Hi my dear friends,
Every morning and evening I read something encouraging and illuminating. Today
I read the quotation I will share here after some comments.
Mr. Al Gore, who lost the last U.S. Federal Presidential election to Mr. George
W. Bush has been an ecologist for about twenty years. He has given thousands oftalks and various kinds of presentations about the great danger our world is infrom the abuse we are causing to it and its systems.
A very much anticipated movie will be released this month about the extreme
danger that we and our world face. I am not surprised, because of the quotation
from Baha'u'llah, who wrote it long before he died in 1892. He said that
people walk on God's earth full of hubris and without humility, unaware that "theearth and it's creatures shun us." He said then, that we would soon experience
surging problems "above our heads and beneath our feet", saying "taste ye what your hands hath wrought."
It is dangerous for our countries and the whole world to be so careless about this. We can't go on as usual. We need to make a concerted turnaround and unite
to save ourselves. That's why I am telling you about Mr. Gore's movie. Evidently it is very interesting and he has no problem keeping the shocked and concerned attention of audiences. However, his own humour and humility help to make the
movie palatable. Critics who have seen it in advance of its release this month
are already giving it extremely high reviews. It is completely factual. He backs up everything and shows examples of what has already happened, and what is going to happen soon. Much sooner than we expect. For instance, now the famous "
snows of Kilimanjaro" are only a few flurries. World-wide, great and famous glaciers have melted back so much that the before and present photographs don't look like they were taken in the same places because the ice has retreated so far.
Polar bears are looking for ice. It is a frightening movie, and apparently entirely convincing. I hope that it will awaken
US and Canadian and other governments at the highest levels so that fast action
will be taken. I hope that the extremely wealthy and the rest of us will
realize that "things" and "physical wealth" and almost everything will be useless in the conditions that are coming. We need all to insist that we change our dangerous ways.
The movie is so shocking because it proves, beyond any doubt, that we are well on the way to wiping out all civilization as we know it.
Here's what can be done about it; here's the quotation:
"The primary question to be resolved is how the present world, with its
entrenched pattern of conflict, can change to a world in which harmony and
co-operation will prevail.
World order can be founded only on an unshakeable consciousness of the oneness
of mankind, a spiritual truth which all the human sciences confirm.
Anthropology, physiology, psychology, recognize only one human species, albeit
infinitely varied in the secondary aspects of life. Recognition of this truth
requires abandonment of prejudice -- prejudice of every kind -- race, class, colour, creed, nation, sex, degree of material civilization, everything which enables people to consider themselves superior to others.
Acceptance of the oneness of mankind is the first fundamental prerequisite for
reorganization and administration of the world as one country, the home of
humankind. Universal acceptance of this spiritual principle is essential to anysuccessful attempt to establish world peace. It should therefore be
universally proclaimed, taught in schools, and constantly asserted in every nation as preparation for the organic change in the structure of society which it implies.
In the Baha'i view, recognition of the oneness of mankind "calls for no less
than the reconstruction and the demilitarization of the whole civilized world --
a world organically unified in all the essential aspects of its life, its
political machinery, its spiritual aspiration, its trade and finance, its script
and language, and yet infinite in the diversity of the national characteristics of its federated units."
We simply must all stop fighting soon, and pay attention to uniting to save our
countries and ourselves
The quotation is from our Baha'i international body known as "The Universal House of Justice," from their message to the people of the world called "The Promise
of World Peace," Baha'i World Centre, October 1985.
We don't have much time left to stop fighting and start cooperating! If you geta chance to see the movie please do it. Ben and I intend to see it. The reason I'm a Baha'i is because we Baha'is are working to change ourselves and to
rebuild civilization world-wide, systematically. If you want to help, you could
consider the above quotation and decide whether it fits your understanding of
what it will take to save our civilization. If you agree, then begin to live your own life as much as possible from that point of view. You don't need to become a Baha'i to do it, although you can be one if you want to. There isn't much more to it than deciding for yourself that Baha'u'llah was a Prophet of God for our times and brought Teachings that we need to follow to change ourselves and our world. If it makes sense to you and you want to be part of it then that's your choice. Look into it for yourself.
However, it won't be Baha'is who will stop wars, it will be the governments of the world that finally will come to the decision that they must stop wars and create a unified world. You can help.
We all need every bit of help we can get right now in the present circumstances.
Warmly, Mary