Every society wishes for the well-being of its younger generations and is challenged to provide the knowledge, wisdom, and support necessary for youth to navigate the world they inherit, and to live meaningful lives of accomplishment.
Despite the extraordinary advancements made over the last decades, youth everywhere face an unprecedented constellation of social forces. The convergence of these forces has resulted in a bewildering landscape: the accelerating threat of climate change and its catastrophic consequences; the enervating effects of extreme materialism; the rise in youth radicalization; mass migrations of young people fleeing insecurity and war or seeking economic opportunity, often under harrowing and heartbreaking conditions; the depletion of the youth population in certain societies; the high rates of unemployment and poverty; the normalization and legalization of drug use and the rise in substance abuse and addiction; the proliferation and easy accessibility of pornography online and the impact on sexual violence and the degradation of the human being, especially women and girls; a mental health crisis affecting the young in many countries; the sophisticated networks of underground slavery that exploit vulnerable populations for economic gain; the numbness engendered by violence in the media; and the nascent and poorly understood effects of social media, virtual worlds, and artificial intelligence—these are but a sample of the phenomena that those growing up today must, in one form or another, navigate.
Under no illusion about the state of the world, the Bahá’í community has sought to create environments that can nurture and support youth from every background, through the various stages of their lives, and can aid them to contribute to the betterment of society. Its experience has confirmed that in youth lie the seeds of profound social transformation. In vast numbers of young people, the Bahá’í community has encountered a limitless well of optimism and hope and of aspirations for a just and unified world. By 2021, a dynamic, growing movement of youth was emerging to take its place at the forefront of social change—youth who “have no ambition except to revive the world, to ennoble its life, and regenerate its peoples.”1Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, https://www.bahai.org/r/529444114
The following is a brief review of some current programs aimed at the spiritual and intellectual empowerment of young people—Bahá’ís and those who are increasingly drawn to the vision in the Bahá’í teachings of a more just and unified world. While such efforts are modest and nascent, they offer a glimmer of real hope for the future and are explored here in that spirit.
COURSES OF THE TRAINING INSTITUTE
With the establishment of the institute process, and its refinement over many years of experience, the Bahá’í community has developed a powerful means by which to imbue young people with a strong sense of purpose to take ownership of their own spiritual and intellectual growth and to direct their energies towards constructive social transformation. In its approach, the institute process helps young people apply the knowledge they glean through study of sacred writings to their local circumstances, enabling them to take practical steps in applying spiritual principles to the betterment of their communities. Often, youth go through the sequence of courses offered by the training institute together, at times in intensive settings that enable them to progress rapidly and apply what they are learning in acts of service.
Growing numbers of youth have been at the forefront of coordinating community-building efforts in virtually every type of setting. Especially powerful has been the youth’s part in nurturing those younger than themselves. With the training provided through the institute process and a system of support and accompaniment, youth have become, in large numbers, the teachers of children’s classes and the animators, or facilitators, of junior youth groups. The Bahá’í community has begun to witness the potential of youth to create a movement of positive change, albeit still at an early stage, characterized by love and service, and to bring along with them the next generation. Where such an advance at the level of culture has been experienced, the ripple effects on the wider community have been palpable, impacting families and the community in various important ways, including the reduction of destructive behaviors, the empowerment of whole families to contribute to the progress of their community, and the increased value placed in a whole community on knowledge and education.
THE JUNIOR YOUTH SPIRITUAL EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM
In the early stages of the 25-year-long series of plans, as a result of witnessing the idealism and energy of so many young people, the Bahá’í community began to give focused attention to the moral and spiritual development of adolescents through the establishment of a program for the spiritual empowerment of 12-to-15-year-olds, referred to as “junior youth.” Targeted by propaganda of all kinds, junior youth can be especially vulnerable to negative influences and destructive peer pressures. Society may view this population as problematic or self-absorbed. However, the experience of the Bahá’í community has demonstrated in junior youth a host of positive characteristics that, through education and an empowering environment, can be cultivated, including altruism, an acute sense of justice, an eagerness to care for the planet, and a desire to understand life’s purpose and contribute to creating a better world.
