The Baha’i faith teaches that world peace is inevitable, and that ordinary people can do extraordinary things to help bring it about. If you look around the country, you will see that there are a growing number of people who work to bring unity to our diversity, and to build models of understanding, cooperation and collective action to overcome the barriers that perpetuate conflict and sabotage our progress toward social justice.

I urge you to find the models of unity that exist around us, and then work to make these efforts visible, to give each one a face and a name and to show their social effects. As we highlight and replicate these models, we can foster a new consciousness and a new expectation that we have the power to transform society on a global scale.

Remember that the end of slavery, the emancipation of women, the global movement of civil rights and the growing cooperation among nations on global issues did not arise spontaneously. These turning points in human history grew out of the determined efforts of countless individuals whose efforts grew from a ripple to an inexorable tidal wave of change that reordered society.

Understanding that this kind of individual transformation is possible, and appreciating the radical, transforming effects it can have on society, turns hope into confidence that change can really be made. That peace is not some vague and pious hope, but the inevitable outcome of the realization of the essential oneness of humanity.

After all, humanity has gone through an evolutionary process and has seen the establishment of the family, the tribe, the city-state and the nation. With each stage of human evolution, there were trials, conflicts, bloody wars, terrible setbacks and losses. But every new stage of unity was successfully established. Why, then, would we think that we cannot make the transition from national sovereignty to global society, the consummation of human evolution, the fruit, the end, and the aim of all that has come before?

Peace will be established by ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Global change begins with grassroots efforts that individuals initiate, replicate and support. It can all begin with you. As ‘Abdu’l Bah

Meaningful social transformation flows from spiritual awareness. A social order that ensures the well-being of all its members will not come about through the application of political prescriptions or technical recipes alone, however ingenious they may be. Constructive, enduring social change can only come from achieving coherence among the spiritual, moral and practical aspects of daily life. A just social policy will emerge only when human relations and social arrangements are infused with spiritual intent, an intent characterized by an all-embracing equity, unconditional love and an ethos of service.

In the Baha’i view, fostering constructive change is intimately linked to raising human capacity. Human beings are not regarded as a source of endless problems, but rather as rich in potential and capable of transforming their individual and collective circumstances. True capacity-building involves equipping people with tools that allow them to effectively address the complex social realities they face. This entails the development of concepts, skills, attitudes and qualities that promote learning about social and economic advancement, and deepen human solidarity.

A unique set of tenets and practices characterizes the Baha’i approach to social transformation: open and inclusive consultative decision making, participatory learning, and sustainable grassroots activity. Social development must be an organic process where the people most affected are directly engaged in identifying and addressing their needs. Although a focus on grassroots action is critical, this does not preclude outside entities from playing a catalytic role in assisting communities to carry out programs and realize their aspirations.

Nothing short of an awakening of the human spirit can imbue a desire for true social change and instill confidence that such change is indeed possible. To build a new world requires a recasting of conceptions concerning human nature and society. It calls for conviction in recognizing the underlying goodness and oneness of human beings, and an attitude of service to all people. It implies a fresh vision of human purpose and contentment – one that integrates the aspirations of the individual with the common good and responds to both the mind and the heart. Above all, it is a task that can be realized only through spiritual understanding and resolve. As Baha’u'llah urges: “Strive thou, that haply thou mayest achieve a deed the fragrance of which shall never fade from the earth.”

Nagey serves on the Campus Interfaith Council as a member of the Baha’i Faith. She can be reached at nagy@brookings.net.

#1.884878:3161056744.jpg: dianenagy01_tm.jpg:Dianne Nagy, Religion Columnist:Troy Miller

Consider these riddles:

- A man and his son were rock climbing when they slipped and fell. The man was killed, but the son lived and was rushed to the hospital. The old surgeon looked at the young man and declared, “I can’t operate on this boy: he is my son.” How could this be?

- An electrician and a plumber were waiting in line for admission to the ‘International Home Show.’ One of them was the father of the other one’s son. How is this possible?

The answers (the surgeon was the boy’s mother, and the plumber and electrician were husband and wife) play upon gender biases that permeate our society. Despite the advancement of political and civil rights for women in America and the widespread acceptance of parity in principle, full equality has not been achieved.

While the oppression of women may not be as visible as a veil in the United States, age-old patterns of subordination, reflected in popular culture, literature, art and even religious scriptures, continue to pervade American life. The persistent denial of equality to half of the country’s population promotes destructive attitudes and habits in men and women that pass from the family to the workplace, to political life and, ultimately, to the world at large.

We live in an age of instant gratification, where self-denial is alien to most people. In the land of plenty, observing a religious fast and practicing self-restraint deviates from the norm. Whether a fast involves simply giving up a favorite food, limiting oneself to a liquid diet, or completely abstaining from food and drink for a specified time, it flies in the face of society’s tendency toward self-indulgence.

With President Bush receiving the green light from Congress to attack Iraq, many are left wondering if world peace will ever be a reality. Let me assure you that peace is not only possible, it is inevitable. It is the next stage in the evolution of this planet.

As the human race has matured and received progressive revelations from God, its members have successively established unity of the family, the tribe, the city-state, and the nation. World unity is the next logical step in our social and spiritual progress.

History suggests that the administrative system necessary to govern a global peace will only emerge from the aftermath of a world war without winners. World War I resulted in the establishment of the League of Nations. World War II brought about the United Nations. Neither of these international organizations have been successful at maintaining peace because the victorious powers were unwilling to give up any of their sovereignty.

However, a global war with no victor would likely result in nations willing to relinquish some of their sovereignty to an international body in order to achieve peace and stability.