A reasonable venture…
All we can reasonably venture to attempt is to strive to obtain a glimpse of the first streaks of the promised Dawn that must, in the fullness of time, chase away the gloom that has encircled humanity. All we can do is to point out, in their broadest outlines, what appear to us to be the guiding principles underlying the World Order of Bahá’u'lláh, as amplified and enunciated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Center of His Covenant with all mankind and the appointed Interpreter and Expounder of His Word.
~ Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha’u'llah, p. 34
I was humbled, yet reassured when I read this. Often when I explain to people that a tenet of the Baha’i Faith is unity and world peace, people scoff. Although they may think it a lofty goal, they are also not willing to spend their time working on something that is unattainable as they see it. This passage from Shoghi Effendi serves to remind me that what is important is striving towards the goal… even if we are not able to accomplish it ourselves. We cannot be expected to achieve world peace in our lifetimes, but it is reasonable to expect us work hard towards that goal and to perhaps see some progress.