1Copyright © 2000 by Hushidar Hugh Motlagh
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.
ISBN 0-937661-20-1 (cloth)
ISBN 0-937661-19-8 (paper)
Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 98-94043

2The New English Bible (NEB)
Copyright © the Delegates of the Oxford University Press
and the Syndics of the Cambridge University Press,
1961, 1970. Reprinted by permission.
Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984. International Bible Society.
Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.
The Holy Bible, New King James Version (NKJ)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Cover design by Lori Block.

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1for the World

2I have formed you, and appointed you to be
a light to all peoples, a beacon for the nations.
Isaiah 42:6
He will make justice shine on the nations…
on every race, never faltering, never breaking
down, he will plant justice on earth…
Isaiah 42:1-4
Though the mountains move and the hills
shake, my love shall be immovable and
never fail, and my covenant of peace shall
not be shaken. Isaiah 54:10
I will break bow and sword and weapon of war
and sweep them off the earth. Hosea 2:18
In the last days…Many nations will come and
say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of
the Lord…There he will teach us his ways…”
Come, people…let us walk in the light of the
Lord! Isaiah 2:2-5
And I saw thrones and they sat upon them…
and they lived and reigned with Christ a

3Works by This Author
About the Bahá’í Faith

The Present Three-volume Series
Choosing Your Destiny

1Bahá’í Faith: Teachings for Inner Peace and Purpose
Bahá’í Faith: Teachings for Global Peace and Unity
Six-volume series on proofs and prophecies

I Shall Come Again
Lord Of Lords
King Of Kings
In The Clouds Of Glory
The Spirit That Acknowledges Jesus Christ
By My Fruits You Shall Know Me

1Introductory books on the Bahá’í Faith
One God, Many Faiths; One Garden, Many Flowers
Heaven’s Most Glorious Gift

Destiny Is A Choice
On Wings Of Destiny
Books For Christians
Seek And Ye Shall Find
The Glory Of The Son
The Glory Of The Father

1Come Now, Let Us Reason Together
The News Every Christian Should Know

Compilations
The Glorious Journey To God
The Remembrance Of God
Unto Him Shall We Return
Others
Teaching: The Crown Of Immortal Glory
Proclaim The Most Great Name

1Does Your Fishbowl Need Fresh Water?

1We have conquered the moon and now are
reaching for the stars. Ninety percent of all
the scientists who have ever lived, live in our
time. Technical knowledge doubles every
years, yet spiritually we are afflicted. Every
year our medical specialists save the lives of
millions on the brink of death, while other
millions in deep distress attempt to take their
own precious lives. In the United States alone,
every day, more than 2,000 people attempt
suicide as an escape from intolerable living.
I am firmly convinced that the knowledge and
the insight that the Bahá’í Faith offers, if adopted,
can restore the spiritual health of the world
and elevate the human race to tranquility and
peace. The power and uniqueness of the Bahá’í
Faith lies in this: it makes religion as practical
and rational as science and the scientist as
inspired and spiritual as the saint.
Hon. Dorothy W. Nelson
Judge, Court of Appeals, 9th circuit

2[The Bahá’í Faith] teaches the essential unity
of mankind under one God…That is a force
which cuts across politics, trade routes, racial
groupings the world around. It can be made
a powerful force in the practical affairs of the
world. Hon. William O. Douglas

3…the greatest movement working today for
universal peace. Dr. Auguste Forel

Renowned Swiss Scientist

1Bahá’u’lláh was…without question one of the
supreme spiritual geniuses of history.
Dr. John Holmes

1of Bahá’u’lláh…We pass on the message…and
all those we give it to see a light…and much
that was obscure and perplexing becomes
simple, luminous and full of hope as never
before.
…Search out their Books, and let their glorious
…words and lessons sink into your hearts as
they have into mine. Queen Marie of Rumania

2…the greatest light that has come into the
world since Jesus Christ.

1In our times we can only survive, and our
civilization can only flower, if we reorient the
conventional wisdom and achieve the new
insights…proclaimed by the Bahá’í Faith and…
now also supported by the latest discoveries of
the empirical sciences. Dr. Ervin Laszlo

Editor Of The World Encyclopedia

1of Peace, Renowned Authority on

13. Riding on the Arch of a
Rainbow …………………………………………. 35

24. Spiritual Transformation
and Fulfillment ……………………………….. 47
Signs of Spiritual Perfection ………….. 58
The Illusion of Future Happiness ……. 63
Trans-Forming the Planet ………………. 66

15. What Is the Bahá’í Faith? ……………….
Who Are the Bahá’ís? ……………………
Goals of the Bahá’í Faith ……………….
New Teachings for a New Day ……….
What Is Religion? ………………………….
What the Future Holds …………………..
Quotations from the Bahá’í

26. A New Vision of Life and Human
Destiny …………………………………………….
A New Race of Humanity ………………
Peace is More than an End to War …..
A Vision of Greatness ………………….
How Can Religion Transform
the Self? ………………………………….
Religion Versus Psychology …………

37. Life Is a Choice ……………………………..
An Expanding World Vision …………
Controllers and Conformers ………….
The Roots of Conformity ……………..

48. Ye Shall Know Them By Their
Fruits …………………………………………….
Heaven’s Most Splendid Gift ………..
The Knowledge of God ………………..
How Does God Transform Human
Beings?…………………………………….
How Do People Perceive a New
Religion? ………………………………….
Ye Shall Know Them By Their
Fruits ……………………………………….
Bahá’í Scriptures …………………………
From Apathy to Enthusiasm …………
Quotations from Biblical and

1Ethical Values Never Change ………..
Harmony Between Faith
and Deed ………………………………….
Distinction in Deeds …………………….
The Promise of Reciprocity ………….
Quotations on Virtues ………………….

210. History and Administration …………..
The Herald ………………………………….
The Founder ……………………………….
The Exemplar ……………………………..
The Guardian ………………………………
A New Religious Order ……………….
Bahá’í Administration an Alternative
to Conventional Politics …………….

311. Planting the Seed of Our Destiny ….
The Seed Grows in the Heart of
the World ………………………………….
The Seed Grows In the Heart of
the Soul ……………………………………

412. The Principles of Mutual Choice
and Mutual Treatment …………………..
Mutual Choice …………………………….

513. How Does God Motivate
Human Beings? ……………………………..
Inviting ………………………………………
Encouraging ……………………………….
Reasoning …………………………………..
Admonishing ………………………………
Announcing ………………………………..
Promising and Rewarding …………….
Reminding and Informing …………….
Rebuking ……………………………………
Pitying ……………………………………….
Praying ………………………………………
Swearing and Declaring God as
Witness…………………………………….
Questioning ………………………………..
Urging and Pleading …………………….
Warning and Threatening ……………..
Commanding ………………………………
Multiple Motivators……………………..

614. The Final Invitation ………………………
Prayers for Seeking Divine
Guidance ………………………………….

115. Living in Harmony With God ……….
Setting One’s Hope in God Alone …
Knowing God ……………………………..
Loving God ………………………………..
Demonstrating the Love of God ……
Trusting God and Submitting
One’s Self to God ……………………..
Heeding God’s Counsels ………………
Thanking God ……………………………..
Meeting God ……………………………….
Seeking the Help of God ………………
Knowing God’s Purpose
in Creating Humankind ……………..
Appreciating the Word of God ………

216. Living in Harmony With
One’s Self ………………………………………
Gaining the Spiritual Gift……………..
Rejoicing ……………………………………
Not Being Content
With Worldly Comforts ……………..

3Clinging to Patience …………………….
Understanding the Purpose of
Tests and Trials …………………………
Recognizing the True Purpose and
Worth of Earthly Possessions ……..
Recognizing the True Standards of
Glory and Distinction ………………..
Exchanging Fancy for Reality ………
Conquering the Self …………………….
Purifying the Heart ………………………
Adorning One’s Self With Noble
Deeds and Attributes …………………
Appreciating Divine Blessings ……..

417. Living in Harmony With Others …..
Living by the Law of Love …………..
Seeing the Best in Others ……………..
Following the Golden Rule …………..
Being Just …………………………………..
Forgiving ……………………………………
Being Generous …………………………..
Admonishing and Guiding Others …
Being Courteous ………………………….
Being Humble …………………………….
Not Saddening Others ………………….

1Not Finding Faults ……………………… 330
Honoring One’s Parents ………………. 330

218. Selections from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s
Talk on Bahá’u’lláh’s Mission
and His Epistles to the Kings ……….. 331

1Appendix I. Bahá’í Scriptures
Available in English ………………………. 341
Bahá’u’lláh’s Works ……………………. 341
Other Bahá’í Writings
Available in English ………………….. 345

2Appendix II. Other Works
By This Author …………………………….. 347

3Appendix III. Sources for Information
and Literature ………………………………. 351

4References …………………………………………… 353

5On Winds of Destiny …………………………… 373

1mercy of things which matter least. Goethe
Anything less than a conscious commitment to the
important is an unconscious commitment to the
unimportant.1 Stephen Covey

2Choosing Your Destiny
The Most Critical Decision
in Your Life
How lofty is the station which man, if he but
choose to fulfill his high destiny, can attain!
Seize, O friends, the chance which this Day
offereth you, and deprive not yourselves of the
liberal effusions of His grace.2 Bahá’í Scriptures
How would you feel if someone else had the
authority to decide what you should eat, where you
should live, what you should do for living, and
who you should marry? Now consider this question:
What would be your religion if you were born in
Saudi Arabia? What about Israel, India, or China?
Would you not be a Muslim, a Jew, a Hindu, or a
Buddhist, depending on what your parents believed,

Choosing Your Destiny

4and where they were born? As you can see, instead
of taking charge, most of us give “Chance” the
authority to choose our spiritual destiny. Why do we
make this exception? Why do we choose our food,
but not our faith?
This book invites you to set your soul free from the
invisible trap of tradition; to leave, just for a little
while, the track of your ancient ancestors. It inspires
you to take a step for your spiritual destiny, to
come to a new garden laden with luscious fruits
and flowers of the Spirit.
As you advance in your journey, you will find that
each of the great religions is like a beautiful garden
that leads to one Gardner and Designer. You will
see many flowers but one fragrance, many gardens
but one God, many temples but one truth, and many
ways but one worship:
This is the way [to God], walk ye in it.
Isaiah 30:21

5I am the way, the truth and the light.3 Zoroaster
Just this path, there is no other.4 Buddha

6I am the way [to God]. Christ (John 14:6)

7Follow me: this is the right way [to God].
Muhammad (Qur’án 43:61)

8This is the Way of God unto all who are in the
heavens and all who are on the earth.5
Bahá’í Scriptures

95 Chapter 1: Choosing Your Destiny

10A rainbow is a blend of many colors. It has a
beginning and an end, but is one circle of light.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning
and the End Christ (Revelation 1:8)
Behold, He is now come He Who is both the
Beginning and the End…is now manifest before
your eyes.6 Bahá’í Scriptures
Whenever there is decay of righteousness then
I Myself come forth for the sake of firmly
establishing righteousness. I am born from age
to age. Krishna

Choosing Your Destiny

12This discovery of “many ways to one God” and
“one truth in all great religions” will unravel to
your soul the most awesome and exquisite beauty
in the spiritual design of the universe. It will give
you a new vision of your destiny, it will elevate
your perspective to the paradise of peace, wonder,
and oneness.
Your eternal destiny is by far your most precious
gift. It is worth infinitely more than all the things
you will ever own. Is it wise not to take charge, not
to invest this most glorious gift of God in something
that outlasts life, that will be yours for evermore?
O friends! Be not careless of the virtues with
which ye have been endowed, neither be neglect-
ful of your high destiny.7 Bahá’í Scriptures
How superior must be the destiny of the true
believer, whose existence and life are to be re-
garded as the originating purpose of all creation.8
Bahá’í Scriptures
Your spiritual choices matter infinitely more than
all the other choices you will make. Everything
ends except your soul, everything descends to a
grave except your divine destiny. Why then not
take some of the time you devote to the demands
of your physical form—sleeping 8 hours, eating
hours, working 8 hours—and consecrate it to some-
thing that will be always yours: your own soul.
Why not take 30 minutes each day away from your
earthly pursuits and pleasures—watching TV, going
to a party, or traveling—and invest it in heavenly
pursuits and pleasures, in finding answers to ques-
tions such as: why are you here, and what on earth
should you do for your journey to heaven?

137 Chapter 1: Choosing Your Destiny

14Is there a sense of remorse deeper than realizing that
you spent your life on things that did not really
matter? At death, your spirit is the only thing that
will remain of you. Taking time away from momen-
tary demands of your body and worldly desires and
devoting it to your eternal destiny is by far the
wisest and most critical decision of your life. Do
not allow either the convenient trap of pro-cras-
ti-nation, “Not now, later,” “I am too busy,”
“Next year I will have more time,” or the common
illusion of “Death has no power over me. I will be
here forever,” to lull you into negligence, inaction,
or complacency.
O CHILDREN OF NEGLIGENCE!
Set not your affections on mortal sovereignty
and rejoice not therein. Ye are even as the un-
wary bird that with full confidence warbleth
upon the bough; till of a sudden the fowler
Death throws it upon the dust, and the melody,
the form and the color are gone, leaving not a
trace. Wherefore take heed, O bondslaves of
desire!9 Bahá’í Scriptures

15Your divine destiny is God’s most precious gift to
you. Do not throw it to the winds of chance.
You are the master designer of your life,
whether you’ve realized it or not. Think of all
your experiences as a huge tapestry that can be
laid out in whatever pattern you wish. Each day
you add a thread to the weaving Do you craft
a curtain to hide behind, or do you fashion a
magic carpet that will carry you to unequaled
heights?10 Anthony Robbins

Choosing Your Destiny

1The noted author, Marzieh Gail, in her brief intro-
duction to Bahá’í history wrote:
A columnist once said that the biggest scoop of
all time would be the news of the return of Christ.
He was mistaken. The return of Christ would
never make the front page. The reason is this:
When a man appears calling himself the Messiah,
he does not look as people expect him to look.
There is no light around his head—the light is
added by painters, long after he has died. He
eats, walks, talks. He comes from a community
where he has been known for years. And when
he suddenly announces himself as a prophet, as
one with a new message from God, his community
laughs at him. Everybody knows, people say,
that the Messiah will come seated on a throne,
or riding on a cloud, and will preach the same
religion that the priests are already preaching in
the temples.
They laugh. The man continues to say that he is
the servant of a Spirit that he cannot resist. The
laughter grows to anger. Why is he so obstinate
in his claim, this man they have known since he
was a child. A few listen to him, and bear the
hatred of the rest. The laughter stops. The hatred
rises. The prophet is shut away—chained—
perhaps killed.
But his voice goes on. People far away listen to
it. Then…men and women in countries across
the world build temples in the name of the man
whose own people put him to death.

29 Chapter 1: Choosing Your Destiny

3This drama is played all over again, every once
in a while in human history. It has been played
again, almost in our time. It did not make the
headlines.11
Since many readers may be unfamiliar with the
major figures of the Bahá’í Faith, the following
basic facts may prove helpful. A more detailed
presentation of the Bahá’í history will be made
later in Chapter 10.
• The Bahá’í Faith literally means The Glorious
Faith—the Faith that manifests the Glory of
God. Bahá’í means “one who is enlightened and
glorified.”
• The Báb. On May 23, 1844, a young man entitled
the Báb (the Gate) declared the dawning of a
new Day in the religious history of the world.
The youth came from Shíráz in southern Persia.
He announced that God would soon send a
World Teacher and Savior to bring peace and
order, to unify all humanity, and bring a new
creation (“a new race of man”) into being.
Within the brief span of His ministry (1844-1850),
the Báb attracted many followers, thousands of
whom were massacred, mostly by the order of
fanatical religious leaders of Islam. The Báb Him-
self was imprisoned and finally executed in 1850
by a firing squad of 750 soldiers.
• Bahá’u’lláh. In 1863, a nobleman entitled
Bahá’u’lláh (Glory of God) announced that He
was the World Teacher promised by the Báb and
expected by humanity since the dawn of history.

Choosing Your Destiny

5Like His Herald, the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh encountered
relentless opposition and oppression throughout
His ministry. His imprisonment and exile lasted
for 40 years. He often referred to His sufferings
with both a sense of submission and honor—
submission because He welcomed that which was
ordained for Him, honor because He suffered for
the sake of others—to bring hope and love to
the heart of humanity, and peace and justice to
the world. Bahá’u’lláh’s Writings equal a hundred
volumes, offering teachings and unveiling “all
the truth” (John 16:13) that humanity will need
for at least a thousand years.
• ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Before His passing in 1892,
Bahá’u’lláh appointed His eldest son, ‘Abdu’l-
Bahá (Servant of Glory), to serve as the Interpreter
and Exemplar of His teachings and the Center
of His Covenant. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is also known as
the Mystery of God. His station is not that of the
Báb or Bahá’u’lláh, but of the Perfect Exemplar
or Model for all to emulate. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá traveled
to many countries, spreading the teachings of
the new religion.
• Shoghi Effendi. Shoghi Effendi, grandson of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, did not consider himself one of the
central figures of the Bahá’í Faith, yet he occupies
a position of preeminence. After the passing of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, he served as the appointed
Guardian of the Faith. His chief accomplishment
was the building of the Administrative Order of
Bahá’u’lláh, which constitutes a pattern for the
future World Order—an Order called by Christ
the City that comes from heaven (Rev. 21:1-4).

611 Chapter 1: Choosing Your Destiny

7• Universal House of Justice. Shortly after Shoghi
Effendi’s passing, the responsibility of leadership
in the Bahá’í Faith was assumed by that universal
assemblage, that supreme elected institution
called by Bahá’u’lláh The Universal House
of Justice . Its members represent and receive
the full support of the entire Bahá’í community,
which encompasses over two hundred countries
and territories throughout the world.

1the Bahá’í Faith
in My Life
What is the Bahá’í Faith? In this chapter I respond
to that question by showing how and why I became
a Bahá’í, what difference the Bahá’í Faith makes
in my life in general, and in my professional life in
particular. Because of widespread suspicion and
skepticism toward religion, it may be helpful to see
an actual example to demonstrate that the Bahá’í
Faith is not just a set of grand ideals, that it does
indeed make a difference to the way we live.
I grew up in a Bahá’í family, attended many classes,
and listened to some of the best Bahá’í teachers. I

Choosing Your Destiny

3felt proud of my Faith, and was delighted to live
in the Bahá’í community. For me going to Bahá’í
classes and youth activities was heaven on earth. I
could never have too much of them. My memories
of those days are sweet and unexcelled.
Everything was well except for this: at times drift-
ing doubts beclouded my faith. They would cover
for brief moments even the blazing radiance of
God. I would even doubt His existence. My heart
was at rest but not my mind. I was 27 when I tried
to solve the puzzle by reading every Bahá’í book I
could find. I made a commitment to read one book
a week until I had finished everything that was in
print. For two years I kept up my commitment, but
even a hundred volumes could not remove the
remnants of the clouds.
I saw the days of my life passing swiftly and
wanted to choose a direction before the journey’s
end. I did not want to find myself in the position
of the family who traveled to Chicago for a vacation.
They spent all day walking and sightseeing. By
evening they felt exhausted and could hardly take
another step. When they got to their hotel, they
were told that the elevator was not working, and
they would have to climb the stairs to the 30th
floor! They had no choice but to accept the harsh
verdict. But to make the climbing less painful, they
decided to elevate each other’s mood by sharing
jokes. When they reached the 29th floor, it was the
mother’s turn to tell her joke. And she said, “I just
discovered the best joke of my life! I forgot to get
the key!” Many people go through their entire life
without ever looking for a key. They simply

415 Chapter 2: A Glimpse of the Bahá’í Faith in My Life

5assume that when they get to the end they will find
an open door.
Astonishing as it may seem, my extensive readings
did not lead me in a clear direction. God had
another plan for me. Transformation of my soul
took place seemingly at the hands of two seekers
who came to my home to investigate the Bahá’í
Faith! They had written to the Bahá’í National
Center for information. I invited them to my home.
When they came, they brought along two old books
about the afterlife, which they lent me. As I was
glancing through one of those books, I came across
some ideas about the development of the soul in
the heavenly Kingdom. I found them remarkably
similar to what I had read in Bahá’í sacred Scrip-
tures. This realization suddenly created a miraculous
momentum that, like falling dominoes, made every
bit of resistance in my soul fall on its face. These
few ideas changed everything in my life. They
transformed my lingering doubts into certainty. Up
to then I only “knew.” From then on I began to
“see.” I cannot explain why or how this could have
happened. The ones I was supposed to teach, my
students, became my teachers. The reading of just
a few pages in an old book transformed my life. It
accomplished in less than an hour what the best
teachers and over a hundred volumes had failed to
do. My experience shows the awesome complexity
and the mystery of being human and of believing.
The message on those pages was the “straw” that
broke my resistance. Did God get tired of seeing
me in suspense and decided to rescue me, or was

Choosing Your Destiny

7this all a coincidence? Many people would consider
this a case of divine intervention.
Several months later I decided to write a book of
proofs on the Bahá’í Faith. I still do not know why
that thought crossed my mind, and I had no idea
at the time where or when it would all end. I only
remember writing a few paragraphs without any
plans, without having the slightest idea that after
years, those few paragraphs would expand to six
volumes, with no end in sight!
Good ideas satisfy the soul; but the mind always
demands more. It asks “why?” Those six volumes
are a response tailored to the demands of the mind.
Perhaps my attempt to write about proofs reflected
my approach to life itself. I have always believed
that the God who gave us both a mind and a Message
would not make them strangers or adversaries. If
they both come from Him, how can they be in
conflict? That conviction has dominated my life.
Let me now focus on the way my faith has shaped
my attitude towards my profession. Many people
find no joy in working. For them going to work is
a burden, not a privilege; an obligation, not an
honor. The Bahá’í Faith has had a profound impact
on my attitude about my job.
I teach child psychology, creativity, and mental
health at a state university in Michigan. Every
semester I receive marvelous gifts: 120 to
mostly young people, full of dreams, who accept
a few years of self-discipline for a brighter life in
the future.

817 Chapter 2: A Glimpse of the Bahá’í Faith in My Life

9As you may expect, I am not a typical teacher. Each
day we sit in a big circle and share our thoughts,
our hopes and dreams. We talk about understanding
and unraveling the most mysterious creature in all
the universe: the Human Being. We talk about self-
esteem and self-actualization, creativity and com-
munication skills. We talk about positive thinking,
perception, Piaget, and paradigms. We discuss some
personal problems we face now and some old ones
that we have overcome. The students are reminded
to respect all people and all views—even the irrational.
They are told that the object of knowledge is love.
Knowledge is the castle and love is the light. Who
likes to live in a dark castle?
I encourage my students to raise their self-esteem
by raising their values, and to distinguish themselves
by deeds. I teach them that it is better to be a nice
pet than a bad parent or partner. A man told his
wife, “It is me or the puppy!” The next day his wife
put this ad in the paper, “I have a cute, well trained
puppy and a rude husband to give away. Take your
pick!” Then I ask my students, “Which one would
you pick?” The answer is always unanimous.
Most of my students plan to become teachers. I tell
them that we teach far more by example than by
words. A little boy was studying history. He asked
his parents, “Why are the Catholics and Protestants
fighting in Ireland? They both love Jesus. Don’t
they?” His father said, “Because the Catholics are
oppressed by the Protestants.” His mother said, “No
dear, that is not true. The Catholics are too demand-
ing.” The father yelled, “You are absolutely wrong!”
Thus the parents were drawn into a heated argument

Choosing Your Destiny

11and a fight. At that point, the boy said, “You don’t
have to tell me. I figured it out!” In just a few
moments his parents taught him by example what
an entire book could not do with words.
I also emphasize positive thinking as a way of
reducing stress. Negativism is the prevailing disease
of our time. Some experts estimate that over
percent of our thoughts are negative. Many people
just try to find out what is wrong. Some of them
worry that they have nothing to worry about! Have
you heard the story of a pessimist who ordered two
eggs for his breakfast? He said he wanted one of
them fried, the other boiled. When the eggs were
placed before him, he got angry. “What is the
matter?” asked the waiter. “You fried the wrong
egg,” he fumed. Compare that with the story of an
optimist, an old lady who had lost all her teeth except
two. She felt very grateful because the two teeth met.
Sometimes I tell my students this story related by
‘Abdu’l-Bahá. One day, as Jesus and His disciples
were walking, they saw the corpse of a dog. Each
of the disciples complained of the horrible sight
and the terrible odor. Jesus asked them why were
they not looking at the dog’s perfect teeth.
I encourage my students to seek help for their
personal problems privately in my office or in class.
Learning from experience, I tell them, is the bridge
that connects the ideal with the real. Let me cite an
example of the problems the students face and the
kind of solutions I recommend. This is a true story;
it happened exactly as described.

1219 Chapter 2: A Glimpse of the Bahá’í Faith in My Life

13Recently a student of mine (let us call her Dawn)
told me about an “obnoxious, self-centered” sister-
in-law she could not stand. She described her as a
failure in everything she had tried. The problem
was this: next summer Dawn and her husband
would have to move to the house where the sister-
in-law lived. She could not imagine living under
the same roof with the one she despised, to listen
all day long to the one whose first purpose and
pleasure in life was body building, and whose
second purpose and pleasure was to talk about it.
I spent about an hour giving Dawn encouragement
and guidance. This is briefly what I told her: “I
would like you to buy a gift for your sister-in-law
and give it to her the next time you meet.” “Are
you serious?” she exclaimed. “Yes, very much!” I
responded emphatically. Then I followed with these
encouraging words: “Carry out the project as an
assignment, do it for my sake and for the class.
Success in this endeavor will bring you the
profoundest joy and honor. Conquering an ‘enemy’
by love is a magical achievement; it is the supreme
honor, the loftiest path, the highest mountain a
human being may be called upon to conquer. No
task requires more strength, more commitment and
sacrifice. The remedy for this patient is a dose of
self-esteem sweetened with love. Be supportive of
your sister-in-law and ask her a lot of questions
about body-building!”
I cannot forget the excitement in Dawn’s face when
about two weeks later she came to my office to tell
me what had happened. “I can’t believe it! I can’t

Choosing Your Destiny

15believe it!” She shouted. “We have become good
friends. She is telling me everything about her boy-
friend. She trusts me. The other night, when she
talked about her problems, there were tears in her
eyes. She told me I was the only one who listened
to her, the only one who really cared.”
Dawn’s husband is a psychologist. After seeing such
a sudden transformation, he told his wife, “I am
proud of you.” He was grateful that he could spend
his summer in peace, that instead of enmity there
would be amity, that bitter foes had become friends.
Dawn probably helped herself more than she helped
her sister-in-law. She was so proud of transforming
trial into triumph, so proud of conquering an adver-
sary. Without realizing it, she had also conquered
her own self. This is the ultimate victory. This is
true power. This is the sweetest triumph, whose
spoils are not gold and silver but pride and honor,
harmony, peace, and perfection.
The seemingly impossible became possible because
of a little gift, a little tact, and a little love.
By the way, I had tried this strategy once on a
colleague of mine who had become fervently jealous
of my promotion. The outcome was similar but less
dramatic. My colleague was more advanced in age
and hardened by time. He did not become my close
friend, but he learned to tolerate me.
We are continually faced by great opportunities
brilliantly disguised as insolvable problems.
Many people in our time need therapy—spiritual
therapy. Often I remind people of their spiritual

1621 Chapter 2: A Glimpse of the Bahá’í Faith in My Life

17nature and nobility, and find this far more effective
than any other therapy.
In my experience, most of my students’ pains and
problems arise from two deficiencies: low self-esteem
and the lack of a spiritual purpose. Self-esteem
provides a solid beginning and spiritual purpose a
suitable and secure ending. To live in peace and
stay in balance, every human being must be attached
to both ends. Consider the example of a soccer
player who must carry the ball towards the goal.
His legs are his self-esteem. He needs their strength
to stand, but legs are also for moving. The player
also needs a goal or purpose to attract him, to
motivate him to run.
Likewise, to fly, a kite needs a firm hand to hold
it and wind to carry it aloft. The firm hand is self-
esteem and the wind is the power of hope and
faith, of spiritual aspiration and purpose. Religion
provides for both of these needs. Psychology can
help the player to understand the process of
carrying the ball or the kite, but is quite helpless
in providing either a spiritual purpose or a solid
basis for self-esteem.
The students look up to me as an authority figure
with power over their lives. The power comes from
grades! I do not relish the power, but in this case
I find it handy and invest it to make growing more
pleasant.
Frankly, I am surprised that the state of Michigan
pays me to do what I would have loved to do with-
out pay. My deepest joy in my work comes from
knowing that I can and do make a difference. My

Choosing Your Destiny

19job is not easy, but rewarding. Recently I hurt my
back, and my doctor warned me to slow down or
else. My philosophy is simple: if a candle burns out
at both ends, it lasts half as long, but gives twice
the light. I am all for that. The candle was almost
blown out two years ago, and ten more times before
that, each time for a different reason. My good
luck comes from this: the candle still has lots of
unpolished wax. When the wind blows, instead of
dying out the candle puts out smoke. Part of the
reason for its survival is the positive images and
visions the candle of my soul sends to quiet the wind.
Most of the students come to class with one goal
in mind: to get a good grade. And they want me
to spend the whole semester preparing them for that
goal. To many of them, getting a good grade from
their teacher matters more than one from their
Maker. Their thoughts range within a small circle.
My students have no idea of the surprises I have
in store for them. I tell them right at the start: this
is your first day; you are free to keep this course
or to drop it. Please remember the main term of our
contract: I am not here to prepare you for tests, but
for life! I am not here to offer you in-formation
but trans-formation. I am not here to give you fish,
but to make you fishers of a grand destiny, of a
splendid future.
To raise their vision, I tell them about the response
of three mothers to someone who asked each of
them what she was doing. The first one said, “I am
changing a diaper.” The second one responded, “I

2023 Chapter 2: A Glimpse of the Bahá’í Faith in My Life

21am raising a daughter.” The third one declared, “I
am raising a genius, a superstar.”
After many years of teaching I am still puzzled by
the impact that my words of hope and encourage-
ment have on the students. They respond like the
thirsty who suddenly find themselves coming upon
a stream in a faraway prairie.
They come to class with the expectation of filling
their notebooks and leaving. I tell them learning
without living is a travesty and living without
loving is torture. It is better not to have lived than
to live without loving. Most of them are surprised
to hear the word love from an instructor. Love is
something one expresses to a baby brother or little
sister, to a cute pet or a special person, but not to
strangers.
The pleasure of friendship and harmony soon breaks
new grounds. Beautiful tulips of thought and splen-
did lilies and lotuses of love begin to bloom and
blossom. Soon the students learn to support each
other, to care and not to criticize.
Every semester I sense a new surprise at the human
capacity for change. In my school days, I learned
that it was hard to change people. Had it not been
for a few “secrets” I have since learned, I would
still espouse that view. The first secret is this: A
new idea, like a seed, cannot take root and grow
unless a small opening is made in the heart. The
power that keeps the heart open and nourished is
an abundance of positive images and thoughts. We
are surrounded by “I can’t” “You can’t” and “It
can’t” messages. After a while the distressing and

Choosing Your Destiny

23defeating signals sink in and we sink with them.
Once people recognize that life is much brighter
than they think, and that they already own an abun-
dance of blessings, the humanity in them begins to
bloom, a new dawn breaks in the soul, and the
breath of the new Spring overwhelms them.
Dr. Ervin Laszlo, one of the most eminent scientists
of our time, who has researched and written exten-
sively on planetary peace and a global social system
declares: “Positive visions and images create momen-
tum, which move the nations to the desired end.”
Without them a nation is at risk. Without them an
individual is at peril. History reveals that positive
visions and images always precede the birth of great
civilizations. The same holds true with individuals.
I work long hours every day. Sometimes when I
am about to go to a class, I feel tired. My body
dreams of rest; but my spirit, the commander-in-
chief, knows better. Astonishing as it may seem,
soon after I step into the classroom, my fatigue
fades away. I gain strength from the exchange and
excitement of sharing and learning, from the honor
of seeing some thirty pairs of beautiful eyes peer-
ing straight at me with hope and anticipation. On
many occasions my students have told me the same
thing: that they come tired or depressed, but leave
refreshed and spirited. Not that I do not look forward
to the breaks, but that I find work in itself a break.
What soothes my soul is this silent song that I
constantly hear: “The next hour is heaven’s gift to
you. It is the precious currency of many lives,
including yours. Invest it to make the world a
little brighter and richer than it would have been

2425 Chapter 2: A Glimpse of the Bahá’í Faith in My Life

25without you. These students may never again have
a chance to learn what you fail to teach them now.
You have the honor of living in their lives forever.
Cherish the honor.”
What have I learned specifically from my faith that
helps me in my profession?
• Work is not a curse but an act of worship.
Loving what you do is an extension of loving
the One who made working essential to living.
You cannot love God and hate working, just as
you cannot love God and hate worshipping.
• If you want God to be pleased with you, then
people must be pleased with you. This is the
Creator’s contract with all those who seek His
blessings. You cannot love God and offend
people, just as you cannot love your heart and
hate your eyes.
• Learning is food for living. Unused, it spoils.
Knowledge that begins and ends with words
only burdens the mind. Like a cloud of dust, it
obscures the light and stifles breathing. Knowl-
edge is God’s splendid gift. But it is better not
to have knowledge than to have it and not use
it. As Jesus said, from those who have more,
more will be expected.
• We are all together in one rocking boat. Each of
us lives like a cell in the body of Humanity. The
cells in the eyes never touch or meet the ones
in the heart, yet they work for the same end.
Harm to one is harm to the other. (This one
takes a lot of practice to master, because many

