I Blog Poetry and Prose

Humanity's Challenge: Unity

Istijlál (Majesty), 15 Masáʼil (Questions) 176 B.E. - Thursday, December 26, 2019

"O my God! O my God! Unite the hearts of Thy servants, and reveal to them Thy great purpose. May they follow Thy commandments and abide in Thy law. Help them, O God, in their endeavor, and grant them strength to serve Thee. O God! Leave them not to themselves, but guide their steps by the light of Thy knowledge, and cheer their hearts by Thy love. Verily, Thou art their Helper and their Lord."

Bahá’u’lláh1

In approximately five days a New Year and a new decade will begin2. A new decade full of challenges for humanity nd each individual. The main challenge that humanity faces is uniting as a single species, while cherishing the diversity that differences of color, gender, culture, religion, and nation bestows upon the individuals that compose the human race.

Ever since 1844, when the Bab declared the dawn of a new day, humanity has been inexorably moving towards unity. In the nineteenth century the momentum was slow, almost unnoticeable. The speed picked up during the twentieth century, and now--in the twenty-first century--it is moving even faster. The speed with continue to increase, as the forces opposed to unity do their best to stop it. Opposition to unity will not stop it, because the survival of the human race depends on its unity as a species.

Footnotes
1  http://www.bahaiprayers.org/unity1.htm
2  Please note that there are some who think the new decade begins on January 1, 2021. According to the research I have done, both January 1, 2020 and January 1, 2021 are valid depending on the individual's point of view.