 Good morning, dear friends. It's nice to be here. I don't know where to begin, because there are so many of you I haven't seen in a long time. And it's always so nice to come back and see some of the old friends and make some new ones. And so it's wonderful to be here. And I have to tell you, when I was trying to think of what to say at this conference, I was excited because I love the Association for Baha'i Studies. It has been a key component of my academic life. I knew it when I was a graduate student. So you need to know that I've been with this association for a while. And I just want to really thank the organizers, because we come here and we participate and we see how smoothly everything is moving along and how great everything is organized. But behind the scenes, it's not so easy. And so I really would like to appreciate all the organizers for putting together such a beautiful conference. Also, I tried really hard when I was working on this talk. It was this really neat quote of Beethoven's. And I've been trying to get this somehow into this talk, and I couldn't. But I swear to you, and I have evidence, I didn't remove it. I just highlighted it and said, don't use it. So this morning, I hear this beautiful, magnificent composition and the presentation by Mr. Tuman. And I want to read. Now I know why Beethoven entered this whole enterprise. He says, music is the one in corporeal entrance into the higher world of knowledge which comprehends mankind, but which mankind cannot comprehend. See, I didn't know how to use it, but now I knew. Okay, this brings me to the topic, human knowledge and the emancipation of humankind. Lest you think that I understand human knowledge or the emancipation of humankind, this morning we are simply going to touch upon what my limited understanding of knowledge is, especially from the writings of the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh. And dabbling a little bit into some scholarly works of others. So it's just one perspective. With the advent of the Bob's dispensation in mint 19th century, which paved the way for the emancipation anticipated dawn of the dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh, a vast profusion of knowledge beyond measure has been disclosed to humankind. The knowledge imparted by Bahá'u'lláh challenges and reorients existing perceptions of the material and spiritual aspects of life and demands a response from the individual and social institutions that are appropriate to humankind's age of maturity. Outcome of the vision which this knowledge has imparted to humanity includes such principles as the organic unity of humankind. As constituting in Shoghi Effendi's words, the highest stage in the stupendous evolution of man's collective life on this planet. It encourages an unfettered search after truth. Explains that the role of religion is to expound and articulate the values unfolding progressively through divine revelation. It views science as the instrumentality through which the human mind explores and is able to exert its influence ever more precisely over the phenomenal world. Explaining that religion defines goals that serve the evolutionary process and science assists in their attainment. Together they constitute the dual aspects of knowledge system, impelling the advance of civilization, mankind's ever-present goal. Other knowledge that has been imparted to humankind by the birth of Bahá'u'lláh's faith is the condemnation of all forms of superstitions and prejudice. For example, the equality of women and men, a principle which was not, as the Universal House of Justice reminds us, a Western construct, but a universal spiritual truth, a statement about human nature that was promulgated by Bahá'u'lláh over 150 years ago in his native Iran. This is a goal, the equality of men and women, now considered obvious knowledge throughout the world, though not yet realized. From its birth the Bahá'u'llh's faith was introduced to humanity as a global religion and in this sense it's very unique and I'm not sure we entirely understand what that means. As a religion which from its inception addressed the peoples of the West as well as the East and made clear that its reach was intended for the entire world. For over 160 years now this sea of knowledge full of new ideas including deep and ever present vision of the spiritual dimension of life, moral and spiritual principles and laws regarding the operation of our daily life and the purpose behind our creation has been placed in the hands of humanity. This knowledge was proclaimed by the Bab and Bahá'u'lláh to the kings and rulers. It has since been carried to virtually every corner of the world by its adherents as well as its well-wishers. In fact it can be said that from the outset the Bahá'í revelation, the dispersion of knowledge referring to the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh has been wherever circumstances permit openly and enthusiastically shared with the generality of humankind. This sea of knowledge belongs to humankind. Sharing knowledge and more importantly the application of knowledge through both individual and collective effort and actions are at the very heart of Bahá'u'lláh's dispensation. Knowledge receives a vast treatment in the Bahá'í texts. The attainment of knowledge is linked to progress, social progress to