Recently, in the United Kingdom, a gentleman appeared on a
“reality television” programme called “The Jeremy Kyle Show”. The show
specialises in challenging people over their behaviour, and this gentleman was
challenged to take a lie detector test. He “failed” the test, and was
apparently so distraught by this that he seems to have taken his own life a few
days later.
Many of these programmes have concentrated on relationships – between husband and wife, parent and child, and so on. They therefore reflect the many unresolved relationships which can develop within families. As society has somewhat lost its relationship with God, so people often put their whole faith in other people, making themselves vulnerable when other people’s acts fall short of their expectations. Families, like the world as a whole, need to be in harmony. Selfishness, or self-centredness, can disrupt the ordered life of a family. According to Abdul-Bahá: “The family, being a human unit, must be educated according to the rules of sanctity. All the virtues must be taught the family. The integrity of the family bond must be constantly considered, and the rights of the individual members must not be transgressed. The rights of the son, the father, the mother - none of them must be transgressed, none of them must be arbitrary... All these rights and prerogatives must be conserved… the unity of the family must be sustained.”
Many of these programmes have concentrated on relationships – between husband and wife, parent and child, and so on. They therefore reflect the many unresolved relationships which can develop within families. As society has somewhat lost its relationship with God, so people often put their whole faith in other people, making themselves vulnerable when other people’s acts fall short of their expectations. Families, like the world as a whole, need to be in harmony. Selfishness, or self-centredness, can disrupt the ordered life of a family. According to Abdul-Bahá: “The family, being a human unit, must be educated according to the rules of sanctity. All the virtues must be taught the family. The integrity of the family bond must be constantly considered, and the rights of the individual members must not be transgressed. The rights of the son, the father, the mother - none of them must be transgressed, none of them must be arbitrary... All these rights and prerogatives must be conserved… the unity of the family must be sustained.”
In the Bahá’í view, we all need to work towards unity,
rather than concentrating on the faults of others. We need to be able to accept
people as they are, rather than criticising them for not being perfect. Abdu’l-Bahá
said: “If a man has ten good qualities and one bad one, look at the ten and
forget the one. And if a man has ten bad qualities and one good one, look at
the one and forget
the ten.” He said that we should “never allow ourselves to speak one unkind word about another.” Each of us is unique, and we should recognise and welcome this human diversity. He also said, “In reality all are members of one human family - children of one Heavenly Father. Humanity may be likened unto the vari-coloured flowers of one garden. There is unity in diversity. Each sets off and enhances the other's beauty.”
Over the last few years, television has shown a lot of “reality” TV shows. People have been put into artificial situations – wife swaps, living in a house with about nine total strangers, living on an island with unfamiliar conditions, and so on – and the programme-makers, who do not seem to be interested in promoting the well-being of every member of humankind, rely on the fact that something will go wrong between the participants. Even preparing a meal has become a competition, with artificial time restraints and with observers present trying to make it more difficult than it should be. The meal is then critically judged, rather than thankfully consumed as something to keep us alive. And yet all this is asserted as “reality”.
The Bahá’í Faith teaches that in addition to the material world within which we live, there are spiritual planes of existence, which form a higher reality. Mankind was created to grow spiritually, to be ready to progress in spiritual ways. We should be concentrating not on the shortcomings of other people, but on developing good qualities in ourselves, so that we can grow more towards the perfection of God. Only if we align ourselves with the underlying Cause of the Universe will we be achieving any sort of reality – it does not come out of the television set.
the ten.” He said that we should “never allow ourselves to speak one unkind word about another.” Each of us is unique, and we should recognise and welcome this human diversity. He also said, “In reality all are members of one human family - children of one Heavenly Father. Humanity may be likened unto the vari-coloured flowers of one garden. There is unity in diversity. Each sets off and enhances the other's beauty.”
Over the last few years, television has shown a lot of “reality” TV shows. People have been put into artificial situations – wife swaps, living in a house with about nine total strangers, living on an island with unfamiliar conditions, and so on – and the programme-makers, who do not seem to be interested in promoting the well-being of every member of humankind, rely on the fact that something will go wrong between the participants. Even preparing a meal has become a competition, with artificial time restraints and with observers present trying to make it more difficult than it should be. The meal is then critically judged, rather than thankfully consumed as something to keep us alive. And yet all this is asserted as “reality”.
The Bahá’í Faith teaches that in addition to the material world within which we live, there are spiritual planes of existence, which form a higher reality. Mankind was created to grow spiritually, to be ready to progress in spiritual ways. We should be concentrating not on the shortcomings of other people, but on developing good qualities in ourselves, so that we can grow more towards the perfection of God. Only if we align ourselves with the underlying Cause of the Universe will we be achieving any sort of reality – it does not come out of the television set.
[Picture courtesy of Getty Images.]
