Measures and methods

"High aims and pure motives, however laudable in themselves, will surely not suffice if unsupported by measures that are practicable and methods that are sound."
Baha'i Writings

We need to create frameworks for ideas to become reality. Sounds obvious. But how often do we stop at the thoughts, how often do we get seduced into overlooking logic, and how often we just do, without a proper plan...

I think this applies to everything, but let's take a specific example, such as being healthy. I want to be healthy (high aims), without doing anything about it (which is illogical), and if I want to change that, then I need to sit down and think about a plan to change my habits...

Baha'i Holy Day

"Praised be Thou, O my God, that Thou hast ordained Naw-Ruz as a festival unto those who have observed the fast for love of Thee and abstained from all that is abhorrent unto Thee. Grand, O my Lord, that the fire of Thy love and the heat produced by the fast enjoined by Thee may inflame them in Thy Cause, and make them to be occupied with Thy praise and with remembrance of Thee."
Baha'i Prayer

Happy Naw-Ruz!

Civilization carried out to excess: Moderation

"Whoso cleaveth to justice, can, under no circumstances, transgress the limits of moderation ... If carried to excess, civilization will prove as prolific a source of evil as it had been of goodness when kept within the restraints of moderation."
Baha'i Writings

Civilization carried out to excess, what could that be... What about talking about agriculture? Isn't that where civilization began, when we stopped living a nomadic life to take care of our crops? All along the history of mankind, we've improved our tools and the processes we use for agriculture. And the improvements keep on getting better, even today. I've read an article recently about a sensor that can be inserted inside the roots of plants to monitor the level of hydration of the plants, so that exactly the right amount of water can be given to each plant, saving water, and avoiding plant over-watering.

But that's a good improvement. Not like super-intensive agriculture, or fields after fields of uniform crops, or lots of chemicals to keep bugs away. Or with genetically modified species... I'm not saying I'm against GM food, but to add my drop to the societal debate, I ask: where do we draw the line of moderation?

The needs of the age we live in

"Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements."

Baha'i Writings

This is a well-known Baha'i quote. I like the word "anxiously". We really need to feel what are the problems of the world. And I also like that it's the "needs of the day we live in". Nothing specific, but the meaning is clear. It's like an open door that we should look for. And this door is one of many doors, because there are always new needs, and therefore always new ways for us to contribute to society.

The second part is a call for action. How often do I concentrate my thoughts on my own little world, instead of centering them on the exigencies and requirements of this world?

The essence of man

"Man is even as steel, the essence of which is hidden: through admonition and explanation, good counsel and education, that essence will be brought to light."

Baha'i Writings

The essence of man = his humanity? We say "inhuman" when we talk of acts that were carried out by humans. But maybe we could say that these men lacked the "essence of man", a bit like iron before it has been changed into steel?

I like that the "bringing into light" is carried out by words (admonition, explanation, good counsel, education). Somehow, with our words, we can help others find out their own essence...

Family unity

"Note ye how easily, where unity existeth in a given family, the affairs of that family are conducted; what progress the members of that family make, how they prosper in the world. Their concerns are in order, they enjoy comfort and tranquility, they are secure, their position is assured, they come to be envied by all."
Baha'i Writings

"Envied by all"... Interesting, cause it's true. If I have an aim in life, it's not to be famous, rich, and so on, but rather to have a nice, united, family. Even my work: it can give me mental satisfaction, but first of all, it provides for the family...

How strange, then, that we have magazines about pop stars who marry and divorce in an endless circle. Do we really envy pop star? Why do we engage in gossip which can so easily become pointless envy...

In between

"Man is in the highest degree of materiality, and at the beginning of spirituality - that is to say, he is at the end of imperfection and at the beginning of perfection."
Baha'i Writings

I am familiar with the notion that the man is at the crossroad. He has the choice. He can stay at the crossroad and enjoy "freedom" but go nowhere, or he can choose a path and discover new worlds.

In this quote, the junction is not just between several religions, it's between materiality and spirituality. In fact, it's not really a junction, it sounds more like a continuous line with materiality on one end, and spirituality on the other. We're in the middle, and can choose to go either way.

What I like the most in this quote is the direct connection between:

• Materiality = Imperfection
• Spirituality = Perfection

That definitely talks to me.

Work

"When a man sees his work perfected and this perfection is the result of incessant labour and application he is the happiest man in the world. Work is the source of human happiness."

Baha'i Writings

Today I had a good day at work. I came home and it was hard to think about something else.

Well, I don't think that this quote means that one should be at work 24h a day. That's not the point. After all, we can also work at home when we clean the house, do the laundry... In fact, if we take this quote to be a definition of work (something that we perfect and is the result of incessant labour), then a house wife would be doing better work than somebody who gets paid to sit in an office without putting effort into his/her job.

Parents' rights

"The fruits of the tree of existence are trustworthiness, loyalty, truthfulness and purity. After the recognition of the oneness of the Lord, exalted be He, the most important of all duties is to have due regard for the rights of one's parents."
Baha'i Writings

Interesting, that the duty to one's parents is so high on the agenda. After all, if I do a search on internet, as expected, I can find a lot of information about parenting:

www.parentsforum.org/

http://www.bahaiparent.com/

But it's hard to find something about how to take care of parents... Maybe that's why it's one of the priorities. Parents naturally care for their children, since they made a conscience decision to raise the child. Children, being immersed in the parental love from the start, take it for granted. So there is a stage when the child has to realise that he may have duties too!

I think that currently, this issue is very dependent on culture, and the condition of the parents. In some countries, children might take care of parents in their old age. In other countries, children give 1/3 of their salaries to their parents, as soon as they start working.

Arts, crafts and sciences

"Arts, crafts and sciences uplift the world of being, and are conducive to its exaltation. Knowledge is as wings to man's life, and a ladder for his ascent. Its acquisition is incumbent upon everyone"

Baha'i Writings

This quote is nice, especially after the last one and the thoughts that it triggered. Yesterday I saw knowledge not just as book learning, but also as experience. Today I'm tempted to put "arts, crafts and science" as a definition for the areas we have to learn about. In fact, it isn't really what the quote says. But anyway, it's nice to see arts and crafts next to the word "knowledge".

Also, I like the last sentence. Yesterday I concluded that everybody has some knowledge that they can build upon. Today I discover that they have to do just that!

Knowledge

"In truth, knowledge is a veritable treasure for man, and a source of glory, of bounty, of joy, of exaltation, of cheer and gladness unto him."

Baha'i Writings

Knowledge: Expertise, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education. (Oxford English Dictionary)

It's interesting, I looked this up on Internet, just as for the first blog entry, more out of a sense of duty than because I really thought I'd learn something from the search. However, just by comparing various definitions, I have a better understanding of what I think knowledge is:

• not just information learned by heart, but also skills.
• not just learnt through a conscious process of education, but also through everyday experiences.

For example, I've lived in a few different countries. This means that I've acquired knowledge about how to get around those countries. Now I didn't need to go to school to learn about that. If I can do that, it means everybody can know something. I mean, knowledge is not something exclusive to those who go to college. According to the quote of the day, everybody should be proud of the knowledge they already have. And I suppose, if it IS a source of joy and exaltation, it wouldn't hurt to sharpen the saw and put a bit of extra effort in knowing more at the end of the day than we did the day before...

Social Good

"The honor and distinction of the individual consist in this, that he among all the world's multitudes should become a source a social good."
Baha'i Writings

According to this website:

http://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/social_good.asp

Social good = A good or service that benefits the largest number of people in the largest possible way.

I think we all understand the principle of social good, but how do we connect it to our daily lives?