,the ,promise of ,world ,peace      by  
,universal ,house of ,justice           
,edition #a1 7,september #bjjf7         
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,i  ,,ii  ,,iii  ,,iv              ,,the
 ,,promise ,,of ,,world ,,peace         
,october #aihe    ,to the ,peoples of   
the ,world3    ,the ,great ,peace       
towards which people of good will       
throughout the centuries  have inclined 
their hearts1 of which seers and poets  
for countless  generations have         
expressed their vision1 and for which   
from age to age the  sacred scriptures  
of mankind have constantly held the     
promise1 is now at  long last within the
 reach of the nations4 ,for the first   
time in history  it is possible for     
everyone to view the entire planet1 with
 all its myriad  diversified peoples1 in
 one perspective4 ,world peace is not   

only possible  but inevitable4 ,it is   
the next stage in the evolution of this 
planet--in  the words of one great      
thinker1 8the planetization of mankind04
    ,whether peace is to be reached only
 after unimaginable horrors             
precipitated by humanity's stubborn     
clinging to old patterns of behaviour1  
or is to be embraced now by an act of   
consultative will1 is the choice  before
 all who inhabit the earth4 ,at this    
critical juncture when the  intractable 
problems confronting nations have been  
fused into one common  concern for the  
whole world1 failure to stem the tide of
 conflict and  disorder would be        
unconscionably irresponsible4    ,among 
the favourable signs are the steadily   
growing strength of the steps  towards  
world order taken initially near the    
beginning of this century in  the       
creation of the ,league of ,nations1    
succeeded by the more broadly based     
,united ,nations ,organization2 the     
achievement since the ,second ,world    

,war of  independence by the majority of
 all the nations on earth1 indicating   
the  completion of the process of nation
 building1 and the involvement of these 
fledgling nations with older ones in    
matters of mutual concern2 the          
consequent vast increase in co-operation
 among hitherto isolated and            
antagonistic peoples and groups in      
international undertakings in the       
scientific1 educational1 legal1 economic
 and cultural fields2 the rise in       
recent decades of an unprecedented      
number of international humanitarian    
organizations2 the spread of women's and
 youth movements calling for an  end to 
war2 and the spontaneous spawning of    
widening networks of ordinary  people   
seeking understanding through personal  
communication4    ,the scientific and   
technological advances occurring in this
 unusually  blessed century portend a   
great surge forward in the social       
evolution of  the planet1 and indicate  
the means by which the practical        

problems of  humanity may be solved4    
,they provide1 indeed1 the very means   
for the  administration of the complex  
life of a united world4 ,yet barriers   
persist4 ,doubts1 misconceptions1       
prejudices1 suspicions and narrow       
self-interest beset nations and peoples 
in their relations one to another4      
,it is out of a deep sense of spiritual 
and moral duty that we are impelled  at 
this opportune moment to invite your    
attention to the penetrating  insights  
first communicated to the rulers of     
mankind more than a century  ago by     
,bah'u'llh1 ,founder of the ,bah'       
,faith1 of which we are the  ,trustees4 
8,the winds of despair01 ,bah'u'llh     
wrote1 8are1 alas1 blowing from every   
direction1 and the strife that divides  
and afflicts the human race is  daily   
increasing4 ,the signs of impending     
convulsions and chaos can now be        
discerned1 inasmuch as the prevailing   
order appears to be lamentably          
defective40 ,this prophetic judgement   

has been amply confirmed by the  common 
experience of humanity4 ,flaws in the   
prevailing order are  conspicuous in the
 inability of sovereign states organized
 as ,united  ,nations to exorcize the   
spectre of war1 the threatened collapse 
of the  international economic order1   
the spread of anarchy and terrorism1 and
 the  intense suffering which these and 
other afflictions are causing to        
increasing millions4 ,indeed1 so much   
have aggression and conflict come to    
characterize our social1 economic and   
religious systems1 that many have       
succumbed to the view that such         
behaviour is intrinsic to human nature  
and  therefore ineradicable4    ,with   
the entrenchment of this view1 a        
paralyzing contradiction has  developed 
in human affairs4 ,on the one hand1     
people of all nations  proclaim not only
 their readiness but their longing for  
peace and harmony1  for an end to the   
harrowing apprehensions tormenting their
 daily lives4 ,on  the other1 uncritical

 assent is given to the proposition that
 human beings  are incorrigibly selfish 
and aggressive and thus incapable of    
erecting a  social system at once       
progressive and peaceful1 dynamic and   
harmonious1 a  system giving free play  
to individual creativity and initiative 
but based  on co-operation and          
reciprocity4    ,as the need for peace  
becomes more urgent1 this fundamental   
contradiction1  which hinders its       
realization1 demands a reassessment of  
the assumptions  upon which the commonly
 held view of mankind's historical      
predicament is  based4 ,dispassionately 
examined1 the evidence reveals that such
 conduct1  far from expressing man's    
true self1 represents a distortion of   
the human  spirit4 ,satisfaction on this
 point will enable all people to set in 
motion  constructive social forces      
which1 because they are consistent with 
human  nature1 will encourage harmony   
and co-operation instead of war and     
conflict4    ,to choose such a course is

