Dear Fariborz,
Thank you for your patience. It's sometimes difficult for me to succinctly articulate my own rationale!
I feel that our dialogue has definitely evolved (as it should be - a good thing!)
<> Explain to me the nuances of "serve" as compared to "encourage, support". I always understood service as a baha'i as to help/assist an endeavor. This ,of course, IMO, can take a lot of different forms including physically serving, financially aiding, morally supporting, etc. Is
this correct or am I misinterpreting the word? <>
To begin: in your post on the 20th you said: <>There was a posting sometime back about the first duty is to recognize the manifestation for today and to serve those that have recognized the manifestation.<>
As you can see you have some literal phrases in here... "first duty"... and "serve those that have recognized". In my subsequent responses I've responded to what I thought was your "interpretation" of the "found" passage. Which does not, in fact, combine those two phrases of "first duty" or "serve those that have recognized".
Again, using your initial phraseology "serve those that have recognized"... would suggest (literally) a required obligation of "servitude" towards those individuals - particularly so in combination with the qualification of "first duty". So the difference lies in whether the "service" rendered is "obligatory" or whether it is a natural impulse on the part of the "servant"...
Now, with regard to the passage from POB... The Blessed Beauty has, imo, made the service of -promotion- (the translation of the Guardian being "promote") OBLIGATORY on His followers. And, yet, He also says: "Happy is the man that hearkeneth and observeth My counsel." which suggests to me that it is more praisworthy to "promote" based on spiritual impulse as opposed to a sense of obligation or perceived retribution.
To "promote" simply means to "advance" or move forward/upwards that can be accomplished many ways in varying degrees. Used in the context of this discussion "service" (because it is self-motivated) could be anything from dropping coins in a box to martyrdom...
In my heart and mind the "measure" of service and indeed, everything we do... lies in these three words: Purity of motive.
lovingly, Sandra
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