Increased attention has been focused recently on the need to promote better inter-community relationships between the various elements of our society.  Addressing this issue a previous paper⁽¹⁾ has already referred to the need for a society-wide change of moral consciousness and understanding and a wider social vision.  Poor relationships between individuals and between groups are symptoms of a dysfunctional and fragmented society. Particular attention has been given to questions of race and colour but these are not the only issues.  Hostility and suspicion can develop not only across racial boundaries, but also across those of ethnicity, culture, religion, gender, generation, nationality, region, education and class. 

The stresses within our society can be seen as symptoms of an unprecedented global restructuring of human society over the past 150 years or so: the mingling of races, cultures and creeds to a previously unimagined degree, the reordering of long-cherished institutions and a growing perception of our world as an increasingly inter-dependent “global village”.  The failure to respond fully to such change and what lies behind it is reflected not only in signs of social disintegration but also in an accompanying moral crisis and abdication of ethical and behavioural standards. These are all signs of a loss of understanding of our true nature as human beings. 

There is a need to reappraise many accepted approaches and attitudes if this increased attention is actually to reduce the mistrust and antipathy that too often exists in our society.

The Bahá’í vision

While association with all people of diverse beliefs, customs, and outlook is enjoined on His followers by Bahá’u’lláh⁽²⁾, his vision of a truly cohesive society goes far beyond the limits of mere association or appreciation of cultural difference, important though these are.  He sets out the building of a global society whose closely-knit fabric shall be based on active co-operation, reciprocity, shared spiritual and moral values, and genuine concern for others. This society would go beyond a mere passive co-existence and would promote human dignity, stimulate the release of human potential, and actively cultivate the inherent nobility which Bahá’ís believe makes up the basis of human nature.

The foundation of this vision rests unambiguously on the principle of the oneness of the human race.  Such a unifying vision should not be confused with uniformity:  Far from aiming at the subversion of the existing foundations of society, it seeks to broaden its basis ...  It can conflict with no legitimate allegiances, nor can it undermine essential loyalties.  Its purpose is neither to stifle the flame of a sane and intelligent patriotism in men's hearts, nor to abolish the system of national autonomy so essential if the evils of excessive centralisation are to be avoided.  It does not ignore, nor does it attempt to suppress, the diversity of ethnical origins, of climate, of history, of language and tradition, of thought and habit, that differentiate the peoples and nations of the world.⁽³⁾

The global community thus envisioned will delight in the diversity of the secondary characteristics of every minority, race and class within it, but will firmly uphold unity in fundamental principles.  It calls for complete freedom from prejudice in dealings with peoples of a different race, class, creed, or colour, and it imposes an inescapable obligation to nurture, encourage, and safeguard all, whatever their faith, race, class, or nation.  A person’s origins will no longer be seen as defining “who they really are”, but will lend distinction and charm to such a society in demonstrating “unity in diversity."

Social change, in the Bahá’í view, begins not with the community but with the individual. A person’s moral and ethical code and feelings of self worth come from the basic forces of human nature, but they can be developed positively or distorted, even destroyed, depending on that individual’s life experience. Social endeavours, from local group actions to changes in the structure of society's governing institutions, may be proposed or worked for, but no plan will have a lasting effect unless it is built upon an inner revolution, a dramatic change in the attitudes of the individual.  It follows that establishing an agreed set of core values which all individuals, and hence society, are prepared to embrace is absolutely essential for any programme of social cohesion. 

A Reappraisal

Policies and attitudes concerned with diversity but which regard the human race as unalterably divided and which see society as a virtually impermeable “community of communities” need to be reassessed.  They may all too easily be understood to reinforce old barriers and insularities, whether of culture, race, religion or gender, be seen to protect groups from legitimate criticism and justify human rights abuses as “cultural differences“, and they may unwittingly confirm the prejudices of those with no interest in integration.

And while anti-racist initiatives are clearly essential, and regulating behaviour by legislation has a place, they are uncertain modifiers of basic attitudes and beliefs.  Unless these latter are changed, it is doubtful if a truly cohesive society can ever be more than an unachievable ideal. 

Racial discrimination is undoubtedly a major cause of division, and a force for harm in society, but is not the only one.  At the root of this and all forms of discrimination is the erroneous idea that humankind is somehow composed of separate and distinct races, peoples or castes, and that those subgroups innately possess varying intellectual, moral, and/or other capacities, which in turn justify different forms of treatment.  The reality is that there is only the one human race, a single people inhabiting the planet Earth, one human family bound together in a common destiny. 

While a basic recognition of this reality is the antidote to societal division in all its forms, racial and ethnic prejudices are often reinforced by, or are manifestations of other corrosive agencies: cultural, economic and educational prejudice, religious fundamentalism, the impersonal nature of modern industrial society, or the influence of international events.  Failure to recognise these influences will inhibit attempts to redress racial injustice and intolerance.

