Courtesy – the prince of virtues

 

In our interactions with other people, courtesy is the practice of politeness and of showing that we respect them and care about their feelings. However, It sometimes seems that people forget the basic elements of courtesy: in what they say or write, they are not treating people with respect, they treat people as if their feelings simply do not matter. Some people feel that they are entitled to say awful things about other people, especially online, often about those they do not even know. (I wrote about this in the blog post “Tweet others as you would wish to be tweeted”, in January 2018.) This lack of respect for other people has sadly also become apparent at a national and international level. Politicians are increasingly critical, rude and dismissive of those in opposing parties or those who have different opinions from them. There are also examples of political leaders talking down to other countries, deliberately belittling their leaders, and treating whole populations as being of no consequence. Land is thought of as important, but not always the people who live there. If there is a difference of opinion between countries, there is no longer always polite disagreement in diplomatic language – on the contrary, the opposing side may be summarily told that it is wrong! In recent years, we have entered a period in which the larger and more powerful countries once again think that they have the right to use their power against other countries and to speak of them in scornful terms.

This lack of concern for others, lack of respect for others and lack of love for others is part of why the world is so unhappy. It is diametrically the opposite of the Bahá’í approach. Bahá’u’lláh wrote, speaking with the voice of God: “O Children of Men! 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.” We know that we are all formed from the same elements and yet we hear people in the public eye, even people elected to positions of power and honour, speaking to, or about, other people as if they were nothing. In contrast to this, Bahá’u’lláh frequently emphasised that we should look upon every other human as being one of God’s creations – indeed look upon them as if they were a letter from God: “O Son of Man! Deny not My servant should he ask anything from thee, for his face is My face; be then abashed before Me.” If they understood this principle, perhaps all politicians would treat others more respectfully.

In all our dealings with other human beings, Bahá’u’lláh stressed the need for politeness, for courtesy: “O people of God! I admonish you to observe courtesy, for above all else it is the prince of virtues. Well is it with him who is illumined with the light of courtesy and is attired with the vesture of uprightness. Whoso is endued with courtesy hath indeed attained a sublime station.” This is an important aim for all of us.

One of the causes of the decline in love and respect for others is the decline in true religion. Bahá’u’lláh recognised this when He wrote, in the nineteenth century: “The vitality of men’s belief in God is dying out in every land; nothing short of His wholesome medicine can ever restore it. The corrosion of ungodliness is eating into the vitals of human society.” True religion is a positive force because it teaches us how to behave towards others. An example of this is the following passage from Bahá’u’lláh:
“Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbour, and look upon him with a bright and friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an answerer of the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge. Be fair in thy judgement, and guarded in thy speech. Be unjust to no man, and show all meekness to all men. Be as a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression. Let integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine acts. Be a home for the stranger, a balm to the suffering, a tower of strength for the fugitive. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring. Be an ornament to the countenance of truth, a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind, an ensign of the hosts of justice, a luminary above the horizon of virtue, a dew to the soil of the human heart, an ark on the ocean of knowledge, a sun in the heaven of bounty, a gem on the diadem of wisdom, a shining light in the firmament of thy generation, a fruit upon the tree of humility.”

If someone truly followed the advice to be, “fair in thy judgement, and guarded in thy speech”, “unjust to no man, and show[ing] all meekness to all men”, and being “a fruit upon the tree of humility”, they would be courteous to all. All those in positions of power and authority should be setting us an example in their behaviour, and showing everyone courtesy – the prince of virtues.

“It is important to limit riches”

Not long ago, the shareholders of a large company voted to accept an arrangement by which their Chief Executive would receive remuneration which amounts to nearly one trillion dollars. This would occur in ten years’ time - should he meet certain performance targets. This amount of money has never been paid (or promised) to one individual before, and has been promised in an era during which millions of people around the world receive little or no income at all. Is this fair or right?

From the point of view of the shareholders, yes it is. As they see it, they have invested their money, and if the company succeeds in manufacturing the target numbers of cars and robots, then they themselves will receive financial rewards. Yes, they have some money, but they want more of it. As the particular Chief Executive involved is simultaneously involved in so many other companies and enterprises, the shareholders need him to stay on track, to keep focused on the car company, to make more money for them.