Choosing Your Destiny

27people see interdependence to be an opposite to
individualism and independence.)
When I began to teach I was under the spell of
tradition. It took me quite a while to realize the
fallacy of spreading facts at the expense of living
and loving. I wish I had known then what I know
now. But that is life; we grow from experience. I
had no model to follow then except my own pro-
fessors who were simply doing what their profes-
sors had done. In this I see an awakening lesson:
we all suffer from blind spots. The danger comes
not from the spots but from not seeing them.
I devote the last day of each class entirely to the
story of my own life. The students have a chance
to ask anything they wish to know about my back-
ground. No question is off limits. Students are
curious and say they have not known any other
teacher who would speak so openly about his life.
Most people, especially professors, live a secret life.
My willingness to disclose and decipher myself
follows the philosophy that we can best learn from
examples. Every life presents living lessons to
others. “No one lives long enough to make all the
mistakes by himself.”
My preference is to talk about any subject other
than myself. I simply feel uncomfortable in the
spotlight. I know someday I will be fully exposed
to that light. No one can escape a “life review.”
Perhaps I am getting some practice for that awe-
some and final disclosure.
Sometimes at the end of the semester, I invite my
students to my home for a small celebration. They

2827 Chapter 2: A Glimpse of the Bahá’í Faith in My Life

29find it hard to believe that an instructor prepares
homemade cake for so many students. In return,
they give me all kinds of thank-you cards and little
gifts that I cherish.
What surprises my students more than anything else
is my optimism. They wonder where it comes from.
What surprises me is how contagious my optimism
is. If I had not seen it, I would never have believed
it. I instantly see a change in the students’ attitudes
on the first day. The change continues to grow day
after day, week after week. I tell them that my
optimism comes both from earth and from heaven.
It comes from earth through my mother (now
passed away) and from heaven through my faith. I
tell them that I have never known a person whose
love was as unconditional as my mother’s. Like a
fragrant flower, she spread her love equally to all
people. It seemed everyone was her son or daughter.
As to the influence of the Bahá’í Faith in creating
a positive attitude, read The Glory of Being Human
in the next volume and see if there is any room in
your life for negative thinking. Where did my
mother get her optimism? Mostly from her faith.
The light always comes from heaven, from the
main Generator.
Let me cite several brief examples from my students’
anonymous weekly comments. My purpose in citing
the following comments is to reveal God’s power
in the life of a servant, and the positive conse-
quence of that power in the lives of others. That
servant could be anyone. Without His power, all
my optimism, and all my hopes and dreams, which

Choosing Your Destiny

31keep my soul aglow, would vanish as is bright sun-
light obscured by drifting clouds.
The quotations that follow are examples from a
single evaluation written by both graduate and
undergraduate students after one class session:
• I love your positive attitude. It shines every day.
This is extremely refreshing. It is so important
to look at the positives in life—I feel that it is
the only way to survive—please continue to
share this attitude with us.
• I like all the stress on the positive—I need it for
the research class about which I’m totally con-
fused. I also like your sense of humor and ease
with people. I really enjoy this class—it’s so
refreshing. I also feel the knowledge I’m acquiring
will be invaluable to me.
• The positiveness of the teacher—it is contagious.
I look forward to coming to class. You are truly
inspirational. Thank you!
• I love your philosophy on being a better person,
a better teacher. I’m working! I appreciate the
fact that you are treating us like adults. You also
respect our ideas and opinions.
• You are extremely enjoyable to listen to. It is
very nice to hear/see someone sooo…positive. I
am looking forward to reaching my goal.
• I wish you could add some of your views and
input into the university’s program. This is the
most positive place I have found here on campus.
• My self-esteem has improved already. I look
forward to class and am applying the results to

3229 Chapter 2: A Glimpse of the Bahá’í Faith in My Life

33my life. It is nice to have a professor so concerned
about his students as people, not just brains! You
have a lot of knowledge behind your lectures. It
shows by the way you speak.
• I’m really enjoying this class. I’m going through
tough times right now and coming to this class
is making me more positive, and I’m getting my
self-esteem back. It’s nice to have a class where
you are always feeling good!
• Renaissance of success in attitude! You are per-
sonal, and a warm person and you show this
throughout your delivery. It’s great to have a
teacher that cares about my self-esteem!
• Your positive attitude is an inspiration to me!
You are the first teacher to offer outside help to
his students. Thank you. It is nice to know that
you care.
After reading one of my handouts, a student wrote:
“Hurray! What an uplifting article. I think I could
read this every Sunday morning instead of going to
church, as your writing offers me a challenge to
make myself a better person.”
My offer of help to my students comes from this:
I do not see myself separate from them. Their prob-
lem is my problem, their happiness is my happiness.
So when I help them it is like helping myself. It
is no sacrifice on my part and it doesn’t take much
time. In fact I take great pleasure in helping them
solve their problems. For me it is a challenge. Take
the example of Dawn, the girl whose sister-in-law
was a perfectionist body builder desperately in need

Choosing Your Destiny

35of building her spirit. We had so much fun hearing
her weekly reports.
It is one of the most beautiful compensations of
this life that no man can sincerely try to help
another without helping himself. Ralph Emerson
Let me cite the reasons a few students came to see
me this week. Two young men had lost their girl-
friends and wanted to know how they could survive
without them. One of them also suffered from low
self-esteem and wanted help to gain confidence to
speak in class. Another student was a minister who
had resigned from ministry after fifteen years
because he could no longer believe in some of the
doctrines of his church. He had several theological
questions he could not resolve. One lady wanted
help for her food allergies because I told the class
that I was an expert in the subject!
It seems most of our secretaries can also use some
help. One of them had two daughters. They were
both killed on a foggy day on their way to school.
She was terribly depressed. I gave her a Bahá’í book
on the afterlife. She did not believe she could ever
see her daughters. Now she has a little hope. Her
facial expressions testify to a change of heart.
Another secretary suffers from a chronic disease, has
a seriously sick mother, and a husband incapacitated
and on kidney dialysis.
Several months ago I found one of them (who is a
devout Catholic) very angry. I asked what was the
matter. She complained about people’s rudeness on
the phone. I told her with an excited voice: “You

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37have a very important role. Don’t underestimate
your powers and privileges. When people are angry
you can be sure, they have a reason…” Then I added
softly: “Practice this imagery. When the phone
rings, think that God is calling you, that He wants
to speak to you through one of His creatures, some
of whom are angry! Every time the phone rings
say: here is one more chance to connect my soul
to God. Remember that our Creator declares that
when people are pleased with you, He will be
pleased with you. Cherish every phone call. It gives
you a chance to please God. It is a great honor to
be in this position.”
My words reminded her of all the things she had
heard since childhood from her family and her
church. By then her anger had abated and given
way to a deep smile and an awakened and happy
heart. Later, several times she said with humor in
her voice “I am still doing the exercise you recom-
mended.” A little spiritual therapy lifted a burden
from her soul. She already had enough problems at
home and could hardly bear the annoyance of coping
with angry people.
To conclude, I reached the point of certainty about
the Bahá’í Faith when, I believe, God Himself
intervened and gave me that most precious gift. I
cannot explain, by human standards alone, the
motivating power behind my sudden spiritual trans-
formation. I felt like being in an ocean, and then
suddenly recognizing its presence. The true measure
of my gratitude to God for this gift is beyond my
ability or estimation. I would have given anything,

Choosing Your Destiny

39even my very life, to receive it, and have no idea
what life would have been like without it.
The Bahá’í Faith has made all the difference in the
way I have experienced life and related to others.
It has given me a wider and sharper view of the
world, a telescopic image of human life on this
planet. It has inspired in me a positive vision of the
future, and an awareness of my role in spreading
the fragrance of hope and optimism in this gloomy
world.
I hope that this brief biographical sketch will help
you appreciate the transforming power of the
Bahá’í Faith, and make your journey of the search
for truth a little more meaningful.
May God crown your life with jewels of joy and
boundless blessings.
Hushidar Motlagh

1To love truth for truth’s sake is the principal
part of human perfection in this world, and the
seed-plot of all other virtues. John Locke

2Of all duties, the love of truth…ranks first and
highest. To love God and to love truth are one
and the same. Silvio Pellico

3The great thing in the world is not so much
where we stand, as in what direction we are
moving. Oliver Holmes

4Riding on the Arch of
a Rainbow
Our age is one of spiritual hunger. We stay so busy
earning the earthly bread, we forget the heavenly.
A little girl moaned, “ Mommy, I have a bad
stomach-ache.” “That’s because your stomach is
empty. You will feel better if you put something in
it,” her mother assured her. An hour later a family
friend who had come for a visit complained of a
continuous headache. The little girl had a ready
solution: “That’s because your head is empty,” she
exclaimed, “You will feel better if you put some-
thing in it!”

Choosing Your Destiny

6We are so engaged in the race, we forget the goal.
We spend little if any time to reflect, to seek
knowledge, to search for a meaning to life. We
look for quick and easy solutions that require no
effort. One child said to the other, “I am lucky. My
dad is a doctor, I can be sick for nothing!” The
other said, “I am luckier. My dad is a pastor. I can
be good for nothing!”
We often see happiness as a rising star in the
twilight of the future. We rush through the hours
and days of our lives with our eyes fixed to the
ground to avoid the mud-holes, so that we keep a
balance on life’s rough journey. The stress of cop-
ing and keeping up with daily demands leaves little
time for spiritual fulfillment. Noted psychologist
Eric Fromm declares that most of us die before we
are fully born. A little girl was heard saying to her
work-bound father, “Daddy, when you come home,
could you please bring me a rat from the race?”
We devise attractive substitutes and distractions to
quench the thirst of the spirit. But an “inner voice”
keeps whispering that there must be more to living
than working, saving, vacationing, retiring, and
dying; that the dignity of being human deserves
more, that it points to a more lasting purpose, to a
more luminous horizon.
Therefore we assume that fulfillment must lie not
at the beginning, but at the end of the rainbow. It
will come later, when we make more money, meet
a special person, buy an expensive toy, go on a
cruise ship, or retire to an exotic island.

737 Chapter 3: Riding on the Arch of a Rainbow

8This book shows that there is no need to dream
and wait for the future. As the renowned author
and orator Dr. Leo Buscaglia declares, the future is
now; the time to celebrate life is now; the time to
love is now; the time to experience the wonders
of being human is now; the time to grow is now;
the time to choose the course of our destiny is now.
The road to heaven and happiness is covered with
gardens planted in due season; the road to grief and
despair, with seeds planted too late.
This book invites you to take a break from the race,
to pause and lift your gaze up and away from life’s
mud-holes. It offers you a chance to experience the
exhilaration of embracing and ascending the arch of
a magnificent rainbow—a warm and heavenly
embrace that will lift you and lead you to spiritual
fulfillment—the heaven of inner peace and harmony.
You need not dream of an elusive star; a splendid
light stands within the reach of your arm. You need
not wait for the end of the rainbow; the heavenly
arch is nearer to you than your own soul.
Once you start to make the transformational
awakening journey, there is no going back.
You develop a knowledge so powerful, you
will wonder how you could have lived any
other way.
Your trust in God and in yourself as the instrument
of His power and purpose determines the height to
which you will ascend. Faith as little as a mustard
seed can move a mountain; doubt as big as a
mountain cannot move a mustard seed. As noted
author and psychologist Dr. Wayne Dyer states:

Choosing Your Destiny

10Each person on this planet is inherently, intrin-
sically, capable of attaining “dizzying heights”
of happiness and fulfillment. The main barrier to
most people’s doing so seems to be fear—fear
that the heights will make them dizzy…
There seems to be a widespread fear in our society
of flying too close to the sun…When we look at
humanity’s potentials for living in peace, harmony,
productivity, even joy, and then look at the world
as it is, the comparison is pathetic. And why has
the human race gotten itself into this situation?
For no other reason than that individuals have
been blind to the limitlessness of their own
potentials, and have spent their time striving
to become average, to conform to what is tra-
ditionally expected of them, to fit into social
structures that perpetuate the mess that much of
the world is in.2
Many people spend all their lives on a wheel in a
never ending journey of eating, drinking, sleeping,
and working. They take little or no time for spiritual
regeneration and renewal. What happens when a
person loses sight of life’s purpose, when he reverses
his priorities? Some young people exchanged the
smaller front wheels of a mayor’s carriage with its
back wheels. When the mayor went on a trip, he
complained of the uphill road. And when he was
told that the road is flat, he could not believe it. On
his way back he discovered the reason for his uphill
journey. That is what happens when we put our
worldly desires ahead of our spiritual needs: Life
becomes an uphill struggle.

1139 Chapter 3: Riding on the Arch of a Rainbow

12Studies on the inner health of nations indicate that
most people live in the dim twilight of life and death.
In Thoreau’s words, they pursue “a life of quiet
desperation.” They live as if they are cells, not souls,
as if their goal is the dark solitude of the grave, and
not the dazzling splendors of God. They investigate
the mysteries of sub-atomic particles but ignore the
marvels of their own self. As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the
authorized Interpreter of the Bahá’í teachings,
declares, they “prefer to study the resemblance
between their own body and that of the ape, rather
than to contemplate the glorious affiliation between
their spirit and that of God.” 3 In the words of the
comedian Will Rogers, “God made man a little lower
than the angels, and he has been getting lower ever
since.”
A Sunday school teacher proudly declared, “God
made man in His wonderful image.” Dan, a six
year old boy protested, “But, teacher, my dad is a
scientist and he says our great great great parents
were monkeys.” The teacher said, “Thank you Dan
for sharing that information with us. But here we
don’t talk about anyone’s genealogy.”
A state of spiritual apathy and complacency prevails
throughout the planet. Many people prefer a life of
dreaming to one of wakefulness, search, and adven-
ture. Two friends were listening to a lecture. When
they left, one said to the other, “Did you hear
Jan’s snoring?” “Of course,” responded the other,
“that was terrible. She did not let me sleep.”
Christ uttered the parable of the talents to portray
the consequence of fearing to step out of one’s

Choosing Your Destiny

14comfort zone, fearing to investigate new knowledge,
fearing to learn, to grow and expand. Before going
on a long journey, the Master (Christ) called his
three servants and to each of them gave some capital
to invest.
To one he gave five talents of money, to another
two talents, and to another one talent, each
according to his ability. Then he went on his
journey. The man who had received the five
talents went at once and put his money to work
and gained five more. So also, the one with the
two talents gained two more. But the man who
had received the one talent went off, dug a hole
in the ground and hid his master’s money.
After a long time the master of those servants
returned and settled accounts with them. The
man who had received the five talents brought
the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me
with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful
servant! You have been faithful with a few
things; I will put you in charge of many things.
Come and share your master’s happiness!’
The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’
he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see,
I have gained two more.’ His master replied,
‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have
been faithful with a few things; I will put you
in charge of many things. Come and share your
master’s happiness!’
Then the man who had received the one talent
came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I…was afraid and went

1541 Chapter 3: Riding on the Arch of a Rainbow

16out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here
is what belongs to you.’ His master replied,
‘You wicked, lazy servant!…you should have put
my money on deposit with the bankers…’
Matthew 25:15-27
What was the punishment meted out to the “one-
talent,” fearful man who hid his talents? A perpetual
life of despair, grief, and anger. Was that too harsh?
Can a person be more unjust to himself and others
than one who buries his marvelous talents for fear
of the light? Manifesting one’s potential is the very
purpose for which humans are made. Further, the
punishment is always self-imposed. When someone
hides from the splendors of the divine, he chooses
to dwell in darkness, to descend to a life of quiet
desperation, grief, and anger.
Theologian Alan Jones encourages each individual
to investigate for himself firsthand the fundamental
questions of life:
One of our problems is that very few of us have
developed any distinctive personal life. Every-
thing about us seems secondhand, even our
emotions. In many cases we have to rely on
secondhand information in order to function. I
accept the word of a physician, a scientist, a
farmer, on trust. I do not like to do this. I have to
because they possess vital knowledge of living
of which I am ignorant. Secondhand information
concerning the state of my kidneys, the effects
of cholesterol, and the raising of chickens, I can
live with. But when it comes to questions of mean-
ing, purpose, and death, secondhand information
will not do. I cannot survive on a secondhand

Choosing Your Destiny

18faith in a secondhand God. There has to be a
personal word, a unique confrontation, If I am
to come alive.4
As psychologist Dr. Robert Anthony notes:
Behind every success, or every seeming miracle
of healing, there is a very simple cause—an
idea…Ideas are the way out of those self-imposed
limitations which can be a prison and a hell…
That is why meditation is such an important part
of successful living—it opens you to inspiration
and understanding. When you meditate…you will
never fail to receive ideas.5
Despair and cynicism have no place in human
life. They are vacuums produced by the absence of
knowledge. The following are clues for finding the
gateway of heaven:
• From God’s perspective the world is perfect; we
can see the perfection only through His telescope.
• A mind, like a parachute, does not work unless
it is open.
• If we do what God asks, only the best can happen
to us.
• The human mind is made for discovering and
creating, not conforming.
• God does not close a door without opening a
window.
• Only those who knock will find open doors.
“Knocking” means praying sincerely and seek-
ing knowledge constantly.

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20“Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter
of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a
thing to be achieved.” Opportunity knocks only
once in a great while, but complacency keeps
knocking all the time. Noted psychiatrist Dr. Scott
Peck invites us to a journey of perpetual search and
an ever-expanding vision:
Most of us operate from a narrower frame of
reference than that of which we are capable,
failing to transcend the influence of our particu-
lar culture, our particular set of parents and our
particular childhood experience…It is no wonder,
then, that the world of humanity is so full of
conflict…human beings, who must deal with each
other, have vastly different views as to the nature
of reality, yet each one believes his or her own
view to be the correct one since it is based on
the microcosm of personal experience. And to
make matters worse, most of us are not even
fully aware of our own world views
To develop a religion or world view that is
realistic…we must constantly revise and extend our
understanding to include new knowledge of the
larger world. We must constantly enlarge our
frame of reference.7
“We are all prisoners of our self-imposed limita-
tions. We do not realize we have been in prison
until we have broken out.” As former UN Secretary
Dag Hammerskjöld declared, “Never measure the
height of a mountain until you have reached the
top. Then you will see how low it is.” A teacher
asked her students to go out and count the stars.

Choosing Your Destiny

22Everyone came up with big numbers except a little
girl who said, “I could see only one star.” When the
teacher asked why, she responded, “Because my eyes
are small.” Some people’s visions, like the little
girl’s eyes, are too small to see the grand banquet
of God.
Some of us keep our vision focused only on the
visible. In a recent flood in California, a fifteen-
year-old boy saw his beloved bicycle being swept
away by fast-flowing torrents. In a desperate attempt
to save his toy he lost his life. Most people are
shocked by what happened. Yet without knowing,
they follow the boy’s example. They exchange their
whole life to accumulate toys they know they must
leave behind. The difference is this: they do in a
lifetime what the boy did in an instant.
Many people are so used to the dark, they cannot
live in the light. A prisoner was set free after
years. Eight weeks later, he went to the judge and
asked to be sent home. “Where is your home?” the
judge asked. “Prison,” he replied. He had found
himself outside his comfort zone. Freedom was his
prison, prison his freedom.
In a famous trial recently broadcast in the United
States, the judge instructed the jury in these words:
“Be fair, be impartial. Judge in the light of reason.”
That simple instruction can change the world into
a place of peace and wonder. If followed, it can
transform the dark of despair into the light of hope
and fulfillment. As Bahá’u’lláh, the Founder of the
Bahá’í Faith, declares:

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24The essence of all that We have revealed for
thee is Justice, is for man to free himself from
idle fancy and imitation, discern with the eye of
oneness His glorious handiwork, and look into
all things with a searching eye.8
Without knowing it, we are the juries of our own
destiny. The judgments we make now determine if
we will live in the prison of fear or in the paradise
of freedom, in the dim twilight of illusions or in
the luminous light of truth. This book is an attempt
to reveal a glimpse of the life beyond the clouds.
Each one of us is a gift from God. How we treat
this gift, how we polish and prepare it is our gift
to Him. As sacred Scriptures teach, we are God’s
and unto Him shall we return.9 Will the gift be
worthy of the Gift-Giver?
“There were two young men who thought they
knew all the answers. They had been able to out-
smart all the people in town and make a great deal
of money, by fair means or foul. But there was a
wise old woman who lived up on a hill, whom
they simply could not outfox. One day one of the
men said to the other: ‘We’re going to show the
old woman that she doesn’t know everything, that
she doesn’t have all the answers. We’ll go up on
the hill, catch a bird, and ask her what we have in
our hands, and she’ll answer, ‘It’s a bird.’ Then we
will say, ‘If you are so wise, old woman, if you
know everything, tell us, is the bird alive or is it
dead?’ And if she answers, ‘The bird is alive,’
we’ll crush it in our hands and kill it. And if she

Choosing Your Destiny

26answers, ‘The bird is dead,’ we’ll open our hands,
and the bird will fly away.
“So the two know-it-all’s went up on the hill, caught
a bird, and knocked on the old woman’s door. ‘Tell
me, if you know everything,’ one of them said, ‘if
you are so wise, what’s this I have in my hands?’
The old woman said, ‘Why, it’s a bird, my son.’
And the smart aleck said, ‘Then tell me, wise old
woman, is the bird alive or dead?’ The old woman
hesitated, and then, looking deep into the young
man’s eyes, she replied, ‘It is all in your hands.’”
How regrettable indeed that man should debar
himself from the fruits of the tree of wisdom
while his days and hours pass away swiftly.10
Seize the time, therefore, ere the glory of the
divine springtime hath spent itself…11 Bahá’u’lláh
Only have faith, patience and courage—this is
but the beginning…surely you will succeed, for
God is with you.12 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

27Spiritual Transformation
and Fulfillment
I have always been delighted at the prospect of
a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with
perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere
behind the morning.
We are made in God’s image, which lies hidden in
our soul. Our life’s purpose is to manifest that
image. Transformation is the process by which the
hidden image is revealed. A little girl and her
mother were visiting a friend. As the little girl was
walking through the gardens, she saw a peacock
with its wings outstretched, a scene she had never
seen before. She got so excited, she ran to her
mother and shouted, “Come quickly, a chicken is in

Choosing Your Destiny

29bloom!” Yes, transformation is the blooming of a
lowly bird into a lofty and princely peacock. Like
the little girl, we seldom see a soul outstretched, a
mind expanded, a heart in full bloom.
A peaceful world and a peaceful mind; if we had
both, we would have heaven on earth. Prophecies
predict and the Bahá’í writings confirm that we are
on the verge of having both: a peaceful world for
the mind and a peaceful mind for the world. We
are witnessing the dawning of “a new heaven,” the
gift of “a new earth,” and the birth of a new vision
of human life and purpose.
Behold, I will create new heavens and a new
earth. The former things will not be remembered
…be glad and rejoice forever in what I will
create… Isaiah 65:17-18
This book is an invitation to spiritual adventure, a
call to new frontiers of knowledge, a journey to
self-awareness and understanding.
True loss is for him whose days have been spent
in utter ignorance of his self.1 Bahá’u’lláh
“Of all human resources, the most precious is the
desire to improve.” The Bahá’í Faith offers you a
chance for spiritual trans-form-ation, the inspiration
to go beyond your present “form” to see a far
more splendid image of yourself and your destiny.
Is not the object of every Revelation to effect a
transformation in the whole character of mankind,
a transformation that shall manifest itself both
outwardly and inwardly…? 2 Bahá’u’lláh

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31Bahá’u’lláh reveals an enchanting world—a world,
which like a revolving kaleidoscope, allows you to
see as yet unseen and sublime images in yourself
and your future. He offers you the incentive to
search and to soar above your present “form,” to
overstep the boundaries you have set on yourself,
to evolve and reveal an ever-increasing and ever-
glowing spectrum of beauty and harmony locked
deep within you.
Let this be written for a future generation, that
a people not yet created may praise the Lord…
Like clothing you will change them…
Psalms 102:18,

32I will give them one heart and one way of life…
Jeremiah 32:39

33We have, then, called into being a new creation,
as a token of Our grace…3 Bahá’u’lláh

34And the splendor of that light is in the hearts,
yet it is hidden under the veilings of sense and
the conditions of this earth, even as a candle
within a lantern of iron, and only when the lan-
tern is removed doth the light of the candle
shine out.
In like manner, when thou strippest the wrap-
pings of illusion from off thine heart, the lights
of oneness will be made manifest.4 Bahá’u’lláh
Lift up the veil that…ye may…behold that which
no eye hath beheld, and hear that which no ear
hath heard.5 Bahá’u’lláh

Choosing Your Destiny

36Once you have lifted “the veil” and seen the
blooming of your self and “the beauty of the
Beloved,” you will gain a momentum that can
move the world, that can transform the human
race, that can turn the dark of gloom and grief into
the dawn of glory. “Once you start to make the
transformational awakening journey, there is no
going back. You develop a knowledge that is so
powerful that you will wonder how you could have
lived any other way.”
But before this magic can happen, before the beau-
tiful but concealed butterfly of your soul can reveal
its wonders, tear the veil, and soar to the grand arena
of freedom and harmony, you must replace all your
negative thoughts (“I can’t.” “It is impossible.” “It
is hard.” “It is too late.” “I don’t have time.”) with
positive visions and images:
You have so little faith…if you have faith…
Nothing will be impossible to you.
Christ (Matt. 17:20-21)
As you have faith, so shall your powers and
blessings be.7 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
He whom the grace of Thy mercy aideth, though
he be but a drop, shall become the boundless
ocean, and the merest atom which the outpour-
ing of Thy loving-kindness assisteth, shall shine
even as the radiant star…8 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
A little girl knocked on a door. A lady opened it
and inquired: “What can I do for you?”
Girl: I want to sell cookies to save the planet from
pollution.

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38Lady: How much money is needed for this?
Girl: Billions of dollars.
Lady: Do you plan to collect all that money by
yourself?
Girl: No, I have a friend.
Lady: Is he as little and young as you are?
Girl: No. He is a lot bigger, older, wiser, and
kinder. You may have heard about Him. His name
is God.
Uncertainty, doubt, and unwillingness to make a
commitment pose the first obstacles to change:
Pass beyond the baser stages of doubt and rise
to the exalted heights of certainty.9 Bahá’u’lláh
O SON OF MAN!
Many a day hath passed over thee whilst thou
hast busied thyself with thy fancies and idle
imaginings. How long art thou to slumber on thy
bed? Lift up thy head from slumber, for the Sun
hath risen to the zenith, haply it may shine upon
thee with the light of beauty.10 Bahá’u’lláh

39We should advance from the stage of simply “hear-
ing” or knowing to that of “seeing” the beauty of
the Beloved in all His splendor:
I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eyes see You. Job 42:5

40It is said that “seeing is believing,” but the reverse
is also true: “believing is seeing.” Believing attracts
blessings and activates unseen powers to remove
the veils and to expand your vision.

Choosing Your Destiny

42Every journey begins with a first step. Before any
transformation can take place, we must be willing
to unlock our heart and let a glimmer of light reach
the vast—indeed infinite—realm of our higher
consciousness. This story illustrates the point. A
man lost his key and kept searching for it in the
street. A friend came along and asked:
“What are you doing?”
“I am looking for my key.”
“Where did you lose it?”
“Inside my house.”
“Then why are you searching for it in the street?”
“Because the door to my house is locked and there
is more light outside!”
The house is the inner self and the street the outer
world. Many search for answers all around them,
while their hearts are closed. Unless the heart is
unlocked and a glimmer of the light let in, no new
frontiers can be seen, no transformation can take
place. Without the glimmer and glory of that light,
the kaleidoscope cannot reveal its enchanting images.
Spinning alone in the darkness of desire will not
unravel our divine potential; it will only lead to
dizzying and distressing spells.
Out of the clay of love I molded thee, how dost
thou busy thyself with another? Turn thy sight
unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing
within thee, mighty, powerful…11 Bahá’u’lláh
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s
temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?
I Corinthians 3:16

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44No one can unlock the heart except the heart itself.
No one else has the key, nowhere else can it be
found. Duplicates are simply unavailable.
All that which ye potentially possess can…be
manifested only as a result of your own voli-
tion.12 Bahá’u’lláh
Our efforts, like a magnet, attract the divine blessings.
For results depend upon means, and the grace of
God shall be all-sufficient unto you.13 Bahá’u’lláh
The “self ” as God made it is free and flawless.
Little by little we build walls around it, and put
ceilings above it. We insulate it against heat and
cold. At first we feel comfortable and secure. But
soon the rain falls, the wind blows, and everything
begins to shake and fall.
John Quincy Adams is well but the house in
which he lives at the present time is becoming
dilapidated. It’s tottering on its foundations.
Time and the seasons have nearly destroyed it.
Its roof is pretty well worn out. Its walls are
much shattered and tremble with every wind. I
think John Quincy Adams will have to move out
of it soon. But he himself is quite well, quite
well. John Quincy Adams
If you say, “Why do I need personal transforma-
tion? I am doing fine,” then examine the following
passage from Dr. Wayne Dyer, a noted author and
psychologist who has transformed many thousands,
perhaps millions, of lives. This is what he says
about himself:

Choosing Your Destiny

46I never imagined myself needing to change. I
did not have a plan to change my old ways, or
a set of goals to improve anything in my life.
I felt confident that I had my life running the
way I wanted it to. I was extremely successful
professionally, and nothing seemed to me to
be missing. Yet I have undergone a major
transformation that has added a luster to each of
my days that I never even contemplated a few
years ago.14
An essential step to self-growth is humility, the
deflating of the ego. A politician once asked a saint
if she could teach him the best lesson she had
learned in life. The saint indicated that she could
not teach him that lesson but would help him dis-
cover it for himself. The saint told him to go into
the woods, raise his eyes and hands heavenwards,
keep them that way for at least half an hour a day
until the answer was revealed to him. The next day
the politician came to the saint and said, “I did
exactly what you told me to do, but didn’t receive
any revelation. If anything, I felt more like a fool.”
“Well,” replied the saint, “Isn’t that a good revela-
tion for a first try?”
No human being can estimate his own potential,
can conceive the heights to which he can ascend.
“It is a simple procedure to calculate the number
of seeds in an apple. But who among us can ever
say how many apples are in a seed?”
Blessed are those who recognize the thirst in their
soul for spiritual knowledge, those who see the
poverty in their spirit, those humble enough to

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48acknowledge and mourn their own pains and
suffering as well as those of others:
Blessed are the poor [humble] in spirit, for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those
who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed
are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they will be filled.
Christ (Matt. 5:3-6)
Most people pursue a life of quiet desperation.
Some live in a state of panic; they run about aim-
lessly. Others vegetate in a state of inertia: they feel
bored, depressed, unable to advance. Others are
always running but never arriving. They chase an
elusive butterfly that forever eludes them. Still
others only cope and conform; their goal is to be
“normal.” Very few people—noted psychologist
Maslow estimates only one percent—experience the
abundant life with all its wonders and ecstasies.
Some people are as immovable and unreachable as
a damp stump, and if confronted with the spark of
the Spirit, they instantly emit the smoke of resistance
to smother the spark. They are as obstinate in their
ways as a little girl whose mother asked her to do
some task. She said, “I don’t want to.” Her mother
responded, “Then do what you want to.” The little
girl yelled, “But I don’t want to do what I want to do.”
I once met a retired director of a university library
who proudly declared that he had plenty of time to
read. Instantly I thought he would be a good
candidate for a book offer. I said, “With all the free
time you have, would you like to read a book with

Choosing Your Destiny

50a spiritual or religious tone?” He had his finger on
the trigger. “I have been doing fine without God
and faith for the last seventy years,” he declared
proudly. I knew I was in trouble. One more miscal-
culation on my part! I knew right away that I had
met a dead end road and so I changed direction.
What I wanted to tell him was this: “Did not the
world get along without electricity?” Of course that
would have triggered a sharp argument—one I would
try to avoid unless I was sure of winning! and there
was no prospect of that. Once I heard on the radio
that when electric light arrived, the candle industry
was threatened!
Some people like to be lost in their dreams and
illusions and they don’t like interruptions. A woman
said to her pastor: “I really liked your sermon today.”
“Why?” asked the pastor. “Because you interrupted
my thoughts only five times,” she answered.
Some people want to avoid or postpone the in-
evitable. They try everything within their power to
stay safely in their comfort zone. A woman invited
a friend to a meeting on spiritual transformation.
The friend arrived just when people were leaving.
The woman asked him, “Why are you so late?”
“Because,” he answered, “when I want to do some-
thing extraordinary I flip a coin to tell me if I
should proceed.” “But flipping a coin doesn’t take
that long!” “Well,” he responded calmly, “I was not
getting the right answer. So I flipped the coin
times to see if I could find any pattern. At last I
got tired, and decided to come!”
As a proverb teaches, a person who “knows that he
knows not” is on his way to perfection. A person

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52who “knows not that he knows not” is asleep. He
needs awakening. (It seems most people live in this
state.) A person who “knows not but thinks he
knows” is in trouble. He needs a change of heart.
As long as we think we are green, we continue
to grow. The moment we think we are ripe, we
begin to rot.
Our stress and distress come mainly from a
mistaken identity, from taking “the house” for
“the householder.” It comes from assuming that
the real “I” is the visible frame rather than the
intelligent, invisible resident. The mistaken identity
offends and agonizes the owner of the house. It
causes incalculable pain and suffering to the highly
sensitive occupant. If this brief and simple message
were taken to heart, it would impregnate our planet
with great transformational powers that would give
birth to a new race of humanity, a new creation:
Man is, in reality, a spiritual being, and only
when he lives in the spirit is he truly happy.15
‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Consider the metaphor of a fruitcake, adapted from
Dr. Dyer. Suppose you see a beautiful picture of a
fruitcake on a package. You buy it and take it
home. When you open the package, you find none
of the beauty inside. Disappointed, you throw away
the content and keep the package, cherishing,
praising, and watching it with the hope that it may
suddenly transform into a nourishing, tantalizing
cake. But your hunger pangs continue to complain
and to remind you that no nourishment can come
from looking, hoping, and dreaming. As Dr. Dyer
concludes:

Choosing Your Destiny

54Your life may be just like that. You may be
paying so much attention to the package that
contains the real you that you toss away the most
vital ingredients. Your form is the package, and
while its beauty and appearance may seem all-
important, it primarily serves to contain all the
rest of your magnificent humanity. The container
cannot give you the pleasure and satisfaction and
nourishment that the contents do. Even though
you cannot see what is inside that beautiful
package, you know that whatever it is provides
you with important and irreplaceable nourishment.
A lifetime of focusing exclusively on the package
will result in a spiritually undernourished and
quite unhappy you.16
The package is already made. It is as perfect as it
can be. But the flour is as yet unpalatable. To reveal
its potential, it must be beaten, kneaded, molded,
and baked in the fire.

