Re: Healthier discussions

Hi, Jim.

jimhabegger@xxxxxxxxx wrote:

Michael has been on target from the very start. Smack dab, spot on. The
help he has provided has gone far beyond my best hopes.

The Chinese response is, "Nali, nali." There is a waving off of
compliments in Chinese culture. And, honestly, as I understand it, the
Baha'i Faith itself contains the insightful advice to seek to look
through the eyes of others, to perceive humans as all created by a
perfect creator, to embrace natural diversity of views and to focus on
harmonious outcomes. It's not that one poster to a newsgroup is doing
innovative stuff above what Baha'u'llah said. It's that Baha'u'llah
provides the opportunity for all to reach above confrontational
stereotypes and strive towards what is really in the best interests of
all.

As I said, the idea would be to make some other kind of behavior more
appealing to them, by using whatever interests their current behavior
is serving, and whatever capacities it is exercising. I have seen it
work many times already.

I hope that if somehow it can be perceived by each and all that the
Baha'i Faith (either as embodied in its leadership or as based on its
principles) doesn't require a traditional confrontational defence, then
everyone can proceed forward. As I understand the advice of Baha'u'llah
and Abdu'l Baha, even if it seems an attack is taking place against the
Faith, the response is to be very different than past examples of
confrontational activity.

On the one hand Abdu'l Baha encouraged the friends to realize there are
no enemies, on the other he adviced that anyone acting as if Baha'i was
his enemy was to receive a spiritual response. Baha'is have been
encouraged not to sadden any soul, to beautify their tongues, to polish
their hearts, to associate in kindness with all. The historical events
connected with previous generations of Baha'is, including those living
in the 70s and 80s, also provide examples of believers who sought in
the midst of severe difficulties to live this life of being kind to
all.

The speculating I've been doing here is starting to seem unhealthy to
me. Also, the new perspective I learned from Michael has relieved some
of my concerns about possible effects of the behavior. I'm done here,
apart from responding to anyone who addresses me in this thread. As I
explained to Michael, my priorities are elsewhere.

I also have much else to do, and, in my opinion, looking to the Baha'is
to become clearer examples of the kind of beneficial bridge of
understanding between the Islamic East and the West is worth some
attention. I think any student of Modern History (taking that to
include more than just Europe and the US) can find it very fascinating
to consider the emergence from Islamic roots of a universalist
movement. Baha'i has many interesting principles and has had some
fascinating historical events, not the least being the harvest of
Westerners accepting Muhammad and the Koran, acknowledging the heights
of Islamic civilization and possessing a keen awareness of the validity
of human diversity.

Such characteristics make Baha'i a very worthy participant in modern
advancement at the global level. The Baha'i approach of seeking to
reach above instinctive self interest and contention, to try for
harmonious outcomes truly benefiting all, to endeavour to include
family, town, national and region feelings within a global
consideration is very timely in this highly technological age. Humanity
has the ability to destroy itself, so it's more than merely a
platitudinous exercise when voices urge restraining ordinary greed and
lust for domination.

I visited the Principle of Goodness Web site, and it interests me very
much. I've never subscribed to "the greatest happiness of the greatest
number." For years I've been promoting the idea of measuring progress
in a society by what it's doing about its most abused and marginalized
people. One of my priorities in the Baha'i community is promoting
better responses to people in the margins of our community. I've seen
some dramatic progress in my local community, which might be partly a
fruit of my efforts.

Feel free to share as much as you like about this. Accounts of
beneficial happenings within the Baha'i community are very much on
topic. I'm not sure what you mean by on the margins. A number of people
here may see the term as one covering those feeling excluded by a
narrowness that feels official. As I now see it, individuals live lives
as much as possible without noticing any assertions narrowing the
beneficial and awesomely vast range of Baha'i harmonious diversity.

Have you ever tried to have discussions here about the application of
the Principle of Goodness to Baha'i social issues?

Even If this was raised in the past, it may still be interesting to
hear what you have to say about this.

Jim

Thrice Three Blessings, Michael

.

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