Online Reporter
Flora Teckie
Bahái Perspective
Mother’s Day, commemorated on May 10 this year, is a celebration of motherhood and the role of mothers in shaping humanity’s future.
Women have a pivotal role in the development of families, communities, and nations. They can be the primary agents for empowering individuals to transform society. To fulfil this vital role, they must be equipped and supported in their responsibilities as mothers, and enabled to contribute fully to the well-being of humanity.
Humanity’s well-being and prosperity rest on unlocking the potential abilities of everyone, regardless of gender, race, nationality, class, or religion. Without the full contribution of both women and men, true social economic progress remains out of reach.
Empowering women and ensuring their equal place in society is not merely a matter of social and economic development, it is a requirement of a just, and unified world.
According to a statement of the Bahá’í International Community; “The discourse on women’s empowerment must move beyond mere concern for the participation of women in the economic life of society, as important as this is, and look at releasing the vast potentialities of women for the progress of the world”.
And that “the path from doubt to self-confidence, from silence to voice, from passivity to action, cannot be understood only in terms of entering the labour market or integrating into a global production chain of one kind or another”.
The statement continues, “The development of capacity must concern itself with all aspects of human existence — economic as well as social, intellectual, cultural, spiritual, and moral”.
Mother as the first educator and mentor of humanity
Although children receive their formal education at school, it is at home that character is developed, and moral and spiritual attitudes are formed. It is the first environment where the values of tolerance, social responsibility, and peace can be taught.
The Bahá’í Writings state: “The mother is the first teacher of the child. For children, at the beginning of life, are fresh and tender as a young twig, and can be trained in any fashion you desire.
“If you rear the child to be straight, he will grow straight, in perfect symmetry. It is clear that the mother is the first teacher and that it is she who establishes the character and conduct of the child” and that “from the very beginning, mothers must rear their infants in the cradle of good morals —for it is the mothers who are the first educators—so that, when the child cometh to maturity, he will prove to be endowed with all the virtues and qualities that are worthy of praise”.
Our daughters, therefore, need adequate intellectual and spiritual education to become good educators and mentors of the future generation.
In the Bahá’í view, education and empowerment of women are vital, not only because they are first educators of children, but also for the well-being and advancement of society. It is through educated mothers that the benefits of knowledge can be most effectively and rapidly diffused throughout society.
Mothers can instil in their children love and respect for people of all nations, races, religions and ethnic groups: necessary for transforming our communities, and building a united and peaceful global society.
Releasing the vast potentialities of women
Our challenge today is how to create the conditions in which women can develop to their full potential. The creation of such conditions will involve not only deliberate attempts to change various structures of society, but equally importantly, it will necessitate the transformation of individuals — men and women, boys and girls.
The Bahá’í Writings say: “The creation of a peaceful and sustainable world civilisation will be impossible without the full participation of women in every arena of human activity”.
And in one of its statements the Bahá’í International Community proposes that the “educational systems need to be remodelled to release the full potential of women and assist them to develop capabilities for service to the community and society”.
Men and women complement each other in their roles and functions, as the two wings of a bird complement each other and together facilitate its flight. Unless both are accorded the same rights, privileges, and opportunities in all areas of human endeavour, we cannot attain a balanced, progressive and peaceful world.
Empowerment of women and achieving gender equality are crucial to the well-being of humanity, and are also prerequisites to global peace.
According to the Bahá’í Writings, “when women participate fully and equally in the affairs of the world. . . war will cease”, and “The emancipation of women, the achievement of full equality between the sexes, is one of the most important, though less acknowledged pre-requisites of peace. . . Only as women are welcomed into full partnership (with men) in all fields of human endeavour will the moral and psychological climate be created in which international peace can emerge”.
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