spiritual and material change and advancement of individuals and the society. Therefore the attitude that one adopts toward knowledge is fundamental to the formation of social reality. How knowledge is understood, how its meaning is applied and practiced are critical in shaping the kind of society and world civilization that the Bahá'í teachings envision. At the center of this process of knowledge seeking is the human mind and consciousness which is endowed with the capacity to carve and shape this insight into reality in the form of a new global civilization. On contemporary scholars there is a growing concern about the attitude about the present day approach to education, the promotion of knowledge and the advancement of the social order. Many of these scholars are apprehensive about how to pursue with assurance knowledge outside of a purely economic and political framework. Referred to by one sociologist as a market fundamentalism as a neoliberal market mentality education is viewed as a mere tool measured by utilitarian values by its worth in the market. Within this context the broader and deeper culturally edifying component of knowledge is lost. A component which includes such vital elements as the civilizing, enriching and enlightening aspects of culture. A concomitant dissociation between the pursuit of knowledge and civic responsibility permeates this current discourse as well. What should an educated person offer in service to his or her community? One scholar raises the question and I quote is the man or woman of knowledge just a person pursuing knowledge maybe divine, maybe scientific for its own sake? Or is he or she also connected with the life of the community? Such scholars also say that it is unclear as to what the role of education is today in a globalized world where different societies, cultures or civilizations encounter one another in very, very close quarters and often under conditions that do not always produce tolerance and understanding. There is a growing emergence of tension among active participants in society between should the society be universalistic? A society open to everyone? Versus pluralism, one that is composed of several autonomous but interdependent groups which either share power or continuously compete for power? Versus at the extreme of experience totalistic, non-tolerant aspects of living in a globalized world? It is not clear to scholars and others today as to which direction this world is going in. So what is the role of knowledge and education in relation to preparing people to live effectively, successfully in this new world? How can the contestations and conflicts that abound in the world fade away? This morning's presentation examines human knowledge as a means toward the realization of a world civilization as envisaged by Bahá'u'lláh. The first section provides a very brief overview of the concept of knowledge and its treatment in the Baha'i texts followed by a searching reflection of certain themes in the current divine plan which the Baha'is are working hard and serving under as brought forward and promulgated by the Universal House of Justice. In particular, I've only selected three themes which are taken from the Resvan 2010 letter of the Universal House of Justice and the December 28, 2010 letter to the Continental Board of Counselors also of the Universal House of Justice. And these themes include first, knowledge, second, the culture of learning, and third, openness to the wider society. As I said, these themes focus the worldwide Baha'i community's consultation and efforts towards actions relevant to the exercise of knowledge in the construction of a global civilization. Before surveying some of the Baha'i writings on knowledge, two scholarly views are presented about the unparalleled nature of human consciousness and our attempt over the centuries to fully grasp its function and essence. The first is from a philosopher who observes how can it be the case that we have consciousness given that we are entirely composed of unconscious bits of matter. The second is a little bit longer and I'd like you to bear with me, but it's pretty exciting. It is from a neuroscientist who has made the observation about the relationship between mind and body and human consciousness, saying a metaphysically deep question that is left open by nearly all present discussions of the relations between mind and body is why there is a thing like consciousness in the physical universe at all. Natural selection by itself cannot explain the advent of consciousness. It can at most explain why it has been preserved during the evolution from the time when it first emerged. The most plausible account is certainly that the mental did not arise by chance but by nomological necessity so that given the existence of psychophysical natural laws it was inevitable that consciousness made its appearance as soon as biological evolution had progressed so far as to produce the complex neural networks to be found in the brains of higher animals. Then he says, the difficulty is to understand that a chance mutation should have been sufficient to produce something like sensations and thoughts that seem to belong to a category of being so radically different from everything within the world of physics. At this point we seem to arrive at one of the limits set to human