On Baha'i Identity: A Sense of Purpose

Photo: The early years, Dr Farzam Arbab with students

On a day like today with the news of sectarian violence gripping the very land where Baha'u'llah lived for 10 years and made his public announcement, a Baha'i's thoughts turn to teaching. There is no other system with an ounce of promise save the Faith to provide the inspiration for what humanity must do to extricate itself from the current morass. For Baha'is, teaching the Faith of Baha'u'llah begins with striving to refine their inner lives.

[An]...aspect of our identity emerges from our roots in Bahá'í history. An intimate connection with an eventful past, with the heroes through whose sacrifice the Cause has advanced, and an acute awareness of the workings of the cycles of crisis and victory — these help shape your true identity. Unlike so many souls whose connection with history is severed and who seek heroes and role models in figures who are themselves victims of a disintegrating society, you have no doubt that you are participating in the greatest drama in the history of humankind: the creation of a new race of men.

A strong sense of Bahá'í identity in turn leads to a strong sense of purpose. It gives rise to a feeling of urgency with which we all need to attend to our own spiritual growth. We cannot be passive observers of our own lives, hapless victims of society, shaped by political and commercial propaganda. Our lives on this earthly plane are too short, and the bounties of a pure heart capable of reflecting divine attributes too many, for us to become distracted by the passing attractions of a world lost in idle fancies. Thus you bend your energies purposefully towards acquiring perfections and refining your inner life.

Notes for a talk given by Dr. Farzam Arbab as part of a two-day seminar on the Five Year Plan sponsored by the Youth Activities Committee at the Bahá'í World Centre 28 April 2001