, but as a citizen - a proud citizen of the United States, and a fellow citizen of the world." Obama has undergone a metamorphosis from presidential candidate to world messenger. He has clarified his religion. He is not a Muslim, he is a divine messenger. He is the fruit of his hippy mother, the fruit of flower power. Obama is a Baháist. A Baháist is a follower of a religion founded in 1863 in Persia and emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind." (You can visit the blog where this post was made if you want here).

My question for the author of this post and others who find this phrase "a proud citizen of the United States, and a fellow citizen of the world" so upsetting is "what's wrong with world citizenship"? Why would it be a bad thing for any political leader in any country to identify themselves that way in an increasingly global world? Is it that world citizenship is seen as incompatible with patriotism? This is an issue I recently addressed in "Red, White and Baha'i?":

"If there is a sane and intelligent patriotism, what exactly does it involve? How is it different from an insane and unintelligent patriotism? My understanding is that a sane and intelligent patriotism is founded on a consciousness of the oneness of humankind which is both a spiritual and physical reality and the ultimate aim of social evolution on this planet. Love of country involves love of the gifts one's nation has to offer towards a united world, a world where "the advantage of the part is best to be reached by the advantage of the whole." Such a love is expressed in selfless service towards the perfection of these gifts which will find their fulfillment within the context of a global society."

It is true that the Baha'i Faith is an enthusiastic promoter of the concept of world citizenship, a concept whose propagation was identified as a contribution to world peace:

"Unbridled nationalism, as distinguished from a sane and legitimate patriotism, must give way to a wider loyalty, to the love of humanity as a whole. Bahá'u'lláh's statement is: "The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens." The concept of world citizenship is a direct result of the contraction of the world into a single neighbourhood through scientific advances and of the indisputable interdependence of nations. Love of all the world's peoples does not exclude love of one's country. The advantage of the part in a world society is best served by promoting the advantage of the whole. Current international activities in various fields which nurture mutual affection and a sense of solidarity among peoples need greatly to be increased...In keeping with the requirements of the times, consideration should also be given to teaching the concept of world citizenship as part of the standard education of every child."
(The Universal House of Justice, 1985 Oct, The Promise of World Peace, p. 3)

World citizenship is a concept whose time has come. It is not a threat to patriotism but an opportunity for the maturation of patriotism based on the reality that humanity is one. Building a world that adequately reflects that reality is the best thing that a person can do for the well-being of his or her nation. As Baha'u'llah has said, "'The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established.'

Generation Y on Race

In the spirit of paying more attention to the experiences of younger folks I wanted to share this piece about 'color-blindness' and 'generation Y', (my younger sister's generation). It's definitely worth a read and I'd love to hear from any readers of Baha'i Thought that are Gen Y'ers. What do you think about what this author has to say about race?:

"Let's get one thing straight: Race is a socially created concept, and since its inception it has been a socially fed nuisance, to say the least. It sprang to life and run amok. Lyrics, lawsuits, lynchings, boycotts, bombings, preferential treatment, superiority complexes, inferiority complexes and inhumane acts based solely on skin tone and misconceptions.

Millennials like myself are often steeped just as deep in the troubles of race as generations before us. This isn't to say that advancements haven't been made. Civil rights, career options for minorities and intercultural dynamics have no doubt improved in America since my parents' day. But progress in regard to race is not linear—it never has been and never will be. Every generation has different ways of dealing with the rainbow-colored elephant in the room; influenced, no doubt, by previous eras, but distinct in its own right." (Read the whole piece here)

Baby...Keep Your Cool

Here's something I think you should try. Take a handful of ice and hold it for sixty seconds. How did it feel? My wife and I had to do this last Monday at our first natural birthing class. It was pretty interesting. About eight couples grabbed handfuls of ice and held on simulating the length and discomfort of the contractions the wives would experience in the coming months. The first time I did it I didn't think I was going to make it. My head froze like the brain freeze you get when you eat ice cream too fast and I lost the feeling in my arms from the wrist up. My hands felt like I was holding a hot coal. It was quite an experience and my respect for women, who have to have the mental and physical toughness to actually push a baby out of their bodies and into the world, expanded exponentially. What was interesting about this exercise was that the variety of techniques our teaching taught us to manage this discomfort actually worked! When we tried them I had a totally different experience of holding that ice, the pain felt far away and much more manageable. I left the class thinking of the simple philosophy of our instructor, "Labor hurts and you can do it". It's an apt description of facing the tests and difficulties of life actually, "It hurts and you can do it."