understanding. We do not seem to be able from the narrow human perspective to understand the origin and possibly the function of the mental in its totality and he concludes, even if the relations between mental and physical events were as transparent to human knowledge as we could possibly wish the higher order question as to why there is such a relation at all would still be without an answer. Obviously the amazing mystery of this notion of consciousness eventually I'm sure science will be able to tell us more about but this is where we are at this stage. Such observations are helpful as we now examine the concept of knowledge and its treatment in the Bahá'í text. What emerges from this study is the fact that the true and authentic knowledge is far more than an accumulation of information or its manipulation to gain power or simply knowledge acquired for personal gain or status. Some selected extracts I will just read to you from Bahá'u'lláh and you might just reflect on the concept of knowledge in his writings. He says knowledge is as wings to man's life and a ladder for his ascent. Its acquisition is incumbent upon everyone. In truth, knowledge is a veritable treasure for man and a source of glory of bounty, of joy, of exaltation, of cheer and gladness unto him. Happy the man that cleaveth unto it. Get your minds, Bahá'u'lláh writes, and wills to the education of the peoples and kindreds of the earth that happily the dissensions that divide it may through the power of the most great name be blotted out from its face and all mankind become the upholders of one order and the inhabitants of one city. And then just a few from Abdu'l-Bahá. To promote knowledge, Abdu'l-Bahá says, is an inescapable duty, is an inescapable duty imposed on everyone. Human knowledge, Abdu'l-Bahá writes, is of two kinds. One is the knowledge of things perceptible to the senses. That is to say, things which the eyes or ears or smell, taste, touch can perceive which are called objective or sensible. The other kind of human knowledge is intellectual. It is a reality of the intellect. So we can't have anti-intellectual talks because everyone has this capacity for intellect. And he describes this intellect. He says, it has no outward form and no place and is not perceptible to the senses. For example, the power of the intellect is not sensible, it's not like the senses. None of the inner qualities of man is a sensible thing. On the contrary, they are intellectual realities and then he gives this example. So love, love is a mental reality and not sensible. Now you could do a whole thesis on that, literally. He says, so love is mental reality, not sensible. For this reality, the ear does not hear, the eye does not see, the smell does not perceive, the taste does not discern, the touch does not feel. And then he says in another quotation, there are certain pillars, there are certain pillars which have been established as the unshakable support of faith of God. The mightiest of these is learning and the use of the mind, the expansion of consciousness and insight into the realities of the universe and the hidden mysteries of the Almighty God. He says, you must strive with heart and soul that you may become renowned in character and knowledge. So having examined just those very few extracts from both Bahá'u'lláh's and Abdu'l-Bahá's writings, I'd like to now just examine how we actually go about, as human beings, how do we, where do we get knowledge from? Knowledge, spiritual and material, which Bahá'u'lláh has imparted to humankind, is intended to be applied to every aspect of social existence. In this process, the individual and society are both to be changed, to be transformed through the revitalizing influence of the teachings and principles laid down by Bahá'u'lláh. In 1991, the following elucidation was given in a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to two individuals, and I quote, Bahá'u'lláh's believe that the teachings and order of Bahá'u'lláh are the solution to the current problems of mankind. They abstain completely from ever attempting to put them into effect through political action, and you know the political action that it refers to, the bounds that we are not to cross. Only if people voluntarily accept these teachings and submit themselves freely to this order will it be implemented in the world. Bahá'u'lláh should never attempt to impose their belief on anyone. Bahá'u'lláh has given certain teachings which Bahá'u'lláh's believe to be true. They offer these teachings to the rest of mankind. End quote. Bahá'u'lláh teaches that the truths found in religion are revealed by God to humanity through the manifestations of God or the prophets. The truths of religion are thus not discovered by human beings but find their source emanating from the divine being which is veiled and hidden from the sight of humans. God, we cannot know God. Bahá'u'lláh has explained this phenomenon asserting and I quote, there can be no direct interaction to bind God to His creation. Abdul Bahá'u'lláh explains that religion is the necessary connection which emanates from the reality of things and as the supreme manifestations of God are aware of the mysteries of beings, therefore they understand this essential connection and by this knowledge establish the law of God. The human mind then draws this knowledge from