55Signs of Spiritual Perfection
What are the signs of beauty and perfection that lie
hidden in every soul?
As psychologist Abraham Maslow notes, only one
percent of people attain self-actualization; the other
ninety nine percent fall short of fulfilling their
potential. We have forgotten the enduring joys and
pleasures that God has ordained for us. We have
shifted the basis of our hope and happiness from
our heart and soul to our physical form. We often
act like a guest who goes to a most magnificent

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57feast, but instead of sitting, enjoying the scene,
laughing, and listening to the music, picks up a
sandwich and runs away.
Do you wish to become more spiritual? That is the
main purpose of this book. If you read it with a
receptive heart, it will inspire you to cultivate and
reveal your soul’s inner perfection.
The following are a few of the countless images of
beauty and splendor that will dwell in the heart
once it has been unlocked to allow the light of
knowledge to enter and abide therein:17
• A tendency to see a wider and sharper image of
the world.
• An inclination to think and act spontaneously as
unspoiled children, to flow with life.
• An increased capacity for advancing to peak
experiences of joy and beauty, and a sense of
oneness with the world.
• A strong desire for extending friendship to your-
self and others.
• A heightened susceptibility to fall in love with
all people and all things and be unable to free
yourself from the love.
• A tendency to be so enchanted by your journey
of spiritual transformation, that you will gladly
cancel all your other “trips.”
• An inclination to accept people as they are.
• A tendency to become so busy counting your
blessings, you will have little time for anything
else.

Choosing Your Destiny

59• An increased capacity for abandoning some of
your favorite illusions.
• An opportunity to experience an intense thirst
for knowledge.
• A surprise to find fulfillment and contentment
chasing you rather than you chasing them.
• An intensified unfolding of your creative potential.
• A tendency to reveal the child in you without
embarrassment, to see the humor and the lighter
side of life.
• A tendency to shed tears often—that is, the tears
that come from the joy of fellowship with God.
• A surprise to see some of your symptoms such
as headache or fatigue fade away without any
apparent reason.
• An inclination to celebrate every day and not
wait for special days.
• A tendency to speak to God more often and
enjoy the conversation.
• An ability to find the practice of a moral life a
privilege and pleasure, rather than a pressure.
• An inclination to be so busy looking for the best
in people that you won’t have time, and lose all
desire and ability, to look for anything else.
• A tendency to uncover lessons or stepping-stones
in adversity; to find a reason for everything.
• An increased ability to know that only the best
can happen to those who live an awakened and
enlightened life.

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61• A surprise to find yourself in the grip of peace
and happiness and be unable to release yourself.
• A tendency to trust God and leave the unman-
ageable to His care.
• A loss of the ability to complain or worry for
no apparent reason.
• A desire to cherish every moment of life as a
gift from God.
• A tendency to be fascinated by the unknown
and unfamiliar rather than to feel anxious or
frightened.
• An increased capacity to fill the gap between
what is and what should be.
• A tendency to feel both empowered and help-
less, both glorified and humbled.
• An enhanced ability to be ruled by compassion,
conscience, and justice rather than concern for
personal consequences.
• A desire to cherish each person as a precious
book filled with living lessons.
• A tendency to seek friendship with the pure
and humble, and to avoid the pompous and
pretentious.
• An increased capacity for finding abundance in
your life—even if you are poor—and for sharing
and giving.
• An ability to live for today and to prepare for
and look forward to tomorrow.
• A tendency to see an enduring purpose and
meaning in your life.

Choosing Your Destiny

63• An inclination to transform the agony of loneli-
ness into the enjoyment of solitude.
• An ability to endure less the pain of complain-
ing of problems and enjoy more the pleasure of
finding solutions.
• A susceptibility to fall in love with God, and to
thank Him and glorify Him both in good times
and bad times.
• An inclination to experience frequent outbreaks
of laughter and a loss of all sense of boredom.
• An increased capacity for experiencing a sense
of awe, wonder, and ecstasy.
• An increased wisdom to see the “big beautiful
picture” and not be distracted by little scratches
or marks on the frame.
• An inclination to forget yourself and remember
others.
• A tendency to cheer up, stir, and inspire people,
but never to drag them up the mountain.
• An expanded capacity to become detached from
all (people, power, and possessions), except
from God.
• An insight to find pleasure in both work and
worship, and to view them as one.
• An increased wisdom to see death as a door to
a new and expanded heaven — the second one—
for you have already experienced the first
heaven here on earth.
If you find the slightest exaggeration in any of the
portrayed images, ponder these promises once again:

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65You have so little faith…if you have faith…
Nothing will be impossible to you.
Christ (Matt. 17:20-21)
As you have faith, so shall your powers and
blessing be.18 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

66The Illusion of Future Happiness
Our life, like our busy highways, is growing more
hectic and crowded. The demand on our time is
increasing relentlessly. The result is this: we seek
quick remedies for our headache, toothache, or toe
ache, but ignore, deny, or suppress the ache in our
spirit. We do this despite knowing that we shall
lose all—the head, the tooth, and the toe—but keep
the spirit, the real owner of everything, the only “I
and me.” By so doing, we become strangers to our
own selves. Is the householder the house or is the
house the householder?
• We bathe and cleanse our bodies but not our
souls.
• We change our attire, but not our attitudes.
• We beautify our skin, but not our spirit.
• We seek a clear complexion but not a clear
conscience.
• We polish our nails and our cars but not our
character.
• We open our clogged arteries but not our minds.
• We worry about our ulcer, but ignore our ultimate
destiny.

Choosing Your Destiny

68• We bask our bodies in the sun but leave our
hearts in darkness.
• We fill our closets but leave our souls empty.
• We clear our gardens from weeds but not our
conscience from guilt.
• We remove a callous from our toes but leave
callousness in our hearts.
• We align our nose but leave our lives crooked.
• We worry about our hairline and baldness, but
ignore our hollow brain.
• We remove the wrinkles from our face but not
from our character.
• We make the fading, fleeting “form” fragrant
but ignore the imperishable and eternal.
We ignore our soul, the glorious gift that must be
groomed and made beautiful as a bride for the
grand banquet of heaven. We forget the one who
must be as pure and radiant as the light and as free
and detached as the wind to soar beyond the stars
and reside in the Master’s “many mansions” on high.
We assume that life will continue as it is, that we
will have more time in the future to do all the
things for which we find no time now. The thought
of our mortality is too threatening.
The art of living successfully consists of being
able to hold two opposite ideas in tension at the
same time: first, to make long-term plans as if
we were going to live forever; and, second, to
conduct ourselves daily as if we were going to
die tomorrow. Sydney J. Harris

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70We live as if the present moments must be spent or
invested for an illusive goal that is always in the
future. And how do we define goals? As a fixed
point in time that once arrived, fulfillment follows.
We must recognize that life is not a destination but
a journey, that we are travelers through time, and
a goal is a sign post we see just ahead, a point we
pass by and at which we can only pause. Our
whole life is only a viewing of sceneries. Nothing
more. The goal at age nine or ninety is the same:
growth. The difference is in the scenery. As author
Gena Corea notes:
My early life had been fed with dreams and a
deep feeling that if I waited, did my part and
was patient, love would come to me and with it
such a family life as fiction depicted and romance
built up. It seems to me that I have always been
waiting for something better—sometimes to see
the best I had snatched from me.
The assumption that a goal is always in the future,
totally distorts our vision of reality. It makes us
waste the precious present for an illusive end, for
a moving shadow that is never reached, for a mirage
that appears splendid from afar but soon fades
away. Consider a man who works twelve hours a
day, six days a week, and saves huge sums through
all his working years. He invests his most precious
moments for wealth. When he thinks he has reached
his goal and stops, he finds that he has reached only
a new scenery, that the “goal” he pursued during a
lifetime was nothing but fable and fantasy. Besides,
he encounters new challenges to his illusive dreams,

Choosing Your Destiny

72such as increased sickness and the fear of an im-
pending death. Even in absence of these, he could
“reach” no point of bliss, except move with time
and see more sceneries.
So many invest their precious lives running for the
end of the rainbow. As a comedian has said, “Young
people look forward, old people look backward,
and middle age people look terrible.”
The future is now, this very second; the goal is
here right within our reach, this very moment. What
is real is now. The time to act is now. This planet
is not our permanent home. We come from God
and we may be recalled any minute. There is no
time to wait or waste. As Bahá’u’lláh declares:
O CHILDREN OF NEGLIGENCE!
…Ye are even as the unwary bird that with full
confidence warbleth upon the bough; till of a
sudden the fowler Death throws it upon the dust,
and the melody, the form and the color are gone,
leaving not a trace. Wherefore take heed, O
bondslaves of desire!19

1If I am not for myself, who will be? If I am
only for myself, what am I? Rabbi Hillel
Three words can symbolize our invisible con-
nection to one another. They are “alone” and “all
one.” The only thing that separates them is one

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3letter, the letter l, which I think of as standing
for love. “All one” and “alone” are identical
concepts. Within every cell in the universe there
is a sense of aloneness, as well as a sense of all-
oneness, existing simultaneously.20 Wayne Dyer
This work is also about transforming the planet,
about bringing peace and harmony to our divided
world. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall
be called sons of God (Christ, Matt. 5:9).” It is
about building a global society in which the people
of diverse races and cultures, like the flowers of
one garden, blend and bloom in perfect charm; a
world in which the talents of its citizens, like tiny
droplets of rain, draw light and warmth from the
“Sun” and make magnificent rainbows—the arches
of prosperity and peace that stand high, the arms
of hope and harmony that embrace our whole planet.
Behold, I will create new heavens and a new
earth. The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind. But be glad and
rejoice forever in what I will create…They will
not toil in vain or bear children doomed to
misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by
the Lord…Before they call I will answer; while
they are still speaking I will hear…They will
neither harm nor destroy in all my holy moun-
tain… Isaiah 65:17-25
The following quotations from the Bahá’í Scriptures
express the most urgent message for our time. If
heeded, they can transform the planet and its people:
Let your vision be world-embracing, rather than
confined to your own self.21

Choosing Your Destiny

5The diversity in the human family should be the
cause of love and harmony, as it is in music
where many different notes blend together in the
making of a perfect chord.22
Do not allow difference of opinion, or diversity
of thought to separate you from your fellow-
men, or to be the cause of dispute, hatred and
strife in your hearts.23
You must…look toward each other and then
toward mankind with the utmost love and kind-
ness…You must, therefore, be kind to all men;
you must even treat your enemies as your
friends. You must consider your evil-wishers as
your well-wishers.24
We need not create a melting pot of peoples but a
magnificent mosaic of many cultures and colors
that fit together with perfect harmony. We need to
learn to dance together to the music of heaven
without stepping on each other’s toes.
The world is in desperate need of spiritual and
social transformation. The distress calls are heard
everywhere. We need to act before the poison of
despair paralyzes the human race. “A young mother,
paying a visit to her doctor, was making no attempt
to restrain her 5-year-old son who was ransacking
an adjoining treatment room. Finally, an extra loud
clatter of bottles prompted her to say, ‘I hope you
don’t mind Johnny being in your examination
room, Doctor.’ ‘Not at all,’ said the doctor calmly.
‘He’ll quiet down in a moment when he gets to
the poison cabinet.’” The human race is quickly
approaching the poison. Many have already lost
consciousness.

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7We are living in the most critical time in history.
The opportunities that we now have for universal
peace, for spiritual knowledge, for personal trans-
formation and fulfillment may never come again.
To everything there is a season, a time for every
purpose under heaven: A time to be born, and
a time to die a time to weep, and a time to
laugh a time to gain, and a time to lose a
time to keep silence, and a time to speak
Ecclesiastes 3:1-7
Seize, O friends, the chance which this Day
offereth you, and deprive not yourselves of His
grace.25 Bahá’u’lláh
Seize the time, therefore, ere the glory of the
divine springtime hath spent itself, and the Bird
of Eternity ceased to warble its melody, that
thy inner hearing may not be deprived of
hearkening unto its call. This is My counsel unto
thee and unto the beloved of God. Whosoever
wisheth, let him turn thereunto; whosoever
wisheth, let him turn away. God , verily, is
independent of him and of that which he may
see and witness.26 Bahá’u’lláh
Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your
soul may live Seek the Lord while he may be
found Isaiah 55:3,6
Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings, if put into practice, can
change the life and destiny of every human being
on this planet. The world does not wait for anyone.
The time to choose the course of our eternal
destiny is now.

Choosing Your Destiny

9God offers to every mind its choice between
truth and repose. Take which you please—you
can never have both. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Love was offered me and I shrank from its
disillusionment; sorrow knocked at my door, but
I was afraid; ambition called to me, but I
dreaded the chances. Yet all the while I hun-
gered for meaning in my life. And now I know
that we must lift the sail and catch the winds of
destiny… Edgar Lee Masters
Will the door to the heavenly Banquet, to God’s
“many mansions” always remain open?
Many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not
be able to. Christ (Luke 13:24)
O my friends…! Haste ye forth unto your celes-
tial habitation. Announce unto yourselves the
joyful tidings: “He Who is the Best-Beloved
is come! He hath crowned Himself with the
glory of God’s Revelation, and hath unlocked
to the face of men the doors of His ancient
Paradise.” Let all eyes rejoice, and let every ear
be gladdened, for now is the time to gaze on
His beauty…27 Bahá’u’lláh
Arise for the triumph of My cause, that while
yet on earth thou mayest obtain the victory.28
Bahá’u’lláh
Ere long, they will awake from their slumber,
and find themselves unable to obtain that which
hath escaped them in the days of their Lord, the
Almighty, the All-Praised.29 Bahá’u’lláh

1The true beginning of wisdom is the desire to
learn. Wisdom of Solomon 6:17
The source of all learning is the knowledge of
God, exalted be His Glory, and this cannot be
attained save through the knowledge of His
Divine Manifestation.1 Bahá’u’lláh
Knowledge is as wings to man's life…a veritable
treasure…a source of glory, of bounty, of joy, of

2What Is the Bahá’í Faith?
One People, One World,

1Who Are the Bahá’ís?
Bahá’ís are peoples of varying national, religious,
and racial origins who have risen above the many
obstacles that may have divided them, such as
traditions, dogmas, rituals, denominations, races,
languages, nationalities, and politics. They see the
light of truth in all great religions and discern the
glimmers of the divine in all humanity. They
deplore the prevailing discord and competition

Choosing Your Destiny

3among the world’s factions and religions. After
seeking and searching, they have found in the Bahá’í
life a haven of peace and harmony. By listening to
the divine call and recognizing its distinctions, they
have restored their trust and regained their hope
and confidence in their Creator, in His unfailing
love and concern for humanity.

4Bahá’ís believe
• That the revelation of divine purpose and knowl-
edge is continuous and progressive, that God has
a grand and glorious Plan to guide and advance
the human race. Each of His Messengers unveils
only part of the Plan. The Creator has spoken
repeatedly to humanity and will continue to do so
for ages to come, each time unveiling new mea-
sures of truth adapted to an ever-advancing world.
• That the Bahá’í Faith is the latest—not the last—
revelation of the divine purpose. Its Scriptures
encompass over one hundred volumes. They ex-
pand our knowledge to the limits of our capacity
for at least the next thousand years.
• That the world’s most grievous disease is discord,
disunity, and dissension, and that its only remedy
is a global Faith with supranational ideals and
the healing message of love, peace, and unity.
• That the first step in changing the world is to
search for truth with an open mind; for the great-
est obstacle to unity and peace is imitation of
beliefs. Almost everyone assumes that the religion

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6or denomination he has “inherited” from his
parents is the only way to truth. But one’s spiri-
tual life is too important to be left to chance,
namely, to what the religion or beliefs of one’s
ancestors happen to be.
• That our happiness and well-being depend on
pursuing the purpose and the goal for which we
were created.
• That we should be in touch with God’s latest
expression of knowledge to discover the purpose
and the goal He has specifically assigned to us
and our time.
• That our Creator provides us with a Plan for
peace, happiness, and harmony, and places on us
the responsibility for carrying out the Plan.
Our future is not determined by chance. Whether we
reap war or peace, misery or happiness, despair or
hope, apathy or ecstasy depends on the choices we
make now. Learning about the new Revelation of
divine knowledge is the first step towards the goal
of building a peaceful planet and partaking of all
the joys and rewards our Creator has in store for us.
The fruit we wish to pick tomorrow lies hidden
in the seed of today.
It is in moments of decision that our everlasting
destiny is shaped, yet so many live as if they have
no choice and no destiny.

Choosing Your Destiny

8Goals of the Bahá’í Faith
The Bahá’í Faith seeks:
• To provide the means for the highest develop-
ment of human potential, to spiritualize humanity,
and to raise ethical standards to levels never
before achieved.
• To create a unified, peaceful, and harmonious
global society, a world crowned with justice
and dedicated to promote an ever-advancing
civilization.
The Bahá’í Faith is the most dynamic unifying
force in the world today. Here are a few reasons:
• It teaches universality and world-mindedness; it
encourages people to rise above nationalism,
racism, and sectarianism—forces that have
stifled and divided the world.
• It offers a new plan for global peace and unity.
• It provides a model for a new social order. This
model has already been implemented on a wide
scale, extending to over 200 countries and terri-
tories. It encompasses virtually every religion,
sect, nationality, race, tribe or temperament
known on the planet.
Many eminent scientists and leaders of thought
have recognized the unique role of the Bahá’í Faith
in the unfolding drama of human history. They have
acknowledged the nobility of its teachings, its
relevance to our time, and its inspirational powers
in creating a unified and peaceful world. One great

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10scientist who has especially examined the Bahá’í
community as a model for a global community, is
Dr. Ervin Laszlo, one of the foremost authorities on
systems sciences (the dynamic interdependence of
all things) and world order. Dr. Laszlo, who has
taught at Princeton and Yale, is rector of the Vienna
Academy for the Study of the Future, editor of
World Futures, author of 50 volumes, 250 articles,
and the editor-in-chief of The World Encyclopedia
of Peace.
Dr. Laszlo has expressed his views on the state of
the world and the unique role of the Bahá’ís at this
critical juncture in history:
In the context of evolution as it unfolds through
history, the next step is a society of global unity.
This society, I am convinced, will come…
The responsibility that you [Bahá’ís] have is a
unique one because you alone, I think, of all the
communities of the world form a global commu-
nity committed to the belief, to the conviction
that peace will come, that peace requires unity…
Your example could be a very important factor
in the development of a global society at large
because you show that it is possible. And today
we live in turbulent times when the effect of
one example like this, a living example, could
spread. Why? Because…we have all the means
of communication at our disposal. Your example
could become known all over the world, and it
is already becoming known…
This is a time in which people are looking for
solutions. They are looking for meaning; they

Choosing Your Destiny

12are looking toward a future that they cannot
quite see. They do not have this conviction, they
do not have the belief, nor do they have the
scientific insight that says, “If only we can
survive, we will create a global society with
global peace.” They think the future is unpre-
dictable, is unknowable. It could be dark; and
therefore, many young people today are prey to
pessimism. It’s important under these circum-
stances to bring this example to light—to let
people know that one can live the way you live.
Peace can come at last to humanity, I am con-
vinced of that. The insight of the Bahá’ís, now
confirmed and bolstered by scientific knowledge,
should give you the necessary wisdom and the
necessary courage to be our leaders in this great
movement.3
As Dr. Laszlo states, in order to be convinced, people
first need to see a model in action. The advanced
model inspires them by demonstrating the outer
reaches of possibility, by showing them that a dream
can change into reality.
In his classic The Structure of Scientific Revolu-
tions, Thomas Kuhn points out that scientific
revolutions occur when someone creates a new
perspective, a new model, a new approach to
reality. After such a breakthrough, great progress
can be made that was previously impossible.4
H. G. Wells in his classic work, The Outline of
History, predicted that the future world state
…will be based upon a common world religion,
very much simplified and universalized and

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14better understood. This will not be Christianity
nor Islám nor Buddhism but religion itself pure
and undefiled
Mr. Wells may have been describing the Bahá’í Faith.
When he spoke those words, the seed of such a
global vision had already germinated and has since
flowered and encompassed the world.
Dr. Edwin Dahlberg, former president of the National
Council of Churches, has observed that the world
may be on the verge of witnessing the dawn of a
new religious revival, and he has listed three
conditions that commonly precede such a revival or
awakening:
• A growing sense of concern and discontent
regarding moral trends.
• A yearning for something better.
• The appearance of a messenger who speaks with
a voice of authority—a voice that the people will
instinctively recognize and obey.6
Dr. Dahlberg then concludes:
The first two of these three conditions are al-
ready in operation. We have yet to welcome
the messenger, who will give voice to the higher
conscience of the nation and the world.7
Bahá’ís maintain that not two but all three condi-
tions have been in operation for more than a century.
They have already welcomed the Messenger who
has “spoken with authority” and given “voice to the
higher conscience of the world.” They have already
received and acknowledged the universal faith that

Choosing Your Destiny

16Toynbee and other great thinkers have deemed
essential for the triumph of peace and survival of
civilization.
At a time when doubt and despair have darkened
the human horizons, when world leaders have
proved powerless to face the demands of a chang-
ing world, how can a Messenger—Bahá’u’lláh—
who was persecuted, exiled, and imprisoned most
of His life, bring hope and harmony to the world,
inspire a global conscience, a world society, a
planetary social order? To succeed, a message must:
• Be relevant to the time. It must relate to the
needs of the age.
• Be invested with such a creative power and
authority as to motivate and inspire the people,
to uplift them from the self to the divine, to lead
them to a Source greater than themselves.
• Deal with the causes of human problems—both
social and individual—rather than the symptoms.
Bahá’ís believe that the Bahá’í Faith satisfies all
these conditions, that the new teachings are the
spirit of the age, that the world is desperately in
need of the knowledge and inspiration offered by
Bahá’u’lláh.
This book is not a text in theology, a treatise on
doctrines, nor a thesis on a new denomination. It
concerns the very essence of “the knowledge of
God” as disclosed by His latest Manifestation or
Messenger: Bahá’u’lláh, the Glory of God.
Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation is its own proof. It is the
best evidence of its worthiness and validity:

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18God’s wisdom is proved by its result.
Christ (Matt. 11:19)
This is the true Law of Life: From good must
come good, and from evil must come evil.

Buddha

1Ye shall know them by their fruits.
Christ (Matt. 7:16)

1The ultimate goal of Bahá’u’lláh’s social Plan is
global unity. Ours is the age of the oneness of
humanity. All nations, religions, and races must
work together to overcome the obstacles that divide
them. They must associate in a spirit of love and
fellowship to create a new civilization based on
justice, cooperation, peace, and concern for all
humanity.
The first step in overcoming any obstacle or
improving any condition is to expand one’s
perception. In the Bahá’í Faith this is called the
Independent Search for Truth.
The essence of all that We have revealed for
thee is Justice, is for man to free himself from
idle fancy and imitation, discern with the eye of
oneness His glorious handiwork, and look into
all things with a searching eye.8 Bahá’u’lláh

2In a talk given in 1912 in Sacramento, California,
‘Abdu’l-Bahá stated:

Choosing Your Destiny

4The first teaching is that man should investigate
reality, for reality is contrary to dogmatic inter-
pretations and imitations of ancestral forms of
belief to which all nations and peoples adhere so
tenaciously. These blind imitations are contrary
to the fundamental basis of the divine religions,
for the divine religions in their central and es-
sential teaching are based upon unity, love and
peace, whereas these variations and imitations
have ever been productive of warfare, sedition
and strife. Therefore, all souls should consider
it incumbent upon them to investigate reality.
Reality is one; and when found, it will unify
all mankind. Reality is the love of God. Reality
is the knowledge of God. Reality is justice.
Reality is the oneness…of mankind. Reality is
international peace. Reality is the knowledge of
verities. Reality unifies humanity.9
Love for truth should rank first in our lives:
To love truth for truth’s sake is the principal part
of human perfection in this world, and the seed-
plot of all other virtues. John Locke
Of all duties, the love of truth…ranks first and
highest. To love God and to love truth are one
and the same. Silvio Pellico
As citizens of one planet, with one destiny, we
must recognize that we are facing a new age with
unparalleled crises and opportunities. We must
reach beyond all the boundaries of our prevailing
perceptions, our self-interests, untested beliefs and
assumptions, fear of the unfamiliar, submission to
or tolerance for decayed and outmoded ideologies

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6such as nationalism, racism, sexism, and every
other “ism” that places one segment of the human
race apart from or above the others. We must also
rise above the prevailing cynicism and apathy, the
attitudes of “there is not much I can do” and “what
will be will be.”
Only the consciousness of a purpose that is
mightier than any man and worthy of all men
can fortify…the souls of humankind.
We need to look with a fresh gaze at the world, the
people, religion, politics, economics, education, and
our responsibilities as citizens of one planet. We
need a new mode of thinking, a new vision inspired
by our devotion to God and humanity with a desire
to restore love and hope to the heart of the world.
Where there is no vision, the people perish…
Proverbs 29:18

7If mankind is to stop operating reactively and
become truly proactive, we need a star to follow
…Ideals and positive visions are important not
because they can be immediately and fully at-
tained, but because they can set standards by
which we can direct our steps.10
But in the realm of positive images, we are still
moving at the pace of a snail. Our “speed limits”
are not imposed by an outside force: they are
limits inner to our cultures…Why, then, are our
powers of positive vision atrophied?
The word which God has written on every heart
is Hope.

Choosing Your Destiny

9If we bring Bahá’u’lláh’s vision of peace and unity
to all the peoples of the planet, if we learn to com-
municate, to understand one another, to speak in one
language, then no goal, no dream remains beyond
our reach.
To succeed, our new vision must be upheld by
these principles:
• All great religions come from the same Source.
They unfold an ever-evolving truth; they reveal
the divine Wisdom progressively according to
the needs and maturity of humankind. Recogniz-
ing and respecting other great faiths is the
most vital step towards unity and peace.
• The purpose of religion is to unify humanity,
to join people in love and harmony. But today
religion is often a source of dissension and
prejudice among the peoples of the world. This
is the exact opposite of the true goals of religion.
If a “remedy” intensifies the disease, it should
be avoided.
• Religion and science are perfect partners. Their
harmony must be recognized and their powers
integrated. By clarifying religious symbolism,
the Bahá’í Faith demonstrates the unity—indeed
the oneness—of these two vital forces in society.
• Prejudice—racial, national, religious—must be
uprooted. Prejudice is a false perception that
justifies selfish and egotistical desires and de-
mands; it is a veil that distorts truth and obscures
reality. It blinds one’s inner vision, and allows
the ego to justify its selfish ends and to descend

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11to the depths of its desires. It is mainly an im-
purity of the heart and the soul. Prejudice is so
powerful, it can, by itself, stifle any achievement,
prevent any progress, cause any conflict, lead to
any crisis. Love of God is the most powerful
weapon against prejudice. Prejudice cannot co-
exist with love and justice. Its prevalence is a
proof of the loss of love in the heart of the world.
• Gender discrimination must be abolished. Equal
opportunities and rights must be provided for
both men and women. One’s excellence depends
upon nobility and character, not upon one’s gender.
• Universal education must become a reality. It
must enlighten and uplift the minds of all hu-
manity. True knowledge expands and enriches
human perception and vision.
• Much effort should be directed toward estab-
lishing universal peace. Global war in our time
could cause the virtual destruction of our planet
and its people.
• Extremes of wealth and poverty must be
eliminated, both through laws and through the
recognition of the individual’s spiritual respon-
sibility. As long as masses of humanity cannot
meet their urgent needs, global unity and peace
cannot be attained.
• Diversity among peoples and nations must be
cherished and prized, for diversity enriches the
world and enhances human perception. Various
customs and traditions should be preserved;

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13diversity adorns and strengthens unity. The rich-
ness of an orchestra results from many instruments
played in harmony.
• A universal auxiliary language must be adopted
and learned throughout the planet. Communica-
tion is an essential prerequisite for understanding
and peace. A family of nations whose members
cannot talk to one another, cannot cooperate and
live in harmony.
• A global order must be established to regulate
international relations. A planetary community
cannot live by laws and regulations dictated by
national self-interest. The time has come for
establishing a global federation of nations.
• We are in essence spiritual beings. To live in
peace and contentment, to enjoy an abundant life,
we must recognize our role in the grand cosmic
plan of creation. Without knowledge of God and
love of God, no human being can reach his or
her full spiritual potential. Growing without God
is as impossible for humans as for a flower to
bloom and flourish in darkness. If left unguided,
we submit to our selfish needs and desires. When
God enters our lives, He changes our perspective.
The lesson we learn is this: serving one’s self is
great, but serving others is even greater. This
perspective inspires us to expand our small “circle
of selfishness” to incorporate all human beings.
Those who assume they can do without God,
underestimate the heights of spiritual fulfillment
they can reach.

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15Bahá’ís believe that the perception or mode of think-
ing that can save us from global conflict and war,
the vision that can lead us to peace, prosperity, and
contentment, must include the recognition and real-
ization of all the preceding principles.

16What Is Religion?
A tragedy of our age is the prevalence of misconcep-
tion about religion, especially among the educated.
Many see religion as a set of archaic creeds, supersti-
tions, ceremonies, and confessions, mostly irrelevant,
unnecessary, and unintelligible. Is this image rooted
in reality? It is rooted, not in the reality of religion
as revealed by God’s great Messengers, but in re-
ligiosity, as fashioned by human desire and fantasy.
Like a plant, every religion has a life cycle. After
its cycle has ended, it moves from divine to decay.
Our age coincides with the end of all the religious
cycles of the past. How do the prophecies describe
the spiritual state of the people of our time?
The Lord says: “These people come near to me
with their mouth and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me. Their worship
of me [their religion K J] is made up only of rules
taught by men. Isaiah 29:13
People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of
money not lovers of good having a form of
godliness but denying its power. II Timothy 3:2-5
Most people love superstition:
People for the most part delight in supersti-
tions.12 Bahá’u’lláh

Choosing Your Destiny

18Research indicates that people today want to draw
from religion only what appeals to them. They wish
to be in charge, to pick and choose, to select their
beliefs according to their needs and desires.
True religion is God-made, not man-made:
True religion is not a pie in which we put what-
ever ingredients we choose until it tastes just
right to us…True religion is not a machine for
which we assemble a great collection of cogs
and wheels, put them together, and hope it will
run. True religion is a tree that has life and
growth and unity and roots which go down
deep, drawing their power from the constant
activity of God, the Creator. George Parker
Research indicates that the people of our time are
“assenters rather than believers. They assent to faith,
to the beliefs they are meant to believe, but they
don’t necessarily believe them.”
The prevailing misconception concerning the true
identity of religion has caused many sincere seekers
of truth, especially the youth of our age, to drift
away from the very heart of faith, some of them to
an empty life of addiction and affliction. Many find
religion a source of prejudice, and an obstacle to
peace and unity. This too has been predicted:
At that time many will turn away from the faith
and will betray and hate each other.
Christ (Matt. 24:10)
See also II Tim. 3:1-4

19The world is in travail…Its face is turned towards
…unbelief.13 Bahá’u’lláh

2089 Chapter 5: What Is the Bahá’í Faith?

21Many feel alienated from religion because they see
countless believers who “wrangle for religion; write
for it; fight for it; die for it; anything but live for
it.” That which is most visible in our age is not the
pure, pristine pearl of faith, but the discolored,
faded, and broken shell of confession and conformity.
It is easier to fight for principles than to live up
to them. Alfred Adler
Most men, indeed, play at religion as they play
at games, religion itself being of all games the
one most universally played. A. W. Tozer
Referring to the plight of religion in our time,
Bahá’u’lláh declares:
The way of God and the religion of God have
ceased to be of any worth in the eyes of men.14
If this trend continues unhindered, humanity will
eventually be forced to abandon religion altogether,
and to turn totally to substitutes that, at best, offer
only temporary relief or satisfaction.
Is not your desertion of the Lord your God that
brings all this upon you? Jeremiah 2:17
It is the purpose of every new Revelation to restore
people’s faith by demonstrating that divine teachings
in their pure essence, stripped of fanaticism, fictitious
dogmas and doctrines, constitute a most rational
phase of human life, and that if adapted to the needs
of the age—as done by every new Redeemer—they
will undoubtedly prove to be also most essential
and practical. The Bahá’í Faith, as God’s latest
revelation of Knowledge to humanity, has clearly
proved capable of attaining such noble ends.