"The necessity and the particularity of the assured and believing ones is to be firm in the Cause of God and withstand the hidden and evident tests...Anybody can be happy in the state of comfort, ease, health, success, pleasure and joy; but if one will be happy and contented in the time of trouble, hardship and prevailing disease, it is the proof of nobility. Thanks be to God that that dear servant of God is extremely patient under the disastrous circumstances, and in the place of complaining gives thanks."
(Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 363)

Quest for Certitude

While you're out there in cyberspace enjoying Baha'i blogging head over and visit Quest for Certitude another highly thoughtful approach to understanding the Baha'i Faith. This blog looks new so give the author lots of lovin' and encouragement!

Goin' Back to The Father

Photo of Baha'is laying roses at the resting place of Hand of the Cause of God Louis G. Gregory and his wife Louisa Gregory

I'm goin' back to the Father
when I die
I'm goin' back to the Father
when I die
I'm goin' back to the Father
when I die
Back to the Father when I die

These are the words to the first verse of a song that was taught to us by the incomparable Van Gilmer at this years Black Men's Gathering Leadership Forum held at Green Acre Baha'i School in Eliot, Maine. The purpose the Leadership Forum is to convene those who have assisted the development of the activities of the Black Men's Gathering in some forty locations throughout the United States as well as South America, Africa, and the Caribbean. The mission of the Black Men's Gathering (or BMG) was captured eloquently by the international governing body of the Baha'i Faith the Universal House of Justice:

“...the Gathering is a distinctive activity with a different agenda. It does not concern itself chiefly with race unity in the Bahá'í community as such. It addresses itself to a special situation faced by a minority that has suffered severe social and spiritual afflictions imposed upon it by the majority. The program of the Black Men's Gatherings is unique and exemplary as an avenue for transcending the legacy of anguish, frustration and social pathology that is peculiar to black men in the United states; it urges them towards a fullness of life within the spirit and principles of the Bahá'í Revelation.”
(The Universal House of Justice, 2000 Mar 14)

The Forum this year began as always with a day long study of the 2008 Ridvan Message from the Universal House of Justice which was addressed to the Baha'is of the World with a focus on applying its guidance to the activities of the BMG. This included sharing the message of the Baha'i Faith with peoples of African descent and serving the needs of black pre-teens (or junior youth). These two important activities emerged as the overall focus of consultation and reflection the entire week. Regarding junior youth, we heard a panel of black men sharing their experiences working with this population in various places including, Bermuda, Chicago, Savannah, Georgia, and Los Angeles. We also viewed a short video presentation about an initiative called the "Urban Juke Joint" which uses poetry and hip-hop to building community and promote the spiritual development of urban youth in New York City. Two new initiatives were taken on by the BMG this year including a "BMG fellows" program providing a training retreat for black youth from the South to empower their participation in the Baha'i Faith in their local communities and "BMG reads" a literacy program in collaboration with the "Baha'i-inspired" Health for Humanity organization. Additionally a gathering for black Baha'i youth similar to the "BMG fellows" initiative will be held at Greenacre next summer including youth from 15 to young adults who are 35. The week ended with a triumphant devotional meeting embracing the wider community and procession to the resting place of Hand of the Cause of God Louis G. Gregory and his wife Louisa Gregory.

This year's forum made a deep impression on me as far as the importance of taking seriously the spiritual and moral empowerment of youth of African descent through the teachings of Baha'u'llah. I'm looking forward to discovering this year how I can contribute to loving and serving this important population more effectively.