religious truths, from spiritual teachings as revealed by the manifestation of God but here the notion of human capacity plays a very significant role in relation to how human capacity relates to the teachings of the manifestation of God. Bahá'u'lláh has written, the revelation of which I am the bearer is adapted to humanity's spiritual receptiveness and capacity. Whatever I manifest is nothing more or less than the measure of divine glory which God has bitten me reveal so even the manifestation can't reveal the totality because we may not be receptive to receive all that knowledge. The prophets of God provide this measure of religious truths and spiritual teachings according to humanity's capacity, humanity's spiritual openness to grasp such truths and teachings. Thus human limitation is the determining factor as to the degree to which truths and spiritual teachings are revealed by God. It is heartening and reassuring to know that in the veiled currents and problematic anxieties of the times we live in that the knowledge which Bahá'u'lláh has imparted to humanity for this age is considered by Baha'is to be the framework for the construction of a new global civilization. But the challenge facing us, scholars and all members of the Baha'i community is to find creative, logical, thoughtful ways to introduce the Baha'i perspective on issues into the public discourse. In terms of attitudes towards knowledge it is helpful to adopt, I think, a strong posture of humility as one studies the Baha'i teachings and explores what a global civilization might look like. It is not so easy to figure out and here we've been asked by the House of Justice to really take on that posture of humility especially as we explore this with the rest of humankind. What is difficult about trying to explore what a global civilization might look like is that we have not had precedence for such a civilization. There has never been a global civilization. Indeed, the whole development of human knowledge and understanding has led us here to humanity's greatest undertaking as it attempts to attain the age of maturity. And this makes the whole enterprise a highly complex work in progress and at the same time propels humankind to new and exciting frontiers. We now come to the next section of the presentation that of examining some of the themes in the recent messages from the Universal House of Justice about the current divine plan which we are now as a worldwide Baha'i community is engaged in. The first one is knowledge surprise. When speaking about constructing a world civilization it is obvious that such an undertaking requires a level of capacity greater than anything humanity has embarked throughout its history. In order to reach such levels of individual and collective capacity building what is called for is a colossal expansion of knowledge. It is this large expansion of human capacity which recalls Shoghi Effendi's use of the terminology entry by troops which is the seminal goal of the current plan engaging the Baha'i world. This plans calls for universal participation. Everyone has a role to play. Everyone should play a role because it will require enormous human capacity and potential. The Universal House of Justice writes that access to knowledge is the right of every human being and participation in its generation in the generation of knowledge and its application and diffusion a responsibility that all must shoulder in the great enterprise of building a prosperous world civilization each individual according to his or her talents and abilities. It's a universal plan. The approach is one of drawing insight and inspiration from the knowledge gleaned and its application of the laws and teachings of the Baha'i faith in active service to the betterment of society. Engagement in this process over time, over long periods of time brings about an ever growing and deeper acquired understanding of the revelation of Baha'u'llah which sets out his vision outlines some of the basic features of the New World Order from the acquisition of knowledge capacity building is enhanced. In fact, it is safe to say that without knowledge there can be no social action which the house calls for. Without knowledge there can be no discourse with society. From the acquisition of knowledge capacity building is enhanced. Understanding of more complex meaning is unraveled. Human consciousness is expanded and this leads to the betterment and advancement of the social condition. Therefore, much more learning is required. Good, solid, secular and religious learning. Secular and religious learning. Both are needed and must be employed in an endeavor to uplift the human condition. Here we draw on each other's diverse capacities and in cooperation and in a spirit of unity try to advance the learning that is required to bring humanity to a more prosperous existence. Shoghi Effendi and you've heard this, I think even this weekend Shoghi Effendi repeatedly so it's a good thing we're repeating stated that the Baha'is should be well equipped that they should have their intellectual as well as spiritual side equally developed. Intellectual as well as their spiritual side equally developed. Shoghi Effendi emphasized the need for the acquisition of all kinds of knowledge. All kinds. Same and I quote, if the Baha'is want to be really effective in teaching