 not to deny humanity's past but to     
understand  it4 ,the ,bah' ,faith       
regards the current world confusion and 
calamitous  condition in human affairs  
as a natural phase in an organic process
  leading ultimately and irresistibly to
 the unification of the human race  in a
 single social order whose boundaries   
are those of the planet4 ,the  human    
race1 as a distinct1 organic unit1 has  
passed through evolutionary  stages     
analogous to the stages of infancy and  
childhood in the lives of  its          
individual members1 and is now in the   
culminating period of its  turbulent    
adolescence approaching its long-awaited
 coming of age4    ,a candid            
acknowledgement that prejudice1 war and 
exploitation have been  the expression  
of immature stages in a vast historical 
process and that  the human race is     
today experiencing the unavoidable      
tumult which marks  its collective      
coming of age is not a reason for       
despair but a  prerequisite to          

undertaking the stupendous enterprise of
 building a  peaceful world4 ,that such 
an enterprise is possible1 that the     
necessary  constructive forces do exist1
 that unifying social structures can be 
erected1 is the theme we urge you to    
examine4    ,whatever suffering and     
turmoil the years immediately ahead may 
hold1  however dark the immediate       
circumstances1 the ,bah' community      
believes  that humanity can confront    
this supreme trial with confidence in   
its  ultimate outcome4 ,far from        
signalizing the end of civilization1 the
  convulsive changes towards which      
humanity is being ever more rapidly     
impelled will serve to release the      
8potentialities inherent in the station 
of man0 and reveal 8the full measure of 
his destiny on earth1 the innate        
excellence of his reality04             
,i      ,the endowments which           
distinguish the human race from all     
other forms of  life are summed up in   
what is known as the human spirit2 the  

mind is its  essential quality4 ,these  
endowments have enabled humanity to     
build  civilizations and to prosper     
materially4 ,but such accomplishments   
alone  have never satisfied the human   
spirit1 whose mysterious nature inclines
 it  towards transcendence1 a reaching  
towards an invisible realm1 towards the 
ultimate reality1 that unknowable       
essence of essences called ,god4 ,the   
religions brought to mankind by a       
succession of spiritual luminaries have 
been the primary link between humanity  
and that ultimate reality1 and have     
galvanized and refined mankind's        
capacity to achieve spiritual success   
together with social progress4    ,no   
serious attempt to set human affairs    
aright1 to achieve world peace1  can    
ignore religion4 ,man's perception and  
practice of it are largely the  stuff of
 history4 ,an eminent historian         
described religion as a 8faculty of     
human nature04 ,that the perversion of  
this faculty has contributed to much  of

 the confusion in society and the       
conflicts in and between individuals    
can hardly be denied4 ,but neither can  
any fair-minded observer discount  the  
preponderating influence exerted by     
religion on the vital expressions  of   
civilization4 ,furthermore1 its         
indispensability to social order has    
repeatedly been demonstrated by its     
direct effect on laws and morality4     
,writing of religion as a social force1 
,bah'u'llh said3 8,religion is the      
greatest of all means for the           
establishment of order in the world and 
for  the peaceful contentment of all    
that dwell therein40 ,referring to the  
eclipse or corruption of religion1 he   
wrote3 8,should the lamp of religion  be
 obscured1 chaos and confusion will     
ensue1 and the lights of fairness1  of  
justice1 of tranquillity and peace cease
 to shine40 ,in an enumeration  of such 
consequences the ,bah' writings point   
out that the 8perversion of  human      
nature1 the degradation of human        

conduct1 the corruption and  dissolution
 of human institutions1 reveal          
themselves1 under such  circumstances1  
in their worst and most revolting       
aspects4 ,human character  is debased1  
confidence is shaken1 the nerves of     
discipline are relaxed1  the voice of   
human conscience is stilled1 the sense  
of decency and shame  is obscured1      
conceptions of duty1 of solidarity1 of  
reciprocity and  loyalty are distorted1 
and the very feeling of peacefulness1 of
 joy and of  hope is gradually          
extinguished40    ,if1 therefore1       
humanity has come to a point of         
paralyzing conflict it must  look to    
itself1 to its own negligence1 to the   
siren voices to which it has  listened1 
for the source of the misunderstandings 
and confusion  perpetrated in the name  
of religion4 ,those who have held       
blindly and  selfishly to their         
particular orthodoxies1 who have imposed
 on their  votaries erroneous and       
conflicting interpretations of the      

pronouncements  of the ,prophets of     
,god1 bear heavy responsibility for this
 confusion--a  confusion compounded by  
the artificial barriers erected between 
faith and  reason1 science and religion4
 ,for from a fair-minded examination of 
the  actual utterances of the ,founders 
of the great religions1 and of the      
social milieus in which they were       
obliged to carry out their missions1    
there is nothing to support the         
contentions and prejudices deranging the
  religious communities of mankind and  
therefore all human affairs4    ,the    
teaching that we should treat others as 
we ourselves would wish to be  treated1 
an ethic variously repeated in all the  
great religions1 lends  force to this   
latter observation in two particular    
respects3 it sums up  the moral         
attitude1 the peace-inducing aspect1    
extending through these  religions      
irrespective of their place or time of  
origin2 it also signifies  an aspect of 
unity which is their essential virtue1 a

