August 10, 2024, Chandler, AZ- The flow in question was one of ideas. A group of us discussed the various ways in which the Teachings of Baha’u’llah fit into addressing the needs of any given society. We are gathered in this two-day symposium, not to offer piecemeal, or even easy, solutions, to the problems plaguing mankind.

Our take is more holistic, and generally distributes power and resources more evenly, though with things like money and property, even distribution needs to be arranged voluntarily. Grabbing the wealth of a person or family creates other problems-mostly related to the party from whom the wealth was taken, turning around and seeking vengeance. There is also the matter of the recipient of an easy take not valuing the loot.

Profit sharing, cooperative ownership and unconditional philanthropy work better. Other issues, especially with regard to land rights and environmental protection, need to proceed, but with clear explanations well in advance of the actual procedure being carried out. In all that transpires, Baha’u’llah says “The best beloved in My sight is Justice”. That process recognizes that the wealthy, the traditionalist and the conservative-even the reactionary, is as much a child of the Divine as the impoverished one, the change-agent and the progressive-and vice versa. Either one, or both, can be in the wrong, if there is not good-faith acknowledgement of the opposite number’s valid points and a willingness to recognize and accept where one might be in error. The key lies in the balance.

The gist of Baha’u’llah’s Teachings it that all are equal in the sight of God and that each individual is responsible for own spiritual search, and growth. Those factors, alone, when more widely accepted, will lead to a climate of fairness, self-responsibility and personal agency. These are all requisite to the peaceful world we all claim to cherish.