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Flora Teckie, A Baháí Perspective
Today the world marks the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty to reflect on the role of unity and the observance of impartiality in eradicating global poverty.
The day is celebrated every year on October 17.
Poverty is a problem for all of humanity, not just for the poor. Poverty eradication must be linked to justice and obligation, rather than charity.
In the Bahá’í view, “the eradication of poverty cannot be conceived in terms of improving the material wealth of the poor alone. It is a larger undertaking rooted in relationships that define the interactions between individuals, communities and nations”.
Loss of faith in the old methods, and failures of materialistic approaches to solve this problem, suggest that any solution will depend on new perspectives based on spiritual and moral transformation, complementing existing practical efforts.
We need to acknowledge that long-held theories and outdated approaches are failing to suppress prejudices, conflicts, and exploitation which are aggravating the problem of poverty.
A fraction of what the world is spending every year on weapons and wars would suffice to eliminate a debilitating condition such as poverty from human life.
According to the Bahá’í International Community: “Efforts to eradicate poverty must be guided by a vision of human prosperity in the fullest sense of the term—a dynamic coherence between the material and spiritual dimensions of human life.
“Poverty… is not merely the lack of material resources, but also the absence of those ethical and social resources that create an environment in which individuals, through social institutions and communities, can develop to their fullest capacity”.
Unity and justice essential to eradicate poverty
The underlying nature of poverty, according to a statement of the Bahá’í International Community, “can be described as the absence of those ethical, social and material resources needed to develop the moral, intellectual and social capacities of individuals, communities and institutions”.
The statement calls on both institutions and individuals internationally to put first essential moral principles, such as unity and justice.
In the same way that physical principles govern the material world, the social world is governed by moral and spiritual principles, which inspire the functioning of an ordered society.
“So long as disunity, antagonism and provincialism characterise the social, political and economic relations within and among nations,” in the Bahá’í view, “a global, sustainable pattern of development cannot be established”.
For justice to become the organising principle in our societies, principles such as oneness of human family, and gender equality, must be incorporated into our existing approaches.
Accepting the oneness of humanity implies that social and economic justice should be observed, both within and between nations.
It implies racial, ethnic, national, and religious harmony; and the willingness to sacrifice for the common good.
It also implies that men and women should be given equal rights, opportunities and privileges.
A disproportionate number of women among the world’s poor, and the violation of girls’ and women’s rights are due to a lack of recognition of gender equality.
Therefore, the principle of the equality of women and men should be one of the guiding principles in our efforts to eradicate poverty.
Impact of poverty on global peace
Disparity between the rich and the poor has been having a serious destabilising effect in the world, leading to national and regional conflicts, environmental degradation and an increase in crime and violence.
According to the Universal House of Justice (the governing council of the Bahá’í international community), in a 1985 statement entitled ‘the Promise of World Peace’: “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”.
Today, one of the greatest challenges is how to release the enormous financial, technical, human, and moral resources required for sustainable development.
“These resources 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”.
Through a clear realisation that “The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens, humanity will feel the urge and responsibility to work for the well-being of everyone, rather than merely for those of their own ethnic, religious or racial groups.”
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