Choosing Your Destiny

23This book is an attempt to demonstrate that the
Bahá’í ideals are not a vain hope nor a utopia sus-
tained by fantasies, but a dream made real by the
sacrifices of thousands of dedicated people who trust
their Creator, knowing full well that He would not
abandon His children at such a dark and despairing
hour.

1governing council of the Bahá’í Faith, in a statement,
addressed to the peoples of the world, presents an
outline of how, for the first time in human history,
an enduring and global peace is possible:
The Great Peace towards which people of good
will throughout the centuries have inclined their
hearts, of which seers and poets for countless
generations have expressed their vision, and for
which from age to age the sacred scriptures of
mankind have constantly held the promise, is
now at long last within the reach of the nations.
For the first time in history it is possible for
everyone to view the entire planet, with all its
myriad diversified peoples, in one perspective.
World peace is not only possible but inevitable.
It is the next stage in the evolution of this
planet—in the words of one great thinker, “the
planetization of mankind.”
Many people sense the stirring of the birth of a new
world. Some political leaders now speak of a New

2long ago. President Bush stated that “The world is
blessed by the promise of peace.”
As Henry Brandon notes, “We are suddenly living
in a time when history seems to have accelerated,
and we are being swept forward at a reckless pace…
we have lived through a century dominated by…
disasters…But we can hope that after so many
decades filled with dreadful and tragic events a
more promising era beckons at last.”
Global unity is the inevitable outcome of the realiza-
tion of the Bahá’í teachings. The world is fragmented
by a number of barriers, such as race, religion,
nationality, gender, poverty, diversity of language,
superstition, and illiteracy. The Bahá’í Faith breaks
down all these barriers, leaving nothing to keep the
nations, races, and religions apart.
Over the last century, the Bahá’ís have spread
Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings to the farthest reaches of the
earth, and they will continue to do so until the peoples
of our planet have recognized them as the very life
of the world, until racism, sectarianism, and national
self-interest have given way to a global conscience
dedicated to the welfare of all humankind. Bahá’ís
believe that the peoples of the world will eventually
adopt and implement these teachings, because they
are the very “spirit of the age.”
Soon will the present-day order be rolled up,
and a new one spread out in its stead. Verily, thy
Lord speaketh the truth, and is the Knower of

3These fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall
pass away, and the “Most Great Peace” shall
come.18 Bahá’u’lláh

4No birth is without pain and patience. As Robert
Lee observed, “The march of Providence is so slow
and our desires so impatient; the work of progress
is so immense and our means of aiding it so feeble;
the life of humanity is so long, that of the individual
so brief, that we often see only the ebb of the
advancing ways, and are thus discouraged. It is

1Bahá’í Scriptures
Serving Humankind
From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh:
Blessed and happy is he that ariseth to promote
the best interests of the peoples and kindreds of
the earth.19
That one indeed is a man who, today, dedicateth
himself to the service of the entire human race.20
…become a source of all goodness unto men,
and an example of uprightness to mankind.21
Blessed is he who mingleth with all men in a
spirit of utmost kindliness and love.22
Consort with all men, O people of Bahá, in a
spirit of friendliness and fellowship.23

293 Chapter 5: What Is the Bahá’í Faith?

3Forget your own selves, and turn your eyes
towards your neighbor.24
Do not busy yourselves in your own concerns;
let your thoughts be fixed upon that which will…
sanctify the hearts and souls of men. This can
best be achieved through pure and holy deeds,
through a virtuous life and a goodly behavior.25
Let your vision be world-embracing, rather than
confined to your own self.26
It is not his to boast who loveth his country, but
it is his who loveth the world.27
It behoveth man to show forth that which will
benefit mankind. He that bringeth forth no fruit
is fit for the fire.28
They who are the people of God have no am-
bition except to revive the world
From the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:
…is there any deed in the world that would be
nobler than service to the common good?
We must gird ourselves for service, kindle love’s
flame
Ye are the fruits of one tree and the leaves of
one branch; be ye compassionate and kind to all
the human race.32
Think ye at all times of rendering some service
to every member of the human race.33
Service to humanity is service to God.34

Choosing Your Destiny

5This is the hour when ye must associate with all
the earth’s peoples in extreme kindliness and
love, and be to them the signs and tokens of
God’s great mercy.35
Shed the light of boundless love on every human
being whom you meet.36
Love must be free from boundaries!37
Make thyself the servant of all—and serve all
alike.38

6A New Vision of Life
and Human Destiny
A New Race of Humanity
Prophecies declare that everything will be made new:
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am
making everything new!” Then he said, “Write
this down, for these words are trustworthy and
true.” Revelation 21:5

7How can everything be made new, if human beings
are not restored and renewed?

Choosing Your Destiny

9I beseech Thee, by Thy Most Great Name, to
raise…a new creation that shall turn towards
Thee…1 Bahá’u’lláh
I will give them an undivided heart and put a
new spirit in them. Ezekiel 11:9
Like clothing you will change them.
Psalms 102:26
Dr. Brugh Joy states that the prophecies:
…foreshadow a revolution of the most astonish-
ing proportions, but instead of being a revolution
in the physical plane it is a revolution in con-
sciousness, a revolution of the mental plane. I
sense the approach of a psychological earthquake
the magnitude of which has not been experienced
in the human awareness for millennia and may
not have been experienced in the human awareness
ever before.2
Peter Russell has written a book to show that:
Humanity could be on the threshold of an evo-
lutionary leap, a leap that could occur in a flash
of evolutionary time, a leap such as occurs only
once in a billion years. The changes leading to
this leap are taking place right before our eyes—
or rather right behind them, within our own
minds.3
James Baker, United States Secretary of State,
declared that our age is so new we need to make
new words to define it.
Long ago Bahá’u’lláh predicted the dawning of a
new age. The changes He predicted go far beyond

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11the vision of the most daring futurists. They are the
kind that find expression in the highest fulfillment
of the ethical and spiritual potential of humankind:
Lo! the entire creation hath passed away!…We
have, then, called into being a new creation, as
a token of Our grace unto men.4 Bahá’u’lláh

1I answered “How? This world is such a large, vast
place, so complicated, and I so small and useless
am, there’s nothing I can do.” But God in all His
wisdom said, “Just build a better you.”
The real problem is in the hearts and minds of
humankind. It is not a problem of physics but of
ethics. It is easier to denature plutonium than to
denature the evil spirit of man. Albert Einstein
The mere removal of obstacles does not in itself
purify and fuse the hearts of humanity. Unity cannot
last unless it evolves into oneness, unless it receives
support from a supreme power, unless the individual
is strengthened through a transcendent spiritual
source.
Bahá’u’lláh’s plan is twofold: individual and global.
One without the other cannot cover the whole range
of the required change, cannot activate or sustain a
full cycle of renewal. To maintain lasting peace and

2so that he will not only tolerate others, but treasure
them and love them; not only abandon prejudice,
promote peace, uphold the necessity of global unity,
advocate equality of men and women, support univer-
sal education and justice for the poor, but become
so inspired and elevated by his beliefs that he sees
himself as one with the world; be so dominated by
love for humankind as to fuse his identity with
theirs and theirs with his own.
The kingdom of heaven cannot come to the earth
unless it takes roots in the hearts. To establish peace
without, we must first discover it within.
Only God can transform our souls from hating our
enemies to hailing them as friends:
…if you have an enemy, consider him not as an
enemy. Do not simply be long-suffering; nay,
rather, love him. Your treatment of him should
be that which is becoming to lovers…Be mindful
that you do not consider him as an enemy and
simply tolerate him, for that is but stratagem and
hypocrisy…This is not becoming of any soul. You
must behold him as a friend.5 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
The mere absence of war, poverty, or prejudice does
not generate compassion and kindness, or true peace
and lasting happiness. The gap between tolerance
and love, between justice and service, cannot be
filled by a change in the law or a mere reshaping
of the mind. It needs a power so transcendent and
pervasive as to touch and stir the very depths of the
human heart, a divine force capable of transform-

3True religion is like the sap of a healthy tree
that reaches and nourishes the most distant leaves.
A man wanted to piece a big jigsaw puzzle together.
It was a picture of the world. The more he tried,
the more he failed. A little girl who was watching
him said: “Let me do it for you.” In a few minutes
she had all the pieces together. She made the world.
“How could you do it?” asked the man. “There
was a picture of a man on the back of the puzzle,”
said the little girl. “I only tried to join him together.
When he is put together, the world is put together.”
Ultimately all the battle of life is within the in-
dividual.6 Shoghi Effendi
Yes, when man is put together, the world is put
together, when the hearts are at peace the world is
at peace.
…mere plans are not sufficient; ideas and prin-
ciples are helpless without a divine power to put
them into effect…We must become attracted to
God. The breaths of the Holy Spirit must take
effect.7 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
It is the spiritual always which determines the
material. Thomas Carlyle
Spiritual force is stronger than material force;
thoughts rule the world. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Bahá’u’lláh introduces not only a pattern for a new
society, but a plan for renewing and reshaping the
individual. He portrays a new profile of being
human and offers a new vision of human nature and

4from ignorance and apathy, and then He binds us to
our Creator eternally. Recognition of our spiritual
mission will allow us to view ourselves as essential
and inseparable links in the ever-unfolding chain of
the divine Purpose.
What most people want—young or old—is not
merely security, or comfort, or luxury, although
they are glad enough to have these. Most of all,
they want meaning in their lives. If our era and
our culture and our leaders do not, or cannot,
offer great meanings, great objectives, great con-
victions, then people will settle for shallow and
trivial substitutes. This is a deficiency for which
we all bear a responsibility…This is the challenge
of our times. Rockefeller Report on Education

5With God’s love as our hope, and with trust in His
wisdom as our standing, the impossible becomes
possible.
Give me a firm place to stand, and I will move

1Where there is no vision, the people perish…
Proverbs 29:18
To become great, we need a vision of greatness. A
celestial vision of who we are lifts us heavenward;
an earthly vision leaves us in the depths of despair.
Bahá’u’lláh:
• Exalts and elevates our nature to the crest of
glory and honor.

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3• Regards us as the choicest and noblest fruit of
the world, the consummation and crown of all
creation.
• Provides us with both an immediate and an eter-
nal purpose and perspective.
• Unfolds an ever-advancing plan for our spiritual
evolution.
• Clarifies God’s relation to us as well as our
responsibility to Him, ourselves, and our kind.
• Provides us a compass by which we can direct
the course of our spiritual destiny.
• Gives us a standard by which we can know our-
selves and appreciate our nobility and greatness.
• Elevates our station and destiny to such lofty
heights as only dreams can reach.
• Reminds us repeatedly to discover the divine
within our souls:
O SON OF BEING!
With the hands of power I made thee and
with the fingers of strength I created thee;
and within thee have I placed the essence of
My light. Be thou content with it and seek
naught else, for My work is perfect and My
command is binding. Question it not, nor have
a doubt thereof.8
O SON OF SPIRIT!
I created thee rich, why dost thou bring thy-
self down to poverty? Noble I made thee,
wherewith dost thou abase thyself? Out of
the essence of knowledge I gave thee being,
why seekest thou enlightenment from anyone

Choosing Your Destiny

5beside Me? Out of the clay of love I molded
thee, how dost thou busy thyself with an-
other? Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou
mayest find Me standing within thee, mighty,
powerful and self-subsisting.9
When we see ourselves in this light, when we become
truly aware of our divine destiny, of God’s infinite
and unfading love in store for us, of His eternal
and ever-advancing plan for our spiritual evolution,
how can we curb our selves from visions of glory,
from aspiring to hope, contentment, selflessness,
and service?
A few friends watched a man catch fish. They
noticed that when he caught big fish he threw them
back into the river, but kept the smaller ones. When
they asked him why, he said, “My frying pan is
just big enough for the small fish. It can’t handle
the big ones.” That is the attitude that prevents
many people from appreciating the greatness of
their own capacities.
As students need to receive a “vision of greatness”
from their teachers, so do we from our divine
Teachers. We live by a self-image, which rises to
meet our expectations. “A stream cannot rise higher
than its source.” As Drs. William Purkey and John
Novak note:
One of the greatest functions of a teacher is to
give his students a “vision of greatness.” The
individual cannot or will not see and take advan-
tage of opportunity, however physically available
it may be, unless he is brought to believe that
he has possibilities for growth and that this
opportunity is a door for him.10

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7Like a sculptor who envisions something in a
block of marble that others cannot see, the in-
viting teacher perceives possibilities in students
that others miss. Good teachers…may be clearly
identified from poor ones on the basis of their
perceptions of people as able rather than unable,
friendly rather than unfriendly, worthy rather than
unworthy, dependable rather than undependable,
helpful rather than hindering
Dr. Arthur Combs, one of the originators of “per-
ceptual theory,” states that our behavior is always
a product of how we see ourselves. Love and respect
for others cannot flourish without love and respect
for all God’s handiwork, including one’s own self.
How can the one who hates himself love others?
Noted psychologist, Dr. Nathaniel Branden writes:
It has become something of a cliché to observe
that if we do not love ourselves, we cannot love
anyone else. This is true enough, but it is only
part of the picture. If we do not love ourselves,
it is almost impossible to believe fully that we
are loved by someone else. It is almost impossible
to accept love. It is almost impossible to receive
love. No matter what our partner does to show
that he or she cares, we do not experience the
devotion as convincing because we do not feel
lovable to ourselves.12
Communication specialists, Adler and Towne state:
Extensive research shows that a person with
high self-esteem is more likely to think well of
others whereas someone with low self-esteem is
likely to have a poor opinion of others. Your

Choosing Your Destiny

9own experience may bear this out: Persons with
low self-esteem are often cynical and quick to
ascribe the worst possible motives to others,
whereas those who feel good about themselves
are disposed to think favorably about the people
they encounter. As one writer put it, “What we
find ‘out there’ is what we put there with our
unconscious projections. When we think we are
looking out a window, it may be, more often
than we realize, that we are really gazing into
a looking glass.”
William James of Harvard stated that the greatest
discovery of our time is that we can alter our lives
by altering our attitude of mind.

1The origin of both feelings and actions are thoughts.
If we change our thoughts, everything will change.
Religion transforms us by changing the negative
into the positive:
I charge you all that each one of you concentrate
all the thoughts of your heart on love and unity.
When a thought of war comes, oppose it by a
stronger thought of peace. A thought of hatred
must be destroyed by a more powerful thought
of love. Thoughts of war bring destruction to all
harmony, well-being, restfulness and content.
Thoughts of love are constructive of brotherhood,

2Since our essence is spiritual, that which can ultimately
reach us and touch us must also be spiritual, it must
come from both above and within. Purity can be
inspired only by a Source endowed with a greater
purity; perfection can bloom only by a Power
gifted with a greater perfection.
A noble thought stands as a fragrant flower. Until
we walk to the garden and see it grow from the
ground we cannot believe that the lowly earth can
give rise to such exquisite charm and fragrance.
The exemplar, like enchanting flowers, attracts us
to the garden of peace and fulfillment. He awakens
and elevates the seed of our dreams. He shows us
that every lowly heart can blossom and become a
paradise of the most enduring hopes and dreams.
I have set you an example that you should do
as I have done for you. Christ (John 13:15)
We can be inspired to nobility and greatness by an
absolute belief in a Creator who loves all, who
knows all, and who rewards all; by believing in the
immortality of the human soul, and the immortality
of every act performed by the soul; by recognizing
our eternal purpose, by knowing and being fully
devoted to our enduring and exalted mission.
What is there in man so worthy of honor and
reverence as this, that he is capable of contem-
plating something higher than his own reason,
more sublime than the whole universe from
which all truth proceeds?
Consider the contrast between our physical and

3The human body is in reality very weak…One
mosquito will distress it; the smallest quantity of
poison will destroy it; if respiration ceases for
a moment, it will die. What instrument could
be weaker and more delicate? A blade of grass
severed from the root may live an hour, whereas
a human body deprived of its forces may die in
one minute. But in the proportion that the human
body is weak, the spirit of man is strong. It can
control natural phenomena; it is a supernatural
power which transcends all contingent beings. It
has immortal life, which nothing can destroy or
pervert.
If all the kingdoms of life arise against the
immortal spirit of man and seek its destruction,
this immortal spirit, singly and alone, can withstand
their attacks in fearless firmness and resolution
because it is indestructible and empowered with
supreme natural virtues…How wonderful it is!
How powerful the spirit of man, while his body
is so weak! If the susceptibilities of the spirit
control him, there is no created being more
heroic, more undaunted than man; but if physical
forces dominate, you cannot find a more cowardly
or fearful object because the body is so weak
and incapable.
Therefore, it is divinely intended that the spiritual
susceptibilities of man should gain precedence
and overrule his physical forces. In this way he
becomes fitted to dominate the human world by
his nobility and stand forth fearless and free,
endowed with the attributes of eternal life.15

4Love of God is the most potent and pervasive of
all powers. Nothing can ever compare—in courage,
purity, peace, and power—with a heart stirred and
enchanted by the love of God. “The death of God
inevitably leads to the death of man.”
The greatest question of our time is not commu-
nism versus individualism…not even the East
versus the West: it is whether man can bear to
live without God. Will Durant
It is difficult to make a man miserable while he
feels he is worthy of himself and claims kindred

1a spring in his tent, and so would always be
able to have water in abundance, how fortunate
he would consider himself—so too, when a
man, who as a physical being is always turned
toward the outside, thinking that his happiness lies
outside him, finally turns inward and discovers
that the source is within him; not to mention his
discovery that the source is his relation to God.
Sören Kierkegaard
Since we are in essence spiritual beings, what we
value and cherish should also be spiritual.
Who has ever seen an idea? Who has ever seen
love? Who has ever seen faith? The real things
in the world are the invisible spiritual realities.

1All the great things are simple, and many can be
expressed in a single word: freedom; justice;
honor; duty; mercy; hope. Winston Churchill

2People are like stained-glass windows; they
sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when
the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed
only if there is a light from within.
Elizabeth Kübler-Ross

3It seems so natural to us to judge our worth and
that of others only by what we see, without recog-
nizing that the visible is but a burden on our souls
and a veil that obscures our vision. Unless we are
able to acknowledge this simple truth we will
remain out of touch with the reality of our own
selves: that the only power that can lift us to the
heaven of enduring tranquility and peace is the
love of God and the knowledge of our exalted
spiritual destiny. Once we fill our hearts and souls
with that power, we stay permanently aloft, beyond
the reach of earthly bonds and fetters. We are not
bodies but souls and minds. Our bodies are naught
but burdens we need and must carry while on an
earthly plane.
Man is a candle, knowledge the wax, love the flame,
and God the hand that lifts and guides the flame.
Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the
glory, the splendor, and the majesty; for everything
in heaven and on earth is thine. I Chronicles 29:11
O Lord my God, thou art great indeed, clothed
in majesty and splendor, and wrapped in a robe
of light. Psalms 104:1-2

4Better one day in thy courts than a thousand

5O SON OF MAN!
Wert thou to speed through the immensity of
space and traverse the expanse of heaven, yet
thou wouldst find no rest save in submission to
Our command and humbleness before Our Face.16
Bahá’u’lláh
Faith is the light that illumines the way and dispels
darkness. The forces that activate true faith are pure
motives and noble deeds. Motives and deeds are
intimately intertwined, yet each has its own domain
and commands, its own unique purpose and power.
Unless they cooperate, victory over self is impos-
sible. To escape darkness, first we must desire light
(motive), then we must stretch our hand to turn on
the light (deed). Without desire and action, darkness
continues.
Contentment is not a wild plant of the wilderness.
It is a tender tulip that grows only in the heart. It
must be cared for with patience and nourished with
faith, hope, and love. Happiness is not a weed of
chance; it is a flower of choice.
When good deeds spring from a pure heart, they
deserve the highest praise. But when they also
bathe in the radiance of God’s splendor, then they
turn into the most perfect and powerful force in all
the universe. They join the heart of God and glow
in the radiance of His glory with enchanting beauty
and brightness.
To conclude: Bahá’u’lláh’s new World Order stands
on two pillars: the individual and society. On the one
hand, He transforms, inspires, and elevates the hearts

6His teachings; and on the other, He reshapes society
into a cohesive, intimately harmonized whole.
The followers of Bahá’u’lláh have already brought
about a real unity of hearts in their communities.
Although coming from so many diverse back-
grounds and speaking different languages, they
are motivated by a strong bond of love which
binds them together spiritually. This love is not…
due to any special talents which the believers
may possess…This love is generated through the
influence of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh. It is
like the flow of electric current in a vast network,
energizing every circuit which is connected to it.17
As William James notes:
What we now need to discover in the social
realm is the moral equivalent of war: something
heroic that will speak to men as universally as
war does, and yet will be as compatible with
their spiritual selves as war has proved itself to

1their lives. This passage demonstrates this view:
Thoughts aren’t so much about things, they are
the things themselves…A successful, happy life
is simply a matter of realizing that you have the

2111 Chapter 6: A New Vision of Life and Human Destiny

3ability to make almost anything happen—life is,
literally, what you think about it…Today, there’s
little in your body that was there a few years ago.
Like a river, you’re constantly changing, never
completely formed. The real you is something
beyond your form. The real you is unlimited.
Through your thought, you can encompass every-
thing: a vast system of harmony, co-operation,
and love.
Religion in its pure form confirms the preceding
principle and facilitates and expands what psycholo-
gists try but often fail to achieve. Most psychologists
recognize the rational (cognitive) and emotional
(affective) nature of human beings, yet ignore the
spiritual. If they acknowledged and fully employed
the power of the spiritual, they would be astonished
by their achievements.
Abraham Maslow, who has studied the outermost
reaches of human potential, and is recognized as
the most prominent figure in “self-actualization
movement,” has classified human needs from the
most basic or urgent to the least:
• Physical or survival
• Safety or security
• Love and belonging
• Approval and recognition
• Knowledge and understanding
• Order, beauty, truth, justice, and goodness
• Transcendence: spiritual needs for broader cosmic
identification
Maslow’s classification adequately accounts for the
behavior of children and spiritually immature adults.

Choosing Your Destiny

5But when a soul is awakened and empowered by the
great Spirit, Maslow’s theory falls apart. It cannot
explain the priorities of the spiritually aspiring. When
God touches a soul, the chain of command changes
entirely; the individual transforms into a new creation
with a new vision.
The following list shows what would come first or
last in the life of a spiritually advanced person. It
presents his constitution for life:
• Love for God and truth
• Love for people and nature
• Need to satisfy physical needs
• Need for safety
• Need for knowledge
• Need for recognition
To speak of the spiritual needs of a human being, as
Maslow does, is the exception rather than the rule.
Most psychologists define mental health mainly
in terms of our primitive needs and desires in the
context of the prevailing standards of society. They
do not equate health with the presence of peace,
awe, joy, and ecstasy, but rather with the absence
of neurotic behavior. For instance, if the majority
of people live an unchaste life, but experience only
tolerable guilt, they consider the response normal.
Only when guilt incapacitates the individual do they
show any concern.
Moreover, psychology limits the human horizon to
the here and now; religion expands it to eternity
and infinity. It shows the interconnection of all
things—from subatomic particles to the greatest
galaxies—for all time. The knowledge and love of

6113 Chapter 6: A New Vision of Life and Human Destiny

7God reveal a grand panorama of the future and a
fervent hope for attaining it.
The visions of the future are the most powerful
motivators for human beings.
The following are a few assets of religion for personal
transformation and self-development, which most of
today’s psychologists fail to acknowledge or apply.
In its pure and perfect essence—as expressed by
all the great Teachers and Messengers of the past
and in this age by Bahá’u’lláh—religion:
• Anchors human beings by relating them to God
and to all humanity.
• Provides a clear and lasting purpose to live for
and an ever-advancing goal to pursue.
• Establishes a solid basis for building a high and
humble self-esteem.
• Offers a set of practical values as guide for living.
• Reduces or eliminates the fear of death.
• Teaches accountability before God for one’s
behavior.
• Inspires a healthy view of adversity.
• Strengthens the individual against stress.
• Creates a community of fellowship, in which
people can communicate and understand each
other because they uphold the same philosophy
and ethical principles.
• Promotes self-expression and an inner peace
through prayer and meditation.
• Instills a positive attitude towards work.

Choosing Your Destiny

9• Honors self-sacrifice and glorifies love for people
for the sake of God.
• Advocates objective thinking and independent
search for truth.
• Inspires a sense of peace, awe, and ecstasy.
• Enhances harmony and understanding among
people by honoring and respecting all religions
and cultures.
• Fosters the expression of individuality and
uniqueness.
• Reinforces family ties.
• Encourages respect for one’s body and a concern
for healthy living.
• Builds a positive view of the future of the world.
• Guides the individual’s desire for service by
providing concrete and practical means through
which he can use his talents for the advance-
ment of society.
Besides providing all these practical and verifiable
assets, religion claims a mystical influence from
God that can further facilitate the process of personal
transformation. Thus, in its ability to manifest the
human potential, religion, compared to psychology,
shines with a dazzling brightness. No psychologist,
however learned, can attain his full development
without anchoring himself in God and reaping all
the spiritual bounties that religion in its pure form
bestows.
Great and Blessed is this Day—the Day in which
all that lay latent in man hath been and will be
made manifest.18 Bahá’u’lláh

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11Psychologists have been avoiding the use of the
word “spiritual” as if it symbolizes the superstitious
beliefs of ancient times. Surprisingly, in recent years
their attitude and emphasis has shifted from the
mind to the soul, from the material to the spiritual.
This passage, from a psychology textbook, points
to a trend of times:
Human beings need to believe, even passionately,
in things abstract, moral, and “spiritual.” But
there are so many divergent “moralities” from
which to choose today that the choice itself can
be a source of confusion.19
The authors aptly acknowledge the need for the
spiritual as well as the difficulty of finding it.
The next chapter focuses on the joy and the honor
of receiving the gift of spiritual freedom—a most
sublime and splendid gift bestowed on all human
beings.

12117 Chapter 7 : Life Is a Choice

Life Is A Choice
The Secret Of Happiness Is Freedom And The Secret

1of freedom is courage. Louis Brandeis
The rarest courage is the courage of thought.

1Give me the liberty to know, to think, to believe,
and to utter freely, according to conscience,
above all liberties. John Milton
Be not the slave of your own past—plunge into
the sublime seas, dive deep, and swim far.

1aware of and accept the idea of freedom. Slavery
persisted up to the 19th century and was abandoned

2only at great cost. Many paid with their lives to
preserve it. Today it is despised. Yet the idea of
slavery has not died. It still lives on in our hearts
and minds. Many of those previously kept in
bondage, now find themselves entangled in the
bonds of spiritual segregation and separation.
You were bought at a price; do not become
slaves of men. I Corinthians 7:23
After a speaker finished his talk, some listeners
thanked him, except a 6-year-old boy who said,
“Your talk was very boring. It put me to sleep.” His
mother, embarrassed by her son’s lack of courtesy,
told the speaker, “Don’t take him seriously. He is
at an age when he can’t think for himself. He simply
repeats whatever he hears from others.” It seems
many people think and behave like this child. They
continue to believe and repeat to themselves and
others whatever “authority” figures have told them.
In spite of our shortcomings, we have made and
are making great strides in the cause of freedom.
The idea of human rights is sweeping across our
planet. The idea of political freedom is dawning upon
many a horizon. Women, too, are raising the call
for liberty. They are rebelling against the subjuga-
tion under which they have been held for thousands
of years. In some cultures they still do not have
even the right to choose their spouse. In the western
world, these freedoms have already blossomed and
are on their way to maturity and full fruition.
People talk about all kinds of liberties that relate

3surpasses the most advanced laws and is the back-
bone of all liberties: That is spiritual liberty, the
awareness that we have the right and the responsi-
bility to choose our spiritual destiny. Have we not
already attained this? We have, by law, but not in
spirit. The law grants us religious liberty, but we
refuse to embrace it with our hearts and minds. The
pressures to conform far outweigh the freedom of
choice granted by the law.
The history of the world is none other than the

1in spirit. We have now attained the maturity required
for its birth into the hearts and minds of all the
peoples of the world. This noble ideal needs to be
nurtured, to be declared and defended until it be-
comes the next focal point of our social-spiritual
evolution.
The time will come when “spiritual bondage” will
be as outmoded and unwelcome as the idea and
practice of slavery, and freedom of conscience will
become as sacred as life itself. But for the time
being, the gift of spiritual freedom is granted only
to those whose guide is truth, not tradition, only
to those who seek without fear new frontiers of
knowledge. In a talk delivered in 1912 in Washington
D. C., ‘Abdu’l-Bahá declared:
It is evident that prejudices arising from adherence
to religious forms and imitation of ancestral

2thousands of years. How many wars and battles
have been fought, how much division, discord
and hatred have been caused by this form of
prejudice!…All the existing nations had a divine
foundation of truth or reality originally, which
was intended to be conducive to the unity and
accord of mankind, but the light of that reality
gradually became obscured. The darkness of
superstitions and imitations came and took its
place, binding the world of humanity in the
chains and fetters of ignorance. Enmity arose
among men, increasing to such an extent that
nation strove against nation in hatred and violence.
War has been a religious and political human
heritage.1
Some enlightened leaders of our time declare a
similar message:
It is easier, though far less rewarding, to live in
a world where the lines are all drawn, often by
people who lived thousands of years ago. Where
and how to worship is mandated by birth, and
it seems easier to follow that path. It is easier
to go along believing our enemies are those we
have been taught they are, rather than to resist
the vision that creates enemies in the first place.2
We may enjoy the dreaming part so much that we
do not even want to consider that there is much
more available if we awaken. Thus we choose to
remain asleep, unaware of the grandness that is
there for us in awakening.3 Dr. Wayne Dyer
God gave us two sets of eyes. He put one set in
our head, the other in our heart. Everyone uses

3covered her eyes and said she did not need them,
people would call her crazy. The “heart-eye” is far
more critical in deciding both our immediate and
ultimate destiny, yet not using it is accepted and
practiced almost as regularly as breathing.
By far the greatest portion of humanity let their
ancient ancestors see and select the path of truth for
them. People choose their fork, food, and friend,
and yet they let strangers who lived thousands of
years ago make by far the most awesome choice of
their lives for them: their faith. Alas, the “heart-
eye,” God’s most precious gift, is veiled and left
unused generation after generation.
Man was born to be free, and everywhere he is
in chains. Jean Jaque Rousseau
The masses of people follow each other blindly,
“like a woman who was driving through a very
dense fog. The only objects that she could see
clearly were the taillights of the car ahead, so she
decided to follow those lights to stay on the road.
Suddenly, without warning, the taillights ahead
came to a complete stop and she ran into the car
she had been following. ‘Why didn’t you give some
kind of signal that you were going to stop?’ she
shouted angrily at the other driver. ‘Why should I?’
came the reply, ‘I am in my own garage!’”
As psychologist, Dr. Robert Anthony notes:
Dependency is slavery by mutual agreement. It
is degrading for both the person who is depen-
dent and the person who is being depended
upon. Both parties are equally lacking in self-

4mutual exploitation…A sure sign of dependency
is when you habitually look up to others as
superior…The dependent individual is at the
mercy of those around him.4
Conformity is one of the greatest psychological
evils of humankind. The person caught in this
destructive habit never does anything worthwhile
with his life. He wants to be a great person,
independent and do important things. But he
can’t. His motivation to always be approved of
prevents him.5
Whenever Jim took the initiative and did something
different, his parents told him, “Jim don’t.” When
Jim’s teacher asked his name, he said “Jim don’t.”
Many follow the philosophy of “Jim don’t.” They
accept the verdict of tradition, and refuse to step
out of their comfort zone. People fight for freedom

1religion. He defines it in terms of how an individual
views the world. In this sense, everyone, even an
atheist, has a religion. No one can say, “I don’t
need any religion.” It is impossible to be without
one. He offers some examples of world views: Is the
universe a chaotic place without meaning? Is it a
place of competition? Is it a nurturing place?
If it is true that we all have a religion, why not

2views is the most reasonable and conducive to
contentment, unity, and peace. To find and enter
the mansion of truth, we must seek and knock.
When we feel we have reached the peak, we begin
to descend. Dr. Peck offers this insight:
To develop a religion or world view that is
realistic, that conforms to the reality of the
cosmos and our role in it we must constantly
revise and extend our understanding to include
new knowledge We must constantly enlarge
our frame of reference.6
He then adds:
Spiritual growth is a journey out of the microcosm
into an ever greater macrocosm…the learning of
something new requires a giving up of the old
self and a death of outworn knowledge. To
develop a broader vision we must be willing to
forsake, to kill, our narrower vision. In the
short run it is more comfortable not to do this—
to stay where we are, to keep using the same
microcosmic map, to avoid suffering the death of
cherished notions.7
Recognition of a new Redeemer and a new Revela-
tion from God always requires an expanded vision.
Let your vision be world-embracing, rather than
confined to your own self.8 Bahá’u’lláh
Jesus referred to religion as a spiritual wine and to
its form as the wine skin (Matt. 9:17). As time goes
on, people get used to the taste of the old wine,

3tasting the new spiritual wine just as children resist
new foods. To try new beginnings, it takes courage
and determination.