The junior youth spiritual empowerment program emerged out of a learning process of Bahá’í and Bahá’í-inspired agencies aimed at providing youth with the opportunity to explore themes and concepts and to engage in activities that enable them to have greater agency in shaping their destiny and contributing meaningfully to social change. The content of the courses explores themes from a Bahá’í perspective, but not in a mode of religious instruction. As the program spread worldwide, it demonstrated an ability to help its participants analyze the constructive and destructive forces operating in society and recognize the influence these forces exert on their thoughts and actions. The program aims to enhance certain important capacities such as spiritual perception, powers of expression, and moral sensibilities. The emerging strong sense of purpose, intertwined with acts of service, unites the fulfillment of individual potential with the advancement of society.
At the time of this writing, the program is being carried out in more than 170 countries. The training course “Releasing the Powers of Junior Youth,” which raises up animators of junior youth groups, has been completed by over 154,000 individuals around the world, and over 255,000 junior youth are participating in the program. It is estimated that the number of junior youth who have completed at least one text is some one million.
The considerable demand for the program experienced worldwide has prompted the establishment of a network of sites for the dissemination of learning in all continents, some 60 of which are currently in operation to provide training to coordinators of the program and help systematize and diffuse knowledge accruing in diverse contexts.
The response from society has been noteworthy. “Only the capacity of the Bahá’í community,” the Universal House of Justice wrote in 2010, “limits the extent of its response to the demand for the program by schools and civic groups.”2Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the world, Riḍván 2010, https://www.bahai.org/r/178319844.
PREPARATION FOR SOCIAL ACTION
Preparation for Social Action (PSA) is one of the educational programs developed in the context of social and economic development efforts inspired by the Bahá’í teachings. The program seeks to raise up individuals of progressively higher proficiency within a region, capable of applying scientific knowledge together with spiritual principles to advance particular processes of community life related, for example, to health, food production and security, education, and the environment.
The program builds the capabilities of participants to become promoters of community well-being. Groups of youth around the world study the PSA curriculum in informal settings over a period of two to three years. As participants advance through the program, they are able to undertake a wide range of initiatives to address the needs of their villages and towns—initiatives that arise out of participants’ growing understanding of their social reality.
PSA emerged out of a long-term learning process that began in the late 1970s, when Fundación para la Aplicación y Enseñanza de la Ciencia (FUNDAEC) undertook an action-research initiative in partnership with the population of the Norte del Cauca region in Colombia. The aim was to generate knowledge that would assist the region’s rural population, especially its youth, to withstand accelerating forces of social disintegration and the overwhelming drivers of rural-to-urban migration. The aims of the learning process were not only to help young people to find viable ways to stay in their villages and towns, but also to raise their capacity to contribute to the progress and prosperity of their communities.
From the outset, the foundational principles of FUNDAEC’s efforts—the principles of the oneness of humanity and of justice—were explicit. It was the conviction of FUNDAEC that participation of rural populations could only meaningfully be achieved if the people themselves were able to choose and walk their own path of development. Such an approach was, at that time, in contrast to many of the prevalent approaches in the development field—approaches that generally involved local populations participating in plans designed by organizations from the outside.
FUNDAEC’s educational materials were gradually developed in the context of growing experience on the ground. Given the high academic level of the curriculum, it was eventually accredited as a formal secondary program known as Sistema de Aprendizaje Tutorial (SAT). One of the remarkable achievements of SAT was that the educational outcomes of those in rural areas were on par with those from urban centers. In fact, SAT participants scored some of the highest marks in their region on state exams. Perhaps more significantly, though, the program enabled its participants to dedicate their new knowledge and skills, and their time and effort, to the development of their own communities. “SAT students learn for life; others learn for exams” became a sentiment associated with the program.
In the early 2000s, in response to a growing interest in the SAT materials by a number of organizations around the world, FUNDAEC revised a portion of the SAT curriculum to create the PSA program. The 25 units that make up the program help participants cultivate capabilities in three categories: moral capabilities, capabilities related to forms of knowledge (the sciences, mathematics, history, and language), and capabilities connected with service to the community. Participants begin learning about and engaging in different processes of community life such as those related to health, food, education, and the environment.