 virtue mankind in  its disjointed view 
of history has failed to appreciate4    
,had humanity seen the ,educators of its
 collective childhood in their true     
character1 as agents of one civilizing  
process1 it would no doubt have  reaped 
incalculably greater benefits from the  
cumulative effects of their  successive 
missions4 ,this1 alas1 it failed to do4 
,the resurgence of fanatical religious  
fervour occurring in many lands  cannot 
be regarded as more than a dying        
convulsion4 ,the very nature of the     
violent and disruptive phenomena        
associated with it testifies to the     
spiritual bankruptcy it represents4     
,indeed1 one of the strangest and       
saddest features of the current outbreak
 of religious fanaticism is the  extent 
to which1 in each case1 it is           
undermining not only the spiritual      
values which are conducive to the unity 
of mankind but also those unique  moral 
victories won by the particular religion
 it purports to serve4    ,however vital

 a force religion has been in the       
history of mankind1 and  however        
dramatic the current resurgence of      
militant religious fanaticism1  religion
 and religious institutions have1 for   
many decades1 been viewed by  increasing
 numbers of people as irrelevant to the 
major concerns of the  modern world4 ,in
 its place they have turned either to   
the hedonistic  pursuit of material     
satisfactions or to the following of    
man-made  ideologies designed to rescue 
society from the evident evils under    
which  it groans4 ,all too many of these
 ideologies1 alas1 instead of embracing 
the concept of the oneness of mankind   
and promoting the increase of  concord  
among different peoples1 have tended to 
deify the state1 to  subordinate the    
rest of mankind to one nation1 race or  
class1 to attempt  to suppress all      
discussion and interchange of ideas1 or 
to callously  abandon starving millions 
to the operations of a market system    
that all  too clearly is aggravating the

 plight of the majority of mankind1     
while  enabling small sections to live  
in a condition of affluence scarcely    
dreamed of by our forebears4    ,how    
tragic is the record of the substitute  
faiths that the worldly-wise of  our age
 have created4 ,in the massive          
disillusionment of entire populations   
who have been taught to worship at their
 altars can be read history's           
irreversible verdict on their value4    
,the fruits these doctrines have        
produced1 after decades of an           
increasingly unrestrained exercise of   
power  by those who owe their ascendancy
 in human affairs to them1 are the      
social  and economic ills that blight   
every region of our world in the closing
  years of the twentieth century4       
,underlying all these outward           
afflictions  is the spiritual damage    
reflected in the apathy that has gripped
 the mass  of the peoples of all nations
 and by the extinction of hope in the   
hearts  of deprived and anguished       

millions4    ,the time has come when    
those who preach the dogmas of          
materialism1 whether  of the east or the
 west1 whether of capitalism or         
socialism1 must give  account of the    
moral stewardship they have presumed to 
exercise4 ,where is  the 8new world0    
promised by these ideologies8 ,where is 
the international  peace to whose ideals
 they proclaim their devotion8 ,where   
are the  breakthroughs into new realms  
of cultural achievement produced by the 
aggrandizement of this race1 of that    
nation or of a particular class8 ,why   
is the vast majority of the world's     
peoples sinking ever deeper into  hunger
 and wretchedness when wealth on a scale
 undreamed of by the  ,pharaohs1 the    
,caesars1 or even the imperialist powers
 of the nineteenth  century is at the   
disposal of the present arbiters of     
human affairs8    ,most particularly1 it
 is in the glorification of material    
pursuits1 at  once the progenitor and   
common feature of all such ideologies1  

that we  find the roots which nourish   
the falsehood that human beings are     
incorrigibly selfish and aggressive4 ,it
 is here that the ground must be        
cleared for the building of a new world 
fit for our descendants4    ,that       
materialistic ideals have1 in the light 
of experience1 failed to  satisfy the   
needs of mankind calls for an honest    
acknowledgement that a  fresh effort    
must now be made to find the solutions  
to the agonizing  problems of the       
planet4 ,the intolerable conditions     
pervading society  bespeak a common     
failure of all1 a circumstance which    
tends to incite  rather than relieve the
 entrenchment on every side4 ,clearly1 a
 common  remedial effort is urgently    
required4 ,it is primarily a matter of  
attitude4 ,will humanity continue in its
 waywardness1 holding to outworn        
concepts and unworkable assumptions8 ,or
 will its leaders1 regardless of        
ideology1 step forth and1 with a        
resolute will1 consult together in a    

united search for appropriate solutions8
    ,those who care for the future of   
the human race may well ponder this     
advice4 8,if long-cherished ideals and  
time-honoured institutions1 if  certain 
social assumptions and religious        
formulae have ceased to promote  the    
welfare of the generality of mankind1 if
 they no longer minister to  the needs  
of a continually evolving humanity1 let 
them be swept away and  relegated to the
 limbo of obsolescent and forgotten     
doctrines4 ,why should  these1 in a     
world subject to the immutable law of   
change and decay1 be  exempt from the   
deterioration that must needs overtake  
every human  institution8 ,for legal    
standards1 political and economic       
theories are  solely designed to        
safeguard the interests of humanity as a
 whole1 and not  humanity to be         
crucified for the preservation of the   
integrity of any  particular law or     
doctrine40            ,,ii      ,banning
 nuclear weapons1 prohibiting the use of