4Controllers and Conformers
A king loved to eat eggplant. He couldn’t get
enough of it, and even had a servant whose only
job was to prepare eggplant. The king often
raved about it. “How fabulous this vegetable is!
How divine it tastes! How elegant it looks! Egg-
plant is the best thing on earth!”
“You are certainly right,” the servant replied.
That very day, the king ate so much eggplant he
became ill. He moaned. “No more eggplant. I
don’t want to ever again see this food of hell.
Eggplant is the most horrible vegetable.”
“You’re certainly right,” replied the servant.
The king was startled to hear this. “Today, when I
was talking about how magnificent the eggplant
is, you agreed with me. Now that I’m talking
about how terrible it is, you again agree with
me. How do you explain this?”
“My lord,” said the servant, “I am your servant,
not the servant of the eggplant.”
It seems many people are servants not of truth but
of tradition, followers not of facts but of fantasy,
worshippers not of reason and reality but of illusions
and imitation. They allow chance, not choice, to

5What is the most persistent obstacle to human de-
velopment? What prevents people, more than any-
thing else, from achieving spiritual transformation
and fulfillment, from attaining their full potential?
Two characteristics always stand out : control and
conformity. People for the most part love to be
both controllers and conformers. These opposing
tendencies are the two critical poles of a psychologi-
cal profile called “the authoritarian personality.”
Perhaps 90 percent of people allow their lives and
destinies to be controlled mainly by tradition, habit,
custom, convenience, conformity, and conditioning;
sources that eliminate or diminish thinking and
choosing.
We do everything by custom, even believe by it;
our very axioms, let us boast of free-thinking as
we may, are oftenest simply such beliefs as we
have never heard questioned. Thomas Carlyle
Men commonly think according to their inclina-
tions, speak according to their learning and imbibed

1Astonishing as it may seem, controllers and con-
formers generate most of the world’s supply of
miseries. As designed by the Creator, human beings
are made to think and choose for themselves, to be
neither controllers nor conformers. Whether an
individual submits to a system of belief or ideology
out of conformity, or finds himself at the mercy of
a tyrant who controls his life, the result is the same:
he experiences the anguish of submission, the stress
of repression.

Choosing Your Destiny

3The foundations of the authoritarian personality are
laid during the formative years by the way parents
treat each other and their children. Unfortunately,
up to now, religion has also played a decisive role
in promoting the authoritarian personality. We know
all too well of those who have waged wars in the
name of love, who have opposed science in the
name of truth, and have divided people in the name
of God.
Since the authoritarians play a decisive and far-
reaching role in the destiny of humankind, they
deserve closer attention. Extensive research reveals
a consistent profile. The authoritarians:
• Often view and judge events in simple—black
and white—categories. (If you don’t believe the
way I do, you will go straight to hell.)
• Are rigid, inaccessible, and feel threatened by
change, both in self and society.
• Dislike knowledge, yet seek labels and degrees
as status symbols.
• See their own weakness in others; complain about
other authoritarians who act like themselves.
• Cannot express their feelings freely.
• Seek safety by staying with the majority; want
to know what others think; look down on racial
and religious minorities.
• Are very cautious; resist even reasonable risk;
are distrustful.
• Worship power, look down on the weak and the
disadvantaged.

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5• Take pleasure in exerting control over people’s
lives. Everything must be done their way. They
act like a dictator.
• Feel uneasy toward the mysterious, the unknown,
and the ambiguous; need perfect clarity. Tradi-
tion and “tried and true” give them security.
• Are super patriotic, provincial, and unconcerned
about the fate of other nations and peoples.
• Resist looking inward, base their worth on accu-
mulations and status symbols.
• Rank high in conformity; they conform to custom,
tradition, parents, priests, the majority, and those
with status symbols higher than theirs.
It seems ironic that controllers are also conformists.
In fact, conformity constitutes the hallmark of the
authoritarian personality. The deficiency behind both
symptoms—the need for control and conformity—
is the lack of internal standards. The strong “ego”
the authoritarians display is simply an attempt to
conceal their true identity: a feeling of weakness
and unworthiness. Several points are in order:
• Very few authoritarians display all the listed traits
all the time and to an extreme. It is no wonder
that most people laugh at a character like Archie
Bunker, the perfect example of an authoritarian
personality. They find a faint image of him in
themselves, an image that subconsciously they
know to be true but consciously find difficult
to admit. Without knowing it, they laugh at
themselves.

Choosing Your Destiny

7• The intention is not to imply that conformity has
no place in human life, but that it should always
be guided with reason and tempered with purpose.
For instance, submission unto God is a virtue.
• The kind of education offered in our public
schools and universities has little if any impact
on controllers and conformers. Schooling simply
crystallizes the existing tendencies, makes them
more resistant to change. Authoritarian personali-
ties are found abundantly in the ranks of the
highly educated.
• Prejudice (racial, religious, ethnic, and gender)
is the hallmark of an authoritarian personality.
• The authoritarian personality (the desire for
control, inability to communicate, etc.) lies at
the root of the pervasive family conflicts in our
time. Those who try both to conform blindly to
authority and to be the authority are also the main
cause of wars and conflicts among nations as well
as the widespread divisiveness within religion.
• The resistance of controllers and conformers
(who are always in the majority) to new ideas is
best demonstrated in the rejection and persecu-
tion of the kindest, wisest, and gentlest human
beings the world has ever known: God’s supreme
Messengers and Redeemers. The consequence of
this act alone to the destiny of humankind is
beyond estimation.
The world has always been carried forward by the
persistent efforts and sacrifices of the few who
decline to join the ranks of both controllers and

8129 Chapter 7 : Life Is a Choice

9conformers, who think for themselves, who respect
the verdict of reason, who follow their own con-
science and investigate the truth with freedom and
detachment.
What can we learn from recognizing the epidemic
spread of the authoritarian personality? We can
learn that we too, without knowing it, may be among
the majority who carry the attitude of control and
conformity to the extreme, who let “the authorities”
do their thinking for them. That we too may be
among those who mistreat their loved ones without
ever realizing it. For the way we think and act
appear as natural to us as breathing. “Every way of
a man is right in his own eyes” (Prov. 21:2).
The first and most vital step towards transformation
and self-growth is to stand humble before our own
selves, to search our own souls to see if we truly
respect other people’s right of freedom and self-
government. Then we must try to loosen our attach-
ment to conformity and the ways of past generations,
to set aside the traditions, attitudes, and habits that
stand in our way, and stop living the way others
expect us to live. Then, with conscious knowledge
and full awareness, we must design our own man-
sions of freedom, build them in harmony with our
own needs, our own wisdom and understanding,
and not those of past generations alone. We should
use the past, not as a path, but as a guidepost; not
as an anchor, but as a beacon.
“There is no tyrant like custom, and no freedom
where its edicts are not resisted.” If you must
rely on conformity and submissiveness as your

Choosing Your Destiny

11primary resource for stability, then you are in-
deed the slave to a tyrant that dwells within you,
and you will be inhibiting the freedom of those
who claim to be your loved ones and crushing
any chance you may have for your own inde-
pendence.9 Dr. Wayne Dyer
In one of His Epistles, Bahá’u’lláh reveals the essence
of sublime attributes such as wisdom, glory, love,
detachment, understanding, courage, charity, faith,
magnanimity, and knowledge. Then He concludes
with this statement:
The essence of all that We have revealed for
thee is Justice, is for man to free himself from
idle fancy and imitation, discern with the eye of
oneness His glorious handiwork, and look into
all things with a searching eye.10
Bahá’u’lláh declares that we cannot attain justice by
seeing through other people’s eyes:
O SON OF SPIRIT!
The best beloved of all things in My sight is
Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest
Me, and neglect it not that I may confide in thee.
By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes
and not through the eyes of others, and shalt
know of thine own knowledge and not through
the knowledge of thy neighbor. Ponder this in
thy heart; how it behooveth thee to be. Verily
justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My
loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.11
And yet as Albert Einstein observes:
Small is the number of them that see with their
own eyes and feel with their own hearts.

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1figures to our child’s eyes, and the way they
do things seems the way they must be done
throughout the universe.12 Dr. Scott Peck
A Sunday school teacher asked her class, “Why are
you Baptists?” Among the many answers given,
she liked one the best. It came from a five-year old
who said, “It is something that runs in my family,
or something like that.”
As infants we are not concerned about justice, free-
dom, democracy, or reason. What we need is love
and safety. We want our parents to feed us, to keep
us dry, to comfort us and to cuddle us. Gradually
we acquire the special skills to get attention on
demand. We learn that crying is a quick way of
getting service, and smiling a sure way of pleas-
ing the onlookers. We develop an unconscious
fear of displeasing others, especially our parents.
Few of us break away from this cycle of depen-
dency. And if we try, we feel anxious, even guilty.
As we get older we are told to obey in order to
receive recognition and approval, or to face the
consequences. We soon discover that it is not worth
going against the grain. Thus reinforcement and
praise determine or control much of our attitudes
and actions. If they are used in the light of aware-
ness, reason, knowledge, and justice, then they will
bear positive fruits, otherwise they produce con-
formers and controllers. Unfortunately, when it comes
to life’s major questions, such as faith and belief,
few take time to go beyond their comfort zone, few

Choosing Your Destiny

3enter into the light of awareness, knowledge, and
reason.
Thus in decision making, as a whole, feelings assume
dominant role, and reason a submissive role; confor-
mity leads, while independent investigation of truth
follows. That is why, as a rule, Christian parents
rear Christian children—Catholics raise Catholics,
Protestants raise Protestants, and Mormons raise
Mormons. That is why Jewish parents raise Jewish
children and Muslim parents raise Muslim children,
generation after generation. That is why children
of “mixed marriages” have mixed feelings about
religion, and often have a more open mind about
religion. The two loyalties expand their minds.
To conclude, we all face two choices. We can either
confine our souls in the comfort zone of conformity
or exercise our God-given right of freedom. We can
either allow the forces of despair and desolation to
prevail or arise for the triumph of hope and peace.
We can either remain complacent and dependent or
use our talents to build a splendid society ruled by
love and justice. God has given each of us a clear
responsibility—to seek, choose, and strive—never
to stand still. Apathy, despair, dependency, and con-
formity, stifle our energies and talents.
The future of the world lies in our hands. The choice
we make now will determine whether we will live in
peace or war, whether we will be doomed to defeat
or elevated to triumph. “Every action of our lives
strikes some chord that will vibrate in eternity.”
Ye are the trees of My garden; ye must give forth
goodly and wondrous fruits, that ye yourselves
and others may profit therefrom.13 Bahá’u’lláh

Ye Shall Know Them
By Their Fruits

5Heaven’s Most Splendid Gift
God’s wisdom is proved by its result.
Christ (Matt. 11:19)
Be…an ark on the ocean of knowledge
Bahá’u’lláh
“To learn and never be filled is wisdom; to teach
and never be weary is love.” The gate of heaven
opens to the fortress of wisdom, and the fortress of
wisdom opens to those who knock at the door of
knowledge and truth. Wisdom always remains awake

Choosing Your Destiny

7and watchful; it cannot rest in the darkness of despair
and unconcern. It is always hopeful, daring, and
curious; it cannot dwell in the land of fear. Wisdom
always hungers for knowledge; it cannot accept
tradition for truth or submit to apathy or inaction.
Like an eagle with open wings, it soars with a keen
eye in search of truth.
The true beginning of wisdom is the desire to
learn (Wisdom of Solomon 6:17). Seek, and ye
shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto
you (Matt. 7:7). Test everything. Test the spirits
to see whether they are from God (I Thess. 2:25;
I John 4:1). Be always on the watch [investigate]
(Luke 21:25). Whoever is thirsty, let him come
(Rev. 22:17).
Knowledge is Heaven’s most splendid gift to
humans. It must be sought and cherished with a
fervent hope, a passionate desire, and an undying
resolve. It is the lever that elevates the hearts to
contentment and harmony with the whole universe.
It is more precious than life itself. Indeed, without
it there is no life:
…my people perish for want of knowledge…
Hosea 4:6
The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing.
The words I have spoken to you are spirit and
they are life. Christ (John 6:63)
Some people must “die” before they learn to accept
or appreciate knowledge. This is how Dr. Raymond
Moody, in his book The Light Beyond, describes
the change of attitude in those who encounter near-
death visions:

8135 Chapter 8: Ye Shall Know Them By Their Fruits

9The short time they were exposed to the possi-
bility of total learning made them thirst for
knowledge when they returned to their bodies.
Often, they embark on new careers or take up
serious courses of study. None that I know of,
however, have pursued knowledge for the sake of
knowledge. Rather, they all feel that knowledge
is important only if it contributes to the wholeness
of the person. Once again, a sense of connected-
ness comes into play: knowledge is good if it
helps make something whole.2
Dr. Moody then offers this example about a business-
man who used to scorn knowledge:
Doctor, I have to admit to you that before this
cardiac arrest, I had only contempt for scholars.
I worked my way up with little schooling, and
I worked hard. There is a university nearby and
I used to think those professors were just lazy,
doing nothing of any practical value…But while
the doctors were saying I was dead, this person
I was with, this light, the Christ, showed me a
dimension of knowledge…That was a humbling
experience for me. I don’t scorn professors any-
more. Knowledge is important. I read everything
I can get my hands on: history, science, literature.
I’m interested in it all. My wife fusses at me
about my books in our room. When you have one
of these experiences, you see that everything is
connected.3
The Bahá’í Faith hails knowledge as “a wing to
human life”; “a veritable treasure”; “a source of
glory, bounty, and joy”; “a wondrous gift of God.”

Choosing Your Destiny

11But the light of knowledge needs a lamp by which
to focus and manifest its glory. That lamp is a heart
detached from preconceived notions, free from
anything that may dim its light: attachment to
traditional beliefs, fantasies, and false assumptions;
fear of searching for new knowledge; self-satisfaction
and pride; and concern for self-interest, such as “if
I do this or that, what will others think?”
…the pure heart becometh the mirror of the
beauty of truth.4 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

12The heart—the ultimate jury—must be totally im-
partial to arrive at a just decision. When knowledge
strikes a pure and just heart, the spark is the truth:
…through knowledge shall the just be delivered.
Hosea 4:6
…thou…doth direct the path of the just.
Isaiah 26:7
Blessed are the pure in heart…For they shall
see God. Christ (Matt. 5:3,8)

13The hearts of all children are of utmost purity.
They are mirrors upon which no dust has fallen.5
‘Abdu’l-Bahá
I tell you that whoever does not accept the king-
dom of God like a child will never enter it.
Luke 18:17

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1knowledge of God:
The beginning of all things is the knowledge of
God…6 Bahá’u’lláh
True knowledge…is the knowledge of God
The Báb
The spirit that animateth the human heart is the
knowledge of God…8 Bahá’u’lláh
The supreme cause for creating the world and
all that is therein is for man to know God.9
Bahá’u’lláh
Let him that glorieth glory in this, that he
understandeth and knoweth Me… Jeremiah 9:24
The “knowledge of God” means not only acknowl-
edging the oneness and supremacy of God but also
knowing His purpose in creating us, the sublime
destiny He has ordained for us, and the means of
attaining that destiny. Knowing God is seeing
everything through His eyes.
How can the “knowledge of God” be acquired or
disclosed to humans? Through those who know Him
the best, His Manifestations or Messengers, who
are the “Object of all knowledge.”
The source of all learning is the knowledge of
God, exalted be His Glory, and this cannot be
attained save through the knowledge of His Divine

Choosing Your Destiny

3We have decreed, O people, that the highest and
last end of all learning be the recognition of Him
Who is the Object of all knowledge…11 Bahá’u’lláh

1Human Beings?
God simply changes the way people think. He ex-
poses their minds to the light of His knowledge. It
is an established fact that any change in human
life originates in the mind. “As a man thinketh, so
is he.”
When the lens of a camera opens, the light rushes
in to imprint images on the film. The same is true
with the heart. A good picture requires at least two
conditions: the lens must open properly; the unex-
posed film must face the desired subjects. The same
is true with the spirit.
The following examples show the difference between
the thoughts that come from God and the thoughts
that come from human beings; the images that
originate in the natural world, and the images that
originate in the spiritual:
Natural: I count first. I must love and serve myself.
Spiritual: I am part of a bigger whole. I must see
everyone as part of me and myself as part
of everyone else. I do not need to love
myself less. I just need to love others
more.
Natural: Pleasure is the chief goal in life.

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3Spiritual: God is the goal. Once I allow His images
in me to unfold, my pleasures will expand
and multiply. His hope will lift me to
the heavens on high. Once my heart is
stretched by that marvelous vision, it
will never return to its original shape.
Natural: Happiness comes from serving myself.
Spiritual: True happiness comes when I serve my
self and others in the light of God’s
knowledge.
Natural: Life is short. I will try to enjoy it and
have as much “fun” as possible.
Spiritual: Spiritual fulfillment offers the deepest
joy, the kind of “fun” that endures. Life
is too precious to be invested in fun
alone. I invest it for spiritual growth, for
seeing that which “no eye hath seen.”
My span of life is brief here, but it con-
tinues into the hereafter. I am a gem on
God’s hand and rejoice in that knowledge.
As long as His hand endures, so will the
gem.
Natural: Man is a political animal.
Spiritual: Man is the glory of creation, the noblest
of all beings; a being for whom God
made the universe and “many mansions”
in heaven.
Natural: Man is a body. What matters is what
you see.
Spiritual: Man is a soul. His body is his home.
What matters is what you don’t see.

Choosing Your Destiny

5When an individual allows these spiritual images
to enter his mind and soul, he becomes a new crea-
ture. He sees, thinks, feels, and acts differently. The
whole process of transformation is as simple and
yet as complicated as this; simple when “the ego”
does not stand in the way; complicated, when it
does. “The humble are the empty vessels God loves
to fill.”
The complete and entire elimination of the ego
would imply perfection—which man can never
completely attain…12 Shoghi Effendi
Attachment to the status quo or tradition, and the
fear of exploring new frontiers of knowledge, pose
further obstacles to transformation.
Reality or truth is one, yet there are many reli-
gious beliefs, denominations, creeds and differing
opinions in the world today. Why should these
differences exist? Because they do not investigate
and examine the fundamental unity, which is one
and unchangeable. If they seek reality itself, they
will agree and be united; for reality is indivisible
and not multiple. It is evident, therefore, that
there is nothing of greater importance to mankind
than the investigation of truth.13 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Be not the slave of your own past—plunge into
the sublime seas, dive deep, and swim far, so you
shall come back with self-respect, with new power,
with an advanced experience, that shall explain
and overlook the old. Ralph Waldo Emerson
We can respect and even appreciate the past and
the ways of our ancestors. We can love them for
having chosen to go their own way. But to be

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7attached to having to live and think the way
others before you did, because you showed up
looking like them in form, is to deny yourself
enlightenment. This is how people and their
institutions have controlled others for thousands
of years.14 Wayne Dyer
Many philosophers, humanists, educators, and poli-
ticians present wonderful ideas for changing the
world, but they often fail to follow them in their
own lives. Information alone does not lead to
transformation. “A wise man of ancient China was
noted for his wisdom and ability to solve problems.
One day a merchant came to him seeking advice.
It seems that the merchant had a problem in his
accounting department. ‘I have six men and six
abacuses, but my needs have expanded to the point
where I need a 20 percent increase in output. I
cannot afford the capital investment of another man
and another abacus; and even if I could, one man
would not be enough, and two men would be too
much.’ The wise man pondered the problem for
several days and finally summoned the merchant.
‘The solution to your problem,’ he told him, ‘is
simple. Each of your present accounting staff must
grow another finger on each hand. This will increase
your abacus output exactly 20 percent and will
solve your problem.’ The merchant smiled. His
problem was solved. He started to leave, paused a
moment, and looked at the wise old man. ‘Oh,
Wise One,’ he said, ‘you have truly given me the
solution to my problem. But…’ and he paused,
‘how do I get my people to grow extra fingers?’
The wise man puffed on his pipe. ‘That is a good
question,’ he said. ‘But alas, I only make policy

Choosing Your Destiny

9recommendations. The details of execution are up
to you.’”
Bahá’ís believe that Bahá’u’lláh’s message is the most
timely, practical, and dynamic force on our planet.
It transforms pessimism into optimism, weakness
into strength, despair into a desire for perfection.
It appeals to all peoples and is potent against all
maladies. The following example of transformation
is one of thousands that can be told about un-
numbered communities across our planet, from the
simplest villages to the most sophisticated cities:
About two years ago, after his son accidentally
killed a member of the Daga people [Papau,
New Guinea] in a car accident, Levi George
fully expected that he and his own family would
face death in a traditional “payback” killing.
Mr. George, a former official in the Milne Bay
provincial planning office, spent a week in hiding
after the accident. Finally, forced to return to
work, he found a group of Daga waiting to see
him—people that Mr. George had regarded as
among the “worst known killers and sorcerers in
the area.” He felt certain he was to be attacked
and killed.
“To my surprise they smiled and walked towards
me, extended their arms, and shook hands with
me,” Mr. George recounted recently. “They said,
‘Brother, we are from the area of the dead boy.
We came to tell you that you and your family
must not be worried. We are brothers and sisters.
We are Bahá’ís and we want to assure you and
your children that there will be no payback
killing.’”

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11To outsiders, the Daga people have long been
known for tribal fighting and intimidating sor-
cery. By tradition, transgressions call for quick
and often lethal vengeance.
Recently, however, reports of dramatic changes—
such as this account by Mr. George—have begun
to emerge. According to regional government
officials and travelers to the Daga area, several
of the tribes are acquiring a reputation for peace
making and intertribal harmony.15

1People read in their Scriptures that they should
seek, search, and knock, yet they resist the idea of
investigating a new religion. They love new gadgets,
but not new faiths. Why? New denominations (often
concoctions of existing ones) are on offer at paltry
prices or as giveaways. Supermarkets for beliefs
constantly compete for customers. Some people are
seduced by the free offers. But a new, independent
faith, such as the Bahá’í Faith, threatens the be-
lievers’ security by undermining their loyalty to
well-established traditions.
Some people feel guilt at the thought of even look-
ing at a new religion. They refuse to glance at a
few pages or read a small pamphlet. They consider
such a deviation a sin, a sign of a desire to break
with the past, a symbol of disloyalty to the One
they have loved and adored. They have little if any
unawareness that their feelings of guilt is a result

2Others have a fear of being deceived. They have
been taught that the devil is clever, conniving and
crafty. He constantly roams the earth in search of
new converts—those who are off guard if only for
a few brief moments. Still others fear the loss of
their faith. If one has the most precious pearl, why
look elsewhere? These people forget the words of
their Master that fear shows lack of faith:
Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?
Christ (Matt. 8:26)

3They also forget the beautiful parable of Jesus
spoken long ago: that only those with courage, only
those with an enterprising spirit can enter the gates
of heaven; the fearful receive nothing but punish-
ment (Matt. 25:16-30).
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of
the dark. The real tragedy of life is when we are
afraid of the Light. Anonymous

4The chief danger in life is to take too many
precautions. Alfred Adler

5There are still others, who as a result of unpleasant
encounters with their own faith, avoid all faiths.
They view religion as a set of dogmatic, divisive,
and arbitrary rules imposed on unthinking people.
The word “hypocrisy” is often on their lips. Their
earlier negative encounters with religion diminish
their sensitivity and narrow their vision to new
encounters, to new opportunities for spiritual growth.
The following images illustrate how people perceive

6How many images do you see in each of the two
drawings? Some people see one, others two. Why?
If you cannot see the two images, then look at the
modified versions at the bottom of this page.
People also attribute qualities to each image on the
basis of their past experience. “Suppose you saw
only one picture at first, the way most people do.
What would you have thought about someone who
saw the other one? If you weren’t familiar with this
type of experiment, if you didn’t particularly like
the person, or if you happened to be feeling impa-
tient that day, you might be tempted to call anyone

1possible that you could end up in a nasty argument
over who was right, each of you pushing your own
view, never recognizing or admitting that both in-
terpretations are correct.”16
Psychologists maintain that each individual creates
in his mind a unique reality in which he lives. That
subjective reality—not the objective—determines
how he behaves at a given moment. For each person,
the created reality eventually becomes the absolute
or a highly dependable reality. As psychologist
Arthur Combs observes “Our perceptions of our-
selves and the world are so real to us that we seldom
pause to doubt them.” He believes that understand-
ing the preceding fact holds the key to many human
problems and conflicts:
Although this fact is obvious, the failure of people
everywhere to comprehend it is responsible for
much of human misunderstanding, maladjust-
ment, conflict and loneliness.
Today, people’s image of religion is for the most part
negative. The negative image comes mostly from
seeing how little influence it exerts on believers’
lives, from observing an abundance of good words
and a scarcity of good deeds. This is just the
opposite of what believing is all about:
The essence of faith is fewness of words and
abundance of deeds…17 Bahá’u’lláh
By faith is meant, first, conscious knowledge,
and second, the practice of good deeds.18

2To some people religion means listening to a good
sermon; to others going to church, synagogue, or a
mosque once a week; and to still others just reading
the Word everyday. Today, people’s perception of
religion mostly consists of grand speeches, theologi-
cal theories, and divisive debates and arguments.
They see it as an enterprise that produces mostly
words, claims, counterclaims, and new denomina-
tions. They see a magnificent altar with no flames.
Anyone can build an altar; it requires a God to

1religion, how can they ever be encouraged to
embark on a new spiritual journey? How can their
trust be regained? How can their hunger for truth
be restored? It can be restored by offering them “a
new fruit,” by inspiring a desire to put this truth,
this ancient but ever-timely wisdom, to the test:
By their fruit you will recognize them. Do
people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs
from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears
good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A
good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree
cannot bear good fruit. Christ (Matt. 7:16-18)
As an example, tasting a few bad apples may create
this reality: avoid all apples. What can possibly
reverse this reality? Tasting new apples. Words alone
have little if any power to change an established

Choosing Your Destiny

3perception. Then how and why do people initiate
an investigation of the Bahá’í Faith? At the outset,
what restores their confidence more than anything
else, is a direct encounter with Bahá’ís. The encoun-
ter communicates to them an attitude or perception
precisely the opposite of what alienated them from
their own faith and caused them to shy away from
all faiths. Knowing a few people who display attitudes
and actions contrary to their expectations challenges
the validity of their position and gives them a reason
to re-examine their negative feelings.
Only by observing how the Bahá’ís live, by seeing
their openness to new ideas, their freedom from
dogmatic and unexamined faith, their deep respect
for other religions, races and cultures, their efforts
to improve the socio-economic state of the world,
their unity and diversity, their concern for a peaceful
and healthy planet, their enthusiasm and radiant
living, their spiritual composure, their positive
perspective, and their sincerity, humility, and high
moral standards—all these inspire them to stay on
course, to pursue a grand ideal worthy of their time
and talent, and to open their hearts and souls to the
transforming power of the Word of God. The direct
encounter inspires the dream of living in an en-
chanting world of peace and contentment crowned
with a glowing purpose.
Some Indian braves were challenged to climb to
the highest peak to see a sea beyond the moun-
tains. Most of them brought back leaves or moss
or a certain flower, or some kind of token to
prove the height to which they had climbed; but
one came back breathless without anything

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5except an expression of joy on his face, and the
glory of vision in his eyes. All he said was, “I
have seen the crystal sea,” and no one doubted
it. Louise McCraw
My ears had heard of you but now my eyes see
you. Job 42:5
Only after truth seekers have seen the Bahá’í life,
only after their suspicion is suspended and their
confidence restored, are they willing to examine the
Bahá’í teachings seriously, and to judge Bahá’u’lláh’s
Revelation on its own merits, rather than simply on
the merits of their Bahá’í friends.
The serene, silent beauty of a holy life is the
most powerful influence in the world, next to
the might of God. Blaise Pascal

6Bahá’í Scriptures
Not only does the fruit of the Bahá’í life inspire
hope and strength, but also the rich harvest of
the Bahá’í sacred Scriptures; words such as these
from Bahá’u’lláh as inscribed on the Bahá’í House
of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois:
The best beloved of all things in My sight is jus-
tice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me.
My love is My stronghold; he that entereth
therein is safe and secure.
Breathe not the sins of others so long as thou
art thyself a sinner.
Thy heart is My home; sanctify it for My descent.