the cause they need to be much better informed and able to discuss intelligently, intellectually the present condition of the world and its problems. We need Baha'i scholars Shoghi Effendi continues not only people far, far more deeply aware of what our teachings are but also well read and well educated people capable of correlating our teachings to the current thoughts of the leaders of society. End quote. There is another dimension to this enterprise which involves the importance of striking a balance between spiritual and secular education and knowledge in the development of a global civilization. Shoghi Effendi makes this very clear in his statement that not until and this is really very important he says not until true religion is combined with true ethics can moral progress become a possibility and not a mere ideal. He explains that true religion what is meant by true religion is religion devoid of self-opinionated man-made dogmatism. He further elucidates that divorce from true religion morals lose their effectiveness and cease to guide and controls man's individual and social life and then he concludes not until these two are highly combined and brought into full action can there be any hope for the future of the race. End quote. In correlation of spiritual and secular knowledge its application to social issues requires that we draw from the wealth of knowledge fascinating good sound knowledge which is being generated in all fields of endeavor and invite those of good heart and like mind to participate with us in such a critical process of social, cultural and moral upliftment and advancement. To be involved in the wholesome life of society means that we should celebrate not run away or isolate ourselves from that society and from what that society offers in relation to sound ideas, methods, views which are helpful and essential understanding the human condition. Connected to the vast effort to learn about secular knowledge is a similar process requiring deep in depth study of the major works of not only Baha'u'llah the Bob and Abdu'l Baha but I would like to suggest in particular the writings of Shoghi Effendi Advent of Divine Justice World Order of Baha'u'llah Promise Day is Come Citadel of Faith Baha'i Administration and a myriad of other letters and of course God passes by all of his writings are essential in this process of acquiring knowledge in developing a world civilization It is in these books of Shoghi Effendi that current and future events are described a clear sense of purpose for what is required of the Baha'i community is given in these writings the features and principles of the Baha'i administrative order are meticulously laid out the vision for the future world civilization is set out and profound wisdom, insight and encouragement are offered this knowledge is fundamental in understanding the present and future without a deep sense of penetration into these writings the strategic thinking and abundant effort required to move humanity forward to the next centuries cannot be realized in-depth study of the writings of Shoghi Effendi enables us to really understand the events that are transpiring in the contemporary world his framework for example and I'll just choose one that we all know but I'd like to bring it up again as you have listened to the news and see what's going on around the world you might think of this one framework his framework for example the operation of the two processes integration and disintegration enables us to make sense out of the present as well as the future Shoghi Effendi describes this two volt process and you've read it at work in present day society as consisting on the one hand of a disruptive, disintegrating process one of one which is tearing down with increasing violence the antiquated barriers that seek to block humanity's progress towards its destined goal that's the one process that's disintegrating he even goes as far as to say that if the institutions cannot keep up with what humanity needs as it's evolving then let them be swept aside let new institutions come in how many institutions are you watching today degenerate become ineffective no longer helping out with what they were first intended for and on the other hand Shoghi Effendi describes the process attributed to the unfoldment and the construction of the Baha'i system described as a unifying force one that is Shoghi Effendi says essentially an integrating process associated with the nascent faith of Baha'u'llah and of the destructive forces he says the destructive forces characterize as Shoghi Effendi points out that these should be identified with a civilization that has refused to answer to the expectations of a new age and is consequently falling into chaos and decline there is not time friends but Shoghi Effendi's analysis of Europe of civilizations of the downfall of the various religions of the past etc it's absolutely essential if we are to have both the secular and spiritual knowledge to build and succeed with this civilization that we are so diligently working on so a profound understanding of Shoghi Effendi's writings provides the indispensable means by which today's generation is enabled to build the strong foundation upon which every future generation continues to add to the structure of the civilization that is gradually emerging and let me just