adminFlora Teckie Correspondent
“The diversity in the human family,” the Baha’i writings state, “should be the cause of love and harmony, as it is in music where many different notes blend together in the making of a perfect chord”.
It is the differences of colour and culture that enrich the world of humanity. Differences are not only in our human family, but are apparent throughout the whole of nature.
A beautiful garden is normally made of a mix of flowers of different kind and colour, shrubs and trees, all of different types and sizes.
What is causing division, hatred, warfare and bloodshed in many parts of the world is prejudice. Prejudices of all kinds of race, of nationality, of class, of ethnicity, of gender, or religious belief, continue to hold a strong grip on humanity.
Prejudice comes from the belief that one group or a part of humanity is superior to another.
“The reality”, in the words of the Bahá’í International Community, “is that there is only the one human race. We are a single people, inhabiting the planet Earth, one human family bound together in a common destiny, a single entity created from one same substance . . .”
Science fully endorses the reality of human oneness.
Anthropology, physiology, psychology, sociology and genetics all confirm that there is only one human species, although infinitely varied in the secondary aspects of life.
The principle of human oneness is not just another vague hope or slogan. Rather, it reflects an eternal spiritual, moral and physical reality. We should not mistrust those who are different from us
The Bahá’í Writings emphasise that, “If you meet those of different race and colour from yourself, do not mistrust them and withdraw yourself into your shell of conventionality, but rather be glad and show them kindness. Think of them as different coloured roses growing in the beautiful garden of humanity, and rejoice to be among them.”
Recognising our oneness helps us overcome not only racial, national, religious and ethnic prejudices, but to also go beyond the intermediate concepts of tolerance.
Although tolerance is an important stepping-stone to humanity’s long-desired goal of building a peaceful and unified world, it is not sufficient for eliminating such deeply-rooted problems as racism or religious prejudice.
There is a need for change in our attitudes, and an active effort towards establishing genuine unity among the people of different backgrounds.
To be genuinely united takes a deeper bond of love than mere tolerance dictates.
Only through unity — a unity that embraces and honours the full diversity of humankind — can our current problems be solved.
The Bahá’í Writings state: “Unification of the whole of mankind is the hallmark of the stage which human society is now approaching. Unity of family, of tribe, of city-state, and nation have been successively attempted and fully established. World unity is the goal towards which a harassed humanity is striving”.
The unity of humanity does not imply uniformity
The Bahá’í Writings affirm the principle of unity in diversity. In order to create a universal culture of collaboration and conciliation, we need to believe in the oneness of the human family and to aim for spiritual awareness and responsibility. It is not by suppression of differences that one will arrive at unity, but rather, by an increased awareness of, and respect for, the values of each culture, and indeed of each individual.
Belief in the concept of “unity in diversity” implies the development in the individual of a global consciousness and a love for humanity as a whole.
In this regard, each individual needs to understand that, since the body of humankind is one and indivisible, each member of the human race is born into the world as a trust of the whole, and that the advantage of one part in a world society is best served by promoting the advantage of the whole.
It is the Bahá’í view that only by valuing our differences and the cultural characteristics of various groups in our societies can we achieve harmonious relationships that lead to lasting unity.
The Bahá’í Writings prescribe: “Love ye all religions and all races with a love that is true and sincere and show that love through deeds and not through the tongue; for the latter hath no importance, as the majority of men are, in speech, well-wishers, while action is the best”.
Overcoming our various prejudices, and accepting the oneness of humanity require profound a change of heart and a new mind-set. It is the power of the Word of God that can produce such a necessary change — and remembering that, as the Bahá’í Writings state,: “From this same God all creation sprang into existence, and He is the one goal, towards which everything in nature yearns”.
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