We belong to one human family

WE ARE all members of one human family, only varied in the secondary aspects of our lives. We are citizens of one planet, created by one God.

As affirmed in the Baháí Writings: “Every human creature is the servant of God. All have been created and reared by the power and favour of God; all have been blessed with the bounties of the same Sun of divine truth; all have quaffed from the fountain of the infinite mercy of God; and all in His estimation and love are equal as servants. He is beneficent and kind to all.

“Therefore, no one should glorify himself over another; no one should manifest pride or superiority toward another; no one should look upon another with scorn and contempt; and no one should deprive or oppress a fellow creature.”

With global challenges such as Covid-19 pandemic still having serious impact, is it not timely to realise that the well-being of each of us, our communities and nations, depend on the well-being of the whole?

Can we surmount global challenges such as Covid-19 without unity and co-operation?

In the Baháí view, genuine solutions to the challenges humanity is facing will require a globallyaccepted vision for the future, based on unity and willing co-operation among the races, nations, creeds, and classes of the human family.

Discrimination, due to our differences in terms of race, nationality, religion or gender will be eliminated only when the peoples of the world believe in the oneness of humanity and reconstruct their lives and their societies on that basis.

The principle of human oneness is not a vague hope or slogan. It reflects an eternal spiritual, moral and physical reality.

“The unity that must underpin a peaceful and just social order” in the Baháí view, “is a unity which embraces and honours diversity. Oneness and diversity are complementary and inseparable…

“Acceptance of the concept of unity in diversity, therefore, implies the development of a global consciousness, a sense of world citizenship, and a love for all of humanity.”

Belief in the oneness of humanity provides both a unifying vision of, and the foundation for, a new system of values.

Only when we as individuals, see ourselves as members of one human family, sharing one common homeland, will we be able to commit ourselves to far-reaching changes.

For feedback please contact: tshwane@bahai.org.za; or call 083 794 0819. Visit www.bahai.org, www. bahai.org.za