dyton mupawaenda
Flora Teckie-A Bahai Perspective
One of the prerequisites for world peace and global prosperity, according to the Bahá’í Writings, is eliminating the extremes of wealth and poverty.
We observed the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October 17, and this is a timely opportunity to promote greater awareness of this critical global problem, and to look for possible ways of addressing it.
Currently, poverty eradication is being approached primarily in material terms.
Such approach has not been able to solve the problems for which it was intended, neither has it been capable of leading humanity to the tranquillity and prosperity which it seeks.
Poverty eradication, and alleviation of gross disparities between rich and poor, is linked directly to our consciousness of the oneness of humanity – oneness of all races, nations, tribes and religions.
According to the Bahá’í International Community, “A new economic order can be founded only on an unshakable conviction of the oneness of mankind.
“Discussions aimed at solving problems related to extreme poverty based on the premise that we are one human family rapidly expand beyond the current vocabulary of economics. They demand a wider context, one which anticipates the emergence of a global system of relationships resting on the principles of equity and justice”.
The belief and implementation of the principle of the oneness of humanity will lead to social and economic justice both within and between nations. The acceptance of this principle implies recognition of the equality of men and women; racial, ethnic, national and religious harmony; and the willingness to sacrifice for the common good.
Disproportionate number of women are among the world’s poor, and the violation of girls’ and women’s rights are due to lack of recognition of gender equality. Therefore, principle of “equality of men and women” should be one of the guiding principles in efforts to eradicate poverty.
Poverty alleviation is linked to justice. Poverty is a condition that arises from injustices in global society. Efforts to address poverty eradication, in the Bahá’í view, will only succeed when moral and spiritual values and their implementation are made an essential part of the solution.
We need to address poverty alleviation from a human rights perspective and linked to justice and obligation, rather than as a charity.
The achievement of peace on earth – foreseen in the Bahá’í Writings – is based on justice. A striking example of injustice in the world today is the imbalance in economic conditions of people. To address this grave imbalance, the extremes of both wealth and poverty have to be eliminated.
According to the Universal House of Justice, the governing council of the Bahá’í international community: “The inordinate disparity between rich and poor, a source of acute suffering, keeps the world in a state of instability, virtually on the brink of war.
Few societies have dealt effectively with this situation.
The solution calls for the combined application of spiritual, moral and practical approaches.
A fresh look at the problem is required, entailing consultation with experts from a wide spectrum of disciplines, … and involving the people directly affected in the decisions that must urgently be made”.
The role of unity in eradicating poverty through a clear realisation that “The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens” (as stated by Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Bahá’í Faith), will we feel the urge and responsibility to work for the welfare and well-being of the whole human family, rather than merely for those of our own race, ethnic group, or religious community.
The creation of a peaceful and just society, in which every individual is able to meet their basic human needs, and where peoples of diverse backgrounds cooperate and live in harmony, will require a significant reorientation of individual and collective goals and a profound transformation in attitudes and behaviours.
In the same way that physical principles govern the material world, the social world needs to be governed by moral and spiritual principles, which inspire the functioning of an ordered society.
Principles such as unity, justice, trustworthiness, access to education, and the acceptance of the oneness of humanity, are requirements for socio-economic well-being and stability.
A question we may be asking is: How can the financial, technical, and human resources required for sustainable development – resources that are often tied up for wars and wasteful projects – be released?
“These resources,” in the Bahá’í view, “will be freed up only as the peoples of the world develop a profound sense of responsibility for the fate of the planet and for the well-being of the entire human family” and “this sense of responsibility can only emerge from the acceptance of the oneness of humanity and will only be sustained by a unifying vision of a peaceful, prosperous world society.
“Without such a global ethic, people will be unable to become active, constructive participants in the world-wide process of sustainable development.”
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