Much antagonism and confusion can be attributed to those who have appropriated religion for their own selfish purposes - fostering animosity, suspicion and the condemnation of other creeds.  Fanaticism, notions of superiority, and conflict poison the wells of tolerance and represent corrupt expressions of true religious values.  As a result, the transforming power of religion is weakened or cancelled out and the positive contribution it can make, reduced or eliminated.  While the right to freedom of thought, conscience and expression of belief is now codified in international human rights instruments, the irresponsible exercise of such freedom to promote hatred and disunity should be curtailed. 

Changing attitudes

Some inter-group prejudice expresses less a specific dislike so much as a kind of generalised timidity and feeling of awkwardness in coping with unfamiliar situations, unknown people and misunderstood cultural practices.

If human beings were purely rational then the way to change attitudes and make them appropriate would be merely by the dissemination of facts.  This has been tried time and time again but has been shown to have little effect.  Information alone, when it differs from pre-existing, currently held points of view, seldom if ever causes attitude change. It is more likely to be rejected as propagandist and one-sided. 

Genuine personal and social contact between members of different ethnic groups can be more effective.  However even this has its limitations. It is most effective when contact is between people of approximately equal social status, when the individuals involved have other things in common.  Thus education, class, generation and socio-economic circumstances have a role to play in social cohesion or lack of it. These factors deserve attention, but programmes that exaggerate their importance or see things purely in sociological terms are bound to have limited results.

While such social distinctions are unavoidable indications of human diversity, it is a great mistake to believe that because people are less well-educated or live different lives they are lacking in either intelligence or sensibility.  Discrimination against anyone on whatever grounds, whether social, cultural or ethnic, is a violation of human dignity, is perverse, and must be repudiated.  Prejudice and pretension are, in effect, failures to recognise, however the thought may be expressed, that we are all children of one loving God.  At the same time, we should not be blind to the distinctiveness and sensitivities of people who come from different backgrounds.

Education is essential to increasing knowledge and understanding of the great diversity of the human race, but it must be more than the ingestion of facts.  It must emphasise the oneness of humanity, inculcate moral and spiritual values and promote those personal qualities needed for a proper understanding of human diversity: courtesy, reverence, dignity, respect for the rank and achievements of others are virtues which contribute to the harmony and well-being of every community.⁽³⁾ In cultivating these qualities, example is one of the best educators.  Those who today act or are seen as rôle models may take note.

However while the Bahá’í writings elevate respect, dignity and reverence to a high station and describe courtesy as the prince of virtues, they contrast them with frivolity and facetiousness, ribaldry and effrontery.⁽³⁾  These last all-too-prevalent qualities - finding expression in studied confrontation, intemperate abuse and aspects of the adversarial system - have fomented mistrust and disdain for society rather than promoting harmony and well-being.

A Pattern for the Future

Greater social cohesion requires a commonly shared vision of community life.  This vision should recognise both a sense of individual and community purpose and the worth that each individual and each group contributes to the wider community.  The success of such a pattern of society depends upon the attitudes and perceptions, and the personal integrity and moral responsibility of the individuals who compose it.  While misplaced loyalty to one particular creed or another has at times provoked division, the rejection by many of attachment to any creed or faith has not led to a marked increase in tolerance or brotherly love.  We may deduce, therefore, there is still a place for the spiritual impulse to encourage human virtue and elevate human nature above the crudely material.

Inseparable from the elevation of human nature is an appreciation of what is meant by diversity and the oneness of humankind.  Oneness and diversity are complementary and inseparable. That human consciousness operates through an infinite diversity of individual minds and motivations detracts in no way from its essential unity.  Indeed, it is this diversity that distinguishes unity from homogeneity or uniformity.  The notion of diversity without the concept of unity becomes merely a euphemism for division. 

With an approach that is neither solely pragmatic nor solely spiritual, Bahá'ís suggest their own experience can offer a useful pattern of social cohesion.  Their success in building a unified community stems solely from the inspiration of the spiritual teachings of Bahá'u'lláh, writing extensively, more than a century ago, about the importance of unity, the reality of oneness, and the imperative need for creating a peaceful world civilisation. His words stand at once as a cornerstone of Bahá'í belief and as a challenge to all humankind:

Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts how ye were created. Since We have created you all from one same substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of detachment may be made manifest.⁽³⁾    

Notes:

(1)  Community Cohesion: A Bahá’í Perspective,  Feb 2002

(2)  Bahá’u’lláh, 1817 - 1892, prophet-founder of the Bahá’í Faith

(3)  Quotations from Bahá’í writings