 poison gases1 or outlawing  germ       
warfare will not remove the root causes 
of war4 ,however important  such        
practical measures obviously are as     
elements of the peace process1  they are
 in themselves too superficial to exert 
enduring influence4  ,peoples are       
ingenious enough to invent yet other    
forms of warfare1 and to  use food1 raw 
materials1 finance1 industrial power1   
ideology1 and  terrorism to subvert one 
another in an endless quest for         
supremacy and  dominion4 ,nor can the   
present massive dislocation in the      
affairs of  humanity be resolved through
 the settlement of specific conflicts or
  disagreements among nations4 ,a       
genuine universal framework must be     
adopted4    ,certainly1 there is no lack
 of recognition by national leaders of  
the  world-wide character of the        
problem1 which is self-evident in the   
mounting  issues that confront them     
daily4 ,and there are the accumulating  
studies  and solutions proposed by many 

concerned and enlightened groups as well
 as  by agencies of the ,united         
,nations1 to remove any possibility of  
ignorance  as to the challenging        
requirements to be met4 ,there is1      
however1 a  paralysis of will2 and it is
 this that must be carefully examined   
and  resolutely dealt with4 ,this       
paralysis is rooted1 as we have stated1 
in a  deep-seated conviction of the     
inevitable quarrelsomeness of mankind1  
which  has led to the reluctance to     
entertain the possibility of            
subordinating  national self-interest to
 the requirements of world order1 and in
 an  unwillingness to face courageously 
the far-reaching implications of        
establishing a united world authority4  
,it is also traceable to the  incapacity
 of largely ignorant and subjugated     
masses to articulate their  desire for a
 new order in which they can live in    
peace1 harmony and  prosperity with all 
humanity4    ,the tentative steps       
towards world order1 especially since   

,world ,war ,,ii1  give hopeful signs4  
,the increasing tendency of groups of   
nations to  formalize relationships     
which enable them to co-operate in      
matters of  mutual interest suggests    
that eventually all nations could       
overcome this  paralysis4 ,the          
,association of ,south ,east ,asian     
,nations1 the ,caribbean  ,community and
 ,common ,market1 the ,central ,american
 ,common ,market1 the  ,council for     
,mutual ,economic ,assistance1 the      
,european ,communities1 the  ,league of 
,arab ,states1 the ,organization of     
,african ,unity1 the ,organization  of  
,american ,states1 the ,south ,pacific  
,forum--all the joint endeavours        
represented by such organizations       
prepare the path to world order4    ,the
 increasing attention being focused on  
some of the most deep-rooted  problems  
of the planet is yet another hopeful    
sign4 ,despite the obvious  shortcomings
 of the ,united ,nations1 the more than 
two score declarations  and conventions 

adopted by that organization1 even where
 governments have  not been enthusiastic
 in their commitment1 have given        
ordinary people a  sense of a new lease 
on life4 ,the ,universal ,declaration of
 ,human ,rights1  the ,convention on the
 ,prevention and ,punishment of the     
,crime of ,genocide1  and the similar   
measures concerned with eliminating all 
forms of  discrimination based on race1 
sex or religious belief2 upholding the  
rights of the child2 protecting all     
persons against being subjected to      
torture2 eradicating hunger and         
malnutrition2 using scientific and      
technological progress in the interest  
of peace and the benefit of             
mankind--all such measures1 if          
courageously enforced and expanded1 will
  advance the day when the spectre of   
war will have lost its power to         
dominate international relations4 ,there
 is no need to stress the  significance 
of the issues addressed by these        
declarations and  conventions4 ,however1

 a few such issues1 because of their    
immediate  relevance to establishing    
world peace1 deserve additional comment4
    ,racism1 one of the most baneful and
 persistent evils1 is a major barrier   
to peace4 ,its practice perpetrates too 
outrageous a violation of the  dignity  
of human beings to be countenanced under
 any pretext4 ,racism  retards the      
unfoldment of the boundless             
potentialities of its victims1  corrupts
 its perpetrators1 and blights human    
progress4 ,recognition of the  oneness  
of mankind1 implemented by appropriate  
legal measures1 must be  universally    
upheld if this problem is to be         
overcome4    ,the inordinate disparity  
between rich and poor1 a source of acute
  suffering1 keeps the world in a state 
of instability1 virtually on the  brink 
of war4 ,few societies have dealt       
effectively with this situation4  ,the  
solution calls for the combined         
application of spiritual1 moral and     
practical approaches4 ,a fresh look at  