CNN Looks At Black America

I just wanted to give people a heads up about this two part documentary series that starts this evening. I'd love to hear from anyone who gets a chance to watch it! The New York Times has a piece about it in todays' paper:

"The notion that there is something called “black America” is a subject of debate. But in a year that marks both the 40th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Senator Barack Obama’s rise to become the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, CNN set out to explore how black people are feeling, thinking and doing.

That 18-month effort, which involved extensive research and a comprehensive national poll, has been spun into two two-hour documentaries, to be broadcast this week. “Black in America: The Black Woman and Family” will be shown Wednesday night; “Black in America: The Black Man” will be broadcast Thursday.

While viewers will catch sight of a few celebrities — Spike Lee, Whoopi Goldberg, Russell Simmons — most of the reports use ordinary people to flesh out topics like the education gap, the state of the black middle class, the AIDS epidemic, single parenthood and black men behind bars.
“I was sent out to do stories that are underreported,” Soledad O’Brien, the reporter for the programs, said in an interview. “It fit with personal interest.” Like Mr. Obama, Ms. O’Brien, a 42-year-old CNN anchor and special correspondent, is biracial. She has a black mother from Cuba and a white father from Australia.

“I think people are very interested in a conversation about race; part of it is Barack Obama, part of it is Katrina,” Ms. O’Brien said. “Especially among young blacks we interviewed who considered themselves leaders, they said it’s time to take the reins and figure out where we go from here.”

The series began in April with Ms. O’Brien’s two-hour investigation into conspiracy theories about King’s assassination. Mark Nelson, vice president and senior executive producer for CNN Productions, said the project was born of the channel’s diversity initiative.

“We question ourselves; we look at the stories we are doing,” Mr. Nelson said. The channel’s executives concluded that too many reports in the news media about black lives were told in mostly negative snippets and deserved a bigger platform. “What’s a more complex story in America than race?” Mr. Nelson asked. The project has a Web component, CNN.com/blackinamerica, which features excerpts from the series and interviews with some of the experts and subjects. The programs will also be available on iTunes.

In Wednesday’s program, Bishop T. D. Jakes, the pastor of the Potter’s House, a 30,000-member church in Dallas, talks about single-parent homes. The number of black children born to unwed mothers has almost tripled since the mid-1960s to almost 70 percent of births, Ms. O’Brien says. “It’s detrimental to boys because a father kind of gives you some sort of preview of where you’re going,” Bishop Jakes says, adding, “but for girls it is dangerous, because they are enamored with male attention to the degree that they’ll do anything to get the love of a man that they should have gotten at home.”

Ira Johnson, a single mother of five teenage children (one adopted), talks about having had four children by the same man by the time she was 29. Why not get married, Ms. O’Brien asks, as Ms. Johnson recounts her hardships. “I was young,” Ms. Johnson says. “But I was also depressed, and I didn’t know I was depressed because I didn’t know about depression. But I knew something was wrong with me, and I just didn’t tell anybody.”

Some of the problems seem tied together, says Julianne Malveaux, the president of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, N.C., talking about the statistic that 45 percent of black women are unmarried, twice the number for white women. She looks at the mismatch between what some women require in mates and what exists. “There are a couple of things we should look at,” she says. “There are a million more black women working today than African-American men. If employment is a requirement, there’s already a gap. And so we know that exists. If education is a requirement, that’s a gap.” Ms. Malveaux was referring to the statistic, cited by Ms. O’Brien, that there are nearly twice as many black women in college as black men. (Read all about it here)

READ IT!: July 20th Edition

I've just returned from the week long Leadership Forum for the Baha'i Black Men's Gathering which is why I haven't done any blogging recently. I'll be offering a summary of the week's activities and some reflections in my next post. I'm also going to be starting one of those classes you take in preparation for the birth of a child tomorrow which I'm considering doing a series of posts on. You'll probably see a post about Hellboy 2 and The Dark Knight, both of which raise some interesting questions about human nature and faith. But because I've kept you waiting so long I wanted to do a little round up some cool blogging that I peeked at during the week.

