Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the world around us and our way of life has totally changed. New attitudes, and a new way of thinking, have to be adopted. What is happening has highlighted the plight of the poor and the need for the governments and other agencies to step up and do all they can to help — because this epidemic is killing more of the underprivileged and people living in poverty.
Many celebrities, sports figures, and other wealthy people have gotten their wake-up call and realize that there is more to life than accumulating wealth. Financial institutions have relaxed their lending rates and brought credit card interest to zero. There is a sense of unity even with some warring parties across the world. They have ceased fighting because they have found a bigger enemy in the virus. Though these changes of attitudes have not come organically, they are welcome changes, making me happy in these stressful times.
It makes me happy because these are steps towards the right path.
The arrangements of the circumstances of the people must be such that poverty shall disappear, and that every one as far as possible, according to his position and rank, shall be comfortable. Whilst the nobles and others in high rank are in easy circumstances, the poor also should be able to get their daily food and not be brought to the extremities of hunger. – Abdu’l-Baha
It is not just the ordinary and the rich who have re-examined their priorities. The leaders of all levels of government — from the local level to the international level — have started to see the world in a very different light. They’re changing their ideas and, more importantly, their vision to correspond with the new demands of communities.
These changes have necessitated the need to do away with the old and narrow view of the past. Many people are instead sensing a need for an international body to coordinate the efforts and resources to ensure the welfare of the whole of humanity that has been so drastically affected.
To Baha’is, the world government has been foreseen, and its need is emphasized since it is an essential means of unifying humankind.
The concept of world government has been envisioned by religions, philosophers, poets, writers and great enlightened men and women, but it has been a hard sell to the politicians. Recent events, however, have made both experts and seasoned politicians raise the alarm for a need for universal efforts to deal with what we are experiencing.
“We face a crisis unlike any other. To overcome it, we must unite,” António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, said in a recent statement. In addition, Guterres asked “for a global ceasefire to focus on our common enemy — the virus” and called for collective action. “Together, we will defeat this virus and rebuild a fairer world — as united global citizens and united nations.”
Gordon Brown and Tony Blair, both ex-Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom, have called for a global fund to fight coronavirus spread and highlighted the need for a universal body to deal with it. Brown also called for a temporary global government to manage the medical and economic crises caused by the pandemic.
For me, based on the Writings of the Baha’i Faith, there is only one solution: the unification of the world because united, we are stronger to face the challenges that the future has stored for us. May these challenges eventually lead us to a brighter future.
Badi Shams is a Baha’i and a mystic at heart. His field of interest is economics; he has published "Economics of the Future" and "Economics of the Future Begins Today" and recently written the books "Random Thoughts of a Mystic Economist" and "Towards a New Spiritual Economic System." You can find Badi's website at badishams.com called "Baha'i Inspired Economics" He is retired from the education system.
You can read more articles on our interfaith blog, Spiritually Speaking, athttps://www.timescolonist.com/blogs/spiritually-speaking
