The Inward Turn
Bahá'u'lláh's teachings focus, at their core, on the concept of the essential unity of humanity: that we are biologically one "species", we should expand our notions of belonging and compassion to the entirety of humanity, and that doing so is the road to peace. [1]
Another of His teachings is the concept of moderation [2]. One manifestation of that moderation is in the balancing act between "units" of humanity: individual, family, community, institutions, government. Each unit has its prerogatives [3], its spheres of action, overlapping one another, seeking to avoid infringement on the others whilst simultaneously protecting the harmony of all.
I was stirred into contemplation of "the individual" within these overlapping contexts on reading the following quote from Karl Jaspers, in The Origin and Goal of History [4]:
"Man proved capable of contrasting himself inwardly with the entire universe. He discovered within himself the origin from which to raise himself above his own self and the world."
Thus the "axial age" (roughly 8th to 2nd centuries BCE), as Jaspers calls it, saw the rise of individuals distinct from tribe and distinct from the rest of the universe ("nature"); unique, soul-embodied, self-reflecting, self-aware, and (potentially) self-absorbed. This inward turn led me back to a favorite quotation from Baha'u'llah (The Hidden Words, number 13 from the Arabic):
"O SON OF SPIRIT!
I created thee rich, why dost thou bring thyself down to poverty? Noble I made thee, wherewith dost thou abase thyself? Out of the essence of knowledge I gave thee being, why seekest thou enlightenment from anyone beside Me? Out of the clay of love I molded thee, how dost thou busy thyself with another? Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within thee, mighty, powerful and self-subsisting."
Among the rich possibilities for interpretation and application, this short passage induces feelings of individual worth (nobility) and awareness of two larger spiritual truths: the personal "thou" is addressed to each human separately and simultaneously, and we are profoundly connected by finding our spiritual grounding (God, if you will) as an intrinsic element of self, which does not require extrinsic imposition or validation. In other words, as individuals we can know not only our selves ("know thyself") but also God (whatever we might mean by that word).
Thus we see unity − a balance and moderation − instead of paradox when considering that the mechanism that Jaspers argues "raise[s] (man) above his own self and the world" may also lead deeper into spiritual communion.
Returning to the idea of moderation, and the balance between individual and collective, a moment's reflection brings to mind several unities of opposites, each worthy of future further consideration:
| Individual | Communal |
|---|---|
| Investigation and acceptance of truth | Consultation as search for truth |
| Obligatory prayers | Communal (non-congregational) worship |
| Interpretation and application | Authoritative interpretation and elucidation |
[1] See, for example, `Abdu'l-Bahá's First Tablet to the Hague. The entire letter is on this theme, but see in particular:
"O peoples of the world! The Sun of Truth hath risen to illumine the whole earth, and to spiritualize the community of man. Laudable are the results and the fruits thereof, abundant the holy evidences deriving from this grace. This is mercy unalloyed and purest bounty; it is light for the world and all its peoples; it is harmony and fellowship, and love and solidarity; indeed it is compassion and unity, and the end of foreignness; it is the being at one, in complete dignity and freedom, with all on earth."
[2] One of my favorite examples of moderation is in Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, CLXIV: "Whoso cleaveth to justice, can, under no circumstances, transgress the limits of moderation." The passage continues by describing the need for moderation in "civilization" (technological development).
[3] 'Abdu'l-Bahá explains his views on the family during a talk, views which find their echo in other commentary on individuals, communities, and institutions:
"According to the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh the family, being a human unit, must be educated according to the rules of sanctity. All the virtues must be taught the family. The integrity of the family bond must be constantly considered, and the rights of the individual members must not be transgressed. The rights of the son, the father, the mother—none of them must be transgressed, none of them must be arbitrary. Just as the son has certain obligations to his father, the father, likewise, has certain obligations to his son. The mother, the sister and other members of the household have their certain prerogatives. All these rights and prerogatives must be conserved, yet the unity of the family must be sustained. The injury of one shall be considered the injury of all; the comfort of each, the comfort of all; the honor of one, the honor of all."
[4] The quote from Jaspers came to my attention through the book Digital Future in the Rearview Mirror (p 176), by Andrey Mir.