Since its emergence in 2006, PSA has been implemented in some 20 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific, reaching more than 17,000 participants. A number of other countries are taking initial steps to introduce the program.
YOUTH CONFERENCES
With a growing movement of youth on every continent, the Universal House of Justice announced in 2013 plans for 95 youth conferences around the world, with an additional 19 conferences added shortly after to accommodate the large number of young people wishing to participate.
Open to all people between the ages of 15 and 30, the series of conferences catalyzed a global youth movement arising from the impact of the programs of training institutes and other educational initiatives aimed at their spiritual and intellectual development. Over a four-month period, more than 80,000 participants attended. An additional cohort of some 100,000 participated in follow-up gatherings.
The conference program enabled participants to explore such themes as the characteristics inherent to the period of youth, the historical contributions of young people to the transformation of society, the responsibilities of the present generation of youth, the society-building power of the Bahá’í teachings, and the importance of faith and tenacity to a life of service.
The conferences led “to an inclusive and ever-expanding conversation” and a “pattern of action of far-reaching consequence regarding how to live a coherent life and be an agent of spiritual and social transformation.”3Universal House of Justice to the participants in the forthcoming 114 youth conferences throughout the world, 1 July 2013, https://www.bahai.org/r/414514878; Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the world, 5 December 2013, https://www.bahai.org/r/ 189998829
THE INSTITUTE FOR STUDIES IN GLOBAL PROSPERITY
Another important development in the period under review has been the efforts made by the Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity (ISGP), an educational and research organization established in 1999. ISGP provides a forum for the exploration of concepts and the analysis of processes that give shape to humanity’s search for global peace and prosperity.
Alongside its research initiatives, ISGP offers annual seminars for university students. The seminars seek to “raise the consciousness of youth about the importance of engaging in action and discourse directed towards social change” and to help them “understand and analyze the culture in which they are immersed as well as the content of the university courses they are studying.” Ultimately, ISGP has created a program that aids university students to “assume ownership of their education” and “assist them in their efforts to acquire the kind of knowledge that will enable them to live fruitful, productive and meaningful lives.”4Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity, https://www.globalprosperity.org/lines-of -action/educational-efforts-for-young-adults/
Encouraged to see in education a more expansive purpose than what is commonly promoted, the students are challenged to think beyond superficial or simplistic conceptions of social change, of science, of religion, and of the purpose of education itself. In addition, students explore how the spiritual and material dimensions of life reinforce each other, especially at such an important juncture of their lives as they choose their professions and determine a path for their future. Throughout the four years of study, youth also review different aspects of the efforts undertaken by the Bahá’í community, explore some of the fundamental concepts and principles that sustain its work, and reflect on ways to raise their own capacity to contribute at higher and higher levels of sophistication and effectiveness to the betterment of humanity.
In 2006, 30 participants attended the very first ISGP seminar for undergraduate students, which was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The seminars have since been extended to more than 50 units, serving over 100 countries in Africa, the Arab region, Australasia, Europe, Latin America, North America, and South and Southeast Asia. To date some 8,000 youth have participated in at least the first year of the program and around 1,700 have completed all four years. In 2008, ISGP also began to offer a seminar for graduates and young professionals, which has now extended to five regions: Australasia, Europe, North America, Latin America, and South and Southeast Asia—and over 1,500 individuals have attended.
YOUTH IN THE VANGUARD
When viewed together, the educational programs highlighted here—the training institute, the junior youth spiritual empowerment program, Preparation for Social Action, and the seminars offered by the Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity—all seek to foster the spiritual and intellectual capacities of young people. These include, for instance, the capacities to independently investigate reality, to consult with others in seeking a more well-rounded and precise understanding of the world around them, to think clearly and in a nuanced manner, to develop their powers of expression, and to work together in efforts aimed at the progress of their communities. These capacities, and many others developed through participation in the programs described, underpin a host of other initiatives to support the academic success of young people and to fix their footsteps firmly on a path of productive work and of service to humanity.
