Online Reporter
Flora Teckie
As we celebrated International Day of Families on 15 May, we reflected on, and tried to replicate the moments of joy and strength we all have felt whenever the affairs of our family were conducted in unity.
Unified, joyful, and spiritually-motivated families have a great influence on the well-being of its members, on their community, on the harmony within their nation, and, ultimately, the healthy functioning of human society.
The Baha’i Writings state: “If love and agreement are manifest in a single family, that family will advance, become illumined and spiritual; but if enmity and hatred exist within it, destruction and dispersion are inevitable,” and “… where unity existeth in a given family, the affairs of that family are conducted; what progress the members of that family make, how they prosper in the world, their concerns are in order, they enjoy comfort and tranquillity, they are secure, their position is assured, they come to be envied by all” .
Love, joy, and unity in a family can give its members strength and resilience, when facing tests and difficulties in life, and help them advance with greater strides. Such qualities provide the ideal conditions for the well-being of the members of a family, in all aspects of life – physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.
Justice and reciprocity: Requirements for happiness in a family
The relationships within a family must be based on justice and reciprocity. All family members must be treated with fairness, while also fulfilling their responsibilities.
In the Bahá’í view, harmony, cooperation and unity in a family can be maintained in the balance of rights and responsibilities. All family members “have duties and responsibilities towards one another and to the family as a whole,” which “vary from member to member because of their natural relationships”.
Upholding rights and prerogatives of every member of the family ensures that respect is accorded to them all, irrespective of gender or age. Observing the equality of women and men is essential in strengthening the family and for its well-being, happiness, and unity.
In the words of the Universal House of Justice, the international governing council of the Bahá’í Faith, “… 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”.
It is within the family that individuals learn by example, and in the way they are treated, how people relate to one another. Healthy family relationships are essential for the contentment and happiness of all family members, and for the well-being of our societies.
According to the Bahá’í International Community, “When relations within the family are conducted with due regard for justice, it will be an important factor in bringing about peace in the world …”.
While one’s family may be stable and united, excessive and unbalanced attention to family interests, according to the Universal House of Justice “can lead to narrow social views, one that is ultimately detrimental to the broader community”.
Therefore, teaching our children to be just and fair-minded towards everyone is most important in addressing this problem. As the Universal House of Justice says “Children must be so raised as to regard every soul, irrespective of religion, ethnicity, or any other affiliation, as a fellow human being and to hold dear the words [of Bahá’u’lláh] that capture the spirit of the age: “The tabernacle of unity hath been raised; regard ye not one another as strangers. Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch.”
The family unit is a basic building block of community
“The family unit, the nucleus of human society, constitutes a space within which praiseworthy morals and essential capacities must be developed, for the habits and patterns of conduct nurtured in the home are carried into the workplace, into the social and political life of the country, and finally into the arena of international relations”, says the Universal House of Justice.
The family is the most important institution of our communities. It provides the basic and practical life experience, and fosters a sense of responsibility and of values. Strengthening the family is necessary, both for individual well-being and the advancement of a social order based on justice and unity.
The Universal House of Justice further states: “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”.
*For feedback please contact [email protected] or [email protected] . Website: www.bahai.org
Ends. Cleared YM