Baha'i Perspectives gleans lessons from the Daily News
Baha'i Education takes on language, learning and lodestones
Baha'i Faith in Egypt and Iran shares news of a victory for the Egyptian Baha'is
Barnabas has remarkable photos from his wedding, way back when
Luminous Realities addresses art and the rational soul
Where the World's Going reflects on teenagers

READ IT!: July 12th Edition

Yeah..and so anyway shares why she is a Baha'i
Baha'i Education examines what may be the most famous Baha'i quote about education
Correlating shares research on the Sound of Racism
Baha'i Faith in Egypt and Iran describes the legal limbo Baha'is in Egypt are facing
BahaiQ talks about Baha'i pioneering
Luminous Realities touches on Baha'i scripture and the creative process and also academic writing
The Covenant of Baha'u'llah addresses how one should respond if he or she disagrees with a decision of a Baha'i institution
Where the World's Going weighs in on consultation
Baha'i Perspectives is surveying its readership

Humanity, We Need to Talk

My wife and I were on our way to the local commemoration of the Martyrdom of the Bab and were listening to the Jim and Margery show on talk radio. It seems that a certain political figure caused a stir by recently making remarks about language. He made two basic arguments. First that while there is not a need for a law designating English as the national language in the United States, immigrants to the U.S. should learn the English language. The second point was that those of us who live in the U.S. should follow the example of Europeans and be more multilingual than we currently are. He made a particular point about making sure that our children learn Spanish. The hosts of this show started to debate each other about what this politician had said. On one side was there was the argument that having everyone speak English is important because it promotes national unity and that countries that officially promote bilingualism have not been successful. On the other side was the argument that the lack of more multilingualism in the United States represented a kind of ethnocentric arrogance. The points being made during this show were pretty typical of the wider debate going on in the United States about "English only" versus varying degrees of multilingualism. What I did not hear (and rarely do) is the idea that human beings being able to communicate with each other represents a spiritual imperative with at least one practical implication, the development of a world language. Baha'u'llah, the Founder of the Baha'i Faith had this to say about this issue:

"It beseemeth you and the other officials of the Government to convene a gathering and choose one of the divers languages, and likewise one of the existing scripts, or else to create a new language and a new script to be taught children in schools throughout the world. They would, in this way, be acquiring only two languages, one their own native tongue, the other the language in which all the peoples of the world would converse. Were men to take fast hold on that which hath been mentioned, the whole earth would come to be regarded as one country, and the people would be relieved and freed from the necessity of acquiring and teaching different languages."
(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 137)

"From the beginning of time the light of unity hath shed its divine radiance upon the world, and the greatest means for the promotion of that unity is for the peoples of the world to understand one another's writing and speech."
(Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 127)

"The day is approaching when all the peoples of the world will have adopted one universal language and one common script. When this is achieved, to whatsoever city a man may journey, it shall be as if he were entering his own home. These things are obligatory and absolutely essential. It is incumbent upon every man of insight and understanding to strive to translate that which hath been written into reality and action."
(Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 165)

It seems to me that the heart of the matter as far as diversity of languages in the United States or elsewhere is that human beings need to be able to communicate with each other. Such communication is a necessity if we are to be able to live and work together. It is also a necessity if we are to deepen the bonds of love and unity among us. A world language is a practical means of facilitating more effective communication among the peoples of the Earth. It would be nice to see this possibility being seriously considered by more people as we struggle together to create a world that better reflects the reality that we all "dwell in one world and have been created through the operation of one will."

Red, White and Baha'i?