In the years ahead it is anticipated that, against a backdrop of turbulence and social unrest in societies throughout the world, these educational programs will assist youth to navigate the critical years of their lives and to channel their aspirations for a better world into meaningful action. The Universal House of Justice, ever confident in the potentialities of youth to build the world anew, looks to them “to expand the horizons of what the Bahá’í community can accomplish.5Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the world, 1 May 2013, https://www.bahai.org/r/947260557.
Quoting the Bible, a student of mine once said: “The light was in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.” The wisdom embodied in these simple words often guide me when, in my work as a professor and practicing psychologist, I encounter people who are suffering what philosophers have called “existential stress.”
Existential stress is specific to humans because of the complex inner world we experience through the reach of human consciousness. Unlike other animals, we experience stress related to events that have never occurred and will never occur; we stress over the things that we have done or failed to do; and we stress over the kind of person that we have become or that we wish we were. It is, perhaps, this form of stress that the world’s spiritual traditions have sought, most deeply, to address. As a clinical psychologist I often meet people who are facing existential stress. Over the course of my career, I have come to appreciate more fully how the suffering that it gives rise to, while potentially devastating, also represents an opportunity for profound development. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá1The eldest Son of Bahá’u’lláh and Head of the Bahá’í Faith from 1892 to 1921. See https://www.bahai.org/abdul-baha/ during His historic travels to the West from 1911 to 1913, spoke about this reality of the human condition:
The mind and spirit of man advance when he is tried by suffering. The more the ground is ploughed the better the seed will grow, the better the harvest will be. Just as the plough furrows the earth deeply… so suffering and tribulation free man from the petty affairs of this worldly life until he arrives at a state of complete detachment… Man is, so to speak, unripe: the heat of the fire of suffering will mature him. Look back to the times past and you will find that the greatest men have suffered most.
Some years ago, a twenty-year-old Caucasian male, whom I will call Daniel, was brought to our outpatient clinic by his distressed parents because we handled cases of suffering that did not respond well to anti-depressive and mood-stabilizing medicines. For this reason, most of my patients were desperate and demoralized and some, like Daniel, were also acutely suicidal. During his first visit with me, Daniel said that he would, indeed, kill himself in two months, on his twenty-first birthday.
Among the many things that I learned from exploring his history was that Daniel suffered from poor impulse control. On several occasions, for example, he had completely destroyed his parents’ home due to a sense of “uncontrollable” rage. And although he had never physically hurt another person, Daniel often did things to inflict pain upon himself. One such thing was to “play chicken,” which consists of placing a lit cigarette in the bridge connecting two people’s forearms; the first person to move his/her arm is designated the “chicken.” When Daniel arrived for his first session with me, he proudly displayed a rather severe self-inflicted burn from a couple of days earlier.
Although Daniel’s cognitive and physical development was that of a mature adult, his emotional and social development was clearly delayed. When I first met him, Daniel continued to throw temper tantrums whenever he was frustrated and appeared to lack the self-analytical abilities that one would expect in a twenty-year-old. But these realities did not tell the whole story. In Daniel, I could also see glimmerings of mature thought, of resolve, and of hope. He had successfully completed a drug treatment program and had maintained sobriety for more than a year. His recent cosmetic surgery indicated a desire for self-improvement. And he attended every session with me—even though our meetings were scheduled early every morning, five of seven days a week. In short, Daniel was the kind of person that caused me to think there was, indeed, “light in the darkness.”
The initial and most pressing goal of treatment was to assess Daniel’s potential for suicide and to take any steps necessary to reduce this risk. I should add that I considered the possibility that Daniel’s frequent suicide threats were attempts to control, manipulate, and hurt his parents. In a sense, he regarded his unhappy condition as their fault, and he wanted them to do something about fixing it. Nevertheless, given the prevalence of suicides among males his age, I took Daniel’s suicide threats quite seriously.
