The greatest attainment in the world of humanity has ever been scientific
in nature. It is the discovery of the realities of things. Inasmuch as I
find myself in the home of science--for this is one of the great
universities of the country and well known abroad--I feel a keen sense of
joy.
The highest praise is due to men who devote their energies to science, and
the noblest center is a center wherein the sciences and arts are taught
and studied. Science ever tends to the illumination of the world of
humanity. It is the cause of eternal honor to man, and its sovereignty is
far greater than the sovereignty of kings. The dominion of kings has an
ending; the king himself may be dethroned; but the sovereignty of science
is everlasting and without end. Consider the philosophers of former times.
Their rule and dominion is still manifest in the world. The Greek and
Roman kingdoms with all their grandeur passed away; the ancient
sovereignties of the Orient are but memories, whereas the power and
influence of Plato and Aristotle still continue. Even now in schools and
universities of the world their names are revered and commemorated, but
where do we hear the names of bygone kings extolled? They are forgotten
and rest in the valley of oblivion. It is evident that the sovereignty of
science is greater than the dominion of rulers. Kings have invaded
countries and achieved conquest through the shedding of blood, but the
scientist through his beneficent achievements invades the regions of
ignorance, conquering the realm of minds and hearts. Therefore, his
conquests are everlasting. May you attain extraordinary progress in this
center of education. May you become radiant lights flooding the dark
regions and recesses of ignorance with illumination.
Inasmuch as the fundamental principle of the teaching of Baha'u'llah is
the oneness of the world of humanity, I will speak to you upon the
intrinsic oneness of all phenomena. This is one of the abstruse subjects
of divine philosophy.
Fundamentally all existing things pass through the same degrees and phases
of development, and any given phenomenon embodies all others. An ancient
statement of the Arabian philosophers declares that all things are
involved in all things. It is evident that each material organism is an
aggregate expression of single and simple elements, and a given cellular
element or atom has its coursings or journeyings through various and
myriad stages of life. For example, we will say the cellular elements
which have entered into the composition of a human organism were at one
time a component part of the animal kingdom; at another time they entered
into the composition of the vegetable, and prior to that they existed in
the kingdom of the mineral. They have been subject to transference from
one condition of life to another, passing through various forms and
phases, exercising in each existence special functions. Their journeyings
through material phenomena are continuous. Therefore, each phenomenon is
the expression in degree of all other phenomena. The difference is one of
successive transferences and the period of time involved in evolutionary
process.
For example, it has taken a certain length of time for this cellular
element in my hand to pass through the various periods of metabolism. At
one period it was in the mineral kingdom subject to changes and
transferences in the mineral state. Then it was transferred to the
vegetable kingdom where it entered into different grades and stations.
Afterward it reached the animal plane, appearing in forms of animal
organisms until finally in its transferences and coursings it attained to
the kingdom of man. Later on it will revert to its primordial elemental
state in the mineral kingdom, being subject, as it were, to infinite
journeyings from one degree of existence to another, passing through every
stage of being and life. Whenever it appears in any distinct form or
image, it has its opportunities, virtues and functions. As each component
atom or element in the physical organisms of existence is subject to
transference through endless forms and stages, possessing virtues peculiar
to those forms and stations, it is evident that all phenomena of material
being are fundamentally one. In the mineral kingdom this component atom or
element possesses certain virtues of the mineral; in the kingdom of the
vegetable it is imbued with vegetable qualities or virtues; in the plane
of animal existence it is empowered with animal virtues--the senses; and in
the kingdom of man it manifests qualities peculiar to the human station.
As this is true of material phenomena, how much more evident and essential
it is that oneness should characterize man in the realm of idealism, which
finds its expression only in the human kingdom. Verily, the origin of all
material life is one and its termination likewise one. In view of this
fundamental unity and agreement of all phenomenal life, why should man in
his kingdom of existence wage war or indulge in hostility and destructive
strife against his fellowman? Man is the noblest of the creatures. In his
physical organism he possesses the virtues of the mineral kingdom.
Likewise, he embodies the augmentative virtue, or power of growth, which
characterizes the kingdom of the vegetable. Furthermore, in his degree of
physical existence he is qualified with functions and powers peculiar to
the animal, beyond which lies the range of his distinctive human mental
and spiritual endowment. Considering this wonderful unity of the kingdoms
of existence and their embodiment in the highest and noblest creature, why
should man be at variance and in conflict with man? Is it fitting and
justifiable that he should be at war, when harmony and interdependence
characterize the kingdoms of phenomenal life below him? The elements and
lower organisms are synchronized in the great plan of life. Shall man,
infinitely above them in degree, be antagonistic and a destroyer of that
perfection? God forbid such a condition!
From the fellowship and commingling of the elemental atoms life results.
In their harmony and blending there is ever newness of existence. It is
radiance, completeness; it is consummation; it is life itself. Just now
the physical energies and natural forces which come under our immediate
observation are all at peace. The sun is at peace with the earth upon
which it shines. The soft breathing winds are at peace with the trees. All
the elements are in harmony and equilibrium. A slight disturbance and
discord among them might bring another San Francisco earthquake and fire.
