Answer: Peace on earth, the
great millennial ideal of people of good-will, is far from being an
unattainable dream. Despite the severe crises of civilization currently
facing humanity, Bahá’ís believe that world peace is not only possible,
but will be, in fact, the final end of the inevitable historical
process of humanity’s collective destiny. While the challenges are
surely daunting, they are not insurmountable. The outcome will witness
the fulfillment of the ancient prophetic promises of world peace to be
established in this new era of global civilization.
The UN Office of the Bahá’í
International Community wrote in an August 31, 2001 statement to a
World Conference Against Racism that “The contemporary realization of
humanity’s collective oneness comes after a historic process in which
individuals were fused into ever greater units. Moving from clans, to
tribes, to city-states, to nations, the next inevitable step for
humanity is nothing less than the creation of a global civilization….As
stated by Bahá’u’lláh more than 100 years ago, ‘The earth is but one
country, and mankind its citizens.’”
In a thought-provoking approach to the
question of world peace, the Bahá’í teachings hold that world peace is
an inevitable outcome of world unity, not the reverse. Bahá’u’lláh
(Glory of God), the Prophet-Founder of the Faith (1817-1892), declared:
“The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable
unless and until its unity is firmly established. This unity can never
be achieved so long as the counsels which the Pen of the Most High hath
revealed are suffered to pass unheeded” (Gleanings, p. 286).
Fostering world peace involves more than
the simple peace of mind that is attained through prayer and meditation
and adjusting our psycho-spiritual attitudes to nullify internal
conflicts. It must involve the relationships that bind together
federated nation-states living in one world. A multitude of factors are
brought to bear, a few of which follow: recognizing the oneness and
wholeness of the human race; accepting the common spiritual foundation
of the world’s religions; eliminating the unconscionable extremes of
wealth and poverty; establishing social justice; abolishing all forms
of prejudice and discrimination; the extension of universal education
to women and children; equality of rights for women and minorities.-
Jack
McLean
