Unto every father hath been enjoined the instruction of his son and daughter in the art of reading and writing and in all that hath been laid down in the Holy Tablet.

~ Baha’u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, paragraph 45 (p. 37)

I have learned a great many things from my father during my lifetime.  Perhaps, the most profound of them is simply the love of reading.  Reading for entertainment, discovery, knowledge, broadening my own horizons.  He set that example for me and that gave me the skill and know-how to discern my own way in life – to read new texts and to make sense of them as I investigated what was true and what was real in this world.  Thank you, dad.

O members of parliaments throughout the world!  Select ye a single language for the use of all on earth, and adopt ye likewise a common script.

~ Baha’u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, paragraph 189

One of the tenets of the Baha’i Faith is the establishment of what we refer to as a “universal auxiliary language” and in a post of that same title, I mentioned the propensity for Baha’is to be polyglots.  There is no direction as to which language should be adopted, but it is made clear that it should be a second language and used in business and education.  In this way, it does not have to take away from a person’s native language.

As a student of linguistics and how language affects a person’s culture and thoughts, I would never want to see the removal of languages from our society as they do so much to enhance diversity, but can unfortunately also lead to divisions amongst us as well.  Several people have made comments on previous posts regarding the use of Esperanto.  What I find to be the most promising aspect of this language came from one of their websites, and it is the idea that because nobody is a native speaker of Esperanto, everybody will be at the same disadvantage.  While traveling in India I noticed some elements of this.  English was the common language for many Indians who spoke different dialects of other languages.

While I do see the merits of having a second language that was common to all, I have reservations as well.  It seems like such an overwhelming task.  Some people will resist.  Those that begrudgingly accept a second language may only speak it minimally rendering its use to only the most basic functions.  If people do not make a whole-hearted attempt at it, they will become frustrated, and feel that it is not working.  However, I do wish the world would try.  In my experiences, and travels, the first step to forging a true relationship and understanding something about each other was to… understand each other.

Immerse yourselves in the ocean of My words, that ye may unravel its secrets, and discover all the pearls of wisdom that lie hid in its depths.

~ Baha’u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 85

I have appreciated this quote since I first ran across it.  Having (almost) always lived near the ocean, I find the imagery of immersing myself into an ocean of words to be comforting.  The salty ocean water does not allow a person sink—it envelops the body, yet supports it.  I was also fascinated, yet intimidated by the vast depth of the ocean and the mysteries that lay beneath that dark water.  In this directive from what the Baha’is call ‘the Most Holy Book’, we see how we are encouraged to seek out the truths that lie beneath the surface of the Baha’u’llah’s words.  When we do, we will discover beautiful pearls of wisdom.

Verily, all created things were immersed in the sea of purification when, on that first day of Ridvan, We shed upon the whole of creation the splendours of Our most excellent Names and Our most exalted Attributes.

~ Baha’u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 47

On this day (along with the 9th and 12th days of Ridvan), Baha’is will abstain from work and school and celebrate through community gatherings, prayers, and in some places, the election of the Local Spiritual Assembly—the local administrative council.