When I was a child, my parents taught me that the goal of my faith, the Baha’i Faith, was the oneness of humanity, and my primary duty was to serve humanity in achieving that goal. Even as a child, I understood it was important work and thought everyone would see it that way.
To motivate me, I memorized quotes about unity from Baha’u’llah:
“Ye are all the leaves of one tree and the drops of one ocean.”
Soon society taught me that these ideas were just for dreamers who do not understand people’s lives and real problems in the world. As I grew older, though, I never questioned my goal. I became more and more aware of the obstacles. I knew that there were serious problems, but I believed that solutions could be found if humanity would really try.
Without getting into its politics, I’ve been focused on the will to find a cure. The way the world has dealt with COVID-19 by finding a vaccine in a short time has proved that when we want something badly, we will find a way to get it no matter how hard it is.
Despite serious problems finding a cure for COVID-19 and manufacturing a vaccine, it was amazing to observe the efficiency with which different governments communicated and shared information. How quickly all the barriers and obstacles were removed! How the world’s governments cooperated and, more importantly, worked willingly with vaccine-making companies.
On the part of manufacturers some decided not to follow profit-making practices for the vaccine.
As the vaccines were being developed, the most impressive deliberations, to me, were discussions about how the world’s developing nations should not be left behind in terms of access to the vaccine and the need for its affordability. That demonstrated a consciousness and sympathy for the countries that do not have the technology or the financial resources. We have proven that humankind can deal with huge problems and overcome them when we tap into our humanity and solve the issues that threaten the world.
The time has come to understand that humanity's oneness is not a dream or empty slogan but instead an essential element for facing our problems. We need to continue to unite using an international approach rather than a narrow view of nationalism. This pandemic, like the issue of the environment, made boundaries between countries irrelevant. If we widen our horizon, it will not be at the cost of love for our country. It shows that we love our country and want it to prosper and thrive along with the rest of the world.
“Glory not in love for your country, but in love for all mankind.” - Baha’u’llah
The urgent task now is to bring the world’s attention to the importance and urgency of uniting as one human family so that with our collective energies, we can deal with the challenges facing us. It is clear that many world problems would not have started if there had been unity and cooperation between people and the world’s governments.
The time has come to accept this vital fact that the world’s survival and prosperity depend on its people’s unity. Science and technology have created the tools for the unification of the world, and this pandemic proved how closely we are connected and how we are in it together. Technology has removed the physical barriers, and now we need to remove the obstacles in our hearts and minds and see ourselves as one race, one people, and one family.
Badi Shams is a Baha’i and a mystic at heart, whose field of interest is in economics. He has published a compilation "Economics of the Future", and also more recently the book "Economics of the Future Begins Today". He is retired from the educational system. You can read more of Badi's materials on his website www.badishams.net
You can read more articles on our interfaith blog, Spiritually Speaking, HERE
* This article was published in the print edition of the Times Colonist on Saturday, March 13th. 2021
Photo of tree is by niko photos on Unsplash
