The Baha’i teachings say that divine knowledge can emanate from God to our soul, and then, if we are open to it, can become manifest in us and through us to the world.

This all happens through the rational faculty of the soul, our “true mind” which shines on and animates our material body. From one perspective this feels like a light cast into our heart, a burning in our bosom, which enlightens our understanding of the holy writings of the Baha’i and all other world Faiths, brings things like the signs of God to our attention, and prompts and guides us in our lives in all sorts of ways.

This sounds like a “gift of the spirit!” In Christianity, in the 12th chapter of First Corinthians, there is a wonderful discussion about the various gifts of the spirit available to humanity:

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. –  1 Corinthians 12:1-11.

Baha’is understand that part of our unique station as members of the human race is the capacity to reflect all the Names and Attributes of God. Baha’u’llah said:

Having created the world and all that liveth and moveth therein, He, through the direct operation of His unconstrained and sovereign Will, chose to confer upon man the unique distinction and capacity to know Him and to love Him—a capacity that must needs be regarded as the generating impulse and the primary purpose underlying the whole of creation …. Upon the inmost reality of each and every created thing He hath shed the light of one of His names, and made it a recipient of the glory of one of His attributes. Upon the reality of man, however, He hath focused the radiance of all of His names and attributes, and made it a mirror of His own Self. Alone of all created things man hath been singled out for so great a favor, so enduring a bounty. – Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 65.

You might imagine some of the names and attributes of God, such as the Knower, the Seeing, and the Guide being reflected in the mirror of our soul and shining down to us in the physical world through our rational faculties. The process is the same for other names and attributes of God such as the Merciful, the Powerful, the Fashioner, the Sustainer, the Opener or Victory Giver, the Exalter, the Just, the Gentle or Kind, the Nourisher, the Generous, the Wise, the Steadfast, the Beneficent, the Gatherer or Unifier, the Witness, the Healer, and infinite others. These names are attributes—inherent gifts in the Creator and aspirational gifts for the creation.

Getting in touch with this spiritual power these gifts represent can be very exciting. However, in Christianity and Hinduism and Buddhism, and in all of the great religions, we are counseled not to become obsessed and overly attached to the various spiritual gifts themselves.

In the next chapter of FirstCorinthians, for example, Paul counsels us:

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. – 1 Corinthians 13:1-8.

Similar teachings exist in Hinduism and Buddhism, where seeking after spiritual power can be a distraction from one’s true purpose of self-realization, and from compassion for and service to others.

The Buddha had this to say, in his Akankheyya-Sutta:

If a Bhikkhu [devoted Buddhist monk] should desire, Brethren, to hear with clear and heavenly ear, surpassing that of men, sounds both human and celestial, whether far or near, let him then fulfil all righteousness, let him be devoted to that quietude of heart which springs from within, let him not drive back the ecstasy of contemplation, let him look through things, let him be much alone! – Verse 15.

As the Buddha and the Baha’i teachings counsel us, we need to learn to look through the impermanent things of this world and perceive the eternal:

Strive thou day and night to serve the Cause of Him Who is the Eternal Truth, and be thou detached from all else but Him. By Myself! Whatever thou seest in this Day shall perish. Supremely lofty will be thy station, if thou remainest steadfast in the Cause of thy Lord. – Baha’u’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 245.

Over the last couple of months, it seems like more and more of my friends are thinking about how to prepare themselves for marriage and family life.

This youthful time of preparation can be a gift, but it pains me to see my friends become distressed about relationship issues. In a world where mass media colors our understanding of love with phrases like “true love” and “the one,” it can be very difficult to remain detached as we try to learn about someone’s true character.

Many young men and women have very intense feelings about each other, and often mistake those feelings for love. If anyone were to ask them how they know that they love someone, their answer might be that love is a feeling they get—but is love a feeling?

Abdu’l-Baha, the exemplar of the Baha’i teachings, said:

Marriage, among the mass of the people, is a physical bond, and this union can only be temporary, since it is foredoomed to a physical separation at the close.