Like most Americans, I spent July 4th with family, enjoying barbecue, watching fireworks with a large crowd of young and old. As multi-colored fire flashed across the sky greeted by applause and a chorus of "oooooo's" and "aaaaahhssss", the wheels in my ever active Baha'i mind cranked and turned. What does patriotism mean for a Baha'i? Does it mean anything? After all, Baha'is are all about world unity and world citizenship. How comfortably do world citizenship and patriotism sit in one heart, one mind? Consulting the Baha'i Writings, one finds patriotism addressed in at least two ways. One way is critical of patriotism as a source of prejudice and division among people, a force that while powerful, is too weak a basis for meeting the challenges of the current stage of spiritual and social evolution which involve uniting humanity into a global civilization:

"In the contingent world there are many collective centers which are conducive to association and unity between the children of men. For example, patriotism is a collective center; nationalism is a collective center; identity of interests is a collective center; political alliance is a collective center; the union of ideals is a collective center, and the prosperity of the world of humanity is dependent upon the organization and promotion of the collective centers. Nevertheless, all the above institutions are, in reality, the matter and not the substance, accidental and not eternal -- temporary and not everlasting. "
(Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of the Divine Plan, p. 101)

On the other hand, we find that the Baha'i Faith does not seek to suppress patriotism, but rather encourages a "sane and intelligent" or "sane and legitimate" patriotism:

"A word of warning should, however, be uttered in this connection. The love of one's country, instilled and stressed by the teaching of Islam, as "an element of the Faith of God," has not, through this declaration, this clarion-call of Bahá'u'lláh, been either condemned or disparaged. It should not, indeed it cannot, be construed as a repudiation, or regarded in the light of a censure, pronounced against a sane and intelligent patriotism, nor does it seek to undermine the allegiance and loyalty of any individual to his country, nor does it conflict with the legitimate aspirations, rights, and duties of any individual state or nation. All it does imply and proclaim is the insufficiency of patriotism, in view of the fundamental changes effected in the economic life of society and the interdependence of the nations, and as the consequence of the contraction of the world, through the revolution in the means of transportation and communication...It calls for a wider loyalty, which should not, and indeed does not, conflict with lesser loyalties. It instills a love which, in view of its scope, must include and not exclude the love of one's own country. It lays, through this loyalty which it inspires, and this love which it infuses, the only foundation on which the concept of world citizenship can thrive, and the structure of world unification can rest. It does insist, however, on the subordination of national considerations and particularistic interests to the imperative and paramount claims of humanity as a whole, inasmuch as in a world of interdependent nations and peoples the advantage of the part is best to be reached by the advantage of the whole."
(Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come, p. 122)

If there is a sane and intelligent patriotism, what exactly does it involve? How is it different from an insane and unintelligent patriotism? My understanding is that a sane and intelligent patriotism is founded on a consciousness of the oneness of humankind which is both a spiritual and physical reality and the ultimate aim of social evolution on this planet. Love of country involves love of the gifts one's nation has to offer towards a united world, a world where "the advantage of the part is best to be reached by the advantage of the whole." Such a love is expressed in selfless service towards the perfection of these gifts which will find their fulfillment within the context of a global society.

What do you think about patriotism?

Baha'i Holy Places: A World Heritage

Just in time for the annual commemoration of the martyrdom of the Bab, one of the two figures associated with the founding of the Baha'i Faith, the Baha'i Holy Shrines in Israel have been chosen as World Heritage sites. Here's info from the Baha'i World News Service:

"QUEBEC CITY — A United Nations committee meeting here has determined that two Bahá’í shrines in Israel possess “outstanding universal value” and should be considered as part of the cultural heritage of humanity.

The decision today by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee means that the two most sacred sites for Bahá'ís – the resting places of the founders of their religion – join a list of internationally recognized sites like the Great Wall of China, the Pyramids, the Taj Mahal, and Stonehenge.

The World Heritage List also includes places of global religious significance like the Vatican, the Old City of Jerusalem, and the remains of the recently destroyed Bamiyan Buddhist statues in Afghanistan.