interject sometimes it is said well Shoghi Effendi wrote in the 30s 1930s or the 90s and so it's no longer relevant I would like to suggest that that's just an easy way out we need to really study his writings and correlate them with what he is referring to and what's happening today the Universal House of Justice describes this process as follows if the administrative order serves as a pattern for future society then the community within which it is developing must not only acquire capacity to address increasingly complex material and spiritual requirements but also become larger and larger in size this brings me to the second theme of the three regarding what the House of Justice has elaborated in these messages that of learning the Baha'i approach to growth involves support for a culture of learning that means nothing is fixed we are constantly learning the Baha'i writings tell us that the most effective way to learn is by experience by reflection and by action the House of Justice writes so only through continued action reflection and consultation on the part on their part that they will learn to read their own reality see their own possibilities make use of their own resources and respond to the exigencies of growth within the psychological literature on human knowledge I'm getting into dangerous territory because my older sister is a clinical psychologist but I'll try within the psychological literature on human knowledge some have observed that at the knowledge level which consists of information that is acquired from the environment and innate principles of induction and problem solving all learning all learning is a matter of experience stating that the basic view of human behavior is one of a problem solver how exciting I didn't think psychologists had it in them okay, that the basic you see sociologists can't help themselves the basic view of human behavior is one of a problem solver who has a set of operators for solving problems and a set of methods for applying these operators such a system has to start out with a way of extracting operators from experience one neuroethicist in an attempt to answer questions such as what is a person what is the self has made a most interesting statement about the process of human reflection this is when the house keeps asking us to reflect action, reflection, consultation so here's an analysis of the process excuse me of human reflection which is highly relevant to action, reflection, and consultation he writes reflection is essentially problem oriented driven by the need to straighten out the conflicts that have disrupted the ordinary course of our lives and for that reason it cannot stand back from experience as a whole so it's a good thing to have conflict after we reflect and then to try to resolve it this is part of being a human being it's part of the complexity and in our Baha'i communities when sometimes things don't exactly go to my liking and I sense this conflict and friction it's nice to reflect and to try to become a problem solver rather than maybe blaming it on everyone else rather than myself taking the initiative to figure it out so reflection is essentially problem oriented but then he says this is not all the author observes that the reflective stance consists of actualizing a potentiality that is implicit in every acting being and finds its most peculiar expression in humans we could call it the urge to self-reliance or self-determination this must be meant in a very minimal sense namely that it is up to the self to live its own life nobody can live it in its stead a culture of learning implies willingness on the part of every individual to participate in systematic endeavor working together in service to the well-being of the community yet within this focus is the development of the understanding and creation of that important aspect of Bahá'í culture which informs how individuals and Bahá'í institutions operate within a society a society that is aspiring to reach a level of maturity a conditioned paramount with success here learning implies flexibility in thinking it implies flexibility in attitude it calls for an openness of heart and mind towards new ideas new actions, new views this environment for learning calls for the avoidance of behaviors such as excuse me of behaviors that are oppressive to others that deny access to activity to others it also calls for the avoidance as we've been told of false dichotomies or rigid and black and white thinking and encourages the exercise in raising consciousness and cautions against the awakening of the insistent self it employs the necessity for consultation and its essential requisites not manipulation it empowers the reality of each person through encouragement positive planning and systematic action this approach, writes the universal House of Justice, is seen as a striking contrast to the spiritually bankrupt more of a ways of an old social order that so often seeks to harness human energy through domination through greed, through guilt through manipulation learning also requires understanding of those matters which may be subject to change and those which cannot change many areas are open to change but others fall under spiritual laws and principles which cannot be compromised for example, world unity is an unchanging principle elimination of all forms of