Changing Times Blog

A Guide to Writing your Will – More than Possessions

You never thought about writing a will? You are too young to die? Well, you never know, “for death, unheralded, shall come upon thee”. And apart from that, Baha’u’llah has clearly said that “unto everyone hath been enjoined the writing of a will” (Kitáb-i-Aqdas, K109). Everyone – not just the elderly, or the sick, or the fast drivers.

You think of a will as a paper containing provisions about your possessions, but you don’t really possess anything? That’s fine, because there is much more about the will: “The testator should head this document with the adornment of the Greatest Name, bear witness therein unto the oneness of God in the Dayspring of His Revelation, and make mention, as he may wish, of that which is praiseworthy, so that it may be a testimony for him in the kingdoms of Revelation and Creation and a treasure with his Lord, the Supreme Protector, the Faithful.”

Continue reading, even if you’re not planning to die soon

The Palestine Question

(gc) The renewed violence in the Holy Land is both disheartening and confusing. Here in the UK, the media regularly features the destruction in the Gaza Strip, whereas the American media and blogs I typically read online are much more tempered in their coverage. I have spoken to many friends who feel very strongly about the conflict one way or another, and as with any war I sense that moral clarity is virtually impossible to establish in this case. The Economist (itself a British paper), I think, got as close as anyone to addressing the heart of the matter:

Those who choose to reduce it to the “terrorism” of one side or the “colonialism” of the other are just stroking their own prejudices. At heart, this is a struggle of two peoples for the same patch of land. It is not the sort of dispute in which enemies push back and forth over a line until they grow tired.

In considering my own thoughts about the violence in Gaza and Israel, I dug up a statement made by Shoghi Effendi — then the head of the Baha’i Faith — back in 1947 to the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine:

The Baha’i Faith is entirely nonpolitical and we neither take sides in the present tragic dispute going on over the future of the Holy Land and its people nor have we any statement to make or advice to give as to what the nature of the political future of this country should be. Our aim is the establishment of universal peace in this world and our desire to see justice prevail in every domain of human society, including the domain of politics. As many of the adherents of our Faith are of both Jewish and Moslem extraction, we have no prejudice towards either of these groups and are most anxious to reconcile them for their mutual good and for the good of the country.

While some could read the comments as quietist, I think that would be profoundly wrong. Shoghi Effendi’s statement is a wise and prescient crystallization of a historical dispute that can only be resolved through a long struggle for acceptance and reconciliation between two peoples. Taking sides in the conflict would not only be unwise, it would be a misreading of the debate — there are no sides to take. We can only mourn the lives that are lost and work for the promotion of trust and the abolition of prejudice.

By Geoff Cameron at http://www.jeunestreet.com

Kitab-i-Hearsay

(ar) I hear a lot of things from a lot of people who are absolutely sure they know what they’re talking about. “Shoghi Effendi said 2/3 of the world’s population would be wiped out before the lesser peace is established.” Mmm. “’Abdu’l-Bahá used to smack people.” Really. “You can have your pets with you in the next world.” Aha. “There could be women on the House of Justice someday.” Is that so? Where did you read that? “Umm… I think it’s in, like, God Passes By.” Are you sure? “No, I haven’t read it…maybe it was in pilgrim’s notes…” Pilgrim’s notes. “Or a talk or something. I remember someone saying that.” Someone.

The thing is, isn’t it, that, even if some reference is made to such things in some reliable text, which, let’s remember, not all are, statements like this should not be 1) quoted unless one is certain of their validity or 2) taken out of the context in which they were made. Let’s remember, shall we, that when we say that something is “in the Writings” it’s God who’s mouth we’re putting words into. Is it really sufficient to rely on vague memories, or worse, hearsay, when we’re talking about the divine order of the universe? I like to think that, beyond the obvious benefit to others in being able to repeat for them the words of God, the institute courses have us practice memorization precisely so that we don’t take the chance of reinterpreting the Sacred Text that has been so meticulously and precisely translated by those granted the authority to do so.

I don’t intend to suggest that any of us go around carelessly attributing nonsense to the Central Figures of the Faith. But it’s just too easy for us to misunderstand things. Take that misunderstanding and add to it mistaken memory, then multiply it by paraphrasing then reinterpretation by the listener and the result is, well, just plain dangerous. If we don’t remember the words we read, it’s not such a big deal to qualify an idea with a neutralizing statement like…no. The selective hearing of sensationalized minds most often negates whatever qualifiers we might offer. In the words of the Encyclopaedia Britannica advertising team, better to just “look it up, dear.”

A First-Time Presenter’s Perspective

My name is David Henderson, and I have been asked to blog from Changing Times, as a first-time presenter at the conference. So, as an American who has come to this remarkable event, here are a few words …

Between now and the end of the year, I am participating in the events and giving a series of lectures and workshops at the Changing Times European Young Adult Forum. It’s held at the Townshend International School in the southern Czech village of Hluboka nad Vitavou.

