3-D Project: Theme: Philanthropic Deeds

Theme: Philanthropic Deeds – Part I

One of the themes of many messages from Universal House of Justice is for us, the believers, to find our path of service, a way to engage to in building a neighborhood and become the catalyst of change in society. A similar divine guidance echoed through the words of Abdu'l-Baha, hundred years ago when he travelled in North America. He said: through Philanthropic deeds, one can obtain “merciful gifts and powers.”

A quick study shows that the human spirit of helping our brothers and sisters is alive and healthy. Look beyond the headlines and you will find a mighty river of generosity flowing towards the needy, poor and sick and filling their hearts with hope. It is happening in places close to home and in the far corners of the world. The philanthropic movement is so vast and enduring that it boggles the minds of most pessimists. The wealthy, poor and educated are all part of this phenomenon. Baha’is can connect with these like-minded citizens in building a new world order.

Devotion

The fruits of the tree of man have ever been and are goodly deeds and a praiseworthy character. (Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 25)

When asked by an American friend: "Which is the best way to spread the teaching?" he said: "By deeds. This way is open to all, and deeds are understood by all. Join yourselves to those who work for the poor, the weak and the unfortunate; this is greatly to be commended. To teach by words requires the skill of a wise physician. (Abdu'l-Baha, Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 98)

Deeper Learning

The carrying out of philanthropic deeds is the fourth way to obtain “merciful gifts and powers” in our awesome spiritual journey. Let’s start with deeds. What is a deed? It’s an act of doing something, like performing a task or achieving a goal in a measurable, concrete way. Through such actions, whether they are daily chores, service to others, work or whatever you may decide to do, your character is reflected through the deeds you perform. If you simply do or say nothing, no one will know, including yourself, your true capacities. When we do things well, it gives us confidence, stored in the psyche, thus becoming a treasure house of experience. More importantly, our deeds can serve as a measurement of our own capacities. And, if we fail, it is also considered a good thing, as it gives us opportunities to improve our skills. Just imagine a one-year old learning how to walk. At first the child may hold an adult’s hand or hang on-to furniture as she tries to walk. The moment of success is when she achieves balance and strength and is able to confidently stand on her own. Overall, following this same principal, this process is the only way to increase our own self-knowledge. Deeds do not happen in isolation; they are a part of a combination of other inner aspects of our being, three of which—knowledge, love and faith—we have dealt with in previous blog posts.

The next example illustrates this point. Let’s suppose you want to learn how to swim, which I did when I was forty years old. Let’s first assume that you are in good health with enough strength in your arms and legs to power your movement in water. You will also need love for water and an attraction to become a swimmer. Another important element is faith in yourself that you will be able to learn this new interest in your life. Armed with desire to learn something new, the next step would be to educate yourself, such as reading books on the subject and investigating possible venues and costs for swimming lessons. The crucial step is to get in the water, and ultimately there is no other way to begin to learn. The first time you jump into the pool, you will quickly realize that swimming is not easy. With practice and perseverance, you learn how to float, breath properly and move your arms and legs such that all work in concert propelling the body forward for a long period of time. In this simple example, knowledge, love, faith and action all come together and through them you create a successful experience in whatever you do.

Let’s look at another example. Terry Fox, a Canadian suffering from bone cancer, decided to embark upon a unique challenge. On April 12^th, 1980, he, after dipping his artificial foot into the Atlantic Ocean, started his “Marathon of Hope.” With one strong leg and the other, a prosthetic, limping along the way, his aim was to cross the vast continent of North America coast to coast in order to raise about twenty-four million dollars. On average, he walked about forty-eight kilometers a day. His brother, who accompanied him, could not believe how he managed. Terry was in constant pain, yet he kept moving forward. It was his spirit of hope and faith in finding the cure for cancer that kept him going. After 5373 kilometers, halfway across his journey, the cancer spread to his lungs, cutting short his life and his goal. His spirit, however, stayed forever. Today, his heroic perseverance is commemorated through numerous awards, research grants, and an annual fund-raising run held in 60 countries in his name. His short life, filled with sacrifice, courage, and a good attitude was an inspiration to millions. With love for others and faith in himself, he started a journey of hope. Terry Fox recreated himself from being doomed to die, one month short of his twenty-third birthday, to becoming a vision of hope to others.

Terry Fox is a great example of how, when moved by the spirit, physical discomfort cannot prevent us from doing extraordinary things. Actions speak louder than words. In the Bahá’í Faith, idle talk is very much discouraged. Prayers and meditation alone are not enough to discover the true self; one has to put oneself in action. Bahá’u’lláh gives a stern warning about lack of action in one’s life with these words:

“The essence of faith is fewness of words and abundance of deeds; he whose words exceed his deeds, know verily his death is better than his life.” (Báhá’u’lláh, Tablets of Báhá’u’lláh, p. 156)

In the Báhá’i Faith, deeds are elevated to a much higher purpose. One must not only help oneself and ones immediate family, but have a world consciousness. This means regarding humanity as a global family and taking responsibility for being a member of this family. In our planet of billions of people, our good deeds can extend to any continent, wherever there is a need. This openness is another great phenomena of the age we live in.

Reflection

Have you noticed that at younger age we are eager to try new things? But as we grow older the enthusiasm for new adventure diminishes. What are some of the obstacles? Could it be fear of failure or lack of skills?