Bahá’i Approach to World History Contributes to an Ever-advancing Civilization
Dr. A. K. Merchant*
World history, in its core and in its essence, is the story of spiritual evolution of humankind. When asked to describe an ideal world, most people would list similar characteristics. They would imagine a world without war, poverty, political repression, race and ethnic animosities, inter alia. Many might imagine a world whose political and economic machinery is unified. When asked whether and how such a world might be possible, however, these same people would probably not display such a consensus. People are deeply divided over the question of social change: not so much over what changes would ultimately be ideal but over what changes are realistic and over the processes that might produce changes.
Turning the pages of the works of social scientists for the reordering of human society and providing for a positive march of civilization, as we know it, let me cite the following. There is G.W.F. Hegel’s theory of “thesis–anti-thesis—synthesis”, to Arnold Toynbee’s hypothesis of “the challenge and response” that explains why and how civilizations throughout history have grown and vanished. Fritjof Capra’s from belief in a static universe to the modern approach of mutability and dynamic systems. Erwin Laszlo’s in which the smallest element of change can assume tremendous importance when the stable stage begins to suffer from the inevitable inertia of large masses, to David Bohm’s implicate order and explicate order as ontological concepts of quantum theory. Then there is the perspective from anthropology propounded by Richard Leaky in his book “Origins”, which inverts the old model of aggression built up by Lorentz, and demonstrates that human beings have not survived through being primarily aggressive but rather through their ability to interact and to form alliances. Closer home, as we commemorate the 155th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation was too preoccupied fighting colonialism and promoting the key concept of ahimsa or non-violence, and avoided making definitive statements on world history which he felt too much focused on violence. For, he noted in Hind Swaraj, only violence had a history, not simply because it tended to constitute the subject of most historical narratives. For Gandhi’s views it was non-violence that existed everywhere and did the work of sustaining families, societies and indeed the world, not the violence whose aim could only be that of safeguarding certain individuals, peoples or states at the cost of others.
All these thought processes about the dynamics of history and the nature of humans serve to support the teachings of the Bahá’i Faith and demolish the old conceptions of a declining world without possibility of change. The Baha’i theory of history recognizes and includes all six of the predominant historical theories--cyclical; linear; Great Man; peoples’; geographic; or Marxist--and adds its own: a series of progressive religious revelations driven by one Creator. The Bahá'í Faith accepts all religions as having true and valid origins. The idea of progressive revelation is of central significance for the Bahá'í Faith. Bahá'u'lláh taught that there is a supreme Divinity Who intervenes throughout human history at different times to those truths that are commensurate an unfolding human capacity to grasp the mysteries of His creation through Divine Messengers or Manifestations of God.
Before proceeding further let me briefly elucidate six theories of history. The cyclical theory, first proposed by the ancient Greek philosophers and also endorsed by Hindu Shastras, says that human nature doesn’t change, making history a repetitive cycle that swings from one extreme to the other in a regular pattern. Bahá'ís definitely recognizes the causes and effects of that cycle, and liken it to the eternal cycle of the seasons: The spiritual world is like unto the phenomenal world. They are the exact counterpart of each other. Whatever objects appear in this world of existence are the outer pictures of the world of heaven. When we look upon the phenomenal world, we perceive that it is divided into four seasons; one is the season of spring, another the season of summer, another autumn and then these three seasons are followed by winter. When the season of spring appears in the arena of existence, the whole world is rejuvenated and finds new life. The linear theory has the idea of progress at its core, surmising that humanity does make steady improvement through time. The Bahá'í teachings also have a progressive view of history, driven primarily by the repeating cycles of religious revelation: Religion or dharma is the outer expression of the divine reality. Therefore, it must be living, vitalized, moving and progressive. The third theory on history is appearance of the Great Man that places emphasis on the influence of powerful leaders, Bahá'í the teachings say that the most powerful and influential leaders are the prophets or avatars of the Divine, the “divine educators” who bring us new insights on the body of spiritual knowledge, called revelations. They appear from Age to Age for the guidance human society for greater progress. The fourth one is people’s theory of history, which relies on the common man and woman to move history forward, also has tremendous resonance in the Bahá'í teachings, which give individuals the freedom and the authority to change the world. Since there is no one who has not his designated place in the world, for there is nothing useless on this earth, each individual must be treated with respect and affection, for each is human being is not simply a physical entity but endowed with an immortal rational soul who can contribute to the advancement of society. This brings us to the geographical and Marxist theories of history, which focus respectively on the impact of geography and natural resources on human civilization, and on the struggle of the economically-deprived working class, relate directly to the Bahá'í teachings, which address the concerns of both theories by calling for justice—including an equitable distribution of the world’s natural and economic resources, and an end to the oppression of the poor and downtrodden by eliminating disparities of wealth and poverty.
