Part one of this post outlined how world peace is within our reach and elaborated on five things each of us can do to bring it closer.
- Re-conceive our basic assumptions about the nature of people
- Think of ourselves as global citizens
- Beware of ideology
- Purge ourselves from racism
- Be aware of the plight of the poor.
Here are the other four actions.
6. Respect other religions
It is unfortunate that many of the followers of the great religions regard one another as competitors when, in reality, there is only one God and one Religion. As God revealed His teachings in different historical contexts, separated by time and space, people have perceived them to be different. While there are many similarities, people tend to focus on differences in order to privilege their faith over the faith of others. The oneness of religion is a frequently emphasised in the Bahá’í Writings.
There can be no doubt whatever that the peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion, derive their inspiration from one heavenly Source, and are the subjects of one God. The difference between the ordinances under which they abide should be attributed to the varying requirements and exigencies of the age in which they were revealed. All of them, except a few which are the outcome of human perversity, were ordained of God, and are a reflection of His Will and Purpose.
Bahá’u’lláh [1]
With this perspective, one cause of war evaporates.
7. Raise the status of women
Over 100 years ago, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá noted a shift in the balance of power was underway in the world. He teaches us that as women have more say, the world will become more peaceful.
The world in the past has been ruled by force, and man has dominated over woman by reason of his more forceful and aggressive qualities both of body and mind. But the balance is already shifting; force is losing its dominance, and mental alertness, intuition, and the spiritual qualities of love and service, in which woman is strong, are gaining ascendancy. Hence the new age will be an age less masculine and more permeated with the feminine ideals . . . an age in which the masculine and feminine elements of civilization will be more evenly balanced.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá [2]
We can make a difference by respecting and honouring the women in our lives. Even in Western countries where the equality of men and women has advanced considerably, there is still much progress to be made.
8. Educate our children
Educated people are less likely to support war. Effective education includes both material and spiritual education. It’s not enough just to provide material education – to meet our career and economic needs. A big part of spiritual education is learning about virtues or qualities of character. If children learn to treat one another with kindness and justice, it is just a matter of scale to extend that thinking to the entire human race. `Abdu’l-Bahá emphasises the importance of spiritual education and suggests that spiritual education is more important than material education.
Training in morals and good conduct is far more important than book learning. A child that is cleanly, agreeable, of good character, well-behaved even though he be ignorant is preferable to a child that is rude, unwashed, ill-natured, and yet becoming deeply versed in all the sciences and arts. The reason for this is that the child who conducts himself well, even though he be ignorant, is of benefit to others, while an ill-natured, ill-behaved child is corrupted and harmful to others, even though he be learned. If, however, the child be trained to be both learned and good, the result is light upon light. [3]
9. Communicate
Social media has made a significant difference in shrinking the world and enabling us to connect with people of diverse backgrounds. Anything that breaks down communication barriers will help to develop a more peaceful world. Another of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings is the adoption of an international auxiliary language to facilitate communication and understanding.
All of these nine actions contribute to building world unity, the essential foundation of world peace. All of them are within our power to action – local action can lead to world peace. One of the encouraging themes of the The Promise of World Peace is that peace is inevitable. I’ll finish with its opening paragraph.
The Great Peace towards which people of good will throughout the centuries have inclined their hearts, of which seers and poets for countless generations have expressed their vision, and for which from age to age the sacred scriptures of mankind have constantly held the promise, is now at long last within the reach of the nations. For the first time in history it is possible for everyone to view the entire planet, with all its myriad diversified peoples, in one perspective. World peace is not only possible but inevitable. It is the next stage in the evolution of this planet–in the words of one great thinker, “the planetization of mankind”.[4]
[1]Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh http://www.bahai-library.com/writings/bahaullah/gwb/111.html
[2] ‘Abdu’l-Bahá quoted in Two Wings of a Bird: The Equality of Women and Men, A Statement of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States: http://info.bahai.org/article-1-9-1-9.html
[3]Selections from the Writings of `Abdu’l-Bahá, Sec. 110, pp. 135-136.
[4]The Promise of World Peace – A Statement of the Universal House of Justice. http://info.bahai.org/article-1-7-2-1.html
one people one planet 