Call for healing

(This is from 6/17/95)

There are very many desperate and hurting people out there who are lonely, alienated, and unable to make any loving connection with people or even with a loving Creator. Some indulge in alcohol to drown the pain, some use sex, many are diagnosed as depressed and take anti-depressants, and some just sit and cry! It's unbelievable--the hardships people must endure these days. Then there are those who must endure the torture of abuse of all kinds, the victims of violent crimes, disease, poverty, starvation, and the like.

Don't we need to reach out and help one another like never before? Isn't this the time of all times in the history of the world that we need to transcend our worldly attachment, let down our defenses, open our heart, pray to God, and help each other through these difficult times? Yes, we need to read the Writings on our own and understand the nature of tests as beneficial and necessary for our spiritual growth. But we also need to see how God uses tests to bond the community in loving unity. An example is the Oklahoma City bombing incident. This tragedy actually helped bond the community as people rushed to help one another in sacrificial and self-transcendent love! Isn't there already a tragedy happening in the world today? We can no longer shut our eyes to it.

Here's a quote I read recently that really inspired me, from Shoghi Effendi's "Directives from the Guardian":

"Deep as are family ties, unless supported by spiritual bonds, are confined to this life. You should do all in your power, through prayer and example, to open the eyes of your family to the Baha'i Faith, but do not grieve too much over their actions. Turn to your Baha'i brothers and sisters who are living with you in the Light of the Kingdom."

"Indeed, the believers have not yet fully learned to draw on each other's strength and consolation in time of need. The Cause of God is endowed with tremendous powers, and the reason the believers do not gain more from it is because they have not learned to draw fully on these mighty forces of love and strength and harmony generated by the Faith."

Some of us are suffering outwardly more than others. Some of us have Baha'i families or supportive communities and have more emotional resources than others. But we're all in this together and we must help those who need it! If one is sick we're all sick! Does this sound drastic? Well I think we need a drastic change in our attitude towards people who are suffering, because there may be more hurting people than you think, and one may be you! You know many people have difficulty expessing their emotions in this materialistic culture, and that means their pain remains unvoiced, repressed, and therefore they are unable to receive help and guidance. But sadly, often when they do express their pain, their cries remain unheeded and they turn to unspiritual activities to escape the pain. It takes a very spiritual person to overcome the trials of life without any loving support from others!

We need to share the teachings with others, pray for them, and listen to their problems! We need to have forums where people feel comfortable expressing, (and even feeling!) their emotions (within limits of course!). Too many of us are stuck in conventional ways of relating to one another, having developed defense systems supposedly appropriate for the materialistic society we live in. But we must change all that. Listen to this excerpt from "The Prosperity of Humankind" (don't you just love that they used the word "humankind"?):

"In order for the standard of human rights now in the process of formulation by the community of nations to be promoted and established as a prevailing international norm, a fundamental redefinition of human relationships is called for. Present-day conceptions of what is natural and appropriate in relationships-- among human beings themselves, between human beings and nature, between the individual and society, and between the members of society and its instituitions--reflect levels of understanding arrived at by the human race during earlier and less mature stages in its development. If humanity is indeed coming of age, if all the inhabitants of the planet constitute a single people, if justice is to be the ruling principle of social organization--then existing conceptions that were born out of ignorance of these emerging realities have to be recast."

We need to help people release emotions, and to unleash that latent trust in God that is the most powerful healing force in a human. Then the love can flow, the trust can grow, the power of the Holy Spirit can manifest itself, and healing can take place! We need to trust one another--we are more closely bonded than family, in reality! Why shouldn't we act that way? Just envision in your heart and mind what it would be like if groups of people all over the world were inspired and enlivened by God to pour out their hearts to one another in perfect trust and all had their hearts open to God, and they received one another and loved one another with spiritual love, and this love spread to all in the region, and searching souls were magnetized beyond description to this powerful and overwhelming love, and tears were shed--tears of joy and lifelong relief for having revealed to them the meaning of life, the meaning of existence itself, and lifelong questions were answered, and lifelong pains were healed, and the Holy Spirit of God was unleashed like never before in onrushing gales of surrender, reverence, awe, holiness, sacrifice, peace, love and ultimate comfort and healing as the souls bonded together in an indissoluble, heavenly, eternal bond that kept growing and opening up like a flower in bloom, as hearts connected to Baha'u'llah's heart, and we all connected to each other's heart, and we all served the Kingdom forever in eternal bliss!! Sound drastic??!

May God help us use our talents and abilities to serve Him and to serve humanity, and to promote healing in the hearts of everyone we meet. May we all be guided in this endeavor, and ask Baha'u'llah's blessings and confirmations in all that we do. Let's remember nobody's perfect and we all need healing in one way or another.

God bless all of you. Please stay in touch and send me any messages, thoughts, ideas, criticisms, exhortations, musings, questions, answers, opinions, guidance, poems, stories, songs, quotes, etc. The goal is for everyone to share with everyone, and to network with one another, and to spread the unity far and wide. Any ideas on how to network and get the ball really rolling would be greatly appreciated.

Baha'i love,

Bob