A physical clash, a little quarreling among the elements as it were, and a
violent cataclysm of nature results. This happens in the mineral kingdom.
Consider, then, the effect of discord and conflict in the kingdom of man,
so superior to the realm of inanimate existence. How great the attendant
catastrophe, especially when we realize that man is endowed by God with
mind and intellect. Verily, mind is the supreme gift of God. Verily,
intellect is the effulgence of God. This is manifest and self-evident.
For all created things except man are subjects or captives of nature; they
cannot deviate in the slightest degree from nature's law and control. The
colossal sun, center of our planetary system, is nature's captive,
incapable of the least variation from the law of command. All the orbs and
luminaries in this illimitable universe are, likewise, obedient to
nature's regulation. Our planet, the earth, acknowledges nature's
omnipresent sovereignty. The kingdoms of the mineral, vegetable and animal
respond to nature's will and fiat of control. The great bulky elephant
with its massive strength has no power to disobey the restrictions nature
has laid upon him; but man, weak and diminutive in comparison, empowered
by mind which is an effulgence of Divinity itself, can resist nature's
control and apply natural laws to his own uses.
According to the limitations of his physical powers man was intended by
creation to live upon the earth, but through the exercise of his mental
faculties, he removes the restriction of this law and soars in the air
like a bird. He penetrates the secrets of the sea in submarines and builds
fleets to sail at will over the ocean's surface, commanding the laws of
nature to do his will. All the sciences and arts we now enjoy and utilize
were once mysteries, and according to the mandates of nature should have
remained hidden and latent, but the human intellect has broken through the
laws surrounding them and discovered the underlying realities. The mind of
man has taken these mysteries out of the plane of invisibility and brought
them into the plane of the known and visible.
It has classified and adapted these laws to human needs and uses, this
being contrary to the postulates of nature. For example, electricity was
once a hidden, or latent, natural force. It would have remained hidden if
the human intellect had not discovered it. Man has broken the law of its
concealment, taken this energy out of the invisible treasury of the
universe and brought it into visibility. Is it not an extraordinary
accomplishment that this little creature, man, has imprisoned an
irresistible cosmic force in an incandescent lamp? It is beyond the vision
and power of nature itself to do this. The East can communicate with the
West in a few minutes. This is a miracle transcending nature's control.
Man takes the human voice and stores it in a phonograph. The voice
naturally should be free and transient according to the law and phenomenon
of sound, but man arrests its vibrations and puts it in a box in defiance
of nature's laws. All human discoveries were once secrets and mysteries
sealed and stored up in the bosom of the material universe until the mind
of man, which is the greatest of divine effulgences, penetrated them and
made them subservient to his will and purpose. In this sense man has
broken the laws of nature and is constantly taking out of nature's
laboratory new and wonderful things. Notwithstanding this supreme bestowal
of God, which is the greatest power in the world of creation, man
continues to war and fight, killing his fellowman with the ferocity of a
wild animal. Is this in keeping with his exalted station? Nay, rather,
this is contrary to the divine purpose manifest in his creation and
endowment.
If the animals are savage and ferocious, it is simply a means for their
subsistence and preservation. They are deprived of that degree of
intellect which can reason and discriminate between right and wrong,
justice and injustice; they are justified in their actions and not
responsible. When man is ferocious and cruel toward his fellowman, it is
not for subsistence or safety. His motive is selfish advantage and willful
wrong. It is neither seemly nor befitting that such a noble creature,
endowed with intellect and lofty thoughts, capable of wonderful
achievements and discoveries in sciences and arts, with potential for ever
higher perceptions and the accomplishment of divine purposes in life,
should seek the blood of his fellowmen upon the field of battle. Man is
the temple of God. He is not a human temple. If you destroy a house, the
owner of that house will be grieved and wrathful. How much greater is the
wrong when man destroys a building planned and erected by God!
Undoubtedly, he deserves the judgment and wrath of God.
God has created man lofty and noble, made him a dominant factor in
creation. He has specialized man with supreme bestowals, conferred upon
him mind, perception, memory, abstraction and the powers of the senses.
These gifts of God to man were intended to make him the manifestation of
divine virtues, a radiant light in the world of creation, a source of life
and the agency of constructiveness in the infinite fields of existence.
Shall we now destroy this great edifice and its very foundation, overthrow
this temple of God, the body social or politic? When we are not captives
of nature, when we possess the power to control ourselves, shall we become
captives of nature and act according to its exigencies?