I have never before known of such an astonishing conference that brings together 230 young adult professionals from 40 countries to learn and share information. The best comparison, I believe, is to say that Changing Times, now in its 7th year, is approaching the caliber of the annual Davos Economic Forum … except Changing Times is for tomorrow’s world leaders. The young professionals at this conference are among the brightest people I have ever met. They come from academics, medicine, technology and business.

A few of the speakers include Dr. Moshe Sharon from Hebrew University in Jerusalem; Italian business leader Giuseppe Robiati; Mr. Ian Semple; Mr. Burhaniddin Afshin; actor Phillip Hinton; award-winning fiction writer Holiday Reinhorn; and, the popular American actor, Rainn Wilson.

Here is a music video of photos from the first day:

Break It Down Bob

Robert Gillies with a thought bite on peace:

Rob is an upcoming artist, John Mayer style, and will be performing LIVE at Changing Times this year.

Baha’i by Default

(ar) There is a sentence in one of the prayers of the Báb that says “I worship Thee by virtue of Thy summoning me unto Thee, for had it not been for Thy summons I would not have worshipped Thee”.  I am always reminded when I recite it, which I do rather often, of those years I spent wandering in the desert of idle fancy having reasoned that an individual, if virtuous and intelligent enough – which I foolishly presumed myself to be – could find his or her way to God without the help of an intermediary; that religion was for those who couldn’t figure things out for themselves.  I continued to be a good, if not a well-behaved, person and spun along looking for happiness, etc., with the rest of the world until, in such a state, God found a way to pull me back to centre, skilfully keeping me in the dark until I could willingly submit to His will.

Such is the path of many a seeker and I have been reminded time after time since then that I am not done seeking and am never meant to be.  I have often been grateful for that period of my life for the sense of ownership of faith that it afforded me.   Many of my friends who were raised in the Faith have shared similar sentiments in recalling their periods of disarray, and I tended to assume it was a natural, even healthy, stage in any thinking person’s spiritual growth.  It was what separated me and mine from the fanatical others that had surrounded me in childhood – those who believed what they did because their parents told them to and who refused to explore reality for fear of hell and damnation.  Or social rejection, confusion, and a number of other very real things one might encounter in such a search.

Lately, though, particularly in studying the materials that have been created for the moral development of junior youth, I am beginning to see the advancement that will be made in this world of creation as young people are given the tools to develop their Bahá’í identity well within the bounds of the teachings of the Faith and before they go traipsing off half-cocked into the big wide world.  I see more clearly the how my generation can be understood as children of the half-light.  The prospect of a generation equipped from the beginning with the steadfastness, depth of understanding, love for God and humanity, and knowledge of their true nature that will allow them to boldly, firmly, and eloquently assert their fully-formed and wholly personal Bahá’í selves in whatever world they find themselves fills me with excitement and hope that I never expected to feel so early on in my lifetime.  I sometimes bemoan the untimeliness of my own upbringing when I think of the advantage the new young people have.  But mostly I am grateful to have been able to form part of the foundation on which they will stand and doubly so to have the opportunity to witness these finely tuned souls in action, to support and encourage them, to learn from them, and to think that my own children will, God willing, be among them.

Trials of a Voting Baha’i

(dj) The recent Canadian election season offered me time to ponder and reflect about the Baha’i attitude regarding politics. I find it quite difficult to place myself within the Canadian political system, given Baha’u’llah’s implicit command to refrain from involving oneself in partisan politics. (And living in Ottawa, you tend to hear a lot about politics no matter what time of year it is.) I’ve heard different things from many Baha’is about what forms of political involvement and expression are appropriate. The following quote from a letter on behalf of Shoghi Effendi pretty much sums up my take on the matter:

The Guardian wishes me to draw the attention of the friends through you that they should be very careful in their public utterances not to mention any political figures-either side with them or denounce them. This is the first fact to bear in mind. Otherwise they will involve the friends in political matters, which is infinitely dangerous for the Cause. (Shoghi Effendi, 1933)

That’s why, for example, I leave my “Political Views” line blank on Facebook. It’s also why I never blog about political figures, either to compliment or criticise them, either to express. When I get emails from people criticizing this or that politician—yes, even unpopular ones (who shall remain nameless)—I kind of bristle, just like I would when hearing someone backbiting about a friend.

What do you think? Is it appropriate for Baha’is to openly express their hopes that one or the other candidate in a partisan election will win? Is the opposite appropriate? Why or why not? Oh, and here are a few links as fodder for discussion: Bahá’í Involvement in Politics (from bahai.org), The Spiritual Character of Baha’i Elections (from the Compilation of Compilations), a short Compilation on Criticism. (on that, since my lunch break is over, I’m out!)

(Source: Dan Jones, Doberman Pizza)