The Bahá'í shrines are the first sites connected with a religious tradition born in modern times to be added to the list, which is maintained by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

The two shrines, one near the recognized heritage site of Old Acre on Israel’s northern coast and the other on Mount Carmel in Haifa, are the resting places of Bahá’u’lláh and the Báb, the founders of the Bahá’í Faith.

Bahá’ís believe that both Bahá'u'lláh and the Báb were messengers of God; their resting places are sites of pilgrimage for a religious community of some five million believers. The shrine of Bahá’u’lláh is the focal point of prayer for Bahá’ís all over the world, giving it an importance comparable to the Western Wall in Jerusalem for Jews and the Kaaba in Mecca for Muslims." (Read all about it here) You can also read a related story about the Baha'i Shrines here.

Such a wonderful victory for an emerging global faith community stands in stark contrast to the ongoing struggle of Baha'is in Iran and Egypt to have their rights of religious freedom respected. It reminds me of a spiritual dynamic of 'crisis and victory' spoken of in the Baha'i Writings:

"Shoghi Effendi perceived in the organic life of the Cause a dialectic of victory and crisis. The unprecedented triumphs, generated by the adamantine steadfastness of the Iranian friends, will inevitably provoke opposition to test and increase our strength. Let every Bahá'í in the world be assured that whatever may befall this growing Faith of God is but incontrovertible evidence of the loving care with which the King of Glory and His martyred Herald, through the incomparable Centre of His Covenant and our beloved Guardian, are preparing His humble followers for ultimate and magnificent triumph."
(The Universal House of Justice, A Wider Horizon, Selected Letters 1983-1992, p. 41)

I see this latest development in the fortunes of the Baha'i community as a sign of the this dynamic of crisis and victory and it makes me look at some of the crises in my own life with fresh eyes and renewed confidence and hope. A wonderful gift indeed.

READ IT!: July 6th Edition

I used to do a regular round up of blogging that I found especially cool. I've been inspired to get back into the practice so that readers can check out other blogs they might enjoy. Here goes:

Anti-Racist Parent takes on the tangled issue of race and "hair".
Baha'i Perspectives considers Slavery By Another Name Part II.
Los Angelista contemplates Freedom
God's Politics Blog reminds us that teaching is a form of national service
The Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights focuses on the denial of education to Baha'is in Egypt and Iran.
Correlating ponders Happiness
Baha'i Faith in Egypt and Iran has more grim news about the treatment of Baha'i kids
BahaiQ gets the ball rolling with a nice post about the Baha'i family
Doberman Pizza ponders Laws and Reality
The Covenant of Baha'u'llah provides a wealth of guidance regarding how to respond to Baha'i teachings or laws an individual finds hard to understand
Where the World's Going has an eloquent post about the C.S. Lewis classic, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

Multiracial in America

This little munchkin in the photo has a white father and black mother and is 100% cute. The number of kids like her is increasing in the United States

Anti-Racist Parent is an invaluable resource. I just found information on a series that MSNBC did on multiracial families in America that is definitely worth viewing. If you do take the time to watch it, I'd love to hear your thoughts especially if you are a member of a multiracial family. As I've mentioned before, I'm currently exploring the possibility of doing research on what (if any) effect religion has on so called 'interracial marriages'. A distinctive feature of the Baha'i Faith is that it explicitly encourages interracial marriages and the formation of multiracial families as a means of promoting the oneness of humankind. The son my wife and I are expecting in October will the first fruit of such a union.

"Colors are phenomenal, but the realities of men are essence. When there exists unity of the essence what power has the phenomenal? When the light of reality is shining what power has the darkness of the unreal? If it be possible, gather together these two races, black and white, into one Assembly, and put such love into their hearts that they shall not only unite but even intermarry. Be sure that the result of this will abolish differences and disputes between black and white. Moreover, by the Will of God, may it be so. This is a great service to humanity."
(Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 359)

Are you currently in an interracial marriage or a member of a multiracial family? Are you considering that possibility? I'd love to hear your thoughts and stories!

