Over a century ago, Bahá'u'lláh
stated:
"...the
prevailing order appeareth to be lamentably defective..."
"Soon will the present-day order be rolled up and
a new one spread out in its stead." --Bahá'u'lláh,
Gleanings, p. 216 and p. 7
Even
a cursory glance reveals that the world is in turmoil.
The daily newspaper and  television
news reports bring us terrible stories of crime, extreme
poverty amidst plenty, the rising incidence of violence
and immorality, the abandonment and neglect of children,
and much more -- things which indicate a breakdown of
moral and ethical responsibilities on the part of individuals
as well as society.
Concurrently,
the world is also witnessing the emergence of the means
and conditions that promise a magnificent future for
humanity. Advancements in medicine, food production,
communication, transportation and many other fields
are paving the way for a global human community to begin
a new era. A raised consciousness regarding human rights,
the protection of the environment and all aspects of
the home-village earth is replacing the old narrow mentality.
The means for achieving world unity are also rapidly
being put in place.
These
two simultaneous processes are, in the Bahá'í
view, the death pangs of the old world order and the
birth pangs of the new. Slowly, even while humanity
is learning to think of itself as one entity and laying
the foundation for permanent peace, it is realizing
the deep need for a world-wide spiritual regeneration,
a movement toward raising personal moral and ethical
standards of conduct that will enable individuals and
societies to function the way they should.
In
spite of the advances in material well-being, people
are beginning to realize that all the technology that
science brings us will not achieve this spiritual regeneration.
The
Bahá'ís believe that only the spiritual
force and power of the life-giving Message of a new
Manifestation from God, Who calls us to a higher level
of human dignity and moral conduct, can bring this about.
When the energy released by a united and spiritually-regenerated
humanity is combined with the benefits of science, then
will the world witness that which it has never seen
before.
The
Forthcoming Golden Age
The centerpiece of the Bahá'í vision of
the future society is the unity of the human race. Bahá'u'lláh
writes:
"O
ye children of men the fundamental purpose animating
the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard the
interests and promote the unity of the human race....The
well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable
unless and until its unity is firmly established."
--Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings, p. 286
The
achievement of this unity is Bahá'u'lláh's
declared mission and the cherished task of the world-wide
Bahá'í community. The outline and structure
of the unity of mankind when it is achieved are indicated
in the following passage from the writings of Shoghi
Effendi, great-grandson of Bahá'u'lláh
and Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith:
"The unity of the human race, as envisaged by Bahá'u'lláh,
implies the establishment of a world commonwealth in
which all nations, races, creeds and classes are closely
and permanently united, and in which the autonomy of
its state members and the personal freedom and initiative
of the individuals that compose them are definitely
and completely safeguarded. This commonwealth must,
as far as we can visualize it, consist of:
-
A
world legislature, whose members will, as the trustees
of the whole of mankind, ultimately control the entire
resources of all the component nations, and will enact
such laws as shall be required to regulate the life,
satisfy the needs and adjust the relationships of
all races and peoples.
-
A
world executive, backed by an international Force,
will carry out the decisions arrived at, and apply
the laws enacted by, this world legislature, and will
safeguard the organic unity of the whole commonwealth.
A world tribunal will adjudicate and deliver its compulsory
and final verdict in all and any disputes that may
arise between the various elements constituting this
universal system.
-
A
mechanism of world inter-communication will be devised,
embracing the whole planet, freed from national hindrances
and restrictions, and functioning with marvelous swiftness
and perfect regularity.
A world metropolis will act as the nerve centre of
a world civilization, the focus towards which the
unifying forces of life will converge and from which
its energizing influences will radiate.
-
A
world language will either be invented or chosen from
among the existing languages and will be taught in
the schools of all the federated nations as an auxiliary
to their mother tongue.
-
A
world script, a world literature, a uniform and universal
system of currency, of weights and measures, will
simplify and facilitate intercourse and understanding
among the nations and races of mankind.
-
Science and religion, the two most potent forces in
human life, will be reconciled, will co-operate, and
will harmoniously develop.
-
The
press will, under such a system, while giving full
scope to the expression of the diversified views and
convictions of mankind, cease to be mischievously
manipulated by vested interests, whether private or
public, and will be liberated from the influence of
contending governments and peoples.
The economic resources of the world will be organized,
its sources of raw materials will be tapped and fully
utilized, its markets will be coordinated and developed,
and the distribution of its products will be equitably
regulated.
-
National
rivalries, hatreds and intrigues will cease.
-
Racial
animosity and prejudice will be replaced by racial
amity, understanding and co-operation.
-
The
causes of religious strife will be permanently removed.
-
Economic
barriers and restrictions will be completely abolished,
and the inordinate distinction between classes will
be obliterated. Destitution on the one hand, and gross
accumulation of ownership on the other, will disappear.
-
The
enormous energy dissipated and wasted on war, whether
economic or political, will be consecrated to such
ends as will extend the range of human inventions
and technical development, to the increase of the
productivity of mankind, to the extermination of disease,
to the extension of scientific research, to the raising
of the standard of physical health, to the sharpening
and refinement of the human brain, to the exploitation
of the unused and unsuspected resources of the planet,
to the prolongation of human life, and to the furtherance
of any other agency that can stimulate the intellectual,
the moral, and spiritual life of the entire human
race.
-
A
world federal system, ruling the whole earth and exercising
unchallengeable authority over its unimaginably vast
resources, blending and embodying the ideals of both
the East and the West, liberated from the curse of
war and its miseries and bent on the exploitation
of all the available sources of energy on the surface
of the planet.
-
A
system in which Force is made the servant of Justice,
whose life is sustained by its universal recognition
of one God and by its allegiance to one common Revelation--such
is the goal towards which humanity, impelled by the
unifying forces of life, is moving."
--Shoghi Effendi, Letter of March, 1936, World Order
of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 203-204
(text arranged into bulleted paragraphs for emphasis)
|
The
Future
