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Flora Teckie Correspondent
As we celebrate the beginning of a new year, it is opportune to reflect on how to find a positive connection and balance between material and spiritual aspects in our lives. Such connection and balance will lead to individual and social advancement and would provide the energy for building a new world order.

It is the Bahá’í view that, lasting joy and establishing of peace and prosperity result from material achievements reinforced by spiritual perfections and service to the common good. Our world today, however, is ruled by the materialistic standards and values. There is an assumption that material means will lead to deeper love, greater esteem from friends and greater sense of fulfilment.

Success in life is often evaluated with materialistic outcomes. Do I have a better house than my neighbour? Is my business growing faster than the competition? Instead, should we not ask ourselves: Is my family united and happy? How can I make my neighbourhood happy? Am I trusted at my work? Is my business serving the customer well?

That, of course, does not mean that material means are not important. It is not in the nature of human beings to be material beings alone, just as it is not in the nature of human beings to want to live in poverty thinking of the next world only. According to the Bahá’í Writings, “It is indeed a good and praiseworthy thing to progress materially, but in so doing, let us not neglect the more important spiritual progress”.

Primary goal in life
The body is the instrument of the soul’s development in this earthly life, and as such physical health and development cannot be neglected. Material means are essential for humanity to be able to pursue its spiritual and other goals, as long as we use our material means towards the primary goal in life, which is fostering our soul’s progress, and contributing towards the spiritual transformation of our societies.

Through acquisition of spiritual virtues, the individual and society can be transformed. The universal spiritual principles which lie at the heart of religion — tolerance, compassion, love, justice, humility, sacrifice, trustworthiness, dedication to the well-being of others, and unity — are the foundations of progressive civilisation. We should therefore endeavour to maintain a balance between the spiritual and material aspects of our lives, while allowing the spiritual nature to take control.

The Bahá’í Writings assert: “ . . . we must strive to become more spiritual, more luminous, to follow the counsel of the Divine Teaching, to serve the cause of unity and true equality, to be merciful, to reflect the love of the Highest on all men, so that the light of the Spirit shall be apparent in all our deeds, to the end that all humanity shall be united, the stormy sea thereof calmed, and all rough waves disappear from off the surface of life’s ocean henceforth unruffled and peaceful.”

Basis for lasting improvements in our lives
Spiritual transformation, in the Bahá’í view, is the basis for lasting improvements in our lives and central in our approach to social change. There are spiritual principles through which solutions can be found for global problem. For example: decency and integrity of individual and collective conduct; the solution of problems through the application of spiritual principles; the practice of consultation in a spirit of unity; and the belief in the oneness of humanity.

The Bahá’í Writings state: “In this new year new fruits must be forthcoming, for that is the provision and intention of spiritual reformation. … of what avail is the reformation of physical conditions unless they are concomitant with spiritual reformations? For the essential reality is the spirit; the foundation is the spirit; the life of man is due to the spirit; the happiness, the animus, the radiance, the glory of man — all are due to the spirit; and if in the spirit no reformation takes place, there will be no result to human existence”.

In order to be a moral person we need to have a strong sense of purpose. Goodness, defined in passive terms — to mind one’s own business and not to harm anyone — is not adequate. It is also not enough to say a moral person has to be purposeful. The nature of such purposefulness will have to be explored through a process of moral education.

A moral purpose must be twofold, at individual level it is the development of one’s God-given potentialities, including virtues and qualities, talents and characteristics of the individual. On a social level moral purpose should be expressed through a dedication to promoting the welfare of the entire human race.

Obviously, one cannot develop virtues and talents in isolation, but they can be developed through effort and activity for the benefit of others. Amorality centred on oneself only can lead to subtle forms of ego — combinations of guilt, self-righteousness and self-satisfaction.

The principle of unity in diversity
Moral guidance, in the Bahá’í view, must be in context of the principle of unity in diversity. It has to take into account that our well-being, peace and security will depend on our unity as humanity. Bahá’u’lláh says: “The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established”.

We must have love and respect for everyone, including those who differ from us — whether because of their beliefs, race, nationality or ethnic backgrounds. The Bahá’í Writings stipulate: “. . . we must lay aside all prejudice — whether it be religious, racial, political or patriotic; we must become the cause of the unification of the human race. Strive for universal peace, seek the means of love, and destroy the basis of disagreement so that this material world may become divine, the world of matter become the realm of the Kingdom and humanity attain to the world of perfection”.

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