the problem is required1 entailing      
consultation with experts from a wide   
spectrum of disciplines1 devoid of      
economic and ideological polemics1 and  
involving the people directly  affected 
in the decisions that must urgently be  
made4 ,it is an issue that  is bound up 
not only with the necessity for         
eliminating extremes of wealth  and     
poverty but also with those spiritual   
verities the understanding of  which can
 produce a new universal attitude4      
,fostering such an attitude is  itself a
 major part of the solution4            
,unbridled nationalism1 as distinguished
 from a sane and legitimate  patriotism1
 must give way to a wider loyalty1 to   
the love of humanity as a  whole4       
,bah'u'llh's statement is3 8,the earth  
is but one country1 and  mankind its    
citizens40 ,the concept of world        
citizenship is a direct result  of the  
contraction of the world into a single  
neighbourhood through  scientific       
advances and of the indisputable        

interdependence of nations4  ,love of   
all the world's peoples does not exclude
 love of one's country4  ,the advantage 
of the part in a world society is best  
served by promoting  the advantage of   
the whole4 ,current international       
activities in various  fields which     
nurture mutual affection and a sense of 
solidarity among  peoples need greatly  
to be increased4    ,religious strife1  
throughout history1 has been the cause  
of innumerable  wars and conflicts1 a   
major blight to progress1 and is        
increasingly  abhorrent to the people of
 all faiths and no faith4 ,followers of 
all  religions must be willing to face  
the basic questions which this strife   
raises1 and to arrive at clear answers4 
,how are the differences between  them  
to be resolved1 both in theory and in   
practice8 ,the challenge facing  the    
religious leaders of mankind is to      
contemplate1 with hearts filled  with   
the spirit of compassion and a desire   
for truth1 the plight of  humanity1 and 

to ask themselves whether they cannot1  
in humility before  their ,almighty     
,creator1 submerge their theological    
differences in a great  spirit of mutual
 forbearance that will enable them to   
work together for  the advancement of   
human understanding and peace4    ,the  
emancipation of women1 the achievement  
of full equality between the  sexes1 is 
one of the most important1 though less  
acknowledged  prerequisites of peace4   
,the denial of such equality perpetrates
 an  injustice against one half of the  
world's population and promotes in men  
harmful attitudes and habits that are   
carried from the family to the          
workplace1 to political life1 and       
ultimately to international relations4  
,there are no grounds1 moral1 practical1
 or biological1 upon which such  denial 
can be justified4 ,only as women are    
welcomed into full partnership  in all  
fields of human endeavour will the moral
 and psychological climate  be created  
in which international peace can emerge4

    ,the cause of universal education1  
which has already enlisted in its       
service an army of dedicated people from
 every faith and nation1 deserves  the  
utmost support that the governments of  
the world can lend it4 ,for  ignorance  
is indisputably the principal reason for
 the decline and fall of  peoples and   
the perpetuation of prejudice4 ,no      
nation can achieve success  unless      
education is accorded all its citizens4 
,lack of resources limits  the ability  
of many nations to fulfil this          
necessity1 imposing a certain  ordering 
of priorities4 ,the decision-making     
agencies involved would do  well to     
consider giving first priority to the   
education of women and  girls1 since it 
is through educated mothers that the    
benefits of knowledge  can be most      
effectively and rapidly diffused        
throughout society4 ,in  keeping with   
the requirements of the times1          
consideration should also be  given to  
teaching the concept of world           

citizenship as part of the standard     
education of every child4    ,a         
fundamental lack of communication       
between peoples seriously undermines    
efforts towards world peace4 ,adopting  
an international auxiliary language     
would go far to resolving this problem  
and necessitates the most urgent        
attention4    ,two points bear          
emphasizing in all these issues4 ,one is
 that the abolition  of war is not      
simply a matter of signing treaties and 
protocols2 it is a  complex task        
requiring a new level of commitment to  
resolving issues not  customarily       
associated with the pursuit of peace4   
,based on political  agreements alone1  
the idea of collective security is a    
chimera4 ,the other  point is that the  
primary challenge in dealing with issues
 of peace is to  raise the context to   
the level of principle1 as distinct from
 pure  pragmatism4 ,for1 in essence1    
peace stems from an inner state         
supported by  a spiritual or moral      

attitude1 and it is chiefly in evoking  
this attitude  that the possibility of  
enduring solutions can be found4        
,there are spiritual principles1 or what
 some call human values1 by which       
solutions can be found for every social 
problem4 ,any well-intentioned  group   
can in a general sense devise practical 
solutions to its problems1  but good    
intentions and practical knowledge are  
usually not enough4 ,the  essential     
merit of spiritual principle is that it 
not only presents a  perspective which  
harmonizes with that which is immanent  
in human nature1  it also induces an    
attitude1 a dynamic1 a will1 an         
aspiration1 which  facilitate the       
discovery and implementation of         
practical measures4 ,leaders  of        
governments and all in authority would  
be well served in their efforts  to     
solve problems if they would first seek 
to identify the principles  involved and
 then be guided by them4                
,,iii      ,the primary question to be  

