Wednesday, January 23, 2008

"...the instructions of the Prophets of God. "


What makes us do the "right" thing?

How do we know what is "right"?

Even if we discover the "right path", how do we keep our feet moving up that Path . . . ?

"There are some who imagine that an innate sense of human dignity will prevent man from committing evil actions and insure his spiritual and material perfection. That is, that an individual who is characterized with natural intelligence, high resolve, and a driving zeal, will, without any consideration for the severe punishments consequent on evil acts, or for the great rewards of righteousness, instinctively refrain from inflicting harm on his fellow men and will hunger and thirst to do good. And yet, if we ponder the lessons of history it will become evident that this very sense of honor and dignity is itself one of the bounties deriving from the instructions of the Prophets of God.

"We also observe in infants the signs of aggression and lawlessness, and that if a child is deprived of a teacher’s instructions his undesirable qualities increase from one
moment to the next. It is therefore clear that the emergence of this natural sense of human dignity and honor is the result of education.

"Secondly, even if we grant for the sake of the argument that instinctive intelligence and an innate moral quality would prevent wrongdoing, it is obvious that individuals so characterized are as rare as the philosopher’s stone. An assumption of this sort cannot be validated by mere words, it must be supported by the facts. Let us see what power in creation impels the masses toward righteous aims and deeds!

"Aside from this, if that rare individual who does exemplify such a faculty should also become an embodiment of the fear of God, it is certain that his strivings toward righteousness would be strongly reinforced."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Secret of Divine Civilization, pp. 97-98

4 comments:

Alexys Fairfield said...

Alex,
This post is beautiful is music to my ears. Every line, every paragraph gives my spirit an invigorating massage.

Thanks.

Alexander M Zoltai said...

Woo-Hoo !!!

~ Alex

Sophia said...

I don't know when or why morality began in the development of humans, but I can't help but think it was part of our growth in our movement towards self-realization. Sometimes the news makes me wonder about this, though. Are we evolving towards perfection or is it only a dream?

Alexander M Zoltai said...

Dear Sophia,

Consider this:

"The long ages of infancy and childhood, through which the human race had to pass, have receded into the background. Humanity is now experiencing the commotions invariably associated with the most turbulent stage of its evolution, the stage of adolescence, when the impetuosity of youth and its vehemence reach their climax, and must gradually be superseded by the calmness, the wisdom, and the maturity that characterize the stage of manhood. Then will the human race reach that stature of ripeness which will enable it to acquire all the powers and capacities upon which its ultimate development must depend."

(Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 202)