I began my meetings with Daniel by sharing with him, quite openly, my hunch that one of the reasons he wanted to kill himself was that he did not like the person he had become and had little hope that he could be different. It seemed clear to me from his response that this observation resonated with him. As a result, I was very open about the goal of our sessions, which was to explore the possibility that, if he really wanted to, he could change his life in ways that mattered and become the kind of person who would deserve his own admiration and respect. Almost immediately I saw in Daniel a flash of optimism, a ray of light, that could be nurtured.
The insights I gained from our first sessions helped me to decide how to proceed. The theory of suicide I chose to work under was developed by social scientist Roy Baumeister. Baumeister’s research suggests that, oftentimes, suicide does not derive from a desire to die but is animated by a longing to escape painful self-awareness.2Baumeister, R. (1991). Escaping the Self: Alcoholism, Spirituality, Masochism, and Other Flights from the Burden of Selfhood. New York: Basic Books. Thus, people who do not like the person that they have become and who feel hopeless about the prospects of changing, or who simply have no idea about how they might go about the process of changing, are more likely to have thoughts of killing themselves. This is particularly true when other attempts to escape an undesirable self prove futile.
Before meeting Daniel, I had long felt that the great spiritual and philosophical traditions contain insights that could be of benefit in these conditions. The sacred texts from the world’s great faiths teach us that enduring happiness is not an inevitable by-product of material conditions but is dependent upon the development and exercise of moral and spiritual capacities. In a well-known treatise, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá elaborated on this very point:
And the honor and distinction of the individual consist in this, that he among all the world’s multitudes should become a source of social good. Is any larger bounty conceivable than this, that an individual, looking within himself, should find that by the confirming grace of God he has become the cause of peace and well-being, of happiness and advantage to his fellow men? No, by the one true God, there is no greater bliss, no more complete delight.3‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Secret of Divine Civilization: www.bahai.org/r/006593911
And Aristotle, in the Nichomachean Ethics, articulated the theory of “eudaimonism,” which posits that, beyond a healthy brain and body, human happiness is conditional upon moral behavior.4In the Nicomachean Ethics Aristotle wrote, “The good of man is the active exercise of his soul’s faculties in conformity with excellence and virtue.” In describing Aristotle’s perspective, contemporary philosophers Jennifer and Michael Mulnix have written:
…eudaimonism holds that happiness consists in fully actualizing yourself or fulfilling your personal potential as a human person. Your potential is not limited only to your ability to experience pleasures and satisfactions, but also includes your ability to reason, to be morally virtuous, and to exercise autonomy, among other things. So there are things independent of your first-hand experience of life that can make your life go better and that are a part of your happiness, whether you recognize them or not and whether you value them or not. To be happy, then, is to live a complete life that lacks nothing of value – to flourish as a human person.5J.W. Mulnix & M. J. Mulnix (2015). Happy Lives, Good Lives: A Philosophical Examination. Tonawanda, NY: Broadview Press.
Within this theoretical framework, I regarded Daniel’s drug use as an earlier attempt not only to “enjoy himself” but also to reduce painful self-awareness. When the escape provided by drugs proved to be insufficiently gratifying, Daniel abandoned it and began to pursue other options, including suicide and grandiose attempts to demonstrate his worth—like engaging in the game of “chicken.”
In the weeks that followed, Daniel and I explored what it might look like to strive to be noble. We asked ourselves what would be required of us if we wished to feel as though we were becoming the kind of human being who is worthy of respect. In our exploration of these themes, we examined a wide range of ideas. We drew insights from the Western science of psychology that has shown how habitual ways of thinking can prevent us from achieving happiness and from the Eastern traditions that tend to focus on the pursuit of self-knowledge and self-mastery as prerequisites for well-being.
From The Analects, a work of the Chinese sage, Confucius, for example, we reflected together on this:
The ancients who wished to illustrate illustrious virtue throughout the empire, first ordered well their own States. Wishing to order well their States, they first regulated their families. Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated their persons. Wishing to cultivate their persons, they first rectified their hearts. Wishing to rectify their hearts, they first sought to be sincere in their thoughts. Wishing to be sincere in their thoughts, they first extended to the utmost their knowledge. Such extension of knowledge lay in the investigation of things.6Confucius, The Great Learning. The Four Books: The Chinese-English Bilingual Series of Chinese Classics, p. 3. (1992 Translation by Publisher) Hunan Publishing House.
