{"id":1731,"date":"2011-03-19T20:24:53","date_gmt":"2011-03-19T20:24:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.farstretchingriver.com\/en\/"},"modified":"2017-10-24T06:42:50","modified_gmt":"2017-10-24T06:42:50","slug":"self-evaluation-different-levels","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.farstretchingriver.com\/en\/self-evaluation-different-levels\/","title":{"rendered":"Bringing Oneself to Account in the Scale of Divine Requirements (continued)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Baha\u2019u\u2019llah\u2019s reiteration of these past commands is significant inasmuch as it proves that God\u2019s religion is one\u2014one path that transcends time, and binds God\u2019s messages to each other in an everlasting divine plan in which each message marks one of the stages crossed by the human species in its long journey towards maturity.<\/div>\n

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The evaluation of one\u2019s conduct and one\u2019s thoughts and feelings depends on one\u2019s acquaintance with the divine requirements laid down as human obligations. They are characterized by different levels. In most cases, the obligation stipulated in the law is the minimum requirement, which should not prevent the individual from seeking more elevated standards. For example, Baha\u2019u\u2019llah refers in one of His Tablets to the distinction between justice and mercy: \u201cO son of man! If thine eyes be turned towards mercy, forsake the things that profit thee and cleave unto that which will profit mankind. And if thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose thou for thy neighbour that which thou choosest for thyself.\u201d 8<\/span><\/div>\n

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Justice is based on equal measures, which is good, but better yet is mercy, which puts the general interests of mankind above the particular interests of individuals. In this manner, a new social environment is being created, filled with the spirit of sacrifice and with individuals who are mindful of the interests of the others. They are bound to regard the interests of others as their own interests, which constitutes the minimum\u2014any less would be mere injustice.<\/div>\n

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To observe such an elevated standard in bringing oneself to account one needs to be independent in the process of evaluation, which is a big responsibility.<\/div>\n

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\"\"<\/a>

          Algarve Orange Tree (in tiles) by Kate Swift
\n        (With the kind permission of the Swift family)<\/p><\/div>\n

The individual must free himself of opinions formulated by others, whe- ther religious leaders or those with tra- ditionally held views. Following either of these set standards would empty the process of self-evaluation of its deep meaning and noble purpose.<\/div>\n

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Accounting to oneself is not limited to one\u2019s actions. Rather it should include one\u2019s omissions as well as one\u2019s set of values and beliefs. Basing one\u2019s eval- uation on the outdated values of past ages will put the accounting into ques- tion. Standards change with the change of conditions and time, espec- ially in a century illumined by such a multitude of scientific discoveries and new human knowledge of which the generations of the past were deprived.<\/div>\n

<\/br><\/p>\n

The same principle applies to many words and deeds that once were leg- itimate but which have been rendered inacceptable with the passage of time. Indeed, values and standards of con- duct are ramifications of religious tea- chings that of necessity change as the world progresses.<\/div>\n

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In conclusion, bringing oneself to account needs realistic but honest review of one\u2019s action and thinking and high standards of criteria, bearing in mind that values, including religious values, are all relative, and change with human progress and conditions of life. The deeper the individual goes into the motives of his behaviour the better he will get to know his true self. Often acceptable behaviour hides a questionable if not selfish motivation.<\/div>\n

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We can imagine the kind of world we are calling into being by such high standards in accounting to oneself, if they are well observed. Despite the many barriers separating cultures and dividing humankind, humanity has managed to bring the world to its present civilization. Imagine the forthcoming world once it is freed from the conflicts of religious sectarianism, the wars, rivalries, racism, prejudice, slavery, colonialism, injustice and all the obstacles and barriers of the past. Imagine how far a world-embracing vision and universal love can take us.
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<\/br><\/p>\n
Notes<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n

The picture of the plum tree was kindly shared by Fir0002 in accord with GNU Free Documentation License version 1.2 or later.<\/p>\n

The \u201cAlgarve Orange Tree\u201d by Kate Swift in tiles from Estudio Destra in Silves (Portugal) was kindly shared by the J. Swift family (2005) in accord with the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License.<\/p>\n

1. The Hidden Words of Bah\u00e1\u2019u\u2019ll\u00e1h (Wilmette, Illinois: Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed Publish Trust, 1985), no. 31.<\/p>\n

2. Lawh-i-Hikm\u00e1t, Tablets of Bah\u00e1\u2019u\u2019ll\u00e1h (Wilmette, Illinois: Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed Publishing Trust, 1988), p. 138.<\/p>\n

3. Preamble, The Hidden Words, p. 3.<\/p>\n

4. Matthew 26:41.<\/p>\n

5. II. Corinthians 13:5.<\/p>\n

6. The Qur\u2019\u00e1n 59:18.<\/p>\n

7. \u2018Abdu\u2019l-Bah\u00e1, The Importance of Deepening Our Knowledge and Understanding of the Faith: Extracts from the Writings of Bah\u00e1\u2019u\u2019ll\u00e1h, \u2018Abdu\u2019l-Bah\u00e1 and Shoghi Effendi, comp. The Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed World Centre (Wilmette, Illinois: Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed Publishing Trust, 1983), no. 37, p. 11.<\/p>\n

8. Tablets of Bah\u00e1\u2019u\u2019ll\u00e1h, p. 64.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Baha\u2019u\u2019llah\u2019s reiteration of these past commands is significant inasmuch as it proves that God\u2019s religion is one\u2014one path that transcends time, and binds God\u2019s messages to each other in an everlasting divine plan in which each message marks one of the stages crossed by the human species in its long journey towards maturity. The evaluation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1731","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.farstretchingriver.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.farstretchingriver.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.farstretchingriver.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.farstretchingriver.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.farstretchingriver.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1731"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"http:\/\/www.farstretchingriver.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1731\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3027,"href":"http:\/\/www.farstretchingriver.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1731\/revisions\/3027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.farstretchingriver.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}