Choosing Your Destiny

8I have made death a messenger of joy to thee.
Wherefore dost thou grieve?
Make mention of Me on My earth, that in My
heaven I may remember thee.
O rich ones on earth! The poor in your midst
are My trust; guard ye My trust.
All the prophets of God proclaim the same faith.
Religion is a radiant light and an impregnable
stronghold.
Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of
one branch.
So powerful is unity’s light that it can illumine
the whole earth.
Consort with the followers of all religions with
friendliness.
O Son of Being! Thou art My lamp and My
light is in thee.
O Son of Being! Walk in My statutes for love
of Me.
Thy Paradise is My love; thy heavenly home
reunion with Me.
The light of a good character surpasseth the light
of the sun.19
The following passage, also from Bahá’u’lláh, further
demonstrates the nature and the inspirational power
of Bahá’í Scriptures:
O peoples of the world! Forsake all evil, hold
fast that which is good. Strive to be shining
examples unto all mankind, and true reminders

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10of the virtues of God…Be united in counsel, be
one in thought. Let each morn be better than its
eve and each morrow richer than its yesterday.
Man’s merit lieth in service and virtue and not
in the pageantry of wealth and riches…Dissipate
not the wealth of your precious lives in the
pursuit of evil and corrupt affection, nor let your
endeavors be spent in promoting your personal
interest. Be generous in your days of plenty, and
be patient in the hour of loss…
O ye beloved of the Lord! Commit not that
which defileth the limpid stream of love or
destroyeth the sweet fragrance of friendship. By
the righteousness of the Lord! Ye were created
to show love one to another…Take pride not in
love for yourselves but in love for your fellow-
creatures. Glory not in love for your country,
but in love for all mankind. Let your eye be
chaste, your hand faithful, your tongue truthful
and your heart enlightened.20
Love is the dominating theme in most of ‘Abdu’l-
Bahá’s works. In the thousands of letters that He
addressed to individual Bahá’ís who wrote Him, He
repeatedly admonished them to arise to new heights
of unconditional love for all humanity:
Love is heaven’s kindly light…Love…is the living
link that uniteth God with man…Love is the most
great law…the supreme magnetic force…Love is
the spirit of life
The essence of Bahá’u’lláh’s Teaching is all-
embracing love, for love includeth every excel-
lence of humankind. It causeth every soul to go

Choosing Your Destiny

12forward. It bestoweth on each one, for a heritage,
immortal life.22
Soon will your swiftly-passing days be over, and
the fame and riches, the comforts, the joys
provided by this rubbish-heap, the world, will be
gone without a trace. Summon ye, then, the people
to God…Be ye loving fathers to the orphan, and
a refuge to the helpless, and a treasury for the
poor, and a cure for the ailing. Be ye the helpers
of every victim of oppression, the patrons of
the disadvantaged. Think ye at all times of ren-
dering some service to every member of the
human race. Pay ye no heed to aversion and re-
jection, to disdain, hostility, injustice; act ye
in the opposite way. Be ye sincerely kind, not
in appearance only. Let each one of God’s loved
ones center his attention on this: to be the
Lord’s mercy to man; to be the Lord’s grace.
Let him do some good to every person whose
path he crosseth…In this way, the light of divine
guidance will shine forth, and the blessings of
God will cradle all mankind; for love is light,
no matter in what abode it dwelleth; and hate is
darkness, no matter where it may make its nest.23
Let all your striving be for this, to become the
source of life and immortality, and peace and
comfort and joy, to every human soul, whether
one known to you or a stranger, one opposed to
you or on your side. Look ye not upon the purity
or impurity of his nature; look ye upon the all-
embracing mercy of the Lord…
It behoveth the loved ones of the Lord to be the
signs and tokens of His universal mercy…Like

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14the sun, let them cast their rays upon garden and
rubbish heap alike, and even as clouds in spring,
let them shed down their rain upon flower and
thorn. Let them seek but love and faithfulness, let
them not follow the ways of unkindness, let their
talk be confined to the secrets of friendship and of
peace. Such are the attributes of the righteous
Who are we that we should judge? How shall
we know who, in the sight of God, is the most
upright man? God’s thoughts are not like our
thoughts! How many men who have seemed
saint-like to their friends have fallen into the
greatest humiliation. Think of Judas Iscariot; he
began well, but remember his end! On the other
hand, Paul, the Apostle, was in his early life an
enemy of Christ, whilst later he became His
most faithful servant. How then can we flatter
ourselves and despise others?
Let us therefore be humble, without prejudices,
preferring others’ good to our own! Let us never
say, ‘I am a believer but he is an infidel,’ ‘I am
near to God, whilst he is an outcast.’ We can
never know what will be the final judgment!25
Verily, it is better a thousand times for a man
to die than to continue living without virtue.26

1A man was asked, “What is the difference between
ignorance and apathy?” He responded “I don’t know
and I don’t care.” A common obstacle that prevents
people of different persuasions from expanding their

2spiritual horizons is apathy, an epidemic disease
described as “the chronic fatigue syndrome of the
soul:”
…the love of many [people] will grow cold.
Christ (Matt. 24:12)
At their initial exposure to the Bahá’í message,
many people entertain thoughts of this kind: “One
more religion. Why should I care? I am too busy.
Why should I waste my time studying someone
else’s theology?” They see the Bahá’í Faith as
another division within the vast domain of religion,
as another set of arbitrary beliefs based on someone’s
interpretation.
But once these skeptics overcome their initial apathy
and distrust and investigate the Bahá’í Faith, they
are astonished by its logic, relevance, and inspira-
tional powers. At that point they say “Why did it
take me so long to regain my trust, to look into this
faith, to discover its value and relevance to my
life? This is so obvious! Why can’t others see?
The Bahá’í Faith is so logical, so sensible! Why did
I not hear about it sooner? Why didn’t someone tell
me about it when I was younger?”
There is nothing so powerful as truth; and often
nothing as strange. Daniel Webster
Many of these seekers indicate that they found the
Bahá’í Faith at a time when they had lost their
faith and hope, or were on the verge of losing them.
Going to a church or synagogue did not satisfy their
spiritual hunger; for they could not relate to what

3After years of searching and wandering, they found
that the Bahá’í Faith presented them with a new
alternative—one in harmony with their hopes and
dreams. At a critical juncture in their lives—a point
of doubt and skepticism—the new faith offered
them a glimmer of optimism, one that gradually
developed into a new zest for life and a new hope
for the world.
Hope is like the sun which, as we journey towards

1and avoid any encounter that may disturb the
panorama of their sweet illusions:
We would rather be ruined than changed
We would rather die in our dread
Than climb the cross of the moment
and let our illusions die. W. H. Auden
Some people lack confidence both in themselves
and their Creator. They think they are too small for
God’s grace and boundless blessings. They can not
believe that the Creator of the universe knows them
and remembers them, and wants to give them His
immortal bounties. They too are afraid of extend-
ing their hands or opening their hearts.
Once there was a kind seller of cookies. A little girl
was watching him. She loved cookies, but had no
money to buy them. The seller saw the longing in
the little girl’s eyes and asked her, “Do you want
some cookies?” The girl nodded her head. “Hold
out your hands,” he said. But the little girl would

2did not move. When she got home, her mother
asked, “Why didn’t you hold out your hands for
the cookies?” “Because,” the little girl said, “his
hands were bigger than mine.”
Dr. Dyer discusses the principle of “abundance and
scarcity:” “Abundance is not something that we
manufacture, but something that we accept and tune
in to. If our mind believes in scarcity, expecting
only a small portion of life’s abundance, then that
is what our life experience will be. We receive that
which we are willing to let in, and what we block
is not from unavailability but from scarcity beliefs.
When we conceptualize abundance and prosperity as
something we are deserving of, we notice a signifi-
cant shift occurring. First the thoughts about what
we deserve change and then slowly our behavior
changes…we expand what we focus upon.”27
O MOVING FORM OF DUST!
I desire communion with thee, but thou wouldst
put no trust in Me…At all times I am near unto
thee, but thou art ever far from Me. Imperishable
glory I have chosen for thee, yet boundless
shame thou hast chosen for thyself. While there
is yet time, return, and lose not thy chance.28
Bahá’u’lláh

3For the Lord, high as is he, cares for the lowly…
Psalms 138:6

4Still others hunger for truth, contentment, and fellow-
ship with God, yet do not hear the invitation call to
the banquet. The loud and varied voices of our time
muffle their ears and prevent them from hearing

5Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If
anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I
will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
To him who overcomes [his fear or resistance to
knock], I will give the right to sit with me on
my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with
my Father on his throne. Christ (Rev. 3:20-21)

6The invitation is extended once again to all those
who wish to enter and see the banquet of the
Kingdom:
Open the doors of your hearts…We, in truth, have
opened unto you the gates of the Kingdom.29
Bahá’u’lláh
Many are so preoccupied with making a living that
they forget about living. They do not hear a call as
urgent, a warning as forceful and impassioned, an
invitation as magnificent and rewarding as this:
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor
hot. I wish you were either one or the other!…
You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and
do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize
that you are poor…I counsel you to buy from
me gold refined in the fire, so you can become
rich…and [buy] salve to put on your eyes, so
that you can see…To him who overcomes [his
apathy…] I will give right to sit with me on my
throne… Christ (Rev. 3:15-21)

7The essence of understanding is to testify to
one’s poverty, and submit to the Will of the

8Tear asunder…the veils that have grievously
blinded your vision, and, through the power
born of your belief in the unity of God, scatter
the idols of vain imitation. Enter, then, the holy
paradise of the good-pleasure of the All-Merciful.31
Bahá’u’lláh
How can apathy be overcome?
Apathy can only be overcome by enthusiasm, and
enthusiasm can only be aroused by two things:
first, an ideal which takes the imagination by
storm; secondly a definite intelligible plan for
carrying that ideal into practice. Arnold Toynbee
Bahá’ís have already shown that the plan they pursue
is not an unreachable dream, that with the divine
Hand at work the real and ideal merge in a heavenly
and magnificent pattern.
The power of ideals is incalculable. We see no
power in a drop of water. But let it get into a
crack in the rock and be turned to ice, and it
splits the rock; turned into steam, it drives the
pistons of the most powerful engines. Something
has happened to it which makes active and

1To live in the presence of great truths, to be deal-
ing with eternal laws, to be led by permanent
ideals—that is what keeps a man patient when
the world ignores him, and calm and unspoiled
when the world praises him. Francis Peabody

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1and Bahá’í Scriptures
Be dressed ready for service and keep your
lamps [of search] burning, like men waiting for
their master to return from a wedding banquet,
so that when he comes and knocks they can
immediately open the door for him. It will be
good for those servants whose master finds
them watching [investigating] when he comes.
I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to
serve, will have them recline at the table and will
come and wait on them. It will be good for
those servants whose master finds them ready…
Christ (Luke 12:35-38)
Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has
been pleased to give you the kingdom.
Christ (Luke 12:32)
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the
earth… Christ (Matt. 5:3)
If you search with all your heart, I will let you
find me… Jeremiah 29:14
…when a true seeker determineth to take the step
of search in the path leading to the knowledge
of the Ancient of Days, he must, before all else,
cleanse and purify his heart…that no remnant of
either love or hate may linger therein, lest that
love blindly incline him to error, or that hate
repel him away from the truth.32 Bahá’u’lláh
Sanctify your souls from whatsoever is not of
God, and taste ye the sweetness of rest within

Choosing Your Destiny

3the pale of His vast and mighty Revelation, and
beneath the shadow of His supreme and infallible
authority.33 Bahá’u’lláh
I have perfected in every one of you My creation,
so that the excellence of My handiwork may be
fully revealed unto men. It follows, therefore,
that every man hath been, and will continue to
be, able of himself to appreciate the Beauty of
God, the Glorified. Had he not been endowed
with such a capacity, how could he be called to
account for his failure? If, in the Day when all
the peoples of the earth will be gathered together,
any man should, whilst standing in the presence
of God, be asked: “Wherefore hast thou dis-
believed in My Beauty and turned away from
My Self,” and if such a man should reply and
say: “Inasmuch as all men have erred, and none
hath been found willing to turn his face to the
Truth, I, too, following their example, have
grievously failed to recognize the Beauty of the
Eternal,” such a plea will, assuredly, be rejected.
For the faith of no man can be conditioned by
any one except himself.34 Bahá’u’lláh
Man’s highest station…is attained through faith
in God in every Dispensation and by acceptance
of what hath been revealed by Him…35 The Báb
Beware lest the transitory things of human life
withhold you from turning unto God, the True
One. Ponder ye in your hearts the world and its
conflicts and changes, so that ye may discern its
merit and the station of those who have set their
hearts upon it…36 Bahá’u’lláh

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5I desire communion with thee, but thou wouldst
put no trust in Me…At all times I am near unto
thee, but thou art ever far from Me…While there
is yet time, return, and lose not thy chance.37
Bahá’u’lláh
Call to me and I will answer you and tell you
great and unsearchable things you do not know.
Jeremiah, 33:3
Teach me thy way, O Lord. Psalms 27:11

Choosing Your Destiny

7The Bahá’í Life
What is a Bahá’í? How does the Bahá’í life differ
from any other?
To be a Bahá’í means to recognize Bahá’u’lláh as
God’s latest Messenger sent with a new Mission
and a new Message to be accepted and honored.
Being a Bahá’í means not only loving God and
living a noble life, but also working for Bahá’u’lláh’s
universal ideals—oneness of humanity, oneness of
religion, equality of men and women, the rights of
the poor and disadvantaged, universal peace, and the
elimination of ignorance, prejudice, and fanaticism.
In sum, to be a Bahá’í means to be in harmony
with God’s will for our age.

Choosing Your Destiny

9To be a Bahá’í simply means to love all the
world; to love humanity and try to serve it
‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Many of those who declare their faith in Bahá’u’lláh
seem to have already been in tune with His universal
ideals even before knowing His name. It is not
uncommon to hear such seekers or believers remark:
“As soon as I started studying the Bahá’í Faith, I
recognized the truth of its Mission, and its relevance
to our time. It seems as though I have always be-
lieved in Bahá’u’lláh’s universal ideals. The doctrine
of ‘exclusive salvation’ never appealed to me. I
considered it simply a misinterpretation or misjudg-
ment, for it seemed unreasonable to believe that
God, the Loving Creator, loved some of His children
more than the others, that He sought to save only
one people, that He sent only one Savior, and that
all the other religions were either false, or at best
not good enough. Strange as it may seem, I was
already a Bahá’í in heart without knowing it, a
silent believer long before declaring my belief in
Bahá’u’lláh, long before giving voice to my faith.”
And in a way these seekers are right in their thinking.
As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá assures us, a person may be a
Bahá’í “even if he has never heard the name of
Bahá’u’lláh.” Once he hears the name, the story
takes a new turn, because being a Bahá’í requires
more than pursuing one’s own noble wishes, more
than being in sympathy with the Bahá’í ideals, even
more than living a virtuous life. Bahá’u’lláh’s
teachings reach far beyond the concerns of the

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11individual. Being a Bahá’í means not only trusting
one’s own pure vision but enriching and enhancing
that vision by the divine Wisdom, not only follow-
ing one’s own spiritual instincts but guiding those
instincts by the divine injunctions. Being a Bahá’í
means not only edifying and uplifting one’s own
self but society as well; not only being on fire but
“setting the world on fire,” not only believing in the
social and spiritual ideals proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh
but also transforming the ideal into the actual:
building the heavenly Kingdom.
Such a glorious achievement requires cooperation
and active involvement. Consequently, participation
in the Bahá’í social life is complementary to the
pursuit of virtues, which simply guide the life of the
individual. Without intimate cooperation, without
sharing and exchanging ideas, seldom can any
social change of great consequence come about.
Every Bahá’í accepts the responsibility and the
privilege of sharing his faith, knowledge, and beliefs
with others: those unaware of the advent of the new
Revelation. For if an idea is good, if it is conducive
to the enrichment of the human spirit, to the ad-
vancement of society, to peace and prosperity, then
it must be shared with all seekers of truth, it must
be planted in every pure heart:
No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or
puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand,
so that those who come in can see the Light.
Christ (Luke 8:16)

Choosing Your Destiny

13Proclaim with both thy pen and tongue My
Cause. Cry out and summon the people to Him
Who is the Sovereign Lord of all worlds
Bahá’u’lláh
One of the loftiest and deepest joys of recognizing
Bahá’u’lláh is realized when one becomes a beacon
of heavenly light to the seekers of truth, a pioneer
in the building of the new world order, in spreading
the new knowledge to the multitudes of seekers as
yet unaware of Bahá’u’lláh’s advent.
In summary: to be a Bahá’í begins with the recog-
nition of Bahá’u’lláh’s station. This is then followed
by a willingness to live by His Words and a desire
to honor His Wisdom. It is as simple—and as
challenging—as this.
Since this chapter intends to emphasize the noble
life of a Bahá’í, let us now turn to the study of the
attributes or virtues that direct and inspire the life
of a believer in Bahá’u’lláh, both in his relation to
himself and others.

14Ethical Values Never Change
Religion—every religion—comprises two sets of
values: ethical (justice, love, charity…) and social
(marriage, divorce, dietary laws…). The former never
change, the latter often do. The spiritual life of a true
Bahá’í is characterized by the same virtues that dis-
tinguish a true follower in any of the other great
Faiths.
Jesus said that loving God and loving people are
the greatest commandments. In the Bahá’í Faith,

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16love receives the same honor and retains the same
status. The following are a few quotations from the
writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá regarding love:
In the world of humanity the greatest king and
sovereign is love.3
Love is the greatest law in this vast universe of
God!
The essence of Bahá’u’lláh’s Teaching is all-
embracing love, for love includeth every excellence
of humankind. It causeth every soul to go forward.
It bestoweth on each one…immortal life.5
Love is heaven’s kindly light…the living link
that uniteth God with man…Love is the most
great law…Love is the spirit of life
Until love takes possession of the heart, no other
divine bounty can be revealed in it.7
All the sacred Scriptures teach and honor the same
noble deeds, the same divine attributes. The laws
of love, honesty, and charity never change; they
stand as immortal as the stars of heaven.
This brief quotation from the Torah, spoken to
humankind some 3,500 years ago, is an immortal
prescription for a full and abundant spiritual life:
What then, O Israel, does the Lord your God
ask of you? Only to fear the Lord your God, to
conform to all his ways, to love him and to
serve him with all your heart and soul.
Deuteronomy 10:12

Choosing Your Destiny

18The spiritual laws serve as essential links to the
harmonious functioning of both the individual and
society—guiding us towards harmony with our own
nature. Destitute of virtues, deprived of noble acts
of love, compassion, concern, charity, and sanctity,
humans turn into the basest of beings, society into
a state of absolute apathy and despair, the world
into an abode of darkness.
Yet as fixed as the spiritual laws are, they do
evolve, constantly seeking new modes or ways of
expression. Every new Redeemer invests the spiritual
heritage of the world with a new and ever-advancing
Spirit—one attuned to an ever-evolving age.

1True faith consists of both knowledge and action.
Neither knowing and loving God and His Messen-
gers, nor living by the divine Law can, in itself,
suffice. From Love comes the inspiration for living,
and from living the test of loving. As the light of
faith becomes brighter or fades, so does the clarity
of God’s reflection in the soul. To believe and not
to live is not to believe.
Every one must show forth deeds that are pure
and holy, for words are the property of all alike,
whereas such deeds as these belong only to Our
loved ones. Strive then with heart and soul to
distinguish yourselves by your deeds.8
Bahá’u’lláh

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3The essence of faith is fewness of words and
abundance of deeds…9 Bahá’u’lláh
If you want to enter life, obey the command-
ments. Christ (Matt. 19:17)
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so
faith without works is dead also. James 2:17
If you love me, you will obey what I command.
Christ (John 14:15)
If I speak in the tongues of…angels, but have
not love, I am only a resounding gong…
I Corinthians 13:1
Holy words and pure and goodly deeds ascend
unto the heaven of celestial glory. Strive that
your deeds may be cleansed from the dust of
self and hypocrisy and find favor at the court of
glory; for ere long the assayers of mankind
shall, in the holy presence of the Adored One,
accept naught but absolute virtue and deeds of
stainless purity.10 Bahá’u’lláh
“Living the Law” is a sure evidence or expression
of loving the Law-Giver. How can the believer prove
his sincerity save by honoring his beliefs? “Faith
without works is like a bird without wings; though
she may hop about on the earth, she will never fly
to heaven. But when both are joined together, then
doth the soul mount up to her eternal rest.”
Faith is not merely praying
Upon your knees at night;
Faith is not merely straying
Through darkness into light;

Choosing Your Destiny

5Faith is not merely waiting
For glory that may be.
Faith is the brave endeavor,
the splendid enterprise,
The strength to serve, whatever
Conditions may arise.
It’s not dying for faith that’s so hard, it is living
up to it. W. Thackeray
God delights in altars on which no fire is
burned, but around which virtues dance. Plato
It is recorded that a friend once said to Pascal:
“I wish I had your belief, so that I might live
your life.” To which Pascal was swift to reply:
“If you lived my life you would soon have my
belief.” J. Davis
How can one have faith without good deeds? How
can there be rain without clouds? How can a dead
seed or carcass be alive?
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith
without deed is dead. James 2:26
To think that faith without good deeds can have life
of its own is only an illusion. Can one have faith
without being faithful?
Show me your faith without deeds…You believe
there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe
that—and shudder. James 2:18-19
As stated, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá defines faith as, “first,
conscious knowledge, and second, the practice of
good deeds.”11

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7Today, in religious circles there is an overemphasis
on faith at the expense of good deeds. It is often
said that, “Faith is not earned; it is a gift given by
the grace of God,” or “Heaven is a free gift; it is
not earned or deserved.” Everything is a gift from
God. Our very existence is the gift of God.
Undue emphasis on the idea of “being saved by
grace alone” has tarnished not only the glory of
faith but of good deeds as well. It has diminished
the value of effort and volition as a means of attract-
ing divine blessings. It has led to the conclusion
that the only requirement for being “saved” is to
“believe” the truth, and to say “yes.” The implica-
tion is clear. Since a gift is always given freely,
one’s actions play little if any role in the final out-
come. This has made the job of believing attractive
to the doubting masses, but at the expense of
diminishing the splendors of faith.
Although faith is a gift from God, it can reveal its
splendors only through noble deeds; otherwise it is
an illusion. Faith and effort are inseparable part-
ners—they sustain each other. Faith is the fire and
deed the altar. Faith is the light and deed the lamp.
Without the altar and the lamp, there is no fire and
there is no light.
A Sunday school teacher had just finished her lesson
on forgiveness and wanted to test the children to
make sure they had learned their lesson. So she
asked, “Can anyone tell me what we must do to
obtain forgiveness of sin?” A little boy’s hand went
up. “We’ve got to sin first!” he declared proudly.

Choosing Your Destiny

1A Bahá’í is known by distinction in noble deeds,
not by name:
I desire distinction for you. The Bahá’ís must be
distinguished from others…But this distinction
must not depend upon wealth…For you I desire
spiritual distinction…You must become distin-
guished for loving humanity…for faithfulness and
sincerity, for justice and fidelity, for firmness
and steadfastness, for philanthropic deeds and
service to the human world, for love toward
every human being, for unity and accord with all
people, for removing prejudices and promoting
international peace. Finally, you must become
distinguished for heavenly illumination and
acquiring the bestowals of God.12 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Only when we realize that we are in essence spiritual
beings concealed in bodies, rather than physical
beings concerned with passing pleasures, are we
motivated to turn our energies towards spiritual
excellence.
Within each of us lies a hidden gem. Only by polish-
ing our souls can we reveal the concealed glory
and uniqueness.
It is doing something better than other people
that makes us unique. Yet a surprising number
of people still see individuality as a surface
thing. They wear garish clothes, dye their hair
strange, color and decorate their skin with tattoos
to make some kind of social statement. They
believe that mediocrity will somehow gain new

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3credentials from exterior cosmetics. But an
ordinary guy who has dyed his hair purple or
orange is nothing more than the same person
with a funny-looking head. Donald Smith
Dr. J. E. Esslemont, author of a classic introductory
book on the Bahá’í Faith, writes:
When asked on one occasion: “What is a Bahá’í?”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá replied: “To be a Bahá’í simply
means to love all the world; to love humanity
and try to serve it; to work for universal peace
and universal brotherhood.” On another occasion
He defined a Bahá’í as “one endowed with all
the perfections…”
Then, does to be a Bahá’í mean to be perfect? Not
at all. No one is, or can ever be, perfect—except,
of course, a divine Manifestation, the One sheltered
under the shadow of divine Wisdom.
Human perfection varies from divine perfection. On
our level, perfection means developing our potential
to the farthest bounds of possibilities. In this sense,
every human being can become perfect. When it
comes to spiritual distinctions, we should set our
goal as high as the heavens. Somerset Maugham
said, “It is a funny thing about life; if you refuse
to accept anything but the best, you very often get
it.” Therefore, “Let us go on unto perfection…”
(Heb. 6:1).
Aside from the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh, whose great-
ness and nobility transcend our comprehension, we
are given a divine Gift—‘Abdu’l-Bahá—unparalleled
in the spiritual history of the world, a supreme

Choosing Your Destiny

5Exemplar, One whose deeds and aspirations, whose
ideals and devotions stand reachable, within the
grasp of our will and desire. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was
perfection made visible, a pearl of consummate
charm and beauty—flawless, radiant, pure. But
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s perfections did not come simply
through His own unaided efforts. As His name
(Servant of Glory) signifies, He lived under the
shadow of His Father’s Glory—the Glory of God—
Bahá’u’lláh. For us, the best possible course is to
try to walk in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s way, to emulate His
example.
Absolute perfection stands beyond our reach, but
“near perfection” is as close as our determination
and desire. We stand between the realm of light
and the domain of darkness. With only one step,
we can enter either.
O SON OF LOVE!
Thou art but one step away from the glorious
heights above and from the celestial tree of love.
Take thou one pace and with the next advance
into the immortal realm and enter the pavilion
of eternity.14 Bahá’u’lláh
Sometimes we see so many ways to God, we become
confused and abandon our responsibility to search.
We see the vast world in utter confusion. We feel
too small to make a difference. Discouraged, we do
nothing. A man in his suicide note stated that if
anyone, along the way to his rendezvous with
death, looked at him and smiled, he would not
pursue his plan. Unfortunately no one did. Every-
day we have opportunities to perform many “little,
unremembered acts of kindness.” As the surge of a

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7vast ocean comes from little drops of water that blend
and bind together, so does the spiritual elevation
of the world arise from countless caring acts and
thoughts offered in a spirit of love and a vision of
oneness. These acts, like lighted candles, turn the
gloomy night into a festive feast. The tendency to
underestimate the supreme power of little noble
deeds is a grave illusion.
One righteous act is endowed with a potency
that can so elevate the dust as to cause it to pass
beyond the heaven of heavens.15 Bahá’u’lláh
“Little self-denials, little honesties, little passing
words of sympathy, little nameless acts of kindness,
little silent victories over favorite temptations—these
are the silent threads of gold which, when woven
together, gleam out so brightly in the pattern of life
that God approves.”
Taking the first step is always the most demanding,
the most trying. But once taken, it releases and sets
in motion all the forces of light and life, forces that
rush to our aid, to make the act of growing an
enchanting encounter.
Until one is committed,
there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back,
always ineffectiveness.
Concerning acts of initiative…
there is one elementary truth
the ignorance of which kills countless ideas
and splendid plans:
That the moment one definitely commits oneself
then Providence moves too.
All sorts of things occur to help one

Choosing Your Destiny

9that would otherwise never have occurred.
A whole stream of events issues from the decision…
which no man could have dreamt
would come his way. Goethe
What is the first step? It is to purify one’s motives.
It is as simple—and yet as trying—as that. Once
motives are purified and liberated from the bounds
of ego, from selfish ends or interests, they release
and set in motion all the spiritual powers from
within and without.
A sincere desire to do one’s best, a willingness to
transcend one’s prejudices, is a fitting foundation for
faith in divine Wisdom, and nothing short of this can
constitute a basis on which to build one’s everlast-
ing destiny. Bahá’u’lláh invites us to manifest “the
signs of God.”
Say: Beware, O people of Bahá, lest ye walk in
the ways of them whose words differ from their
deeds. Strive that ye may be enabled to manifest
to the peoples of the earth the signs of God, and
to mirror forth His commandments. Let your acts
be a guide unto all mankind, for the professions
of most men, be they high or low, differ from
their conduct. It is through your deeds that ye
can distinguish yourselves from others. Through
them the brightness of your light can be shed
upon the whole earth. Happy is the man that
heedeth My counsel, and keepeth the precepts
prescribed by Him who is the All-Knowing, the
All-Wise.16
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the perfect exemplar and authorized
interpreter of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings, invites each
of us to become “a center of attraction” to others:

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11Should any one of you enter a city, he should
become a center of attraction by reason of his
sincerity, his faithfulness and love, his honesty
and fidelity, his truthfulness and loving-kindness
towards all the peoples of the world, so that the
people of that city may cry out and say: “This
man is unquestionably a Bahá’í, for his manners,
his behavior, his conduct, his morals, his nature,
and disposition reflect the attributes of the
Bahá’ís.” Not until ye attain this station can ye
be said to have been faithful to the Covenant
and Testament of God.17

1I knew My love for thee; therefore I created
thee, have engraved on thee Mine image and
revealed to thee My beauty.18 Bahá’u’lláh
God continuously sustains His love for us by sending
His great Messengers and Teachers, who endure
every adversity and suffering for our sake. How can
we appreciate this love? By welcoming and loving
those Messengers. They speak not from themselves,
but from God. Loving them is the same as loving
God; ignoring them is the same as ignoring God.
In psychology, the most reasonable and acceptable
means of managing behavior, or applying discipline,
is called logical and natural consequences. What is
the best way of treating a child who keeps abusing
a toy? To take it away from him. What is the best

Choosing Your Destiny

3remedy for a person who drinks and drives? To take
the car away from him. What is the best remedy
for a healthy and strong person who refuses to work?
To let him taste poverty and hunger. This may seem
cruel, but is supporting him at the expense of others
not more cruel? What is the best response to a teen-
ager who keeps abusing the phone? To take that
privilege away from him. Using logical and natural
consequences is justice in its simplest, purest, and
highest form. No doubt we can find exceptions to
this rule, as we can find to every rule. Yet the
general principle, wherever practical, holds true.
Let us apply this principle to our relationship with
God. Let us see what our Creator has done for us,
what we should do in return, and what will happen
if we don’t. Suppose out of your love for a friend,
you accept forty years of imprisonment and exile
and every possible humiliation and suffering (this
is what Bahá’u’lláh went through). Now suppose
you send your son to visit that friend to tell him
your story. Your son travels a long distance, finds
the house, and knocks on the door. But instead of
welcoming your son and offering him the warmest
and kindest words of gratitude, your friend ignores
him, pretends not to know him, and shuts the door
on him. How would you feel? And how would you
respond? Would you call him and thank him? Would
you send him a gift and a thank-you card? Or would
you get angry and say to yourself, “He did not
deserve my love. From now on I will leave him
alone”? According to the principle of logical and
natural consequences, the most reasonable response
is to leave him alone. This is how our Creator

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5promises to treat us. Compare God to the sun. What
is the best punishment for a person who ignores or
resents your kindness and keeps insisting, “Don’t
open the windows; I don’t like the sun; let me
live in darkness”? To let him live in darkness; his
punishment is a natural consequence of his choice.
That is what happens to those who reject or ignore
God’s Messengers. They lose all the benefits that
come from believing. This is sheer justice. For God
is both kind and fair, both loving and just.
The following examples demonstrate the promise of
reciprocity:
With the measure you use, it will be measured
to you. Christ (Matt. 7:2)
…you shall be treated as you have treated others…
Obadiah
God will verily do unto them that which they
themselves are doing…19 Bahá’u’lláh
Do you expect to receive a reward other than
that which ye have earned by your deeds?
Qur’án 27:90
Whatsoever a man soweth, that he shall reap
also. Galatians 6:7
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also
reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously
will also reap generously. II Corinthians 9:6
To motivate us, our Creator promises to treat us
according to the principle of natural and logical
consequences. For instance, He asks:

Choosing Your Destiny

7• Do you want Me to love you? Then love Me:
O SON OF BEING!
Love Me, that I may love thee. If thou lovest
Me not, My love can in no wise reach thee.
Know this, O servant.20 Bahá’u’lláh
We love because He first loved us. I John 4:19
In any way that men love Me in that same
way they find My love… Bhagavad Gita 4:1
• Do you want Me to remember you? Then re-
member Me:
O SON OF BEING!
Make mention of Me on My earth, that in My
heaven I may remember thee…21 Bahá’u’lláh
Remember Me, then, and I will remember
you. Qur’án 2:152
He, verily, will…remember everyone that
remembereth Him.22 Bahá’u’lláh
• Do you want to attain victory? Then make My
Cause victorious:
Arise for the triumph of My cause, that while
yet on earth thou mayest obtain the victory.23
Bahá’u’lláh
He, verily, will aid everyone that aideth
Him…24 Bahá’u’lláh
• Do you want Me to think highly of you? Then
think highly of Me:
Thy sight is My sight, do thou see therewith,
that in thine inmost soul thou mayest testify

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9unto My exalted sanctity, and I within Myself
may bear witness unto an exalted station for
thee.25 Bahá’u’lláh
Those who honor Me I will honor.
I Samuel 2:30
• Do you want to discover the mysteries of My
greatness? Then magnify and glorify My cause:
Magnify My cause that I may reveal unto
thee the mysteries of My greatness and shine
upon thee with the light of eternity.26
Bahá’u’lláh
• Do you wish to be lifted up? Then humble
yourself before God:
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He
will lift you up. James 4:10
• Do you wish to live in God? Then “die” in Him
by destroying your selfish desires:
If thou lovest Me, turn away from thyself…
that thou mayest die in Me and I may eternally
live in thee.27 Bahá’u’lláh
• Do you want Me to be pleased with you? Then
please others:
O MY FRIENDS!
Walk ye in the ways of the good pleasure of
the Friend, and know that His pleasure is in
the pleasure of His creatures.28 Bahá’u’lláh
• Do you wish to find God? Then search for Him:
Thou shalt find Him, if thou seek Him with
all thy heart and with all thy soul.
Deuteronomy 4:29

Choosing Your Destiny

11Those who seek Me find Me. Proverbs 8:17
• Do you want to be rich in the next Kingdom?
Then give away of your wealth in this kingdom:
O SON OF MAN!
Bestow My wealth upon My poor, that in
heaven thou mayest draw from stores of
unfading splendor and treasures of imperish-
able glory.29 Bahá’u’lláh
Give, and it will be given to you For with
the same measure that you use, it will be
measured back to you. Christ (Luke 6:38)
• Do you wish to be treated with mercy? Then
treat others with mercy:
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be
shown mercy. Christ (Matt. 5:7)
Pass no judgment, and you will not be
judged. Christ (Matt. 7:1)
• Do you wish God to keep His covenant, then
keep your covenant:
Be true to your covenant with Me; I will be
true to my covenant with you… Qur’án 2:38
• Do you wish to be acknowledged? Then ac-
knowledge God’s Messengers and Teachers:
Whoever acknowledges me before men, the
Son of Man will also acknowledge him before
the angels of God. Christ (Luke 12:8)
• Do you wish the Lord to be with you? Then be
with the Lord:

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13The Lord is with you when you are with
Him. II Corinthians 15:2
Return unto me, and I will return unto you…
Malachi 3:7
• Do you wish to receive an answer, then call Him:
He shall call Me, and I will answer him
Psalms 91:15
• Do you wish “wisdom” to love you? Then love
wisdom:
I love those who love me Proverbs 8:17
• Do you want to be forgotten on the day of
judgment? Then forget about that day:
Taste then the consequences of forgetting this
day [of judgment]. We now forget you.
Qur’án 32:14
• Do you wish to forget your soul? Then forget
God:
And be not like those who forget God; and
He made them forget their own souls!
Qur’án 59:19
• Do you wish to be rejected? Then reject the
knowledge of God.
Because thou hath rejected knowledge, I will
also reject thee… Hosea 4:6
• If you wish to be treated with contempt, then
treat God with contempt:
Those who despise Me shall be treated with
contempt. I Samuel 2:30

Choosing Your Destiny

15• Do you wish to be denied? Then deny God’s
Messengers and Teachers:
He that denieth Me before men shall be denied
before the angels of God. Christ (Luke 12:9)
• Do you wish God’s supreme Messenger be
ashamed of you? Then be ashamed of Him:
Whoever is ashamed of Me and Mine, the
Son of Man will be ashamed of him, when
He comes in His glory and the glory of the
Father and the holy angels. Christ (Luke 9:26)
• Do you wish God to forsake you? Then forsake
Him:
If you forsake Him, He will forsake you.
II Corinthians 15:2
• Do you wish God to forget you? Then forget
His supreme Savior and Messenger of the age:
God will verily…forget them even as they
have ignored His Presence in His day. Such
is His decree unto those that have denied
Him, and such will it be unto them that have
rejected His signs.30 Bahá’u’lláh
• Do you wish to find the door to the heavenly
banquet open? Then open your heart:
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If
anyone hears My voice and opens the door,
I will come in to him and dine with him, and
he with Me. To him who overcomes I will
grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also
overcame and sat down with My Father on
His throne. Christ (Rev. 3:20-21)

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17All these quotations on the principle and promise
of reciprocity lead us to this critical conclusion:
The time to knock is now, during our earthly life:
Knock, and it shall be opened unto you
Christ (Matt. 7:7)
Otherwise, this is what may happen later:
“Sir! Sir!” they said. “Open the door for us!” But
he replied, “I tell you the truth, I don’t know
you.” Therefore keep watch [investigate]
Christ (Matt. 25:11-13)
The same principle applies to our relationships with
people. We breathe whatever fragrance we spread.
If we spread kindness, we receive kindness; if we
spread prejudice, we receive prejudice. If we look
for other people’s faults, they will look for our faults:
Speak no evil, that thou mayest not hear it
spoken unto thee, and magnify not the faults of
others that thine own faults may not appear
great; and wish not the abasement of anyone,
that thine own abasement be not exposed.31
Bahá’u’lláh
Christ declared this promise:
For if you forgive men when they sin against
you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive men their sins, your
Father will not forgive your sins.
Matthew 6:14-15
He also offered this prayer:
Forgive us the wrong we have done, as we have
forgiven those who have wronged us.
Matthew 6:12

Choosing Your Destiny

19Noted psychologist Dr. Wayne Dyer offers a per-
sonal story that confirms the message of mutual
forgiveness. He states that, when he was a child, his
father abandoned him. At some point, Dr. Dyer
decided to find him. But his father, who feared
child custody payments, would not allow him. This
desperate and futile search left Dyer helpless and
hopeless. At last, the news came that his father had
died. With much persistence he found the grave in a
far away place. When he arrived on the grave, he felt
a sudden surge of spiritual power. At that instant,
he lost all sense of anger and despair. With the
help given him, he was able to bathe his father in
love and forgiveness. That experience, he believes,
changed everything in his life. Doors that had
remained closed to him began to open. He expe-
rienced the profoundest spiritual transformation.
Forgiveness, he believes, was the key that opened
to him countless blessings.
Let me now share a personal experience to further
confirm God’s promise of reciprocity. Many years
ago, I was severely mistreated by someone. Later I
encountered an opportunity to show my inner feel-
ings to the person who had oppressed me. Not only
did I extend forgiveness to him but love as well.
Sometime later I had a dream. I saw a vast circle,
like a rainbow, above me. Along the circle appeared
these two messages: “Your sins are forgiven. Your
wishes will come true.” The messages were inscribed
in the handwriting of the person I had forgiven. For
my attitude, I was doubly rewarded. The second
message offered me another gift. Perhaps we should
all be grateful to those who mistreat us. They are

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21not our enemies but helping friends. They hold one
of the three keys to forgiveness!