Among the [Baha’is], however, marriage must be a union of the body and of the spirit as well, for here both husband and wife are aglow with the same wine, both are enamoured of the same matchless Face, both live and move through the same spirit, both are illumined by the same glory. This connection between them is a spiritual one, hence it is a bond that will abide forever. Likewise do they enjoy strong and lasting ties in the physical world as well, for if the marriage is based both on the spirit and the body, that union is a true one, hence it will endure. If, however, the bond is physical and nothing more, it is sure to be only temporary, and must inexorably end in separation.

When, therefore, the people of Baha undertake to marry, the union must be a true relationship, a spiritual coming together as well as a physical one, so that throughout every phase of life, and in all the worlds of God, their union will endure; for this real oneness is a gleaming out of the love of God. – Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 117.

I am sure we have all experienced how fleeting feelings can be. Happiness, sadness and anger all come in a flash, and can pass away in an instant. So if love is only a feeling, and feelings don’t last forever, how can we love someone or something eternally?

From my experience, the intense emotions I have sometimes felt for another person were not love, but infatuation. My feelings were so strong that they actually warped my perception of the other person. I couldn’t see clearly. As a result, I ignored many signs that things would not work out. I believed that the power of my emotions could overcome any issues, but I was wrong.

After some experiences with these intense emotions, I realized that they were actually hurting me. My attachments to people were leading to a lot of pain at our inevitable separation—separations I could have foreseen had my mind been clear and free. I began to realize that these emotions could not be love; love is limitless, but these emotions always changed in the end.

So rather than seeing love as an emotion, I decided to look at it as a virtue.

If love is a virtue, we can show it to everyone without emotional strain, in the same way we could show patience or kindness to everyone. We may show more patience to a child because we know that they do not have as much experience as an adult, but the virtue of patience itself does not change depending on the recipient. In the same way, we may find it easier to love people who are closer to us, but that does not mean we cannot practice the virtue of love with all who cross our path, and the virtue of love itself does not change depending on the recipient, either. 

In this sense, marriage becomes an opportunity to learn to show and appreciate love in more ways. Marriage does not change the virtue of love, just the way we express it. In this way, saying “I love you” would not be considered a milestone in a relationship, because we should already care for everyone on the planet. By making this phrase so significant we enforce the perspective that our love is exclusive and should only be shown to a select few, rather than all of humanity.

This shift in my perspective on love helped me be more conscious of the difference between real love and infatuation. By being aware of when intense feelings would start to arise, I found ways to remind myself that these feelings were not love, and that I could channel such intense emotions into positive, meaningful actions. It also helped me remain detached and try to be more inclusive in my interactions, rather than only spending time with one person.

Seeing love as a virtue makes a lot of sense to me. It means that the love between friends, love between siblings and the love parents and children share are just as important as romantic love, which seems to be considered paramount in today’s society. As a virtue, the love we show each other stems from God’s love for every one of us, as explained by Abdu’l-Baha:

Love is the fundamental principle of God’s purpose for man, and He has commanded us to love each other even as He loves us. – Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 121.

Just like with other virtues, we can learn to be purer and purer channels of God’s love to the world. I am sure that as we learn more about the true meaning of love and put these realizations into action, we will build this foundation of actual love and unity that the Baha’i teachings—and all other great Faiths—encourage us to develop:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Many people—all over the world—struggle against the destructive impacts of changes in climate resulting from the warming of the Earth.

People in the Philippines and Puerto Rico, for example, have experienced extremely heavy storms, and both rural and urban populations face increasing water scarcity in Africa. Floods, droughts and wildfires happen more frequently and with greater severity.

Of course, scientists have warned us for quite some time about climate disruption and its existential threat to humankind—and countless other forms of life. We can adequately address climate change, but we will need to fundamentally transform our thinking and almost all human activities: we must switch to renewable energy, eat much less meat, and alter our agricultural practices and transportation systems.

Perhaps the most difficult change will involve giving up the myth of continual economic growth. Wealthy individuals who live a high-consumption lifestyle will need to adopt a simpler one, while our societies will have to ensure that all people, particularly those populations now living in poverty, can access clean water, food, and electricity.

Although the vast majority of the world’s scientists and peoples agree on the causes of and solutions to climate change, in some countries skeptics express measured concern over the issue, while at the same time, powerful, vested interests fuel an extreme perspective that denies climate change and seeks to contend with relevant scientific findings. Given the polarization which has come to characterize this issue, some individuals have written to the Universal House of Justice, the supreme institution of the Baha’i Faith, expressing their concern that the issue of climate change has become overblown and politicized.