prejudice is an unchanging principle the relationship between science and religion is an unchanging principle but other subjects but other issues are subject to change and under the guidance of the universal House of Justice we will be able to determine which are subject to change and which are not I now come to the third theme which is openness to the wider society in the House of Justice states indeed the civilization that beckons humanity will not be attained through the efforts of the Baha'i community alone numerous groups and organizations animated by the spirit of world solidarity that is an indirect manifestation of Baha'u'llah's conception of the principle of the oneness of humankind will contribute to the civilization destined to emerge out of the welter and chaos and day society the knowledge and learning that is being generated in the wider society is essential in its application in constructing a world civilization the challenge is to be able to distinguish useful quality knowledge from those that are frivolous groundless and even harmful here it is helpful to recall Abdul Baha'u's guidance that it is impossible for religion to be contrary to science even though some intellects are too weak or too immature to understand truth religion and science are to be the measure of our understanding there is also good and bad science and we also need to be able to distinguish between those not enough can be said about the importance of the creation of a confident community that is comfortable and at ease with the wider society and the many advantageous elements that it has to offer to all aspects of human learning the universal house of justice urges Baha'u to become increasingly involved in the life of society benefiting from its educational programs excelling in its trades and professions learning to employ well its tools and applying themselves to the advancement of its arts and sciences social action and discourses with society two elements discussed in the messages of the house of justice will gradually evolve as knowledge, learning and involvement in the wider much wider society become commonplace in the life of the individual and community now to conclude never before in human history has there been an opportunity such as the one available to all today wherein every individual is able to fully in participate in the dissemination of spiritual and secular knowledge towards the establishment of a global civilization in having explored and reviewed the place of knowledge in civilization building the realization for the potential for a sea change in transforming habits of thought in every aspect of human existence is unmistakable this brings to mind what one cognitive neurobiologist said about the process of moral learning he describes moral learning as taking time in his words large amounts of time and then he observes the very real problem imposed by moral and political diversity are simply the price humanity pays for growing up another insight that has been offered by neuro ethicists is in relation to human knowledge and the evolutionary new science new neuroscience of the human brain he writes humans show a trend toward not merely surviving but flourishing he proceeds to explain that human history is punctuated by our attempts to break the bonds of biological restrictions and to be more than we are for this reason we need more knowledge far greater expansion of learning both spiritual and secular here Abdul Baha raises the level of human consciousness regarding our potential for our civilizing influence to improve our social environment where he states how long shall we drift on the wings of passion and vain desire how long shall we spend our days like barbarians in the depth of ignorance and abomination God has given us eyes that we may look about us at the world and lay hold of whatsoever will further civilization and the art of living he has given us ears that we may hear and profit by the wisdom of scholars and philosophers and arise to promote and practice it senses and faculties has he bestowed upon us to be devoted to the service of the general good so that we distinguished above all other forms of life for perceptiveness and reason should labor at all times and along all lines whether the occasion be great or small ordinary or extraordinary until all mankind are safely gathered into the impregnable stronghold of knowledge we should continually be establishing new basis for human happiness and creating and promoting new instrumentalities towards this end how excellent how honorable is man if he arises to fulfill his responsibilities how wretched and contemptible if he shuts his eyes to the welfare of society and wastes his precious life in pursuing his own selfish interests and personal advantage and he concludes supreme happiness is man's and he beholds the signs of God in the world and in the human soul if he urges on the steed of high endeavor in the arena of civilization and justice the station degenerating impulse that knowledge conveys must needs be acknowledged and extended together we are to assist each other in this venture through systematic sustained and coherent action on the part of individuals communities and institutions humanity will steadily progress throughout the future decades and advance toward the unfoldment of its emancipation thank you very much