1God’s Word, which manifests His awesome glory
and power, is His immortal and preeminent gift to
humankind. It is the clearest evidence of His truth,
the hallmark of His divine distinction:
That which is preeminent above all other gifts…is
the gift of Divine Revelation. Every bounty con-
ferred by the Creator upon man, be it material
or spiritual, is subservient unto this. It is, in its
essence, and will ever so remain, the Bread
which cometh down from Heaven. It is God’s
supreme testimony, the clearest evidence of His
truth, the sign of His consummate bounty, the
token of His all-encompassing mercy, the proof
of His most loving providence, the symbol of
His most perfect grace.32 Bahá’u’lláh

2A compilation of the Bahá’í Scriptures on virtues—
the attributes of a soul in harmony with divine
Wisdom—would comprise several volumes. In
the next few pages only a few gleanings from
Bahá’u’lláh’s prolific works are offered as guides to
living, as examples of virtues adored in the Bahá’í

Choosing Your Destiny

4Scriptures. (The titles are added by the author of
this book.)
Becoming a Source
of All Goodness
It is Our wish and desire that every one of you
may become a source of all goodness unto men,
and an example of uprightness to mankind.
Beware lest ye prefer yourselves above your
neighbors. Fix your gaze upon Him Who is the
Temple of God amongst men. He, in truth, hath
offered up His life as a ransom for the redemp-
tion of the world. He, verily, is the All-Bountiful,
the Gracious, the Most High. If any differences
arise amongst you, behold Me standing before
your face, and overlook the faults of one another
for My name’s sake and as a token of your love
for My manifest and resplendent Cause. We love
to see you at all times consorting in amity and
concord within the paradise of My good-pleasure,
and to inhale from your acts the fragrance of
friendliness and unity, of loving-kindness and
fellowship. Thus counselleth you the All-
Knowing, the Faithful. We shall always be with
you; if We inhale the perfume of your fellowship,
Our heart will assuredly rejoice, for naught else
can satisfy Us.33
Service Through
Noble Deeds
O people of God! Do not busy yourselves in
your own concerns; let your thoughts be fixed
upon that which will…sanctify the hearts and
souls of men. This can best be achieved through

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6pure and holy deeds, through a virtuous life and
goodly behavior. Valiant acts will ensure the
triumph of this Cause, and a saintly character
will reinforce its power. Cleave unto righteous-
ness, O people of Bahá!34
Meeting the Abased
and the Poor
If ye meet the abased or the down-trodden, turn
not away disdainfully from them, for the King
of Glory ever watcheth over them and surroundeth
them with such tenderness as none can fathom
except them that have suffered their wishes and
desires to be merged in the Will of your Lord,
the Gracious, the All-Wise. O ye rich ones on
the earth! Flee not from the face of the poor that
lieth in the dust, nay rather befriend him and
suffer him to recount the tale of the woes with
which God’s inscrutable Decree hath caused him
to be afflicted. By the righteousness of God!
Whilst ye consort with him, the Concourse on
high will be looking upon you, will be interced-
ing for you, will be extolling your names and
glorifying your action. Blessed are the learned
that pride not themselves on their attainments;
and well is it with the righteous that mock not
the sinful, but rather conceal their misdeeds, so
that their own shortcomings may remain veiled
to men’s eyes.35
Service
Forget your own selves, and turn your eyes
towards your neighbor. Bend your energies to

Choosing Your Destiny

8whatever may foster the education of men.
Nothing is, or can ever be, hidden from God. If
ye follow in His way, His incalculable and
imperishable blessings will be showered upon
you. This is the luminous Tablet, whose verses
have streamed from the moving Pen of Him
Who is the Lord of all worlds.36
Good Character
A good character is, verily, the best mantle for
men from God. With it He adorneth the temples
of His loved ones. By My life! The light of a
good character surpasseth the light of the sun
and the radiance thereof. Whoso attaineth unto
it is accounted as a jewel among men…Well is
it with him who is adorned with the saintly
attributes
Courtesy
We, verily, have chosen courtesy, and made it
the true mark of such as are nigh unto Him.
Courtesy is, in truth, a raiment which fitteth all
men, whether young or old. Well is it with him
that adorneth his temple therewith, and woe unto
him who is deprived of this great bounty.38
Honesty and Chastity
Say: He is not to be numbered with the people
of Bahá who followeth his mundane desires, or
fixeth his heart on things of the earth. He is My
true follower who, if he come to a valley of
pure gold will pass straight through it aloof as
a cloud, and will neither turn back, nor pause.

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10Such a man is, assuredly, of Me…And if he met
the fairest and most comely of women, he would
not feel his heart seduced by the least shadow
of desire for her beauty. Such a one indeed is
the creation of spotless chastity. Thus instructeth
you the Pen of the Ancient of Days, as bidden
by your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Bountiful.39
Backbiting
That seeker should, also, regard backbiting as
grievous error, and keep himself aloof from its
dominion, inasmuch as backbiting quencheth the
light of the heart, and extinguisheth the life of
the soul.40
The Golden Rule
Lay not on any soul a load which ye would not
wish to be laid upon you, and desire not for any
one the things ye would not desire for your-
selves. This is My best counsel unto you, did ye
but observe it.41
Be Shining Examples
O peoples of the world! Forsake all evil, hold
fast that which is good. Strive to be shining
examples unto all mankind, and true reminders
of the virtues of God amidst men. He that riseth
to serve My Cause should manifest My wisdom,
and bend every effort to banish ignorance from
the earth. Be united in counsel, be one in
thought. Let each morn be better than its eve
and each morrow richer than its yesterday. Man’s
merit lieth in service and virtue and not in the

Choosing Your Destiny

12pageantry of wealth and riches. Take heed that
your words be purged from idle fancies and
worldly desires and your deeds be cleansed from
craftiness and suspicion. Dissipate not the wealth
of your precious lives in the pursuit of evil and
corrupt affection, nor let your endeavors be spent
in promoting your personal interest. Be generous
in your days of plenty, and be patient in the hour
of loss. Adversity is followed by success and
rejoicings follow woe. Guard against idleness
and sloth, and cling unto that which profiteth
mankind, whether young or old, whether high or
low. Beware lest ye sow tares of dissension
among men or plant thorns of doubt in pure and
radiant hearts.42
You Were Created to Love
O ye beloved of the Lord! Commit not that
which defileth the limpid stream of love or
destroyeth the sweet fragrance of friendship. By
the righteousness of the Lord! Ye were created
to show love one to another and not perversity
and rancor. Take pride not in love for yourselves
but for your fellow-creatures. Glory not in love
for your country, but in love for all mankind.
Let your eye be chaste, your hand faithful, your
tongue truthful and your heart enlightened.43
Loving God
O Thou Whose face is the object of my adora-
tion, Whose beauty is my sanctuary, Whose
habitation is my goal, Whose praise is my hope,
Whose providence is my companion, Whose

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14love is the cause of my being, Whose mention
is my solace, Whose nearness is my desire,
Whose presence is my dearest wish and highest
aspiration, I entreat Thee not to withhold from
me the things Thou didst ordain for the chosen
ones among Thy servants. Supply me, then, with
the good of this world and of the next.
Thou, truly, art the King of all men. There is no
God but Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most
Generous.44

1of a young man called the Báb (the Gate). The Báb
was born in Shíráz, in southern Persia, in 1819. He
declared His mission in 1844 and was martyred in
1850, at the age of 31.
The Báb said He had been called to an exalted
and glorious Mission: to proclaim the dawning of
a new day in the spiritual history of the world, the
long-cherished-and-awaited Day of the Lord, the
approach of the age of restoration and renewal,

2Verily this is none other than the sovereign
Truth; it is the Path which God hath laid out for
all that are in heaven and on earth. Let him then
who will, take for himself the right path unto
his Lord.1 The Báb
The Báb’s Message spread swiftly, like the glimmer-
ings of dawn, to summon the seekers of the King-
dom and to prepare them for the rising of the Sun.
Before long, the light of the Lord would unveil its
countenance to shine with unmatched glory and
dazzling splendor.
The Báb’s Message threatened the establishment.
Religious and political leaders alike set out to
destroy Him. His triumph meant the decline of their
powers. They were the same kind of fanatical and
self-righteous people to whom Jesus came, and they
felt and acted in the same manner.
During His brief ministry on earth, in spite of
imprisonment and exile, the Báb revealed an abun-
dance of Scriptures, unveiled mysteries, offered new
hope and knowledge, and paved the way for the
advent of a divine Teacher who would disclose even
greater treasures of truth.
Although an independent Messenger, the Báb served
primarily as the Gate to Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation.
His prime mission, like that of John the Baptist,
was not to found a new Faith but to awaken the
seekers of truth, and to prepare them for the advent
of the long-expected world Savior and Redeemer.
The Báb repeatedly asked His followers to be ready,
to be receptive to the call of the next Redeemer,

3that the advent of Bahá’u’lláh would pose a severe
test to His own followers:
Take ye heed, therefore, lest ye deprive your-
selves of attaining the presence of Him Who is
the Manifestation of God…and be ye careful lest
ye be deterred from attaining unto the ocean of
His good-pleasure
The Báb praised Bahá’u’lláh in the most exquisite
and enchanting terms, expressing His utter humility
toward Him. The following passage shows how the
Báb viewed Himself in relation to Bahá’u’lláh:
Consecrate Thou, O my God, the whole of this
Tree [the Báb] unto Him, that from it may be
revealed all the fruits created by God within
it…By Thy glory! I have not wished that this
Tree should ever bear any branch, leaf, or fruit
that would fail to bow down before Him…And
shouldst Thou behold, O my God, any branch,
leaf, or fruit upon Me that hath failed to bow
down before Him, on the day of His Revelation,
cut it off, O My God, from that Tree, for it is
not of Me, nor shall it return unto Me.3
To show His humility, the Báb likened Himself to
a ring on Bahá’u’lláh’s hand. The metaphor is the
quintessence of beauty and simplicity:
I myself am, verily, but a ring upon the hand of
Him Whom God shall make manifest—glorified
be His mention! He turneth it as He pleaseth
The humility expressed by the Báb towards Bahá’u’lláh
is comparable to that expressed by John the Baptist

4After me comes one who is mightier than I. I
am not fit to unfasten his shoes… Mark 1:7
As the Scriptures reveal, Elijah was to appear
twice, once before the first advent of Jesus—a
prophecy fulfilled by John the Baptist—and again
before the second advent, a time distinguished and
described as “the great day of the Lord:” “Behold
I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great
and dreadful day of the Lord” (Malachi 4:5). The
Báb’s advent thus accorded with the preceding
prophecy, fulfilling the promise of the Scriptures
that a Messenger would again herald the dawn of
the New Age.
The new Revelation began in Shíráz, a city in
southern Persia—a country prophesied in the Scrip-
tures to become the seat of God’s throne in the last
days: “I will set my throne in Elam…saith the Lord”
(Jeremiah 49:38).
The teachings of the Báb challenged, threatened,
and soon began to uproot the established dogmas
and superstitions of the day, leading to turmoil and
opposition throughout the land. As a result of the
collaboration of the religious leaders and the state,
exactly as in the time of Jesus, the Báb was im-
prisoned, exiled, and eventually executed. His

1About two and a half years after the Báb’s martyr-
dom, Bahá’u’lláh received the first intimation of His
Revelation. He declared Himself the One promised
by all the great religions of the past. In an Epistle

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3to the king of Persia, He describes His spiritual
transformation by the divine power:
O King! I was but a man like others, asleep
upon My couch, when lo, the breezes of the All-
Glorious were wafted over Me, and taught Me
the knowledge of all that hath been. This thing
is not from Me, but from One Who is Almighty
and All-Knowing. And He bade Me lift up My
voice between earth and heaven, and for this
there befell Me what hath caused the tears of
every man of understanding to flow. The learning
current amongst men I studied not; their schools
I entered not.5
He compared Himself to a frail leaf stirred by the
Lord:
This is but a leaf which the winds of the will
of thy Lord, the Almighty, the All-Praised, have
stirred. Can it be still when the tempestuous
winds are blowing? Nay, by Him Who is the
Lord of all Names and Attributes! They move
it as they list…His all-compelling summons hath
reached Me, and caused Me to speak His praise
amidst all people. I was indeed as one dead when
His behest was uttered. The hand of the will of
thy Lord, the Compassionate, the Merciful, trans-
formed Me.6
One night, in a dream, these exalted words were
heard on every side: “Verily, We shall render
Thee victorious by Thyself and by Thy Pen.
Grieve Thou not for that which hath befallen
Thee, neither be Thou afraid, for Thou art in
safety. Erelong will God raise up the treasures

Choosing Your Destiny

5of the earth—men who will aid Thee through
Thyself and through Thy Name
Bahá’u’lláh, born into one of the most distinguished
families in 19th-century Persia, and was expected
to follow in the footsteps of His illustrious father.
Instead of living the princely life, He endured and
accepted a life of anguish and affliction, of tests
and trials. He chose 40 years of imprisonment and
exile in place of earthly joys and riches. A humble
life in prison held more glories for Him than the
pomp of kings; poverty excelled the pursuit of a
princely life, and self-sacrifice surpassed “the ease
and pleasures of a passing day.”
Like His Herald, the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh encountered
severe opposition and oppression from the onset of
His ministry to the very end, especially from those
who feared the loss of their powers. And in spite
of the grave danger to His life, Bahá’u’lláh declined
to live in concealment. Instead of escaping afflic-
tions, He welcomed them; instead of mourning, He
rejoiced; instead of grieving, He gloried and exulted.
To a cruel, cunning, and powerful religious leader,
who had tortured and put to death some of the most
distinguished disciples of the new Faith, Bahá’u’lláh
wrote:
Thinkest thou that We fear thy cruelty? Know
thou and be well assured that from the first
day…We offered up Our souls, and Our bodies…
in the path of God, the Exalted, the Great, and
We glory therein amongst all created things
The masses, the religious leaders, and the state com-
bined their efforts and powers against Bahá’u’lláh.

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7They said, “This man wishes to suppress and destroy
the religion, the law, the nation and the empire.”
But the persecution of the new Faith in the land of
its origin could not obscure the radiance or suppress
the love and devotion of its determined believers;
on the contrary, the oppression and cruelty intensified
the ever-spreading flame of faith among the heroic
followers. It also activated the dormant curiosities
of the masses, strengthening the determination and
enflaming the desire of the multitudes of devoted
seekers athirst for truth.
The oppressors had to find a new solution—banish-
ment. They banished Bahá’u’lláh from city to city,
and from country to country, each time hoping that
the next destination would prove fatal, would at last
stifle or extinguish Bahá’u’lláh’s overwhelming and
ever-expanding influence. But it was a vain hope.
Exile, like a wind, carried His message to the lands
beyond.
At last, His adversaries found an “ideal” city—one
that they thought would unquestionably contain the
influence of the charming and persuasive prisoner.
The city was ‘Akká, “a solitary desert,” an extremely
desolate and remote place in the Holy Land, governed
by the most deadly elements. So they banished
Bahá’u’lláh for the fourth time, but they failed
again. Bahá’u’lláh’s influence could not be contained;
it continued to spread with an ever-increasing tempo.
He prevailed over all adversities, all suppressions
and oppositions.
In response to the efforts of His oppressors,
Bahá’u’lláh wrote:

Choosing Your Destiny

9Though the forces of the nations be arrayed
against Him, though the kings of the earth be
leagued to undermine His Cause, the power of
His might shall stand unshaken.10
In a talk given in Chicago in 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
Bahá’u’lláh’s Son and appointed interpreter of His
teachings, described the suffering as well as the
mission of Bahá’u’lláh:
For the betterment of the world Bahá’u’lláh
endured all the hardships, ordeals and vicissitudes
of life, sacrificing His very being and comfort,
forfeiting His estates, possessions and honor—all
that pertains to human existence—not for one
year, nay, rather, for nearly fifty years. During
this long period He was subjected to persecution
and abuse, was cast into prison, was banished
from His native land, underwent severities and
humiliation and was exiled four times. He was
first exiled from Persia to Baghdad, thence to
Constantinople, thence to Rumelia and finally to
the great prison-fortress of ‘Akká in Syria, where
He passed the remainder of His life. Every day
a new oppression and abuse was heaped upon
Him until He winged His flight from the dungeon
to the supreme world and returned to His Lord.
He endured these ordeals and difficulties in order
that this earthly human world might become
heavenly, that the illumination of the divine
Kingdom should become a reality in human
hearts, that the individual members of mankind
might progress and the happiness of the world
of humanity be assured.11

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11Although a prisoner and in exile, Bahá’u’lláh enjoyed
unexampled freedom and honor during His later
days in ‘Akká. People marveled at His powers to
overcome His enemies, to rise above all obstacles.
They said: “This man is a prince, not a prisoner.”
After Bahá’u’lláh’s exile to the Holy Land, many
came to recognize the significance of the move.
It fulfilled the myriads of Scriptural prophecies
pointing to the Holy Land as the seat of the Lord
of the last days, as “the solitary place” that shall
“rejoice, and blossom as the rose” (Isaiah 35:1),
and to the Valley of Achor as “a door of hope”
(Hosea 2:15), and as “a resting place” for all those
who seek God (Isaiah 65:10). They noted with
wonder and awe that the prophecies had been ful-
filled, not by Bahá’u’lláh’s own choosing, but by
the cunning of His adversaries, who had planned
and plotted to extinguish His light.
Was it chance or destiny that Bahá’u’lláh should
have been sent to the Promised Land as a prisoner,
not of His own free Will but by the will of those
who had sought to destroy Him and everything He
stood for? Is this how God chooses to fulfill His
promises? Regarding the blessedness of the Holy
Land, Bahá’u’lláh wrote:
This Holy Land hath been mentioned and extolled
in all the sacred Scriptures. In it have appeared
the Prophets of God and His chosen Ones. This
is the wilderness in which all the Messengers of
God have wandered, from which their cry, “Here
am I, here am I, O my God” was raised. This
is the promised Land in which He Who is the

Choosing Your Destiny

13Revelation of God was destined to be made
manifest. This is…the Land of unfading splendor.
Whatever hath come to pass in this Day hath
been foretold in the Scriptures of old.12
Bahá’u’lláh’s final place of banishment, the Holy
Land, to this day continues to be the World Center
of the Bahá’í Faith, fulfilling the words of the Holy
Ones of the past. On the slopes of Mt. Carmel—
adjacent to ‘Akká—stands the seat of the Universal
House of Justice, the source of guidance and inspi-
ration for the Bahá’í world and, in the future, for
the entire planet:
Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that
the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be estab-
lished on the top of the mountains, and shall be
exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow
to it. Many people shall come and say, “Come,
and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach
us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths”
They shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall
not lift up sword against nation, neither shall
they learn war anymore. Isaiah 2:2-4
Here on the slopes of Mt. Carmel, Bahá’u’lláh
(meaning Glory of the Lord) pitched His tent with
the utmost glory and grandeur, fulfilling Isaiah’s
prophecy that Carmel (literally, the Vineyard of the
Lord) “shall see the glory of the Lord and the
excellency of our God” (Isaiah 35:1-2). Bahá’u’lláh’s
sojourn in the Vineyard of the Lord further fulfilled
and made evident the purpose of Jesus’ prophetic

14205 Chapter 10: History and Administration

15words, pointing to the advent of the Lord of the
Vineyard in the last days (Matt. 21:33-40).
Jesus’ prophecy reached full realization when the
remains of Bahá’u’lláh’s martyred Herald, the Báb,
were laid to rest on the slopes of Mt. Carmel. For
He, too, had assumed a title similar to that of
Bahá’u’lláh, namely Rabb, meaning the Lord.
In the following passages, Bahá’u’lláh exalts Carmel,
also known as the Mountain of the Lord, in the
most majestic and moving terms:
Rejoice, for God hath in this Day established
upon thee His throne, hath made thee the
dawning-place of His signs and the dayspring of
the evidences of His Revelation. Well is it with
him that circleth around thee, that proclaimeth
the revelation of thy glory…Seize thou the Chalice
of Immortality in the name of thy Lord, the All-
Glorious, and give thanks unto Him, inasmuch
as He, in token of His mercy unto thee, hath
turned thy sorrow into gladness, and transmuted
thy grief into blissful joy.13
Bahá’u’lláh also glorified Christ in the most moving
terms:
Know thou that when the Son of Man yielded
up His breath to God, the whole creation wept
with a great weeping. By sacrificing Himself, how-
ever, a fresh capacity was infused into all created
things Blessed is the man who, with a face
beaming with light, hath turned towards Him.14
Note Bahá’u’lláh’s compassion for the sufferings
Jesus endured, and also the supreme titles by which
He glorified the Son of God:

Choosing Your Destiny

17Reflect how Jesus, the Spirit of God, was, not-
withstanding His extreme meekness and perfect
tender-heartedness, treated by His enemies. So
fierce was the opposition which He, the Essence
of Being and Lord of the visible and invisible,
had to face, that He had nowhere to lay His head.15

1unconsciously imitate what pleases us, and
approximate to the characters we most admire.
The gap between the ideal and the real often is too
wide to be bridged by the workings of the mind:
concrete examples are required. Sometimes a simple
story that demonstrates a noble act of service, can
do more to stir and inspire the human spirit than
countless pages of pronouncements.
Bahá’u’lláh left not only the supreme legacy of His
Words but also a Son—‘Abdu’l-Bahá—who gave
life to the Words by living them with absolute and
unfailing devotion, who transformed the ideal into
the real, who served as the perfect Model or Exem-
plar for the teachings of the new Revelation.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá—Servant of Glory—served as a perfect
Exemplar, as a link between the reachable and the
unreachable, between the actual and the ideal, as
the model of purity and nobility for all humanity.
In the life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, we can find the limits
of human potential—the farthest bounds to which
the human mind can soar. In Him we can discern

2every trace of darkness; we can see the spirit per-
fect and saintly, hallowed and heavenly; we can see
the self set ablaze with love and rapture, utterly
humbled before God and man; we can see the heart
made holy and radiant, the spirit sanctified with
service, forgiveness, patience, and pain; we can see
the flesh made subservient to the spirit, the human
soul reaching out to the divine; we can discern the
human in an angelic image, as the purest and most
wondrous fruit of creation, as the mirror of provi-
dence, as the source of every virtue, as the loftiest
and most splendid fulfillment of the words, “Blessed
be God, the most exalted Creator.”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá fulfilled this divine directive more than
any other human being:
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is
perfect. Christ (Matt. 5:48)
Never before has such a legacy been conferred upon
the world. To know the life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the
Servant of Glory, or even to glimpse His grandeur,
is an achievement filled with unimagined dramas
and ecstasies, a task worthy of anyone’s endeavors.
It portrays simply and plainly the full profile of the
human potential, the exalted destiny ordained for us
if we but turn to the Light, and attune our souls to

1The Báb paved the way for the coming of Bahá’u’lláh;
Bahá’u’lláh brought the teachings of the new age;
‘Abdu’l-Bahá exemplified the teachings and offered
interpretations and clarifications. One major task

2remained: the building of Bahá’u’lláh’s Administra-
tive Order. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá passed away in 1921, and
in His Will and Testament appointed Shoghi Effendi,
His grandson, the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith.
Shoghi Effendi served the new Revelation in many
ways. Perhaps his most significant contribution was
to fashion the Bahá’í administration, to form and
offer a model of Bahá’u’lláh’s social order.
During his time as the Guardian of the Faith,
Shoghi Effendi nourished Bahá’u’lláh’s embryonic
World Order, which matured at an ever-increasing
pace. The Bahá’í community reached the point of
embodying in itself the chief components of
Bahá’u’lláh’s new World Order, setting a pattern for
the world’s future Order. Further, the twin tasks of
interpretation and revelation reached their final
phase of evolution. Only the expansion or execution
of the Plan remained to continue under the guiding
hands of a supreme institution—one whose powers
and responsibilities Bahá’u’lláh Himself had specified.
One reason the Bahá’í Faith has remained undivided
is this: both Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá left a will
appointing the one to serve after them.E

3E
The presentation of the Bahá’í history made here was
quite brief. If you wish to pursue this topic further, consult
the following references: God Passes By, 412 pages. It
presents a comprehensive history of the first century of the
Bahá’í Faith. The Dawn Breakers, 685 pages. It contains
a rather detailed account of the life of the Báb and some
of His followers. Release the Sun, 250 pages, and Hour
of the Dawn, 212 pages. These books offer basically a

4209 Chapter 10: History and Administration

1In previous dispensations, because of lack of
educational means and resources, believers had to
depend on priests and pastors for spiritual enlighten-
ment, but such a dependency is no longer needed.
To harmonize the world with the spirit of the age,
Bahá’u’lláh takes the responsibility away from
priests and pastors and places it on every believer.
To serve humankind for the love of God is a privilege
that is extended equally to all people.
The administrative affairs of the Bahá’í Faith are
delegated to elected bodies at various levels—local,
national, and international. Local Spiritual Assemblies
work under their National Spiritual Assembly, and
National Spiritual Assemblies function under the
guidance of the Universal House of Justice, the
supreme governing body of the Bahá’í Faith.
Today is the day of union and this age is the
age of harmony “Verily, God loveth those who
are working in His path in groups, for they are
a solid foundation.”16 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

2Glory, 539 pages. It presents a detailed account of the life
of Bahá’u’lláh and some of His followers. Robe of Light,
230 pages, and Day of Glory, 206 pages. These books
offer a brief history of Bahá’u’lláh’s life and some of His
followers. Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
pages. It offers many inspiring stories about the life of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith,
pages. It presents a rather detailed account of the life of
Shoghi Effendi. The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, four
volumes. They contain a record of many significant events
in the Bahá’í history.

Choosing Your Destiny

4Shortly after Shoghi Effendi’s passing, the respon-
sibility of leadership in the Bahá’í Faith devolved
upon a universal assemblage, that supreme elected
institution called by Bahá’u’lláh The Universal
House of Justice. Its members represent and receive
the full support of the entire Bahá’í community,
encompassing over two hundred countries and
territories throughout the globe.
Bahá’u’lláh describes the functions of the Universal
House of Justice in these terms:
The men of God’s House of Justice have been
charged with the affairs of the people. They, in
truth, are the Trustees of God among His servants
and the daysprings of authority in His countries.
O people of God! That which traineth the world
is Justice, for it is upheld by two pillars, reward
and punishment. These two pillars are the
sources of life to the world. Inasmuch as for
each day there is a new problem and for every
problem an expedient solution, such affairs
should be referred to the House of Justice that
the members thereof may act according to the
needs and requirements of the time. They that,
for the sake of God, arise to serve His Cause,
are the recipients of divine inspiration from the
unseen Kingdom. It is incumbent upon all to be
obedient unto them. All matters of State should
be referred to the House of Justice, but acts of
worship must be observed according to that
which God hath revealed in His Book.17
Bahá’u’lláh promises to inspire and guide the
Universal House of Justice:

5211 Chapter 10: History and Administration

6It is incumbent upon the Trustees of the House
of Justice to take counsel together regarding
those things which have not outwardly been
revealed in the Book, and to enforce that which
is agreeable to them. God will verily inspire them
with whatsoever He willeth, and He, verily, is
the Provider, the Omniscient.18
The leadership and guidance of the Universal House
of Justice will continue through the remaining years
of the Bahá’í dispensation, prophesied by Bahá’u’lláh
to last no less than a thousand years.
The Bahá’í administration provides many avenues
for those willing to serve. Every Bahá’í, however
meager his talents, can find many opportunities to
use his energies for the betterment of his community
and in service to humankind.
Perhaps the most vital and distinctive feature of
Bahá’u’lláh’s administrative order is consultation
carried out in a spirit of justice, compassion, and
understanding. Bahá’u’lláh regards consultation as a
key to solving not only social, but also individual
problems.
Consultation must take place in the light of the
knowledge of God; the divine teachings must always
serve as guiding principles to the unfolding of truth,
to the making of decisions.
Take ye counsel together in all matters, inasmuch
as consultation is the lamp of guidance which
leadeth the way, and is the bestower of under-
standing.19 Bahá’u’lláh

Choosing Your Destiny

8It is incumbent upon everyone to observe God’s
holy commandments, inasmuch as they are the
wellspring of life unto the world. The heaven of
divine wisdom is illumined with the two lumi-
naries of consultation and compassion and the
canopy of world order is upraised upon the two
pillars of reward and punishment.20 Bahá’u’lláh
Elections for the spiritual assemblies always take
place with reverence; no canvassing, propaganda,
competition, or nomination is allowed. Though
unfamiliar to many, such a system not only bears
better fruits, it also preserves the dignity so often
lacking in current competitive democratic systems.
Democracy is the ideal form of governance, but not
in its present form. Democracy is presently based
on a “win-lose” principle, in which “one party gets
what he wants whereas the other comes up short.”
Most games offer the most clear-cut examples of a
win-lose principle. Power is the distinctive feature
of this system of problem solving. The Bahá’í sys-
tem is based on a “win-win” principle. It regards
the best interests of all individuals involved, includ-
ing those who may be remotely affected. Therefore
everyone is a winner. Truth and justice determine
the outcome rather than lawyers, strategies, or loop-
holes in the law.
Finally, in the Bahá’í Faith, monetary contributions
are made privately and voluntarily, and only by
Bahá’ís. No contributions are accepted from other
people for the promotion or maintenance of the
Bahá’í Faith.

9213 Chapter 10: History and Administration

10The following article, written by John Huddleston,
formerly Chief of the Budget and Planning Division
of the International Monetary Fund, summarizes some
of the main features of the Bahá’í Administration.

11Bahá’í Administration
an Alternative to

1political system of the world. This is a sign of the
growing maturity of humanity because democ-
racy involves the people in the conduct of their
own community affairs.
Democracy provides protection for the rights of
individuals through such principles as equality
before the law and the rule of law, free public
discussion and accountability of government…
Nevertheless, there is much evidence that the
democratic political system is holding humanity
back from the solution of urgent global issues—
peace, environment, poverty, trade, finance,
crime, and the advancement of civilization…
Democracy tends:
• To parochialism: putting the national interest
before the global interest, and local interest
before national interest.
• To short-term vision: focusing generally on
the next election.
• To division and conflict: struggling for politi-
cal power.