resolved is how the present world1 with 
its  entrenched pattern of conflict1 can
 change to a world in which harmony and 
co-operation will prevail4    ,world    
order can be founded only on an         
unshakeable consciousness of the        
oneness of mankind1 a spiritual truth   
which all the human sciences  confirm4  
,anthropology1 physiology1 psychology1  
recognize only one human  species1      
albeit infinitely varied in the         
secondary aspects of life4  ,recognition
 of this truth requires abandonment of  
prejudice--prejudice of  every          
kind--race1 class1 colour1 creed1       
nation1 sex1 degree of material         
civilization1 everything which enables  
people to consider themselves  superior 
to others4    ,acceptance of the oneness
 of mankind is the first fundamental    
prerequisite  for reorganization and    
administration of the world as one      
country1 the  home of humankind4        
,universal acceptance of this spiritual 
principle is  essential to any          

successful attempt to establish world   
peace4 ,it should  therefore be         
universally proclaimed1 taught in       
schools1 and constantly  asserted in    
every nation as preparation for the     
organic change in the  structure of     
society which it implies4    ,in the    
,bah' view1 recognition of the oneness  
of mankind 8calls 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 life1 its political    
machinery1 its spiritual aspiration1 its
 trade  and finance1 its script and     
language1 and yet infinite in the       
diversity of  the national              
characteristics of its federated units40
    ,elaborating the implications of    
this pivotal principle1 ,shoghi         
,effendi1  the ,guardian of the ,bah'   
,faith1 commented in #aica that3 8,far  
from aiming  at the subversion of the   
existing foundations of society1 it     
seeks to  broaden its basis1 to remold  

its institutions in a manner consonant  
with  the needs of an ever-changing     
world4 ,it can conflict with no         
legitimate  allegiances1 nor can it     
undermine essential loyalties4 ,its     
purpose is  neither to stifle the flame 
of a sane and intelligent patriotism in 
men's  hearts1 nor to abolish the system
 of national autonomy so essential if   
the  evils of excessive centralization  
are to be avoided4 ,it does not ignore1 
nor does it attempt to suppress1 the    
diversity of ethnical origins1 of       
climate1 of history1 of language and    
tradition1 of thought and habit1 that   
differentiate the peoples and nations of
 the world4 ,it calls for a wider       
loyalty1 for a larger aspiration than   
any that has animated the human  race4  
,it insists upon the subordination of   
national impulses and interests  to the 
imperative claims of a unified world4   
,it repudiates excessive  centralization
 on one hand1 and disclaims all attempts
 at uniformity on  the other4 ,its      

watchword is unity in diversity04       
,the achievement of such ends requires  
several stages in the adjustment of     
national political attitudes1 which now 
verge on anarchy in the absence of      
clearly defined laws or universally     
accepted and enforceable principles     
regulating the relationships between    
nations4 ,the ,league of ,nations1 the  
,united ,nations1 and the many          
organizations and agreements produced by
 them  have unquestionably been helpful 
in attenuating some of the negative     
effects of international conflicts1 but 
they have shown themselves  incapable of
 preventing war4 ,indeed1 there have    
been scores of wars since  the end of   
the ,second ,world ,war2 many are yet   
raging4    ,the predominant aspects of  
this problem had already emerged in the 
nineteenth century when ,bah'u'llh first
 advanced his proposals for the         
establishment of world peace4 ,the      
principle of collective security was    
propounded by him in statements         

addressed to the rulers of the world4   
,shoghi ,effendi commented on his       
meaning3 8,what else could these weighty
  words signify10 he wrote1 8if they did
 not point to the inevitable            
curtailment of unfettered national      
sovereignty as an indispensable         
preliminary to the formation of the     
future ,commonwealth of all the nations 
of the world8 ,some form of a world     
super-state must needs be evolved1 in   
whose favour all the nations of the     
world will have willingly ceded every   
claim to make war1 certain rights to    
impose taxation and all rights to       
maintain armaments1 except for purposes 
of maintaining internal order  within   
their respective dominions4 ,such a     
state will have to include  within its  
orbit an ,international ,executive      
adequate to enforce supreme  and        
unchallengeable authority on every      
recalcitrant member of the              
commonwealth2 a ,world ,parliament whose
 members shall be elected by the  people

 in their respective countries and whose
 election shall be confirmed  by their  
respective governments2 and a ,supreme  
,tribunal whose judgement  will have a  
binding effect even in such cases where 
the parties concerned  did not          
voluntarily agree to submit their case  
to its consideration4    8,a world      
community in which all economic barriers
 will have been  permanently demolished 
and the interdependence of capital and  
labour  definitely recognized2 in which 
the clamour of religious fanaticism and 
strife will have been forever stilled2  
in which the flame of racial  animosity 
will have been finally extinguished2 in 
which a single code of  international   
law--the product of the considered      
judgement of the world's  federated     
representatives--shall have as its      
sanction the instant and  coercive      
intervention of the combined forces of  
the federated units2 and  finally a     
world community in which the fury of a  
capricious and militant  nationalism    

