The revolutionary changes that are impacting humankind with such bewildering ferocity are mind-boggling, to say the least. Surely there must be some larger purpose, a trajectory for the march of civilization towards its collective destiny. The current trend of upheavals and chaos are sweeping away barriers and pulling down structures that stymie humanity’s acceptance of its interdependence and oneness as One Planet, One People, and One Future.

According to the teachings of the Bahá’i Faith the process of globalization coupled with spiritual awakening of the masses as a counter to materialism and consumerism would signal the emergence of a new World Order and collective maturity of the entire human race. However, to reach such a lofty state of civilization, there is a need for an evolving frame for collective education in all spheres of human existence. Sadly, due to a distorted perception of human history, nations and peoples have been locked in a struggle for power and domination throughout time.

To this end, the assumption that relations among the three protagonists of society – the individual, the community and the institution – have to conform to the dictates of competition and self-aggrandizement must be replaced by the premise that harmonious interactions can foster a civilization befitting mature humanity. Such a shift in mindset calls for internalising the concept of the dynamic coherence between the practical and spiritual requirements of life.

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“Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and centre your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements,” wrote Bahá’u’lláh. Although, the principle of unity in diversity, an oft-repeated phrase in the development discourse, is now widely accepted as one step in the movement toward society’s collective maturity, there are many obstacles that have to be surmounted. For, the finite resources of the planet are the birthright of all its inhabitants.

The growing disparity between the rich and the poor cannot be permitted to persist; the senseless polarization of sections of populations in the name of race, nation, caste, religion,........

© The Statesman