Choosing Your Destiny

3• To disregard the rights of minorities. (It took
the American democracy nearly 200 years to
give equal rights to its black citizens.)
The Bahá’í administrative order is an alternative
model adapted to the global challenges of our
time. It is used by the Bahá’í community for
its own internal affairs, but has the potential to
evolve into a global system for all humanity.
The basic structure of the Bahá’í administrative
order consists of a hierarchy of elected assem-
blies at the local, national, and world level. The
Bahá’í community has 175 National Spiritual
Assemblies and over 17,000 Local Spiritual
Assemblies in more than 200 independent coun-
tries and large dependencies.
The supreme body, called the Universal House
of Justice, gives guidance and direction to the
whole world community and thereby protects
the welfare of society as a whole as well as that
of minority groups.
At the same time, the maximum feasible amount
of responsibility is delegated to the lower levels
to make government human-sized and participa-
tory. The system is simple; it can be applied in
any community.
The elected bodies are paralleled by appointed
bodies of counselors…Such boards have no
administrative function but rather act as teachers
and protectors, independently observing and
advising on the spiritual health and welfare of
the community.

4215 Chapter 10: History and Administration

5The electoral system has both direct and indirect
elements. The Local Spiritual Assembly is elected
annually at a local convention by direct secret
ballot of all adult members of the community.
The National Spiritual Assembly is similarly
elected annually at a national convention con-
sisting of delegates elected on a regional basis
by the national community.
The Universal House of Justice is elected every
five years by an international Convention com-
posed of the members of all the National Spiritual
Assemblies.
Each body has nine members, and, to be valid,
each ballot cast must list nine names. Minorities
are favored in the case of tied election. All
qualified adults have a sacred duty to vote.
Nominations, forming of parties, and campaigning
are strictly forbidden. Eliminating these features
tends to reinforce a sense of unity. They preclude
the emergence of egotistical leaders, who so often
are a cause of corruption.
At all levels of the Bahá’í administrative structure,
consultation is practiced with a view to increas-
ing the probability of arriving at the best decision.
The first principle of Bahá’í consultation is
universal participation to benefit from the widest
range of experience and wisdom. It is the respon-
sibility of all members, not just the chairperson,
to see that everyone has an equal opportunity
to contribute. Every member is encouraged to
speak frankly, with calmness and courtesy.

Choosing Your Destiny

7The second principle is detachment and objec-
tivity. The discussion should follow a logical
sequence, prayer to set the tone and perspective,
and then the normal steps of scientific inquiry:
determining the exact nature of the problem,
ascertaining the relevant facts, agreeing on the
spiritual or administrative principles involved, a
full and frank discussion, voting on a resolution,
and finally putting the resolution into effect.
All should feel that the ideas put forward belong
to the community, and not to the person who
first presented them. Indeed, a participant may
well speak against his or her original suggestion
if a superior suggestion subsequently emerges
from the discussion.
The third principle of Bahá’í consultation is
the need for unity in carrying out decisions.
Decisions can be made by majority vote, but
Bahá’ís are encouraged to strive for those
approved unanimously.
If a decision is made by majority vote, a person
in the minority should wholeheartedly support
the implementation of the decision. He should
not campaign to stop it, as this would only cause
dissension and undermine the unity of the com-
munity, which is held to be far more essential
than avoiding a possible short-term mistake.
If proper consultation procedures have been
followed, the chance that a mistake has been
made will be low. In any case, such mistakes
can be reversed if further consultation is brought

8217 Chapter 10: History and Administration

9about as a result of proper appeal procedures,
first through the body that made the decision
and then, if that fails to bring satisfaction,
through higher bodies.
To summarize, the Bahá’í administrative order
recognizes the value of the individual, puts
emphasis on unity, diversity of experience, a
global vision, the objective search for truth, and
ethical principles, and at the same time, on
equality and universal participation.
The Bahá’í community has a great deal of ex-
perience with such a system on a global scale.
It is offered to humanity as a workable way in
tune with the needs of our time.21

10Planting the Seed of
Our Destiny

1and finally accepted as self-evident. Schopenhour
Truth…lies in the depth, where few are willing
to search for it. Goethe
The year is 1844. A young man called the Báb
proclaims the onset of a New Age in the spiritual
evolution of humanity. He declares He has come to
prepare the way for the coming of a Teacher greater
than Himself. The young Messenger is rejected,

2The year is 1863. A nobleman, called Bahá’u’lláh
proclaims Himself the expected Redeemer of the
world promised by the Báb and all the great Mes-
sengers of the past. He calls Himself the Glory of
the Lord, the Prince of Peace, the Lord of Hosts,
Christ come in the Glory of the Father.
Bahá’u’lláh is rejected, exiled, and imprisoned. Yet
His influence spreads, His word inspires, His charm
captivates. “In the long run, truth is aided by nothing
so much as by opposition.”
Bahá’u’lláh brings a new order for society and a
new hope and vision for the soul. After four decades
of teaching, He fulfills His earthly Mission and
moves on to the next Kingdom, exerting His influence
from the spiritual realm, nourishing the seed of faith
He has sown in the heart of the world, helping it to
grow and flourish, from a lowly seed to a sheltering
and shading Tree.
At first, while the tender Tree is growing and gain-
ing roots, the hungry masses hesitate to approach
it, perhaps because of estrangement, fear, or uncer-
tainty. This is how people usually respond to the
unknown and the unfamiliar. “Truth always lags
behind, limping along on the arm of time. Truth is
often strange, stranger than fiction.”
Great spirits have always found violent opposition
from mediocrities. Einstein

1Eventually, curiosity draws people near the forgotten
or forsaken Tree. After tasting its fruit and finding
it pure, fresh, and fragrant, they begin to flock to the
Heavenly Vineyard, seeking to satisfy their hunger,
spreading the seeds of certitude, and sharing them
with others. Their efforts results in a decisive growth
in the divine Tree; it attains full fruition and gains
wide acceptance and recognition. The glory of truth
is revealed by time. “Time, whose tooth gnaws
away at everything else, is powerless against truth.”
Truth never need fear the light. Sunlight falling
on a dead log may hasten the process of decay,
but sunlight falling on a living tree makes it
grow and become luxuriant. Benjamin Franklin
Now we are at the end of the first stage and at the
beginning of the second—the end of the period of
obscurity and the beginning of recognition. People
are just beginning to recognize the magnificent
power and potential of the Heavenly Vineyard. The
fruit is being passed around and shared by those
athirst for knowledge, those seeking to nourish their
souls and expand their visions. Christ foresaw this:
Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom
of God is like, or what parable shall we use to
describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is
the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet
when planted, it grows and becomes the largest
of all garden plants, with such big branches that
the birds of the air can perch in its shade.”

Choosing Your Destiny

1of the world; let us now see how it takes root in
the heart of the soul—how the seeker moves from
unbelief to belief, from doubt to certitude.
The seeker of truth begins his search by first
studying the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, to see if they
are true, timely, and relevant. After examining and
testing the teachings, and finding them acceptable,
he then tries to test the Teacher. Behind every
Revelation stands a Revelator whose sincerity and
validity must be put to the test.
But, paradoxical as it may seem, the ultimate evi-
dence and the most reliable proof of a Messenger
is His very Message, or “Thoughts.” “For as he
thinketh in his heart, so is he.” (Prov. 23:7). The
Message reflects the Messenger, even as the fruit
reflects the tree, and the tree the seed. Accordingly,
good fruits can come only from a good tree. Such
a reasoning not only appeals to the mind, but also
receives Scriptural support:
By their fruit you will recognize them. Do
people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs
from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears
good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
Christ (Matt. 7:16-17)
Some Christians remember Jesus and revere Him
more for His miracles than for His teachings, and
consequently when they think about His return,
they picture Him in the aura of the supernatural.

2223 Chapter 11: Planting the Seed of Our Destiny

3Yet, such a mystical conception is contrary to the
spirit of the Scriptures.
The story of the advents of the great Messengers and
Redeemers reveals, on the one hand, the irrelevance
of miracles to their Mission, and establishes, on the
other, the distinct relevance of the Message and its
high position in the hierarchy of proofs. How could
a Noah, a Moses, or an Abraham distinguish Him-
self from the masses of humankind? By what
standards did Jesus distinguish Himself from His
contemporaries? And for what reason did the people
ultimately believe in Him? Did they believe simply
because of His miracles? Certainly not.
If miracles were the true mark of Jesus’ distinction
and the reason behind His pervasive influence, then
His contemporaries would be, or should have been,
the first to accept and adore Him. For they stood
face to face, not only with the miracles, but also
with the Source of the miracles. Yet history indicates
that Jesus’ contemporaries were not the first to
accept Him, but the first to reject Him. Not only
the records of history, but the testimony of the
Scriptures as well, prove the ineffectiveness of
miracles: “Even after Jesus had done all these
miraculous signs in their presence, they still would
not believe in him” (John 12:37).
The recognition of a Redeemer requires receptivity.
It begins and ends with the heart. Miracles simply
serve to astound and to entertain the curious; they
seldom reach or touch the non-receptive hearts, un-
less they grow in intensity to exert overwhelming
pressure and to cast terror in the hearts of those
who have no desire for heavenly bread.

Choosing Your Destiny

5The rejection of Messengers by their contemporaries,
the very generation exposed to the miracles, has
consistently occurred throughout human history.
Only the succeeding generations discern the divine
in the seemingly poor and lowly Saviors.
We should glorify everything that God’s Messengers
do. We should not deny, but rather delight in their
miraculous powers. We may use them to inspire, to
awaken, or to ignite interest, but must refrain from
counting them as proofs.
God’s Messengers and Redeemers have the power
to perform the most astonishing miracles. We have,
for instance, records of healing miracles performed
by both Christ and Bahá’u’lláh. The believers who
experienced or witnessed them were deeply touched
and inspired. We too can be inspired by learning
about them. But the most astonishing evidence of
the Messengers’ divine distinction comes not from
their miracles, but from their Word; not from saving
sick bodies, but from saving lost souls; not from
giving fleeting life to a few, but from bestowing
eternal life to countless generations.
If miracles were to serve as the chief mark of a
Messenger’s Mission, then those unable to see the
miracles would be at a clear disadvantage. Instead
of judging for themselves, they would have to trust
someone else’s eyes, simply take his word for the
truth and his wisdom and judgment for granted.
Unlike miracles, the Message reveals itself equally
and impartially to all seekers of truth. It is a miracle
as eternal as humanity itself, a wonder that endures,
a testimony that can be tested by anyone at any time.

6225 Chapter 11: Planting the Seed of Our Destiny

7Using miracles as proofs poses another problem: if
the reports of miracles by the believers were to be
considered the touchstone of truth, then it would be
almost impossible to tell the difference between a
God-sent Savior and the myriads of self-proclaimed
occultists who have also left records of mighty
miracles, sometimes even mightier than those at-
tributed to Jesus and the other great Messengers
and Teachers. How would one know who is right
and who is wrong? It is far from God’s Wisdom to
send great magicians as His messengers or saviors
to humanity.
Of course, God could increase the frequency and
intensity of His miracles to the point that no one
could deny Him. But that would be contrary to His
Wisdom. He wants us to seek Him, to know Him,
and to love Him with absolute freedom, without any
coercion. As the intensity and frequency of miracles
increase, so will the degree of pressure to submit.
To understand religion, we must abide by the rules
of reason. “Let us reason together, saith the Lord”
(Isaiah 1:18). God has granted us rational powers
with which to judge and guide the course of our
destiny. If we disregard the dictates of reason, we
reduce religion to mere superstition and fanaticism.
We make blind faith, instead of knowledge and
enlightenment, the basis of divine Faith. We disarm
the seeker of truth, deactivate his or her mind,
saying, “Don’t think, don’t reason, simply believe
another believer’s testimony; be rational except in
relation to religion; expect reasonableness from
scientific truth, but not from divine Truth.” Such

Choosing Your Destiny

9is the attitude that has caused the dignity of belief
in the divine to decline, the view that has caused
religion to stand against science, the assumption
that has suppressed independent search and enlight-
enment.
Bahá’ís acknowledge miracles, but do not consider
them a reliable touchstone of truth, or a reasonable
standard by which to judge a divine Redeemer.
Bahá’í history contains numerous examples of
miracles performed by the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh, and
‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Those examples offer valuable insight
into the history of the new Revelation, but not an
evidence of its divine origin.
Dr. Houston Smith of Harvard in his classic work,
The Religions of Man, presents a similar view on
the irrelevance of miracles to the Mission and the
ultimate triumph of God’s Messengers:
The Gospel accounts are filled with praise for his
actions. Their pages, especially those of Mark,
are crowded with miracles. There is no question
but that these impressed the people tremendously.
We err, however, if this is where we place our
emphasis. For one thing, it was not where Jesus
placed his. He never used miracles as a means
to convince. Not once did he try to amaze,
overrule, or bludgeon people into believing in
him by waving a magic wand—part of the
meaning of his Temptation in the Wilderness lies
precisely in his rejection of such approaches as
devices of the devil. Almost all his extraordinary
deeds were performed quietly, apart from the

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11crowds and as a demonstration of the power of
faith. Moreover, other writings of the times contain
accounts of miracles in profusion. The fact that
we may not believe these other accounts does
not affect the fact that the people of the time
certainly believed them; but this did not cause
them to consider those who worked these other
miracles to be divine. They simply assumed that
they possessed occult powers, which is not the
same thing at all. [Emphasis added.]
After refuting miracles as a distinguishing mark of
a Messenger, Dr. Smith goes on to present three
standards or proofs by which Jesus distinguished
Himself from the occult. These standards are:
• What He did.
• What He said and how He said it.
• What He was.
And how did Jesus meet the three standards?
• He went about doing good.
• He taught nobility, love, mercy, forgiveness; and
He spoke with authority in a unique and novel
language.
• He not only taught and expressed love, He was
love.
Though seemingly different, the three marks of the
distinction of a divine Teacher are, in essence, but
one: the first two (what He does, and says) grow
out of the third (what He is). Doing and saying are
simply the outward or visible expressions of being.

Choosing Your Destiny

13Choosing Your Destiny has sought to examine,
though briefly, all three standards of divine dis-
tinction. To prove the point to yourself, you may
wish to go through the book once again with the
specific intention of applying the three standards to
Bahá’u’lláh as the Source (what He was), and to
His Fruits (what He did, and what He said). You
may wish to compare Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation, with
respect to each standard, with any or all of the
other great Revelations you already regard as divine.
Such an examination is in perfect harmony with both
the spirit of the Scriptures and the specific guidance
provided by Jesus Himself: that a Messenger should
be judged by His fruits (Matt. 7:16-18).
In addition to learning about what Bahá’u’lláh was,
did, and said, you can apply a few other standards
by which to test Him even further. One is to study
the prophecies from the Scriptures and their fulfill-
ment in His life. Upon entering this sphere, you will
find it to be one of the richest sources of evidence.
You will note that the chief events in the lives of the
Báb and Bahá’u’lláh are predicted in the most clear
words in hundreds of scriptural prophecies by not
just one but several of the world’s great religions.
For instance, you may be astonished to note that the
exact year of the second advent of Jesus is predicted
in biblical Scriptures at least sixteen times. You will
also note that the same exact year is confirmed in
the Scriptures of other religions as well. The pre-
dicted year was 1844 A. D., when thousands and
thousands throughout the world expected the return
of Christ. And that year (1844) of course marked
the beginning of the Bahá’í Era, the year in which

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15the Báb was called to His Mission, when He pro-
claimed the dawn of the great Day of the Lord.
You can find a brief description of these prophecies
in a paperback such as Thief in the Night,
pages, by William Sears, or a rather detailed descrip-
tion of these prophecies, covering some 1,300 pages
in three volumes: I Shall Come Again, Lord of
Lords, and King of Kings by the present author.
The spectrum of prophecies fulfilled in the lives of
the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh is so vast and so clear as
to seem utterly incredible. You can pursue these
only with patience in the next stage of your search.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s words, quoted earlier, should stand
as a guidepost throughout your whole journey of
the search for truth: “Only have faith, patience and
courage—this is but the beginning…surely you will
succeed, for God is with you.”
Still another alternative open to you for testing the
fruits of Bahá’u’lláh’s Mission is to examine the
pattern of Bahá’í life, to see how Bahá’u’lláh’s
teachings are implemented, how the ideal meets the
real. Bahá’í Summer Schools provide excellent
opportunities for such an examination, an ideal place
for seeing Bahá’u’lláh’s ideals put to work, for find-
ing the Bahá’í life in full bloom. Bahá’í “firesides”
held in many communities constitute another medium
for studying and examining Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings
in small and informal surroundings.
The paths of search are as diverse as the seekers.
Each seeker must find and follow the way that suits
his or her own needs best. The critical point in search
is the recognition of the validity of Bahá’u’lláh’s

Choosing Your Destiny

17claim. Once such an awareness is attained, the
seeker may well consider himself or herself a Bahá’í.
Such is the way the believers in Bahá’u’lláh have
found and followed Him. This is how every religion
has evolved, how the Bahá’í Faith has moved from
obscurity to recognition, has advanced from a humble
beginning to become the second most widely spread
religion in the world. This is how the teachings of
a seemingly lone prisoner and exile have spread to
the farthest reaches of the earth—to over two
hundred countries and territories—transforming the
hearts and minds of millions, including those who
have never before heard nor seen in print the words
Bahá’í and Bahá’u’lláh.
By studying Bahá’u’lláh’s life and teachings, you
have taken the first step in your search for truth:
you have planted the Seed of Knowledge and
Awareness. To bring your search to fruition, you
need to take the next essential step, namely to
nourish and support the Seed by knowing the
Sower, by enriching your knowledge about Him
who claims to be the Lord of the Harvest, the Lord
of the Vineyard, Bahá’u’lláh Himself. This can best
be accomplished by further examination of His own
Scriptures, by the testing of His own Words. Sources
suitable for your search and available in English are:
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, The
Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh,
and The Book of Certitude. You may also wish to
consult Selections from the Writings of the Báb.
Whether you accept Bahá’u’lláh as a divine Teacher
and Messenger, reject Him altogether, or continue
your search for further evidence is a decision between

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19you and your conscience. No one can, or will, force
you to change your mind. You are the master of your
own destiny and accountable to yourself, to society,
and to your Creator. But it is well to remember
this: if you continue your search, but fail to recog-
nize Bahá’u’lláh, you will at least have expanded
your spiritual perspective. But if you fail to search,
you have allowed chance to choose your destiny,
to determine your everlasting future; you have
rejected an opportunity with which nothing can ever
compare, a bounty beyond your vision, a gift as
immortal as God Himself.
To seek and to search is a divine commandment. To
disobey the commandment is to be cut from its very
Source, a Source of Guidance reachable only through
seeking, searching, and striving (Matt. 7:7-9).
Such is the irresistible nature of truth that all it
asks, and all it wants is the liberty of appearing.
The sun needs no inscription to distinguish it
from darkness.
But the seeking must be pursued with unfailing
sincerity and devotion. The Seed of Faith grows out
of the Seed of Reason, the Seed of Reason out of
the Seed of Knowledge, and the Seed of Knowledge
out of a pure and fertile soul athirst for truth and
abounding in virtues: purity from preconceived
notions, freedom from conformity, detachment
from worldly concerns, openness, justice, humility,
courage, perseverance, and trust in God.
This is the meaning of the parable: the seed is
the word of God…Those on the rock are the
ones who receive the word with joy when they

Choosing Your Destiny

21hear it, but they have no root. They believe for
a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.
The seed that fell among thorns stands for those
who hear, but as they go on their way they are
choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures,
and they do not mature. But the seed on good
soil stands for those with a noble and good
heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by per-
severing produce a crop. Christ (Luke 8:11-15)
O my brother! A divine Mine only can yield the
gems of divine knowledge, and the fragrance of
the mystic Flower can be inhaled only in the
ideal Garden, and the lilies of ancient wisdom
can blossom nowhere except in the city of a
stainless heart.3 Bahá’u’lláh
In a rich soil, its plants spring forth abundantly
by permission of its Lord, and in that soil which
is bad, they spring forth but scantily. Qur’án 7:57
The difference between a Redeemer stirred by the
Will of the All-Knowing, and an impostor pretend-
ing sincerity and seeking fame and honor by laying
claim to the exalted and unreachable rank of divinity,
is like the difference between the splendor of the
sun with all its glory and grandeur and absolute
darkness with its utter emptiness. Yet the difference
cannot be discerned unless the heart of the seeker
is cleansed from all earthly attachments and attuned
to the divine melody.
A little veil, as small as the eyelid, can dim the
most luminous lights of heaven; what then can
ensue when the veils of apathy, tradition, conformity,

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23distrust, and attachment to the world impose them-
selves upon the human heart? 4 Without openness
and sincere and dedicated efforts, no truth can ever
be found. Only those with faith, trust, patience, and
courage can hope to complete the journey of the
search for truth.
The lesson which life repeats constantly is: You
are always nearer the divine than you think. The
great opportunity is where you are. Do not
despise your own place and hour.
Now is the time to plant the Seed of your Destiny,
a time that after your soul’s departure from this
world, will never come again. Here is the place of
preparation where every soul must rise from the self
to the divine, from the earthly to the heavenly. The
harvest shall be reaped later—in the next realm,
when the season of separation from the physical
form arrives. Bahá’u’lláh’s inspiring words are a
fitting conclusion to this chapter:
O wayfarer in the path of God! Take thou thy
portion of the ocean of His grace, and deprive
not thyself of the things that lie hidden in its
depths. Be thou of them that have partaken of its
treasures. A dewdrop out of this ocean would,
if shed upon all that are in the heavens and on
the earth, suffice to enrich them with the bounty
of God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-
Wise. With the hands of renunciation draw forth
from its life-giving waters, and sprinkle therewith
all created things, that they may be cleansed
from all man-made limitations and may approach

Choosing Your Destiny

25the mighty seat of God, this hallowed and re-
splendent Spot.5
***
This is the Day in which the Ocean of knowledge
hath lifted up its Voice and hath brought forth
its pearls. Would that ye knew it!…I swear by
God! The Essence of knowledge exclaimeth and
saith: Lo! He Who is the Object of all knowl-
edge is come and through His advent the sacred
Books of God, the Gracious, the Loving, have
been embellished. Every revelation of grace,
every evidence of goodly gifts emanateth from
Him and unto Him doth it return.6
* * *
The Promised One hath appeared…all beings,
both seen and unseen, have rejoiced…to meet
Him is better for you than all that whereon the
sun shineth, could ye but know it.7
* * *
O concourse of priests!…Prefer ye to be silent,
whilst every stone and every tree shouteth aloud:
“The Lord is come in His great glory!”
***
This Wronged One [Bahá’u’lláh] calleth aloud
for the sake of God. Whosoever wisheth, let him
turn thereunto; whosoever wisheth, let him turn
away. Verily God can well afford to dispense with
all things, whether of the past or of the future.9
***

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27The generations that have gone on before you—
whither are they fled? And those round whom
in life circled the fairest and the loveliest of the
land, where now are they? Profit by their example,
O people, and be not of them that are gone astray.
Others ere long will lay hands on what ye
possess, and enter into your habitations. Incline
your ears to My words, and be not numbered
among the foolish.
For every one of you his paramount duty is to
choose for himself that on which no other may
infringe and none usurp from him. Such a thing—
and to this the Almighty is My witness—is the
love of God, could ye but perceive it.
Build ye for yourselves such houses as the rain
and floods can never destroy, which shall protect
you from the changes and chances of this life.
This is the instruction of Him Whom the world
hath wronged and forsaken.10 Bahá’u’lláh
***
The days of your life are far spent, O people,
and your end is fast approaching. Put away, there-
fore, the things ye have devised and to which ye
cleave, and take firm hold on the precepts of
God, that haply ye may attain that which He
hath purposed for you, and be of them that
pursue a right course. Delight not yourselves in
the things of the world and its vain ornaments,
neither set your hopes on them. Let your reliance
be on the remembrance of God, the Most Exalted,
the Most Great. He will, erelong, bring to naught
all the things ye possess.11 Bahá’u’lláh

Choosing Your Destiny

29***
I bear witness, O friends! that the favor is com-
plete, the argument fulfilled, the proof manifest
and the evidence established. Let it now be seen
what your endeavors in the path of detachment
will reveal. In this wise hath the divine favor
been fully vouchsafed unto you and unto them
that are in heaven and on earth. All praise to
God, the Lord of all Worlds.12 Bahá’u’lláh

30The Principles of
Mutual Choice and
Mutual Treatment

1God and human beings is mutual. Both sides must
reach out for each other. To attain the knowledge
and love of God, and that of His Messengers and
Redeemers, two cycles must be set in motion: the
human, and the heavenly. The first cycle begins
with a desire for truth like a thirsty child asking for
water. The sincere desire of a truth seeker sets in
motion a second cycle that attracts God’s blessings

Choosing Your Destiny

3in mysterious ways. God throws secret lights on
the path of the searching souls. The following
passages point mostly to the heavenly cycle:
A man can receive nothing unless it has been
given to him from heaven. Christ (John 3:27)
…no one can come to Me unless it has been
granted to him by My Father.” Christ (John 6:65)
No one can come to Me unless the Father who
sent Me draws him. Christ (John 6:44)
You did not choose me, but I chose you.
Christ (John 15:16)
If you search with all your heart, I will let you
find Me Jeremiah 2:14
…it is He Who leadeth those who have received
illumination and seek the way of righteousness.1
The Báb
We cause whomsoever We desire to be admitted
into the gardens of our most holy, most sublime
Paradise.2 The Báb
He delivered me because He delighted in me.
Psalms 18:19
He guideth whom He will to a straight path.
Qur’án 2:142
the footsteps of everyone have slipped except
such as God hath protected through His tender
mercy and numbered with those who have
recognized Him…3 Bahá’u’lláh
Whom God doth guide—he is on the right path.
Qur’án 7:178

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5…ye have deprived yourselves of the good-pleasure
of your Lord, except those whom their Lord
hath endowed with knowledge…4 The Báb
Even if We did send unto them angels, and the
dead did speak unto them, and We gathered to-
gether all things before their very eyes, they will
not believe, unless God willeth. Qur’án 6:111
To whomsoever God bestoweth no light, will
have no light. Qur’án 24:40
For many are invited, but few are chosen.
Christ (Matt. 22:14)
Why are only a few chosen? Because God’s choice
depends on human choice. Would He choose a soul
that would not seek Him, that would not care for
His “many mansions” in His “celestial city”?
The gates that open on the Placeless stand wide
…yet all but a few remain bereft of this celestial
city, and even of these few, none but the smallest
handful hath been found with a pure heart and
sanctified spirit.5 Bahá’u’lláh
The heart is like a stone. As soon as it is polished,
it reflects the light:
The One true God may be compared unto the sun
and the believer unto a mirror. No sooner is the
mirror placed before the sun than it reflects its
light.6 The Báb
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see
God. Christ (Matt. 5:8)
Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will
enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who
does the will of my Father… Christ (Matt. 7:21)

Choosing Your Destiny

7What is God’s will? That we should search for
Him, that we set in motion the first cycle:
Be always on the watch [search], and pray that
you may be able to escape all that is about to
happen, and that you may be able to stand before
the Son of Man. Christ (Luke 21:36)
…unto them that look for him shall he appear
the second time… Hebrews 9:28
Can a treasure be found without searching?
…the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure
hidden in a field… Christ (Matt. 13:44)
Although we must search for God, ultimately it is
God who chooses His guests for His heavenly King-
dom. Suppose you plan to hold the banquet of the
century, the most magnificent festival imaginable.
Who would you invite? Would you put on your list
the names of guests who didn’t care you even
existed? Would you invite anyone who gossiped
behind your back? Would you invite any careless
guests who would come in unsuitable, filthy, or
smelly clothes? Would you invite any drunkard, any
guest who would rather go to a bar than to your
banquet? If you would not, then why should God?
Please ponder this point in your heart until its truth
illuminates your conscience.
Why is this point so significant? Because it is a
well-kept secret, known only to a few. Because
most people live with the illusion that without
doing anything, other than sitting and waiting, they
will find all the doors of the Kingdom wide open
to them. Nothing has hampered human approach to
God more than this illusion.

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9Entering God’s Kingdom is the most supreme honor,
the most glorious gift that heaven may bestow on
human beings. To see if we are worthy of this honor
and gift, God tests us in countless ways, all the day
of our lives. He tests our love, humility, and devotion.
that each soul may be tested by the touch-
stone of God, that the true may be known and
distinguished from the false.7 Bahá’u’lláh
Even gold passes through the assayer’s fire, and
more precious than perishable gold is faith
which has stood the test. I Peter 1:7
What is the first step on the spiritual journey? How
can a seeking soul set the first cycle of mutual
choice in motion? Praying with absolute devotion
and passionate desire is always the first and most
attainable step. Would God ignore any sincere
prayers?
Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will
give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will
give him a snake? If you, then, though you are
evil, know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Christ (Matt. 7:9-11)
Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you
great and unsearchable things you do not know.
Jeremiah 33:3
Test your faith by this standard: Do you really be-
lieve that if you pray to God with all your heart
and soul, He will hear and respond to your heart’s
desire, that He will give you signs and clues to

Choosing Your Destiny

11lead you to His glorious Kingdom, that He will lift
the veil of separation from your soul? If you do,
then start a special cycle of praying and pleading.
Isn’t entering God’s everlasting banquet worthy of
every endeavor?
Christ predicted that at His coming, the gift of faith
will be quite scarce. If you lack faith that your
request to recognize the Glory of God and to enter
His everlasting Kingdom will be honored, does
not your failure to pray and plead indicate that you
may be one of the many about whom the following
prophecy was uttered?
At that time many will turn away from the
faith… Christ (Matt. 24:10)

12Being accepted into God’s Kingdom has a price that
must be paid. The lover must follow the example
of the Beloved:
Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
Christ (Mark 8:34)
And he who does not take his cross and follow
after Me is not worthy of Me. Christ (Matt. 10:38)
What is the price of nearness to God? Placing God
first. Love for truth must be so intense that the
lover offers even his very life to acquire it, even
as the Beloved offered His life:
By this we know love, because He laid down
His life for us. And we also ought to lay down
our lives I John 3:16

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14The worthiest offer to make to God is to sacrifice
the ego at the altar of truth.
I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls
to the ground and dies, it remains only a single
seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The
man who loves his life will lose it, while the
man who hates his life in this world will keep
it for eternal life. Christ (John 12:24-25)
A willingness to investigate, to devote time and
talent is the first test of the humility and health
of an ego. It is the first sign of the sincerity of a
true seeker. A person who fails this simple test,
will fail every other test. A lack of desire for truth
inevitably leads to a terminal disease called igno-
rance. That disease always ends in spiritual death.
My people perish for want of knowledge.
Hosea 4:6
Through knowledge the righteous will be de-
livered. Proverbs 11:9
God knocks at our hearts, but never knocks them
down. He calls, but never shouts. Hearing His
Voice requires careful listening; it needs a quiet,
uncluttered conscience, a watchful mind.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone
hears My voice and opens the door, I will come
in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
Christ (Rev. 3:20)
An abundance of rain from the heaven of knowledge,
a fresh breeze of enthusiasm, a continual resistance
to the winds of tests, a firm footing in the ground
of persistence, and a blazing radiance from a pure

Choosing Your Destiny

16and loving heart—all these ripen the fruits of our
soul, make them mellow, sweet, fragrant, and tender.
But it is God, the Lord of the vineyard, who goes
to the garden, picks the fruits, and fills the basket
for His banquet.
“Saving souls” by force, trying to convert people
by pressure, violates God’s exclusive right: choosing
the guests for His banquet. All that is required of
us is to inform, enlighten, assist, and inspire. The
rest is up to the receiver of knowledge and the
grace of God. Like a gardener, our task is to plant
a seed, water it, nourish it, protect it from the wind,
and then wait, pray, and wish for a miracle.
We should make every effort to share our knowledge
and to answer questions according to the rules of rea-
son. We should manifest unconditional respect, love,
patience, and courtesy, and constantly pray for the
grace of God. Growth always comes from the seed.
The harvest is collected by the heavenly Gardener.
It is at this point that many violate God’s right. Not
only they do the planting, they also want to do the
harvesting before the plant is ripe. Such a violation
leads to failure, disappointment, and the loss of the
dignity of believing.
Just as we cannot force an apple to ripen, we cannot
drag a soul into the heavenly Kingdom. Just as we
cannot force a body to be physically fit, we can-
not make a soul spiritually fit for everlasting life.
Failing to understand this most fundamental prin-
ciple has damaged the dignity of religion, the honor
of faith, the supreme glory of being invited to

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18God’s Kingdom. It has altered the true image of
religion. It has turned the banquet of beauty and joy
into a prison of pressure and fear. It has turned the
glorious palace of the Kingdom into a ruined jail-
house through which unwilling and apathetic people
must be dragged and detained.
Pressure comes from lack of faith and a failure
to understand God’s design of creation. It implies
a desire for power and control over the spiritual
destiny of others. Winning souls at any price is just
as bad, if not worse than making money at any
price. It is an act of dishonesty. It is taking away
both the right of the individual (to grow from
within), and the right of God (to pick and choose).

1Many verses in Chapter 9 were offered to show
that God will treat us the way we treat Him:
For with the same measure that you use, it will
be measured back to you. Christ (Luke 6:38)
God will verily do unto them that which they
themselves are doing…8 Bahá’u’lláh
The full meaning of the principle of mutual treat-
ment will become known to us fully in the next
kingdom. Until then, we can only imagine its
implications. The parable of the Kingdom (Matt.
25:1-13) portrays the most graphic picture of this
principle. According to this parable, ten maidens—
five of them wise, five of them foolish—were wait-
ing for Christ, the Bridegroom, to come. They