💾 Archived View for gem.bahai.fyi › reddit › specific-ways.gmi captured on 2024-08-24 at 23:40:40. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
⬅️ Previous capture (2024-02-05)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
By u/TheNinePointedStar
Posted on February 9, 2019
What I'm asking is not for some general platitudes about love and world peace but SPECIFIC ways that the Baha'i writings help you in your daily life. A prayer, a quotation, a thought process, a story about Abdul Baha.
Is there a teaching that impacts you regularly? That CHANGES the way you live your life? That allows you to see the world in a different way? That shifts how you interact with people and has changed your actual behavior in some way?
Is there a writing or quote that LITERALLY affects your life choices? in other words, you'd be a different (and worse off) person if you didn't have that teaching in your life?
u/Aldturex:
I am a political theorist and philosopher. Over my life I have been a Republican, a Democrat, a Social Democrat, a Karl Rove Conservative, a Monarchist, a Communist; you name it, I've affiliated/aligned with it before. Before I found the Baha'i Faith I strove to find party structures in which I could promote all the good ideas in my head about how to make my country better and glorify the name of both myself and the respective ideologies I held. It was all rather narcissistic in hindsight. With my discovery of the Faith, I have learned to accept that party structures are not the means by which nations and societies built to stand the test of time are formed. They are inherently divisive structures that are an impediment to unity and promote a sort of politically sectarian tribalism which makes compromise all-but-impossible and ensures that if a majority is achieved by one party, it will inevitably be erased as the electorate grows complacent or tired of the status quo. Societies are built to protect the interests of those who compose them; and all socially organized systems (neighborhoods, communes, districts, regions, cantons, etc.) are dynamic units that are stronger and better than the simple sum of their composed parts. People working in unity with one another, organically, spreading their culture and trading with one another and exchanging ideas and religious beliefs, are more than just a bunch of people standing around in proximity of each other, doing their daily menial routines in isolated proximity to one another. The former is the ideal peaceful society that the people of Baha strive to achieve; this is what is laid down in our text and it is the lofty and seemly aspiration appropriate for all of us. Before I knew of the Faith, however, I thought that social cohesion was about the eventual ultimate victory of one party over another, using deeply immoral political gamesmanship to outdo and outwit your opponents until you have made opposition impossible; but of course, this is not unity, this is de facto conformity. The Faith changed my entire perspective on politics and human society and reoriented my ultimate goal in life from the deeply self-obsessed, narcissistic, quasi-quixotic vision quest delusion that I once strove to achieve, onto a path of desire to serve and teach the Faith where communities can be organized in harmony that the growth of the Faith and the betterment of the people of that community might be hastened by a neighborly accord, a loving mindset, and an orientation towards justice and unity. This is how the Faith has specifically changed/helped/impacted my world-view and mindset in one dimension, though I could go on for quite some time in extolling all of the great virtues I've adopted from the changeless Faith of God and how I implement them in my life. I hope this helped, Alláh-u-Abhá.
u/roguevalley:
Off the top of my head... Most practically, I have not sunk into the depths of drug and alcohol addiction, like many of my extended family members. I've been successfully (I guess?) married for a significant number of years, unlike said family members. Professionally, I've benefitted greatly from the Baha'i focus on education and excellence and have a successful career. In that vein, I consciously work in environments with a collaborative, consultative process. I consciously work in environments that value racial and gender diversity. I consciously work in places that are working toward a positive vision of the future. Finally, and most personally, I am deeply inspired by the writings in my artistic life and am currently in graduate school in order to increase my capacity to more Baha'i-inspired beauty into the world.
u/aibiT4tu:
There is sooooo much. Here are just a handful of thoughts that come to mind:
* With regard to racism, I make a conscious effort to challenge subtle racist thoughts that come to my mind, especially when meeting someone new. I really doubt that I would do this, were it not for the teachings on these matters.
* I try to center everything that I do around the Faith and service, and this literally affects almost every serious decision (where I live/life/work/etc.) that I make. I'll say prayers, and think about how the decision will effect things wholistically. I think this comes especially from discussions of the concept of coherence (which can be found in book 5 and in the 2013 youth conference materials, for example).
* There's no way that I would be working with young people (junior youth) were it not for the global Baha'i community's current focus on it. And working with junior youth has made me so much more patient and understanding -- and connected me much more closely to the culture of the neighborhood I now live in (which is pretty different from my culture growing up). It's also helped me think about how to articulate ideas more clearly so that complex thoughts are easy to understand, and that's helpful for all aspects of my life.
* There's no way I would live a "chaste" life (when it comes to sexuality) if I weren't a Baha'i. Ultimately I think I'm happier this way; so much less drama. Similarly, if I weren't a Baha'i, I would probably drink, and probably a lot.
* I don't think I would ever have been a compulsive liar, but the teachings of the Faith on truthfulness and its utmost importance keep me honest the vast majority of the time. e.g. "Truthfulness is the foundation of all human virtues."
* There are lots of small changes in my life that come from thinking about the laws in the Kitab-i-Aqdas. For example, I never gamble/bet on anything. I take holy days off from work (which is truly refreshing by the way, I highly recommend it).
* It's been a long process, but now I engage in consultative processes more often. Instead of just asserting my view, I try to understand what everyone thinks and value each person's input. Still not very good at this, and still learning, but certainly it's much more at the forefront of my thoughts than it would be without the Faith.
Here's a prayer that summarizes my thoughts about the personal transformation from being a Baha'i.
"My God, my Adored One, my King, my Desire! What tongue can voice my thanks to Thee? I was heedless, Thou didst awaken me. I had turned back from Thee, Thou didst graciously aid me to turn towards Thee. I was as one dead, Thou didst quicken me with the water of life. I was withered, Thou didst revive me with the heavenly stream of Thine utterance which hath flowed forth from the Pen of the All-Merciful.
"O Divine Providence! All existence is begotten by Thy bounty; deprive it not of the waters of Thy generosity, neither do Thou withhold it from the ocean of Thy mercy. I beseech Thee to aid and assist me at all times and under all conditions, and seek from the heaven of Thy grace Thine ancient favor. Thou art, in truth, the Lord of bounty, and the Sovereign of the kingdom of eternity."
u/ZenmasterRob:
So many:
Baha’u’llah saying an excess of words is poison.
The Bab saying that our virtue must not come from a desire for reward or from fear of punishment. It purifies my intent.
The teachings about not backbiting.
I need constant reminders to have my words be as mild as milk.
Etc
[Deleted]:
Honestly, if I wasn't a Baha'i, I'd be a violent revolutionary, planning the assassinations of corrupt politicians and evil corporate CEOs. Not saying I'd be good at that, so I'd probably be in jail being raped by a guy named "Princess."
That aside, it does keep me focused on what actually matters. There are a lot of negative influences in our society and the Faith helps me process my cultural consumption into more healthy uses.