will have been transmuted into an       
abiding consciousness of  world         
citizenship--such indeed1 appears1 in   
its broadest outline1 the ,order        
anticipated by ,bah'u'llh1 an ,order    
that shall come to be regarded as the   
fairest fruit of a slowly maturing age40
    ,the implementation of these        
far-reaching measures was indicated by  
,bah'u'llh3 8,the time must come when   
the imperative necessity for the        
holding of a vast1 an all-embracing     
assemblage of men will be universally   
realized4 ,the rulers and kings of the  
earth must needs attend it1 and1        
participating in its deliberations1 must
 consider such ways and means as  will  
lay the foundations of the world's      
,great ,peace amongst men40    ,the     
courage1 the resolution1 the pure       
motive1 the selfless love of one  people
 for another--all the spiritual and     
moral qualities required for  effecting 
this momentous step towards peace are   
focused on the will to  act4 ,and it is 

towards arousing the necessary volition 
that earnest  consideration must be     
given to the reality of man1 namely1 his
 thought4 ,to  understand the relevance 
of this potent reality is also to       
appreciate the  social necessity of     
actualizing its unique value through    
candid1  dispassionate and cordial      
consultation1 and of acting upon the    
results of  this process4 ,bah'u'llh    
insistently drew attention to the       
virtues and  indispensability of        
consultation for ordering human affairs4
 ,he said3  8,consultation bestows      
greater awareness and transmutes        
conjecture into  certitude4 ,it is a    
shining light which1 in a dark world1   
leads the way and  guides4 ,for         
everything there is and will continue to
 be a station of  perfection and        
maturity4 ,the maturity of the gift of  
understanding is made  manifest through 
consultation40 ,the very attempt to     
achieve peace through  the consultative 
action he proposed can release such a   

salutary spirit  among the peoples of   
the earth that no power could resist the
 final1  triumphal outcome4             
,concerning the proceedings for this    
world gathering1 #8,abdu'l-,bah1 the son
  of ,bah'u'llh and authorized          
interpreter of his teachings1 offered   
these  insights3 8,they must make the   
,cause of ,peace the object of general  
consultation1 and seek by every means in
 their power to establish a ,union  of  
the nations of the world4 ,they must    
conclude a binding treaty and  establish
 a covenant1 the provisions of which    
shall be sound1 inviolable  and         
definite4 ,they must proclaim it to all 
the world and obtain for it the         
sanction of all the human race4 ,this   
supreme and noble undertaking--the  real
 source of the peace and well-being of  
all the world--should be  regarded as   
sacred by all that dwell on earth4 ,all 
the forces of humanity  must be         
mobilized to ensure the stability and   
permanence of this ,most  ,great        

,covenant4 ,in this all-embracing ,pact 
the limits and frontiers of  each and   
every nation should be clearly fixed1   
the principles underlying  the relations
 of governments towards one another     
definitely laid down1 and  all          
international agreements and obligations
 ascertained4 ,in like manner1  the size
 of the armaments of every government   
should be strictly limited1  for if the 
preparations for war and the military   
forces of any nation  should be allowed 
to increase1 they will arouse the       
suspicion of others4  ,the fundamental  
principle underlying this solemn ,pact  
should be so fixed  that if any         
government later violate any one of its 
provisions1 all the  governments on     
earth should arise to reduce it to utter
 submission1 nay  the human race as a   
whole should resolve1 with every power  
at its  disposal1 to destroy that       
government4 ,should this greatest of all
 remedies  be applied to the sick body  
of the world1 it will assuredly recover 

from  its ills and will remain eternally
 safe and secure40    ,the holding of   
this mighty convocation is long overdue4
    ,with all the ardour of our hearts1 
we appeal to the leaders of all nations 
to seize this opportune moment and take 
irreversible steps to convoke this      
world meeting4 ,all the forces of       
history impel the human race towards    
this  act which will mark for all time  
the dawn of its long-awaited maturity4  
,will not the ,united ,nations1 with the
 full support of its membership1 rise   
to the high purposes of such a crowning 
event8    ,let men and women1 youth and 
children everywhere recognize the       
eternal  merit of this imperative action
 for all peoples and lift up their      
voices  in willing assent4 ,indeed1 let 
it be this generation that inaugurates  
this  glorious stage in the evolution of
 social life on the planet4             
,,iv      ,the source of the optimism we
 feel is a vision transcending the      
cessation  of war and the creation of   

agencies of international co-operation4 
,permanent peace among nations is an    
essential stage1 but not1 ,bah'u'llh    
asserts1 the ultimate goal of the social
 development of humanity4 ,beyond  the  
initial armistice forced upon the world 
by the fear of nuclear  holocaust1      
beyond the political peace reluctantly  
entered into by  suspicious rival       
nations1 beyond pragmatic arrangements  
for security and  coexistence1 beyond   
even the many experiments in            
co-operation which these  steps will    
make possible lies the crowning goal3   
the unification of all  the peoples of  
the world in one universal family4      
,disunity is a danger that the nations  
and peoples of the earth can no  longer 
endure2 the consequences are too        
terrible to contemplate1 too  obvious to
 require any demonstration4 8,the       
well-being of mankind10  ,bah'u'llh     
wrote more than a century ago1 8its     
peace and security1 are  unattainable   
unless and until its unity is firmly    

