Dr. A. K. Merchant*
Humanity is most impactfully passing through a range of multitudinous crises. A transition of profound consequences. It is easy to see turbulent changes wherever we turn our gaze, vividly aware that all of humankind has a stake in these far-reaching changes. However, it is hard to discern what these means, where humanity is headed and how the three protagonists of society—individuals, institutions, and communities—may respond constructively? While the vast populations are living in a survival mode hardly finding the time and energy to seek answers, there are millions of people who can pause and reflect. To them I would invite to come to grips with an issue that the world has evaded for nearly two centuries.
The foremost gift of the Divine conferred upon human beings is the gift of understanding. The purpose of the Almighty in conferring such a gift, according to the teachings of the Bahá’i Faith, is none other than to enable human beings to know and to recognize his Creator. This gift gives human beings the power to discern the truth in all things and leads the individual to that which is right and helps to discover the secrets of creation. No wonder, therefore, the principle of Search After Truth, more commonly phrased as independent investigation of truth, requires every person to examine spiritual and factual claims for themselves—free from blind imitation, prejudice, or unquestioning tradition—and to accept what reason and conscience confirm.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of the peoples of the world blindly follow their ancestors and are unwilling to understand the reality of religion or dharma. Bahá’i Writings urge every person to be a lover of the light no matter from what horizon it may appear. The individual must be a seeker of the truth no matter from what source it comes. Don’t we all appreciate the beauty of the rose flower no matter which garden it may bloom. If only human beings today would search out the truth about their beliefs or the religion they profess, they would find themselves united. However, in order to discover the truth, one must give up prejudices, one’s small trivial notions, and be open-minded. Any person who, after investigation, accepts the claim of Bahá’u’lláh, as the Manifestation of God for this Age, must of course decide how to integrate that insight into his or her life. The dharma or religion that follows has obvious and urgent implications for action. The more sincere one is to discover the truth without regard to personal considerations, to that extent one will be able to understand teachings of Bahá’u’lláh.
It is my earnest conviction that incalculable benefits await any willing to investigate dispassionately the claim of Bahá’u’lláh, as the Promised One of all religions aka dharma, and follow through on the results of that investigation. If present-day society is collectively not yet ready to reap those benefits, it is just a matter of time before such a realization dawns upon the generality of humankind. Meanwhile, those individuals who have recognized Bahá’u’lláh, are truly privileged, sacrificing their all through a wide range of services for the betterment of the world.
In one of His important Writings, Bahá’u’lláh wrote: “The Book of God is wide open, and His Word is summoning humankind unto Him. No more than a mere handful, however, hath been found willing to cleave to His Cause, or to become the instruments for its promotion. These few have been endued with the Divine Elixir that can, alone, transmute into purest gold the dross of the world, and have been empowered to administer the infallible remedy for all the ills that afflict the children of men…. Through it the poor have been enriched, the learned enlightened, and the seekers enabled to ascend unto the presence of God. Beware, lest you make it a cause of dissension amongst you. Be ye as firmly settled as the immovable mountain in the Cause of your Lord, the Mighty, the Loving.”
In the light of the foregoing, it becomes apparent that every individual, regardless of one’s religious background, must contemplate, as is the case in the process of any scientific inquiry, with an unprejudiced mind the causes for religious strife and shedding of innocent blood. Particularly, I would appeal to the leaders of various belief systems to urge their followers to contemplate with hearts filled with the spirit of compassion and a desire for truth, the current plight of humanity, and ask themselves whether they cannot, in humility before the Supreme Divinity, set aside blind beliefs in the dogmas and superstitions of the past, prejudices of all kinds, willingly work together for the advancement of human understanding and world peace. आ नो भद्रा: क्रतवो यन्तु विश्वत: | Let noble thoughts come to us from every side. – Rig Veda, I-89-I
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*The writer is a social worker, independent researcher & member of the Bahá’i Community of India.
