‘The Second Coming’

In the gathering economic crisis I am reminded of the words of W.B. Yeats in “The Second Coming” that

“Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world…”

Yeats also looked forward with trepidation to an ironic “Second Coming” asking in the final lines of the poem-

             “what rough beast, its hour come round at last,

Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?”

Happily the real (and far friendlier) Second Coming has already arrived. In the words of Bahá’u'lláh

“The Divine Springtime is come, O Most Exalted Pen, for the Festival of the All-Merciful is fast approaching. Bestir thyself, and magnify, before the entire creation, the name of God, and celebrate His praise, in such wise that all created things may be regenerated and made new. Speak, and hold not thy peace. The day star of blissfulness shineth above the horizon of Our name, the Blissful, inasmuch as the kingdom of the name of God hath been adorned with the ornament of the name of thy Lord, the Creator of the heavens. Arise before the nations of the earth, and arm thyself with the power of this Most Great Name, and be not of those who tarry”.

‘True Values’

It seems to me that in these times of financial crisis true values can become obscured. Economics is after all only means to an end, rather than an end in itself. In the words of Abdu’l-Bahá

“..it is clear that the honor and exaltation of man must be something more than material riches. Material comforts are only a branch, but the root of the exaltation of man is the good attributes and virtues which are the adornments of his reality. These are the divine appearances, the heavenly bounties, the sublime emotions, the love and knowledge of God; universal wisdom, intellectual perception, scientific discoveries, justice, equity, truthfulness, benevolence, natural courage and innate fortitude; the respect for rights and the keeping of agreements and covenants; rectitude in all circumstances; serving the truth under all conditions; the sacrifice of one’s life for the good of all people; kindness and esteem for all nations; obedience to the teachings of God; service in the Divine Kingdom; the guidance of the people, and the education  of the nations and races. This is the prosperity of the human world! This is the exaltation of man in the world! This is eternal life and heavenly honor”!

‘Spiritual Solutions To Economic Problems’

I have just returned from giving a presentation on ‘Spiritual Solutions To Economic Problems’. I had an interesting conversation with members of the audience (including a Sikh and a Hindu gentleman). It was heartening to hear the common agreement on the need for a new economic paradigm based on spiritual values. One of the quotations I used was from a message from the supreme governing body of the Baha’i Faith, The Universal House Of Justice. It reads- 

‘This unprecedented economic crisis, together with the social breakdown it has helped to engender, reflects a profound error of conception about human nature itself. For the levels of response elicited from human beings by the incentives of the prevailing order are not only inadequate, but seem almost irrelevant in the face of world events. We are being shown that, unless the development of society finds a purpose beyond the mere amelioration of material conditions, it will fail of attaining even these goals. That purpose must be sought in spiritual dimensions of life and motivation that transcend a constantly changing economic landscape and an artificially imposed division of human societies into “developed” and “developing”.

This perceptive analysis of the need for change was taken from The Prosperity of Humankind first published in 1995 but perhaps even more relevant now than it was over a decade ago.

 

 

‘Tell The Rich Of the Midnight Sighing Of The Poor…’

globeandmail.com reports G8 finance ministers as saying ’surging commodity prices threaten to end years of robust global economic growth, stoke inflation and force millions of the world’s most vulnerable people deeper into poverty’. Forgive me but I am not so sure that the term ‘robust economic growth’ is a very apt description of the debt-fuelled bubble I saw expanding over the last decade. Sadly accurate however, is that the present crisis will force millions more into deprivation. It seems to me that a new moral attitude is required from us all (including the rich and powerful) if we are to solve this problem. Current financial speculation on the basics of life-such as fuel, food and shelter- does not seem likely to reduce commodity prices in any short order. Making money is fine but surely not at such a cost to others. In the words of Bahá’u'lláh

‘O CHILDREN OF DUST! Tell the rich of the midnight sighing of the poor, lest heedlessness lead them into the path of destruction, and deprive them of the Tree of Wealth. To give and to be generous are attributes of Mine; well is it with him that adorneth himself with My virtues’.

The Hidden Words of Bahá’u'lláh: US Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1985 reprint