Online Reporter
Flora Teckie-Bahá’í Perspective
International Day of Families, on May 15, is a reminder of the important role that the family unit can play in transforming our communities.
Healthy relationships nurture the happiness and contentment of each member of the family, and contribute to the well-being of society.
“If one considers the family as the basic unit of society, and by inference, of a world society, strengthening the family by providing its members with appropriate vision, values, and virtues, that is, an adequate spiritual/moral as well as social/cultural/economic dimension, would represent”, in the Bahá’í view, “strengthening international security at the root level by forging harmonious ties between members of the human race, and contributing decisively towards the building of world peace”.
The family is the foundation of both the individual’s happiness and intellectual and spiritual development, as well as society’s advancement and cohesion. Unless this all-important building block of society is healthy, the well-being of society cannot be ensured.
It is within the family that character is moulded and moral and spiritual attitudes are formed. It is here that children learn the meaning of service, responsibility, tolerance, peace, and social duty. Within the warmth of family life, qualities such as love, care, generosity, and sharing are nurtured — preparing individuals to contribute positively to the common good.
The Universal House of Justice, the international governing council of the Bahá’í Faith, says: “It is within the family that the individual is born and nurtured, and within the family that individuals begin to learn how to live together with others.
“The family unit is the basic building block of community, and beyond, of the entire social order. Therefore, a society fashioned to meet the requirements of the age of the maturity of the human race requires both a mature conception of family and an ability to extend the insights derived from that conception to the relationships that shape the nation and the world”.
Transforming relationships within family
Belief and practice of the equality of men and women, in the Bahá’í view, is an important factor which transforms relationships within a family. Practicing gender equality within the family creates a nurturing and positive atmosphere. It helps in building partnerships between the members of the family and thereby further strengthens the family unit.
The Universal House of Justice states: “the application of the principle of the equality of women and men, … creates a distinctive relationship between wife and husband as well as among the children and the family as a whole, preparing family members to contribute to interactions in society that release the potential of all” and that “…the married couple are true partners; one is not subordinated to the other. Together they navigate life’s challenges — whether spiritual, material, or social — through prayer, study, consultation, and reflection on action”.
To build our homes with a vision of unity and oneness
A healthy family looks beyond its own needs, and embraces the well-being of the wider human family. When a home is built on the vision of unity and the oneness of humanity, children learn from an early age to value and respect people of all races, religions, and cultures.
They grow to appreciate the rich diversity of the world, recognise the unique contributions of every person, and develop open minds and hearts that foster understanding, harmony, and mutual respect.
Through appropriate education, according to the Universal House of Justice “children gradually learn to look beyond their own interests to those of their family. With yet further training, they recognise the importance of respecting the interests of others and see it as a sacred obligation service to their neighbours.
At a higher level still, proper education can help children to broaden their horizons and set their sights on the advancement and glory of their nation. And when their breadth of vision expands even wider, they will undoubtedly come to see the progress of the entire human race and the furtherance of the true interests of all the peoples of the world as a guiding purpose of their lives”.
The Universal House of Justice further states that: “fostering the capacity for the investigation of truth, for appreciation of the harmony of science and religion, for resolving differences of opinion and making decisions through consultation and cooperation rather than contention and contest empowers family members as effective protagonists in a process of social transformation.
“And developing qualities such as justice and compassion among family members prepares the children to establish sound and balanced relationships with others in society.”
It is within the family that education for a unified world view must begin. Through appropriate education, the family can make vital contributions to the development and transformation of individuals, the advancement of society, and the establishment of a global order of peace and prosperity.
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