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Flora Teckie
The challenges humanity is facing, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, call for mindfulness of well-being, health and safety for ourselves, our families and our communities.
They call for faith and courage, generosity, and acts of service for the common good.
The Universal House of Justice, the governing council of the Bahá’í international community, in one of its recent messages assert that: “the state of the world has made the need to render meaningful service to humanity more urgent”.
We can each render a meaningful service to humanity by promoting the welfare and well-being of others and acting in unity and solidarity to overcome the current challenges. By serving others the essential principles of social integration, including tolerance, love, understanding, sacrifice, humility, and commitment to justice, are manifested in society.
In the Bahá’í view, humanity has reached a new level of maturity and it is now possible to create societies founded upon cooperation, trust, and genuine concern for others. “It is incumbent upon every man of insight and understanding to strive to translate that which hath been written into reality and action”, state the Bahá’í Writings, and “That one indeed is a man who, today, dedicateth himself to the service of the entire human race. The Great Being saith: Blessed and happy is he that ariseth to promote the best interests of the peoples and kindreds of the earth”.
It is an honour to serve humanity
It is a source of nobility and an honour for us to devote our energies to the well-being, education and development of others. Engaging ourselves in service to our community and humanity, participating in building a better society, and cooperation with each other are requirements for social cohesion.
In addition to the positive results for those helped, serving humanity – with pure intentions – also immensely enriches our own lives.
“God is the helper of those souls whose aim is to serve humanity and whose efforts and endeavours are devoted to the good and betterment of all mankind”, state the Bahá’í Writings, and emphasize the importance of contributing to common good stating that: “… is there any deed in the world that would be nobler than service to the common good? Is there any greater blessing conceivable for a man, than that he should become the cause of the education, the development, the prosperity and honour of his fellow-creatures? No, by the Lord God! The highest righteousness of all is for blessed souls to take hold of the hands of the helpless … and with pure motives, and only for the sake of God, to arise and energetically devote themselves to the service of the masses, forgetting their own worldly advantage and working only to serve the general good”.
What motivates us to serve should not, of course, be the hope of recognition and reward, but we should rather be motivated by the love of God. A life of service to humanity requires detachment and humility.
Service gives meaning, purpose and stimulus to life
Service must be an integrated facet of our everyday life. It is through service to others that we can bring about social change.
Our potential as human beings and of society is limitless. Each one of us, regardless of race, gender, creed or nation is endowed with rich qualities, virtues and powers. To fulfil the possibilities of this divine endowment is the purpose of human existence. As we are also social beings, self-realization and fulfilment of our potential can only be accomplished through meaningful service to others.
Striving to serve others is not without challenges. It involves accepting a degree of discomfort and sacrifice for the well-being and happiness of others.
Through selfless service to others we can grow personally and also contribute to the progress of our communities. According to the Bahá’í Writings: “Service to humanity is service to God”. As we perform daily activities with a spirit of generous giving, and offer voluntary acts for the well-being of others, we attract the assistance and confirmations of God.
The Bahá’í Writings encourage us to be both deeply spiritual and highly practical. While encouraged to pray and meditate daily, at the same time, we are to be engaged with the world at large. Service to humanity, for example, is viewed among the highest priorities in one’s life.
A new model used by the Bahá’í Faith focuses on cultivating capacity in individuals to participate in their own intellectual and spiritual development, leading the way for personal transformation. In addition, it is intended to empower them to become agents of constructive social change in their communities. A series of books currently used globally, developed by the Ruhi Institute in Columbia, provide further information into this topic.
The betterment of our communities and the world around us should start with each one of us. Through meaningful service to others we can bring about social change. According to the Bahá’í Writings “Faith is the magnet which draws the confirmation of the Merciful One. Service is the magnet which attracts the heavenly strength”.
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