“So powerful is the light of unity…”

 

The 2020 election for the new President of the United States has led to a situation in which America seems to be divided by precisely what should unite it – its freedoms, its democracy, its tolerance and its distaste for the arbitrary use of power. The consequences of this include the extensive boarding-up of the central districts of Washington, New York and other cities, due to worries about possible rioting. They include wrangling, contentious claims, and law suits being prepared even while the votes are still being counted. There is general anxiety about the way forward from the current divided situation.

 

Bahá’u’lláh, the Founder of the Bahá’í Faith, declared in the nineteenth century: “So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.” He exhorted us to consciously recognise the need for this powerful force of oneness: “This handful of dust, the world, is one home: let it be in unity.” In both of these quotations, Bahá’u’lláh makes it clear that this unity will extend across the whole planet. Unity does not stop wherever there happens to be a line on a map. Unity is oneness, and oneness is essentially a universal concept. Unity implies everybody participating without discord, without conflict, and without division. Unity is the pivotal teaching of the Bahá’í Faith, which believes that it is necessary to establish this unity in order to allow us to move forward as a civilisation: “The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established.”

 

At present neither the world, nor even the United States of America, has “peace and security”, and according to Bahá’u’lláh the unity of mankind must be established first in order to achieve these. Unity has several basic requirements. It states in the Bahá’í writings that “Equality and brotherhood must be established among all members of mankind. This is according to justice. The general rights of mankind must be guarded and preserved. All men must be treated equally. This is inherent in the very nature of humanity.” While anybody still feels themselves to be excluded from equality, or from the general brotherhood of their fellow human beings, unity cannot exist. In the world, no one people is in the majority. In the U.S.A., this is also true, although it is not always recognised. More than half of the population is termed “white”, but this is not a single group. Although most now use English at home, in reality they are a complex mix of people from many different ethnic backgrounds. The American nation is often termed a “melting pot”, but a number of groups do not feel themselves to be treated as having an equal status within this pot, nor to participate in a genuine brotherhood.

 

Unity requires equality, brotherhood and love between all the races of mankind. It requires equality between the genders. It requires unity of religion, in which the followers of every religion regard the other religions as being of equal worth and equal validity. It requires an end to any distinctions based on social level or educational level. It requires a love for all mankind, respect for our fellow-creatures and caring for the whole earth.

 

The people of the United States need unity, between all the different parts of the country, all the different races and backgrounds in the country, all the cultures of the country, and of course with the rest of humanity. But whatever happens over the next few months, humanity has a glorious future, for we have Bahá’u’lláh’s promise that “So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.”