Readiness to Forget the Past

"Let the white make a supreme effort in their resolve to contribute their share to the solution of this problem, to abandon once for all their usually inherent and at times subconscious sense of superiority, to correct their tendency towards revealing a patronizing attitude towards the members of the other race, to persuade them through their intimate, spontaneous and informal association with them of the genuineness of their friendship and the sincerity of their intentions, and to master their impatience of any lack of responsiveness on the part of a people who have received, for so long a period, such grievous and slow-healing wounds. Let the Negroes (note: this was written in the 1930's when "Negro" was the common term for black Americans), through a corresponding effort on their part, show by every means in their power the warmth of their response, their readiness to forget the past, and their ability to wipe out every trace of suspicion that may still linger in their hearts and minds."
(Shoghi Effendi, The Advent of Divine Justice, p. 40)

A friend of mine April Yvonne Garrett, who if you don't know you definitely want to, sent me the text of a thought provoking piece in The American Scholar entitled "The End of the Black American Narrative". I highly recommend that you read the entire piece if you have the time. I particulary found the final paragraph worth meditating on:

"But if the old black American narrative has outlived its usefulness as a tool of interpretation, then what should we do? The answer, I think, is obvious. In the 21st century, we need new and better stories, new concepts, and new vocabularies and grammar based not on the past but on the dangerous, exciting, and unexplored present (emphasis, mine), with the understanding that each is, at best, a provisional reading of reality, a single phenomenological profile that one day is likely to be revised, if not completely overturned. These will be narratives that do not claim to be absolute truth, but instead more humbly present themselves as a very tentative thesis that must be tested every day in the depths of our own experience and by all the reliable evidence we have available, as limited as that might be. For as Bertrand Russell told us, what we know is always “vanishingly small.” These will be narratives of individuals, not groups. And is this not exactly what Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed of when he hoped a day would come when men and women were judged not by the color of their skin, but instead by their individual deeds and actions, and the content of their character?

I believe this was what King dreamed and, whether we like it or not, that moment is now."

There are a couple of thoughts that I have about what the author of this essay is saying. The first has to do with creating "better stories, new concepts, and new vocabularies and grammar based not on the past but on the dangerous, exciting and unexplored present". It makes me think that one way of understanding Shoghi Effendi's concept in the Advent of Divine Justice of "readiness to forget the past" is a readiness to adapt our attitudes and behaviors based upon changing conditions, changes anticipated in the Baha'i Faith due to the nature of the time in which we are living. This readiness is an ongoing process in the lives of individuals and black Americans as a whole. Without such readiness I will not appreciate the needs of the time and how I can best serve those needs. As Baha'u'llah has said, "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."

My other thought is that as exciting and our present may be, as Baha'i it nowhere near as exciting as the future of humanity, a global civilization founded on spiritual principles that those living today can scarcely imagine. It is the vision of a better day that I think empowers the kind of readiness that Shoghi Effendi is encouraging black Americans to strive for. As magnificent as this American moment may appear, especially in light of where we were only a generation ago, we will have to demonstrate a readiness to forget this "past" as well, continuing to march on toward world unity, the ultimate challenge facing a human race approaching spiritual maturity:

"Unification of the whole of mankind is the hall-mark of the stage which human society is now approaching. Unity of family, of tribe, of city-state, and nation have been successively attempted and fully established. World unity is the goal towards which a harassed humanity is striving. Nation-building has come to an end. The anarchy inherent in state sovereignty is moving towards a climax. A world, growing to maturity, must abandon this fetish, recognize the oneness and wholeness of human relationships, and establish once for all the machinery that can best incarnate this fundamental principle of its life."
(Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 202)

More New Blogs to Love

Just wanted to give a heads up about three new blogs that I encourage you to check out. One is called "BahaiQ" (a real catchy name) and the other is "Baha'i Education". Also take a look at "Where the World's Going" which I anticipate will be a great blog. Give these bloggers lots of love, encouragement and comments. I certainly intend to!