It is possible, at the present time in history, to amass enormous fortunes. You need to be enterprising, to be hard-working, to have imagination, to take initiative, and probably need also to invest money – not to mention have a modicum of luck! - in order to make this sort of fortune. As a general rule, you need to spend money to make money, so it also helps if you have significant wealth to start with. In previous periods of history, wealth might be generated through conquest, through land ownership, through social position, or through dishonesty. But currently, by setting up manufacturing enterprises, by offering services, or by creating multiple sales outlets, an individual can create the possibility of amassing huge wealth in a relatively short time.

But is it right that some people amass such huge personal fortunes that they can entertain themselves by buying up luxury yachts, sports teams, golf courses, hotels and multiple business enterprises, while other people have no homes, no employment, no security, no support and not enough food? Is it right that some parts of the world enjoy great wealth and then complain when other people, who have very little, risk life and limb to reach those same parts of the world? Bahá’u’lláh, the Founder of the Bahá’í Faith, seemed to speak with the Voice of God when He addressed those with wealth, saying:
“O Ye Rich Ones on Earth! The poor in your midst are My trust; guard ye My trust, and be not intent only on your own ease.” Clearly, in Bahá’u’lláh’s eyes, the rich should be protecting and helping the poor. In the same way, Bahá’u’lláh, again speaking with the Voice of God, says:
“Tell the rich of the midnight sighing of the poor, lest heedlessness lead them into the path of destruction, and deprive them of the Tree of Wealth. To give and to be generous are attributes of Mine; well is it with him that adorneth himself with My virtues.” Bahá’u’lláh is not denying rich people their comfort, but is encouraging them to be generous, and to share their wealth with others.

So the Bahá’í position is that wealth can legitimately and honestly be created, but it should be shared more equally. Bahá’u’lláh’s son, Abdu’l-Bahá, said:
“Certainly, some being enormously rich and others lamentably poor, an organisation is necessary to control and improve this state of affairs. It is important to limit riches, as it is also of importance to limit poverty. Either extreme is not good.”  This was said over 100 years ago, and since then more and more wealth has accumulated in a smaller percentage of the population. Unlimited wealth for some leads to deprivation for others, and even those who possess it may find that it becomes a burden. Therefore, it is necessary to bring in laws designed to share wealth more evenly. Abdu’l-Bahá explained, “There must be special laws made, dealing with these extremes of riches and of want.” In effect, in just the same way that some countries now have a minimum wage, there needs to be some sort of ceiling put on personal wealth, some sort of maximum income.

There are other Bahá’í teachings, too, which are designed to ensure a fairer distribution of wealth. One of these is profit-sharing: “The appropriation of excessive wealth by a few individuals, notwithstanding the needs of the masses, is unfair and unjust… The best course is to seek moderation [and] to allot [the workers] a share of the total profits of the factory.” There is also voluntary giving by the wealthy:  “And among the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is voluntary sharing of one’s property with others among mankind. This voluntary sharing is greater than equality… man should not prefer himself to others, but rather should sacrifice his life and property for others.” There are some very wealthy people who have given large quantities of their fortune away to help others, but they are the exception rather than the rule.  For the Bahá’ís there is also a voluntary form of tax, in which any individual whose wealth increases by a certain amount pays 19% of this increase to go to the community funds.

Many of the Bahá’í teachings which are relevant to a fairer economic system would be difficult to implement at present, because there is no institution which is capable of introducing universal change. The world is divided up into self-governing territories, each of which can make its own laws, even if they have a detrimental effect on others. A law designed to put a cap on gross personal wealth has to be world-wide. Otherwise, the super-rich merely move their money from one jurisdiction to another. The Bahá’í teachings advocate the institution of a world administration which can implement world-wide economic laws and bring about social justice. We also need society to see the world in spiritual terms, with the goal of each person being to grow spiritually, rather than the accumulation of material wealth. Everyone would then see that justice requires that everyone should be able to live in reasonable comfort.

Both as individuals and as society, we need to have spiritual and social goals in order for the world to develop in a balanced way. For that to happen, we not only need to limit poverty, we also need to limit riches.