What might it mean, we asked one another, to “illustrate illustrious virtue”; to “cultivate” one’s person; to “rectify one’s heart”; to be “sincere” in one’s thoughts; to “investigate” things?
In addition, we considered how our explorations might invite meditation on those aspects of our selves that are, like rare jewels, hidden from us, and thus require effort if they are to be brought forth—a concept conveyed in the following words of Bahá’u’lláh:
Thou art even as a finely tempered sword concealed in the darkness of its sheath and its value hidden from the artificer’s knowledge. Wherefore come forth from the sheath of self and desire that thy worth may be made resplendent and manifest unto all the world.7From: The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, no. 72., retrieved from: https://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/HW/hw-145.html
What might be meant by the “sheath of self”? How does selfishness render the more beautiful aspects of ourselves dark and invisible? How can pursuing our whims and desires prevent us from manifesting the qualities that we long to embody? What, exactly, are the inner qualities that we find ourselves in search of?
Thus, the first step in changing ourselves, we noted to each other, is in acknowledging the areas in which we need to change. We discussed Daniel’s upbringing and how his parents’ generosity and permissiveness had enabled him to get away with behaviors that he should have long since outgrown; how his drug use had prevented him from feeling and processing the kinds of emotions that can serve as guides that facilitate the development of insight and self-knowledge; and how, although he had the body and capacities of an adult, he was still behaving somewhat like a child. Such behavior, we concluded, kept him in a constant state of inner turmoil and prevented him from developing a positive sense of self.
In order to reinforce the idea that he could change, together we constructed a self-report rating instrument that enabled Daniel to reflect upon himself along several important dimensions of life. We resolved that we would make effort every day to improve in each of the areas of growth that he had identified. We noted that life would provide opportunities for development each day by presenting us with moral, psychological, and spiritual challenges. When these challenges arose, we would, with resolve, meet them confidently and would endeavor to do what seemed to be the right thing, even if doing such a thing felt difficult or even impossible. Sometimes we would be successful, we noted, and other times not; what is important is not so much the outcome, but the sincerity of our effort. I told him that it would probably be very difficult at first, but that with practice, he would soon find himself gaining the power necessary to act in ways that he respected.
We explored some of the prayers that have been part of the spiritual heritage of humankind and that others have used over the ages to clarify their values and seek help from the unseen realm. From the Native American peoples, we called upon this prayer:
O Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the wind,
Whose breath gives life to all the world.
Hear me; I am small and weak.
I need your strength and wisdom.
Help me seek pure thoughts and act with the intention of helping others.
Help me find compassion without empathy overwhelming me.
I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother,
but to fight my greatest enemy – Myself…
Make me always ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes,
so when life fades, as the fading sunset,
my spirit may come to you
without shame.8Anonymous Native American Indian prayer, retrieved from: https://www.worldprayers.org/archive/prayers/invocations/oh_great_spirit_whose_voice.html
From the Buddhist tradition, we searched out inspiration in verses like this: “As Wind carries our prayers for Earth and All Life, may respect and love light our way. May our hearts be filled with compassion for others and for ourselves. May peace increase on Earth. May it begin with me.”9Tibetan Wind Horse Prayer.
To further reinforce Daniel’s belief in his ability to change, we drew upon the power of meditation. In a public talk in London in 1913, long before its many benefits were revealed by researchers in medicine and psychology, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá drew attention to the many benefits of meditation. He said:
… while you meditate you are speaking with your own spirit. In that state of mind you put certain questions to your spirit and the spirit answers: the light breaks forth and the reality is revealed…
The spirit of man is itself informed and strengthened during meditation; through it affairs of which man knew nothing are unfolded before his view. Through it he receives Divine inspiration, through it he receives heavenly food…Through the meditative faculty…colossal undertakings are carried out…10Address by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at the Friends Meeting House, St. Martin’s Lane, London, Sunday, January 12th, 1913, retrieved from: https://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/PT/pt-55.html
I also often borrowed illuminating stories about those who had lived lives of excellence by overcoming some great difficulty, fault, or challenge. I engaged with him in breathing processes that helped him to metabolize anxiety and frustration and assisted him to develop a sense of himself that transcended his tendency to think of himself largely in bodily terms.