In nature there is the law of the survival of the fittest. Even if man be
not educated, then according to the natural institutes this natural law
will demand of man supremacy. The purpose and object of schools, colleges
and universities is to educate man and thereby rescue and redeem him from
the exigencies and defects of nature and to awaken within him the
capability of controlling and appropriating nature's bounties. If we
should relegate this plot of ground to its natural state, allow it to
return to its original condition, it would become a field of thorns and
useless weeds, but by cultivation it will become fertile soil, yielding a
harvest. Deprived of cultivation, the mountain slopes would be jungles and
forests without fruitful trees. The gardens bring forth fruits and flowers
in proportion to the care and tillage bestowed upon them by the gardener.
Therefore, it is not intended that the world of humanity should be left to
its natural state. It is in need of the education divinely provided for
it. The holy, heavenly Manifestations of God have been the Teachers. They
are the divine Gardeners Who transform the jungles of human nature into
fruitful orchards and make the thorny places blossom as the rose. It is
evident, then, that the intended and especial function of man is to rescue
and redeem himself from the inherent defects of nature and become
qualified with the ideal virtues of Divinity. Shall he sacrifice these
ideal virtues and destroy these possibilities of advancement? God has
endowed him with a power whereby he can even overcome the laws and
phenomena of nature, wrest the sword from nature's hand and use it against
nature itself. Shall he, then, remain its captive, even failing to qualify
under the natural law which commands the survival of the fittest? That is
to say, shall he continue to live upon the level of the animal kingdom
without distinction between them and himself in natural impulses and
ferocious instincts? There is no lower degree nor greater debasement for
man than this natural condition of animalism. The battlefield is the acme
of human degradation, the cause of the wrath of God, the destruction of
the divine foundation of man.
Praise be to God! I find myself in an assemblage, the members of which are
peace loving and advocates of international unity. The thoughts of all
present are centered upon the oneness of the world of mankind, and every
ambition is to render service in the cause of human uplift and betterment.
I supplicate God that He may confirm and assist you, that each one of you
may become a professor emeritus in the world of scientific knowledge, a
faithful standard-bearer of peace and bonds of agreement between the
hearts of men.
Fifty years ago Baha'u'llah declared the necessity of peace among the
nations and the reality of reconciliation between the religions of the
world. He announced that the fundamental basis of all religion is one,
that the essence of religion is human fellowship and that the differences
in belief which exist are due to dogmatic interpretation and blind
imitations which are at variance with the foundations established by the
Prophets of God. He proclaimed that if the reality underlying religious
teaching be investigated all religions would be unified, and the purpose
of God, which is love and the blending of human hearts, would be
accomplished. According to His teachings if religious belief proves to be
the cause of discord and dissension, its absence would be preferable; for
religion was intended to be the divine remedy and panacea for the ailments
of humanity, the healing balm for the wounds of mankind. If its
misapprehension and defilement have brought about warfare and bloodshed
instead of remedy and cure, the world would be better under irreligious
conditions.
Baha'u'llah especially emphasized international peace. He declared that
all mankind is the one progeny of Adam and members of one great universal
family. If the various races and distinct types of mankind had each
proceeded from a different original paternity--in other words, if we had
two or more Adams for our human fathers--there might be reasonable ground
for difference and divergence in humanity today; but inasmuch as we belong
to one progeny and one family, all names which seek to differentiate and
distinguish mankind as Italian, German, French, Russian and so on are
without significance and sanction. We are all human, all servants of God
and all come from Mr. Adam's family. Why, then, all these fallacious
national and racial distinctions? These boundary lines and artificial
barriers have been created by despots and conquerors who sought to attain
dominion over mankind, thereby engendering patriotic feeling and rousing
selfish devotion to merely local standards of government. As a rule they
themselves enjoyed luxuries in palaces, surrounded by conditions of ease
and affluence, while armies of soldiers, civilians and tillers of the soil
fought and died at their command upon the field of battle, shedding their
innocent blood for a delusion such as "we are Germans," "our enemies are
French," etc., when, in reality, all are humankind, all belong to the one
family and posterity of Adam, the original father. This prejudice or
limited patriotism is prevalent throughout the world, while man is blind
to patriotism in the larger sense which includes all races and native
lands. From every real standpoint there must and should be peace among all
nations.
God created one earth and one mankind to people it. Man has no other
habitation, but man himself has come forth and proclaimed imaginary
boundary lines and territorial restrictions, naming them Germany, France,
Russia, etc. And torrents of precious blood are spilled in defense of
these imaginary divisions of our one human habitation, under the delusion
of a fancied and limited patriotism.
After all, a claim and title to territory or native land is but a claim
and attachment to the dust of earth. We live upon this earth for a few
days and then rest beneath it forever. So it is our graveyard eternally.
Shall man fight for the tomb which devours him, for his eternal sepulcher?
What ignorance could be greater than this? To fight over his grave, to
kill another for his grave! What heedlessness! What a delusion!
It is my hope that you who are students in this university may never be
called upon to fight for the dust of earth which is the tomb and sepulcher
of all mankind, but that during the days of your life you may enjoy the
most perfect companionship one with another, even as one family--as
brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers--associating together in peace and true
fellowship.
10 October 1912
Talk at Open Forum
San Francisco, California