On the Spirit of the Age: Hitching our wagons to His star
Back in 1979, when I was just 19, the Baha'is I got to know then often spoke about the perceived connection between the unity and solidarity of the whole human race that is expressed in Burns's poetry with the same core teaching of the Baha'i Faith. Of course, all sorts of people and ideologies - religious, political, secular, social and more - claim ownership of Burns, or have hitched their wagon to his star. His universalism (which is but one facet of his writing) took on particular significance for me when I was working on a book about 'Abdu'l-Baha's 1913 visit to Edinburgh. The Seven Candles of Unity (1991) by Anjam Khursheed, acknowledges the resonance that Scots Baha'is feel with the spirit of Burns.
Hitch up. -gw
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