All we can reasonably venture to attempt is to strive to obtain a glimpse
of the first streaks of the promised Dawn that must, in the fullness of
time, chase away the gloom that has encircled humanity. All we can do is
to point out, in their broadest outlines, what appear to us to be the
guiding principles underlying the World Order of Baha'u'llah, as amplified
and enunciated by 'Abdu'l-Baha, the Center of His Covenant with all
mankind and the appointed Interpreter and Expounder of His Word.
That the unrest and suffering afflicting the mass of mankind are in no
small measure the direct consequences of the World War and are
attributable to the unwisdom and shortsightedness of the framers of the
Peace Treaties only a biased mind can refuse to admit. That the financial
obligations contracted in the course of the war, as well as the imposition
of a staggering burden of reparations upon the vanquished, have, to a very
great extent, been responsible for the maldistribution and consequent
shortage of the world's monetary gold supply, which in turn has, to a very
great measure, accentuated the phenomenal fall in prices and thereby
relentlessly increased the burdens of impoverished countries, no impartial
mind would question. That inter-governmental debts have imposed a severe
strain on the masses of the people in Europe, have upset the equilibrium
of national budgets, have crippled national industries, and led to an
increase in the number of the unemployed, is no less apparent to an
unprejudiced observer. That the spirit of vindictiveness, of suspicion, of
fear and rivalry, engendered by the war, and which the provisions of the
Peace Treaties have served to perpetuate and foster, has led to an
enormous increase of national competitive armaments, involving during the
last year the aggregate expenditure of no less than a thousand million
pounds, which in turn has accentuated the effects of the world-wide
depression, is a truth that even the most superficial observer will
readily admit. That a narrow and brutal nationalism, which the post-war
theory of self-determination has served to reinforce, has been chiefly
responsible for the policy of high and prohibitive tariffs, so injurious
to the healthy flow of international trade and to the mechanism of
international finance, is a fact which few would venture to dispute.
It would be idle, however, to contend that the war, with all the losses it
involved, the passions it aroused and the grievances it left behind, has
solely been responsible for the unprecedented confusion into which almost
every section of the civilized world is plunged at present. Is it not a
fact--and this is the central idea I desire to emphasize--that the
fundamental cause of this world unrest is attributable, not so much to the
consequences of what must sooner or later come to be regarded as a
transitory dislocation in the affairs of a continually changing world, but
rather to the failure of those into whose hands the immediate destinies of
peoples and nations have been committed, to adjust their system of
economic and political institutions to the imperative needs of a rapidly
evolving age? Are not these intermittent crises that convulse present-day
society due primarily to the lamentable inability of the world's
recognized leaders to read aright the signs of the times, to rid
themselves once for all of their preconceived ideas and fettering creeds,
and to reshape the machinery of their respective governments according to
those standards that are implicit in Baha'u'llah's supreme declaration of
the Oneness of Mankind--the chief and distinguishing feature of the Faith
He proclaimed? For the principle of the Oneness of Mankind, the
cornerstone of Baha'u'llah's world-embracing dominion, implies nothing
more nor less than the enforcement of His scheme for the unification of
the world--the scheme to which we have already referred. "In every
Dispensation," writes 'Abdu'l-Baha, "the light of Divine Guidance has been
focussed upon one central theme.... In this wondrous Revelation, this
glorious century, the foundation of the Faith of God and the
distinguishing feature of His Law is the consciousness of the Oneness of
Mankind."
How pathetic indeed are the efforts of those leaders of human institutions
who, in utter disregard of the spirit of the age, are striving to adjust
national processes, suited to the ancient days of self-contained nations,
to an age which must either achieve the unity of the world, as adumbrated
by Baha'u'llah, or perish. At so critical an hour in the history of
civilization it behooves the leaders of all the nations of the world,
great and small, whether in the East or in the West, whether victors or
vanquished, to give heed to the clarion call of Baha'u'llah and,
thoroughly imbued with a sense of world solidarity, the sine qua non of
loyalty to His Cause, arise manfully to carry out in its entirety the one
remedial scheme He, the Divine Physician, has prescribed for an ailing
humanity. Let them discard, once for all, every preconceived idea, every
national prejudice, and give heed to the sublime counsel of 'Abdu'l-Baha,
the authorized Expounder of His teachings. You can best serve your
country, was 'Abdu'l-Baha's rejoinder to a high official in the service of
the federal government of the United States of America, who had questioned
Him as to the best manner in which he could promote the interests of his
government and people, if you strive, in your capacity as a citizen of the
world, to assist in the eventual application of the principle of
federalism underlying the government of your own country to the
relationships now existing between the peoples and nations of the world.
In The Secret of Divine Civilization (The Mysterious Forces of
Civilization), 'Abdu'l-Baha's outstanding contribution to the future
reorganization of the world, we read the following:
"True civilization will unfurl its banner in the midmost heart of the
world whenever a certain number of its distinguished and high-minded
sovereigns--the shining exemplars of devotion and determination--shall, for
the good and happiness of all mankind, arise, with firm resolve and clear
vision, to establish the Cause of Universal Peace. They must make the
Cause of Peace the object of general consultation, and seek by every means
in their power to establish a Union of the nations of the world. They must
conclude a binding treaty and establish a covenant, the provisions of
which shall be sound, inviolable and definite. They must proclaim it to
all the world and obtain for it the sanction of all the human race. This
supreme and noble undertaking--the real source of the peace and well-being
of all the world--should be regarded as sacred by all that dwell on earth.
All the forces of humanity must be mobilized to ensure the stability and
permanence of this Most Great Covenant. In this all-embracing Pact the
limits and frontiers of each and every nation should be clearly fixed, the
principles underlying the relations of governments towards one another
definitely laid down, and all international agreements and obligations
ascertained. In like manner, the size of the armaments of every government
should be strictly limited, for if the preparations for war and the
military forces of any nation should be allowed to increase, they will
arouse the suspicion of others. The fundamental principle underlying this
solemn Pact should be so fixed that if any government later violate any
one of its provisions, all the governments on earth should arise to reduce
it to utter submission, nay the human race as a whole should resolve, with
every power at its disposal, to destroy that government. Should this
greatest of all remedies be applied to the sick body of the world, it will
assuredly recover from its ills and will remain eternally safe and
secure."
"A few," He further adds, "unaware of the power latent in human endeavor,
consider this matter as highly impracticable, nay even beyond the scope of
man's utmost efforts. Such is not the case, however. On the contrary,
thanks to the unfailing grace of God, the loving-kindness of His favored
ones, the unrivaled endeavors of wise and capable souls, and the thoughts
and ideas of the peerless leaders of this age, nothing whatsoever can be
regarded as unattainable. Endeavor, ceaseless endeavor, is required.
Nothing short of an indomitable determination can possibly achieve it.
Many a cause which past ages have regarded as purely visionary, yet in
this day has become most easy and practicable. Why should this most great
and lofty Cause--the day-star of the firmament of true civilization and the
cause of the glory, the advancement, the well-being and the success of all
humanity--be regarded as impossible of achievement? Surely the day will
come when its beauteous light shall shed illumination upon the assemblage
of man."