The response from the Secretariat of the Universal House of Justice lovingly clarifies several aspects of the issue. Early on, it advises abandoning partisan debate and seeking out unified action:

Humanity would be best and most effectively served by setting aside partisan disputation, pursuing united action that is informed by the best available scientific evidence and grounded in spiritual principles, and thoughtfully revising action in the light of experience. The incessant focus on generating and magnifying points of difference rather than building upon points of agreement leads to exaggeration that fuels anger and confusion, thereby diminishing the will and capacity to act on matters of vital concern. – The Universal House of Justice, 29 November 2017, to a group of individual Baha’is.

After setting this important unifying tone, it proceeds to affirm the truth that the problem of climate change has “profound implications for the common good.” It also puts the climate crisis into the broad picture of humanity’s social and environmental problems, with an emphasis on justice:

One of the most pressing problems of humanity in the current century is how a growing, rapidly developing, and not yet united global population can, in a just manner, live in harmony with the planet and its finite resources. – Ibid.

The letter then demonstrates the fundamental significance of science:

Among the Baha’i teachings are those concerning the importance of science. “Great indeed is the claim of scientists … on the peoples of the world,” Baha’u’llah observed. Abdu’l-Baha wrote that the “sciences of today are bridges to reality” and repeatedly emphasized that “religion must be in conformity with science and reason.” – Ibid.

The message elaborates on this important point by addressing climate science specifically, noting the “striking degree of agreement among experts”:

Scientific inquiry into the question of human contributions to global warming has gradually unfolded over a century of investigation and, more recently, with intense scrutiny. While there will naturally be differences of view among individual scientists, there does exist at present a striking degree of agreement among experts in relevant fields about the cause and impact of climate change. Sound scientific results, obtained through the employment of sound scientific methods, produce knowledge that can be acted upon; ultimately, the outcomes of action must stand the test of further scientific inquiry and the objective facts of the physical world. – Ibid.

The letter also points to the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement as an important step toward humanity achieving unity of thought on global issues:

But while there may indeed be a localized and highly charged political component to the public discussion, more remarkable is the fact that at a time when nations have difficulty reaching agreement on many important issues, the governments of nearly every country on earth have reached political consensus on a joint framework, in the Paris accord, to respond to climate change in a manner that is anticipated to evolve over time as experience accumulates. More than a century ago, Abdu’l-Baha referred to “unity of thought in world undertakings, the consummation of which will erelong be witnessed.” The recently adopted international agreement on climate change, irrespective of any shortcomings and limitations it may have, offers another noteworthy demonstration of that development anticipated by Abdu’l-Baha. The agreement represents a starting point for constructive thought and action that can be refined or revised on the basis of experience and new findings over time. – Ibid.

This important missive concludes with encouragement for all:

The House of Justice trusts that, in pursuing the many facets of their work of community building, social action, and involvement in the discourses of society, individuals, communities, and institutions will continually grow in their capacity to make a distinctive and effective contribution to addressing the multitudinous problems afflicting society and the planet, including those associated with climate change. – Ibid.

If you would like to develop your own individual capacity in this way, I warmly invite you to take part in the upcoming online course “Climate Change” offered by the Wilmette Institute from April 1 through May 26, with scholarships available. This course will empower you to understand the causes and impacts of climate change, discuss its ethical challenges, and relate them to the spiritual teachings of the world’s religions—especially those of the Baha’i Faith. It will help you consider changes of habit that will bring greater coherence to your life and show you how to practice environmental and social responsibility in your community. Everyone is welcome!

It will also assist you to elevate discourse above the level of partisan politics by introducing into your conversations spiritual responses to the climate crisis. Course activities include readings, videos and interaction with others in an international classroom setting. Neither massive nor impersonal, this course will give you access to a personal mentor, and all active participants will be able to get to know each other.

The course draws on inspiration from the Baha’i teachings, while maintaining an interfaith spirit and accepting people of all faiths or no faith. For indeed, we fully and wholeheartedly recognize that this enormous global problem requires all of us—of whatever background, culture, and belief, and regardless of our knowledge and capacity—to work together to solve it.