Baha’i Writings
1. Spiritual / Relational
1.7
Economy
(Cooperation & Reciprocity)
1.7.1
Economy – The well-being of the down-trodden
Thou must show forth that which will ensure the peace and the well-being
of the miserable and the down-trodden.
Gird up the loins of thine endeavor, that perchance thou mayest release
the captive from his chains, and enable him to attain unto true liberty.
(Baha'u'llah:
Gleanings
Pages 92-93)
1.7.2
Economy – Cooperation and Reciprocity
It seems
as though all creatures can exist singly and alone.
For
example, a tree can exist solitary and alone on a given prairie
or in a valley or on the mountainside.
An animal upon a mountain
or a bird soaring in the air might live a solitary life.
They are not in
need of cooperation or solidarity.
Such animated beings enjoy the
greatest comfort and happiness in their respective solitary lives.
On the contrary,
man cannot live singly and alone.
He is in need
of continuous cooperation and mutual help.
For example, a man
living alone in the wilderness will eventually starve.
He can never,
singly and alone, provide himself with all the necessities of existence.
Therefore, he is in need of cooperation and reciprocity.
The mystery of
this phenomenon, the cause thereof is this, that
mankind has been created from one single origin, has branched off
from one family. Thus in reality
all mankind represents one family.
God has not created any difference.
He has created all as one that thus
this family might live in perfect happiness and well-being.
Regarding
reciprocity and cooperation: each
member of the body
politic should live in the utmost comfort and welfare because each
individual member of humanity is a member of the body politic and if
one member of the members be in distress or be afflicted with some
disease all the other members must necessarily suffer.
For example, a
member of the human organism is the eye.
If the eye should be
affected that affliction would affect the whole nervous system.
Hence,
if a member of the body politic becomes afflicted, in reality, from the
standpoint of sympathetic connection, all will share that affliction
since this (one afflicted) is a member of the group of members, a part
of the whole. Is it possible for
one member or part to be in distress and
the other members to be at ease? It
is impossible! Hence God has
desired that in the body politic of humanity each one shall enjoy perfect
welfare and comfort.
`Abdu'l-Baha: Foundations of World
Unity*
Pages 38-39
1.7.3
Economy – Mutual helpfulness and cooperation
…Human brotherhood and dependence exist because mutual helpfulness and
cooperation are the two necessary principles underlying human welfare.
This is the physical relationship of mankind.
There is another brotherhood - the spiritual - which is higher, holier
and superior to all others. It is
heavenly; it emanates from the breaths of the Holy Spirit and the effulgence of
merciful attributes; it is founded upon spiritual susceptibilities. This
brotherhood is established by the Manifestations of the Holy One.
(`Abdu'l-Baha:
Promulgation of Universal Peace*
Pages 150-151)
1.7.4
Economy – The basis of human society
… Because the members of the world of humanity are unable to exist without being
banded together, cooperation and mutual helpfulness is the basis of human
society. Without the realization of
these two great principles no great movement is pressed forward...
(`Abdu'l-Baha:
The Nineteen Day Feast
Pages 430-431)
1.7.5
Economy – Laws and principles of government
The essence of the Bahá'í spirit is that, in order to establish a better social
order and economic condition, there must be allegiance to the laws and
principles of government.
(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 238)
1.7.6
Economy – The divine nature of economic condition
The fundamentals of the whole
economic condition are divine in nature and are associated with the world of the
heart and spirit.
(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 238)