Month one of the year 2011 could be the perfect time to embrace oneness, but recent events might hope to thwart that and create even greater division and heartache.
This first week of 2011 witnessed two horrific tragedies set thousands of miles apart, but with chilling similarities. In Pakistan on January 4, Punjab's governor, Salman Taseer, was gunned down in broad daylight at an Islamabad shopping district. And in Arizona, on January 8, at a shopping center in Tucson, U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords was the target, with six people immediately killed, many more injured, and a bullet shot into her head at close range.
As Al Jazeera English service reported, in Pakistan the leader of a religious group of Muslim scholars advised: "There should be no expression of grief or sympathy on the death of the governor [Taseer], as those who support blasphemy of the Prophet are themselves indulging in blasphemy." Taseer had been a vocal critic of Pakistan's blasphemy law, which recently came under scrutiny after a Christian woman was sentenced to death for allegedly insulting the Prophet Muhammad. Taseer's alleged assassin reportedly carried out the violence because of pressures from his religious leaders, to commit severe punishment against those who refused to support draconian blasphemy laws. The gunman thought he was doing God's work.
On the Tucson shootings, politicians who used rhetoric including "lock and load," "the firing line," and other violent images can't be blamed for a mentally ill young man's violent actions, but at a time when we blame TV for childhood obesity, attention deficit, violent behavior and other social ills, taking greater responsibility for the repercussions of our language and actions isn't a political move, it's just acting responsibly.
Both politicians were outspoken as voices of reason and moderation, in Pakistan and the U.S., and admired for their conciliatory, can-do, passion for service. How many wake-up calls do we need before we rethink our commitment to bringing opposing viewpoints together for the common good, so that differences don't spur violence? Is this even possible? As we start 2011, how can we do better?
With too many examples of escalating conflict, coming together calls for nothing short of a transformation of society and attitudes. A gift as precious as unity -- in diversity, not uniformity -- will be hard won. I believe that "The well-being of mankind, its peace and security are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established." Our security is dependent on our unity. This quotation comes from Baha'u'llah, the 19th century Founder of the Baha'i Faith, who spent most of His life in prison for advocating justice, equality, education for all, and urging humanity on the path toward peace. He asserted that human beings were each "created Noble" despite our too-often turning our backs on this nobility; that the fundamental need of this age in human history is for the coming together of the whole human race. He taught that if religion causes tyranny, injustice or hostility, "the absence of religion would be preferable."
To guide my personal actions, these words of Baha'u'llah offer some concrete steps: "Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him with a bright and friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an answerer of the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge. Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be unjust to no man, and show all meekness to all men. Be as a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression."
I've been deeply distressed by so many acts of hatred, even as we start this New Year. Rather than respond with more vitriol, those of us who wish for peace can do so much -- to love more deeply, seek to learn more openly, serve more generously, and be more mindful of the individuals around us, with the precepts above as a guide. We must begin somewhere.
Follow Homa Sabet Tavangar on Twitter: www.twitter.com/growingupglobal
Jared Lee Loughner, Arizona shooting suspect, appears in court
In Arizona shooting, Europe sees an America gripped by doubt, pessimism
Officials Criticize Partisan Rhetoric After Arizona Shooting
Paltrow, Bush Cousins Victims in Arizona Shooting
After Arizona Shooting, Obama Should Fight Fringe Extremism Like Clinton Did
Sarah Palin E-mails Glenn Beck in Response to Arizona Shooting
I like to acknowledge the silent but powerful voices of the Baha’is of Iran, steadfast in their love for all humanity and its oneness cry out silently and patiently in the prisons of their government for a rude awakening of us all. I see them as the helpless and hopeful canaries in the mine where there is no ear to listen and no eyes to see.
A wonderful gift from them is perhaps this prayer of Abdu’l-Baha
O Thou kind Lord! This gathering is turning to Thee. These hearts are radiant with Thy love. These minds and spirits are exhilarated by the message of Thy glad-tidings. O God! Let this American democracy become glorious in spiritual degrees even as it has aspired to material degrees, and render this just government victorious. Confirm this revered nation to upraise the standard of the oneness of humanity, to promulgate the Most Great Peace, to become thereby most glorious and praiseworthy among all the nations of the world. O God! This American nation is worthy of Thy favors and is deserving of Thy mercy. Make it precious and near to Thee through Thy bounty and bestowal.
- `Abdu'l-Bahá
It is nice to be reminded that we are still at the beginning of a new year and share our hopes for a better self, a more loving community, a brighter America and a peaceful world.
Unity that Baha’u’llah offers as the only medicine is far beyond our imagination and reach. So far we do not yet recognize the need for His medicine, nor we believe He knows better than us. Baha’u’llah writes: “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.
We can well perceive how the whole human race is encompassed with great, with incalculable afflictions. We see it languishing on its bed of sickness, sore-tried and disillusioned. They that are intoxicated by self-conceit have interposed themselves between it and the Divine and infallible Physician. Witness how they have entangled all men, themselves included, in the mesh of their devices. They can neither discover the cause of the disease, nor have they any knowledge of the remedy. They have conceived the straight to be crooked, and have imagined their friend an enemy."
Alonzo Wind
‎"One word may be likened unto fire, another unto light, and the influence which both exert
is manifest in the world. Therefore an enlightened man of wisdom should primarily speak
with words as mild as milk, that the children of men may be nurtured and edified thereby
and may attain the ultimate goal of human existence which is the station of true understanding
and nobility." ~ Bahá'u'lláh (Glory of God)
‎
-homa
-homa
our neighbors and service to humanity! Who doesn't want a transformation of society and
attitudes? What's amazing is to discover that we are all capable of helping to achieve
this transformation. We can begin now - today! - by one small act of kindness, one display of
respect towards others. When someone offers a thought of war oppose it with a thought of peace.
It's good to be reminded that we do have a choice. And that our actions can make a difference!
Your enthusiasm, inspiration and optimism followed by tangible action are just what our war-weary world needs. Thank you sharing your positive energy!
-homa
thank you so much for sharing these examples, from Roxana Saberi's moving experience in prison in Iran, to yours in Peace Corps in South America. Also, taking action through positive examples for our children and empowering them to see a better way is so near and dear to my heart. It's our greatest hope. Thank you for your thoughtful and inspiring comments. -homa
http://povodebaha.blogspot.com/2011/01/unidade-e-nossa-seguranca.html
major newspaper worth its salt a piece that so reflects the ideals of any major world religion with
such accuracy quoting the most appropriatÂe and inspired insights that offer readers a within reach
possibilitÂy, that the Prophet who is mentioned here might just be the Divine Physician who has brought
the remedy for the deadly ills that have assailed all of humanity. I was moved to the core of whatever
defines my invisible reality while reading these passages. Know at this moment at 12:30 AM that I
give Huffingon a standing ovation for printing this article of hope and apparent belief in the capacity of the human spirit to rise and respond to the reality that we are indeed one family - world citizens. It is not
a relative truth. It is an absolute. So let’s deal with it. And I cannot wait to purchase Ms. Homa Sabet
Tavanger's book, Growing Up Global. You are a noble enterprise HuffingtonÂ. Thanks for offering your
readers the option to investiagaÂte further the teachings of this Prophet. You were able to balance
the spiritual with the intellect whereby one is not in contradiciÂton with the other.Cheers to you HuffingtonÂ. I see this vision of hope so clearly. Beautiful piece of writing. I think I will pray tonight.
A devoted reader of your column