We are at a turning point in history as we face more natural disasters day by day. We should not ignore the signs of danger and physical attacks on our world. Being alarmists or individuals who shrink in fear will not move us forward into a better, safer place to exist. There are steps we can take and must take to bring us together in unity and action.
Each new fury that attacks the Earth — be it, flood, fire, earthquake, hurricane, or temperature fluctuation — should alert us to the urgency we face to save not only the planet but also humanity. Addressing this urgent need will mean making changes societal, political, financial, and personal.
At the societal level the need is greater for building our communities so that they serve all individuals who reside in them. This is a great task that means examining the way we offer the most basic needs such as health care, food and housing, but also safety and personal enjoyment. It means consultation at the deepest level where everyone is given a voice and compromises are created when there are no obvious solutions.
At the political level it means acting pro-actively so that policies and laws reflect what is best not only for the State, but also the country and the world. It means disengaging personal goals for power or personal gain and replacing ideology with long-term planning and futuristic envisioning. It will mean governance that restores equality and justice where everyone is served with their survival and enhanced life in mind.
Our financial institutions, whether small businesses or large corporations, will need to change the way they operate so that their decisions about products or services reflect not just the end value, but also the means to create a more sustainable world.
Individuals have a responsibility to work with neighbours at home and abroad to see that relationships create unity and promote justice. Promoting personal character that embraces service to the community will be seen as a path to personal happiness.
The world must reflect how to meet the needs of the greater good, not just to benefit a few who consider themselves entitled or elite. Shared resources like water, oil and minerals need to be viewed as global issues not regional ones. The world society encompasses one human family whose members need to look out for one another.
Peace is attainable, according to the 1985 statement by the Baha’i Universal House of Justice, The Promise of World Peace”. The way to universal peace can be found in the joining of forces to build stronger and better organized efforts that enhance life around our planet, or through destruction and devastation. It is up to us to take actions that will determine how we will get to a peaceful world.
“World peace is not only possible but inevitable. It is the next stage in the evolution of this planet.”