In the Bahá’i Writings one can clearly discern two simultaneously emerging and declining systems, the one, through a strange form of social symbiosis, literally fueled by the other, becomes a world historical model. For example, its call for the unification of the world’s political machinery and economic systems. Until recently such goals were widely regarded as radical and impractical. However, the changes of the 20th century have produced a universal awareness of the interdependence of nations of the world. The result is that the ideal of a global civilization now finds much more widespread acceptance. And the fact that the United Nations continues to be the only multilateral entity able to engage every nation of the world in matters related to global governance is significant. In fact, its survival for over 75 years is proof that effective international coordination is a prerequisite for enduring peace and human wellbeing.
The Bahá’i Writings state: “The gift of God to this enlightened age is the knowledge of the Oneness of Humankind and the fundamental oneness of religion.” Through the power of His utterances Bahá’u’lláh has created a community that has become the best example of unity in diversity. His followers live and practice the convictions of “One Planet, One Family, One Future”. Though human beings are noble, it is not a nobility that manifests itself spontaneously. If the process of spiritual education is neglected, and individuals become hedonistic, they become, according to the Bahá’i Writings, more savage, as is abundantly evident in today’s world, than any beast in the animal kingdom. Therefore, human beings, as individuals, have the capacity to be agents of either constructive or destructive social change. Parallel to this is the developmental view of society. The human race as a collective social unit also develops in response to an educational process. It undergoes stages of maturity analogous to the stages of infancy, childhood, and adolescence in the life of an individual.
Having gone through various stages in its many thousands of years of evolutionary process a global civilization is now beginning to emerge—a civilization that represents the coming of age of human society, analogous to adulthood in the development of the individual. Like previous social transitions in history, however, this transition is not smooth or easy. In fact, it involves “a severe ordeal, unparalleled in its intensity”. The social upheaval of our times is understood by Bahá'is as the growing pains of an emerging global civilization.
Let me explain, the concept of unity of diversity, though paradoxical, is a pervasive aspect of reality. The human body, for example, contains an extremely diverse collection of organs and tissues, each functioning in a unique way. Yet diversity is the basis for the healthy functioning of the body as an integrated system, as a whole that is more than a sum of parts. The Bahá’i teachings foster a political and social climate that reflects unity in diversity in the realm of human relationships. Unlike the many models articulated by philosophers and social scientists the vision of unity in diversity, as exemplified by the Bahá’is, is the content of the desired social change, that is intimately related to its vision of process, of how this unity will be achieved in practice. To this end, worldwide in thousands of identified clusters members of the Bahá’i community are carrying out capacity building activities that demonstrates the society building power of Bahá’u’lláh teachings. This model of change shares certain features with other religions, all of which stress a synergistic relationship between spiritual development and social progress. Each religion has facilitated a bond of love between the individual and his Creator. This devotion gives a unique force of motivation to the process of ethical reorientation called for in the teachings of the dharma. The resulting transformation is reflected in deed and in the patterns of coherent social life in a world that is being mindlessly torn apart and with vast amounts of destruction everywhere.
Engaged in several lines of action such as regular groups of family devotionals; children’s classes that provide a moral component to the regular school education; junior youth spiritual empowerment; study circles for participatory understanding of the two systems of knowledge—dharma and science; social action for capacity building to address societal challenges; participation in contributing to public discourses of society, and a range of reinforcing activities such as the institution of 19-day feasts, establishment of administrative institutions for consultative decision-making whose members are elected by secret ballot without any candidature, campaigning or craving for positions of authority encompassing all sections of the population, the principal object being to “canalize human expression in its varied forms toward the construction of a new civilization.”
There also exist in the Bahá’i Faith appointive institutions whose members play an advisory role serving in their respective jurisdictions in support of the consultative bodies at local, regional, national, continental and international levels. This Administrative Order ordained by Bahá’u’lláh functioning under the guidance of the supreme governing body known as the Universal House of Justice, Bahá’is believe are aspects for an evolving new World Order at a time when most institutions in the world are unable to address the multi-pronged crises and are only producing greater disillusionment.
Young people today are facing a reality that is very difficult. They are increasingly eager to contribute meaningfully to discussions about humanity’s shared future, bringing fresh perspectives. To this end, community-building experiences of the Bahá’í community serve as catalysts for change. It is the young people who are getting attracted to the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh and they bring together the older members of the community and are the driving force for social betterment.
From the grassroots in rural areas to the major urban centres within the global community the youth are being motivated by a spirit of service to humanity—a concept central to the public discourses of Bahá’i community’s contributions for a new pattern of global governance. Such initiatives encourage a kind of leadership and participation that is inspired by contributing to the common good rather than personal gain or power. Because serving the community is not about having power and leading in that way. As already mentioned collective decision-making that fosters harmony and participation. These are all integral elements for the deeper understanding of the Bahá’i theory of human history. Bahá’u’lláh proclaims: “All men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization. The Almighty beareth Me witness: To act like the beasts of the field is unworthy of man….”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*The author is a social worker, independent researcher & member of the Bahá’i Community of India