Finally, on the weekend before his birthday, I recounted to Daniel all the progress that had been made. I told him how proud I was of him but also how I feared that he might make a suicide attempt just to save face—especially because he had promised so many people for so long that he would do it. I told him that this was, perhaps, the ultimate test of his growing maturity, self-respect, and self-control. I closed the session by telling him the following story:
Many years ago, on an Indian reservation, there lived a young Caucasian boy who was known for his mistreatment and disrespect of Native Americans. Whenever he would encounter a Native American, he would make a special effort to embarrass them. One day, with malice in his heart, he went to see an old man who was known among the tribe as a wise elder. The young boy’s desire was to show the elder that he was really a fool — so he caught a bird, cupped it in his hands, and took it to the old man asking: “Old man, is the bird dead or alive?” The old man knew that if he said the bird was dead, the young boy would simply open his hands and let the bird go free; conversely, if the old man said that the bird was alive, the young boy would squeeze it to death. The old man paused for a moment and gently noted: “Young man, the bird is in your hands.”
I said to Daniel that when a person passes through adolescence and comes of age, his life and destiny are largely in his own hands; he alone can decide the ultimate course and quality of that life.
The next Monday, on his birthday, Daniel did not show up for our session but called me from Florida to tell me that he was fine and that he had driven there to spend some time with his favorite aunt and to share with her how much he had been changing. Soon after, he returned and resumed his daily sessions with me. From that point onward, his progress was exceptional. Before he ended the program, he had gotten his own apartment and was going to work regularly. In addition, his depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation had completely disappeared. When I encountered him two years later while walking through the neighborhood grocery store, he introduced me to his wife and said, with a face wreathed in smiles, that they were preparing for their first child.
Daniel’s effort to achieve greater levels of maturity was, of course, not over. As with all of us, his struggle would certainly extend across time and be manifested in a myriad ways. There are recognizable stages on this journey, and it appeared that Daniel had reached an important milestone. He was at least aware, for example, that existential suffering tends to have a cause, that the lessons embodied in such suffering can foster our development, and that this uniquely human form of suffering can be overcome as we bring our lives into conformity with universal principles and values. And while Daniel might have spoken about the work that we had been doing together in terms that are wholly secular, from the perspective of the Bahá’í teachings, no matter our beliefs, the greater the fidelity of our behavior to certain universal principles and values—such as love, forgiveness, service to humankind, humility, patience, and purity of heart—the greater the quality of our life and development.
Indeed, although the moral and spiritual truths that animate reality have been reiterated from age to age by the Founders of the world’s great religions, they are also truths that are being discovered empirically through the sciences of psychology, medicine, and public health. These principles, therefore, are not simply ideas that can be accepted or rejected according to human preferences; they are, rather, associated with powers that are as objective in their influence as the electromagnetic force, the gravitational pull of the planets, and the strong and weak nuclear forces of nature. One might hypothesize that as science and religion—the two most potent epistemic systems—are more deeply integrated in the search for knowledge and wisdom, our understanding of how these universal principles are manifested in the various dimensions of life will be enriched.
One might say, then, that Daniel’s early approach to life was one that did not take into consideration the possibility of growth and development. His attitude and behavior toward himself and his parents were animated by anger and hostility; by impatience and self-righteousness. Thus he behaved in ways that violated fundamental universal principles, undermining his development and inflicting upon himself and others suffering so severe that he could contemplate no remedy but death. As he began, however, to replace old patterns of behavior with a pattern that better reflected his innate nobility, he began, quite naturally, to feel happier, more hopeful and content. In this way did Daniel begin to move out of darkness into light.