|
"A new life," Bahaullah proclaims," is, in this age, stirring within all the peoples of the earth; and yet none hath discovered its cause, or perceived its motive,"
"O ye children of men," He thus addresses His generation, "the fundamental purpose animating the Faith of God and His religion is to safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human race...This is the straight path, the fixed and immovable foundation. Whatsoever is raised on this foundation, the changes and the chances of the world can never impair its strength, nor will the revolution of countless centuries undermine its structure." "The wellbeing of mankind," He declares, "its peace and security are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established." "So powerful is the light of unity", is His further testimony, "that it can illuminate the whole earth. The one true God, He Who knoweth all things, Himself testifieth to the truth of these words...This goal excelleth every other goal, and this aspiration is the monarch of all aspirations." "He Who is your Lord, the All-Merciful," He, moreover, has written, "cherishest in His heart the desire of beholding the entire human race as one soul and one body. Haste ye to win your share of Gods grace and mercy in this Day that eclipseth all other created days."
"The unity of the human race, as envisaged by Bahaullah, implies the establishement 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 willl, 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 descisions 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-intercommunication will be devised, embracing the whole planet, freed from national hindrances and restrictions, and functioning with marvellous swiftness and perfect regularity."(could it be the internet?)
"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" (esperanto and interlingua is tried) "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." (In most countries English is now tauight as second language).
"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.
In such a world society, science and religion, the two most potent forces in human life, will be reconciled, will cooperate, 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, and racial animosity and prejudice will be replaced by racial amity, understanding and cooperation. 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 developement, to the increase of the productivity of mankind, to the extermination of desease, to the extention of scientific research, to the raisingof 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 "(new oil and gas resources are recently discovered under the melting Arctis), "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 unchallengable authority over its unimaginable 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 exploitationof 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 toward which humanity, impelled by the unifying forces of life, is moving."
Shoghi Effendi Guardian of the Bahai Faith
Excerpts from The World Order of Bahaullah,
page 202-204
|