established40 ,in  observing that       
8mankind is groaning1 is dying to be led
 to unity1 and to  terminate its        
age-long martyrdom01 ,shoghi ,effendi   
further commented that3  8,unification  
of the whole of mankind is the hall-mark
 of the stage which  human society is   
now approaching4 ,unity of family1 of   
tribe1 of  city-state1 and nation have  
been successively attempted and fully   
established4 ,world unity is the goal   
towards which a harassed humanity is    
striving4 ,nation-building has come to  
an end4 ,the anarchy inherent in  state 
sovereignty is moving towards a climax4 
,a world1 growing to  maturity1 must    
abandon this fetish1 recognize the      
oneness and wholeness of  human         
relationships1 and establish once for   
all the machinery that can  best        
incarnate this fundamental principle of 
its life40    ,all contemporary forces  
of change validate this view4 ,the      
proofs can be  discerned in the many    
examples already cited of the favourable

 signs  towards world peace in current  
international movements and             
developments4  ,the army of men and     
women1 drawn from virtually every       
culture1 race and  nation on earth1 who 
serve the multifarious agencies of the  
,united  ,nations1 represent a planetary
 8civil service0 whose impressive       
accomplishments are indicative of the   
degree of co-operation that can be      
attained even under discouraging        
conditions4 ,an urge towards unity1 like
 a  spiritual springtime1 struggles to  
express itself through countless        
international congresses that bring     
together people from a vast array of    
disciplines4 ,it motivates appeals for  
international projects involving        
children and youth4 ,indeed1 it is the  
real source of the remarkable  movement 
towards ecumenism by which members of   
historically antagonistic  religions and
 sects seem irresistibly drawn towards  
one another4 ,together  with the        
opposing tendency to warfare and        

self-aggrandizement against  which it   
ceaselessly struggles1 the drive towards
 world unity is one of  the dominant1   
pervasive features of life on the planet
 during the closing  years of the       
twentieth century4    ,the experience of
 the ,bah' community may be seen as an  
example of this  enlarging unity4 ,it is
 a community of some three to four      
million people  drawn from many nations1
 cultures1 classes and creeds1 engaged  
in a wide  range of activities serving  
the spiritual1 social and economic needs
 of  the peoples of many lands4 ,it is a
 single social organism1 representative 
of the diversity of the human family1   
conducting its affairs through a  system
 of commonly accepted consultative      
principles1 and cherishing  equally all 
the great outpourings of divine guidance
 in human history4 ,its  existence is   
yet another convincing proof of the     
practicality of its  ,founder's vision  
of a united world1 another evidence that
 humanity can  live as one global       

society1 equal to whatever challenges   
its coming of age  may entail4 ,if the  
,bah' experience can contribute in      
whatever measure to  reinforcing hope in
 the unity of the human race1 we are    
happy to offer it  as a model for study4
    ,in contemplating the supreme       
importance of the task now challenging  
the  entire world1 we bow our heads in  
humility before the awesome majesty of  
the divine ,creator1 ,who out of ,his   
infinite love has created all humanity  
from the same stock2 exalted the        
gem-like reality of man2 honoured it    
with  intellect and wisdom1 nobility and
 immortality2 and conferred upon man the
  8unique distinction and capacity to   
know ,him and to love ,him01 a capacity 
that 8must needs be regarded as the     
generating impulse and the primary      
purpose underlying the whole of         
creation40    ,we hold firmly the       
conviction that all human beings have   
been created 8to  carry forward an      
ever-advancing civilization02 that 8to  

act like the  beasts of the field is    
unworthy of man02 that the virtues that 
befit human  dignity are                
trustworthiness1 forbearance1 mercy1    
compassion and  loving-kindness towards 
all peoples4 ,we reaffirm the belief    
that the  8potentialities inherent in   
the station of man1 the full measure of 
his  destiny on earth1 the innate       
excellence of his reality1 must all be  
manifested in this promised ,day of     
,god40 ,these are the motivations for   
our  unshakeable faith that unity and   
peace are the attainable goal towards   
which humanity is striving4    ,at this 
writing1 the expectant voices of ,bah's 
can be heard despite the  persecution   
they still endure in the land in which  
their ,faith was born4  ,by their       
example of steadfast hope1 they bear    
witness to the belief that  the imminent
 realization of this age-old dream of   
peace is now1 by virtue  of the         
transforming effects of ,bah'u'llh's    
revelation1 invested with the  force of 

divine authority4 ,thus we convey to you
 not only a vision in  words3 we summon 
the power of deeds of faith and         
sacrifice2 we convey the  anxious plea  
of our co-religionists everywhere for   
peace and unity4 ,we  join with all who 
are the victims of aggression1 all who  
yearn for an end  to conflict and       
contention1 all whose devotion to       
principles of peace and  world order    
promotes the ennobling purposes for     
which humanity was called  into being by
 an all-loving ,creator4    ,in the     
earnestness of our desire to impart to  
you the fervour of our hope  and the    
depth of our confidence1 we cite the    
emphatic promise of  ,bah'u'llh3 8,these
 fruitless strifes1 these ruinous wars  
shall pass away1  and the #8,most ,great
 ,peace' shall come40    ,,the          
,,universal ,,house ,,of ,,justice