The Baha'i Studies Listserv I agree that it is a difficult subject. To stay on the economic interpretation: I was talking to my son, who is a bit libertarian after his teachers got hold of him at a conservative university. I was trying to explain to him that, while I understand how the profit motive has empowered so much good & the creation of wealth in our civilization, it also rewards a lot of ruination and destruction if short-term gain can be had for a few. I think there are many people who see this already happening. I think 'Abdu'l-Baha is providing a motive for choosing NOT to tear down that last acre of trees, or to NOT bombard people every moment of their lives with ads, etc.--to be willing to forego some material advantages so that a vision of something nobler or higher may be preserved in human life. However, that works a lot better if everyone is playing on the same team, and if competition has its limits, its parameters--restrained by some spiritual standards.
Just a thought. Jeanine On 9/11/2010 4:12 PM, Ahang Rabbani wrote: > The Baha'i Studies Listserv > This is a complex issue and won't be resolved here or for the > foreseeable future. > > The issue is that what Abdu'l-Baha says appears to contradicts the > last 200+ years of economic prosperity of the west based on the > principle of self-interest. > > Adam Smith said something along the lines, "It is not through the > benevolence of the butcher, the baker and the grocer that my dinner is > provided, but rather through their self-interest." > > Self-interest is good. It is through self-interest that the doctor > goes to work, the teacher teaches, the butcher sells meat, the > hospital takes care of the ill, and our entire economic system in the > west (i.e. Europe, Americas, most of eastern Asia, etc) operates and > provides prosperity. > > Our human experience of the last 200 years - the most prosperous > period of human history - is a testimony to the fact that Adam Smith > was right: Self-interest should be promoted, economy should be left > free and without government interventions, much lower taxes (or none > at all), social services be eliminated, etc. > > But Abdu'l-Baha has to be right too. I don't know how - nor does > anyone else. But at some future state, when a different model of > economy is proposed perhaps centuries from now for a future state > that's vastly different than today, then Abdu'l-Baha's statement will > serve as the foundation of that future economy. > > Incidentally, self-interest is not the same as selfish. > > > On Sat, Sep 11, 2010 at 1:15 AM, David Regal <david.re...@yahoo.com > <mailto:david.re...@yahoo.com>> wrote: > > The Baha'i Studies Listserv > > Sincerity is the foundation-stone of faith. That is, a religious > individual must disregard his personal desires and seek in > whatever way he can wholeheartedly to serve the public interest; > and it is impossible for a human being to turn aside from his own > selfish advantages and sacrifice his own good for the good of the > community except through true religious faith. For self-love is > kneaded into the very clay of man, and it is not possible that, > without any hope of a substantial reward, he should neglect his > own present material 97 good. That individual, however, who puts > his faith in God and believes in the words of God -- because he is > promised and certain of a plentiful reward in the next life, and > because worldly benefits as compared to the abiding joy and glory > of future planes of existence are nothing to him -- will for the > sake of God abandon his own peace and profit and will freely > consecrate his heart and soul to the common good. > (Abdu'l-Baha, The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 96) > I suspect I don't understand the meaning of this passage as it > doesn't seem to square up to facts. It's impossible to sacrifice > your own good for the good of the community except through > religious faith. Huh? Am I to believe atheists, agnostics, and > people who believe in God but not religion never do anything > selfless for the sake of others? Or that these people never give > to charity? There was a period in my life where I didn't have > true religious faith by any means, yet I still donated generously > during this time. I wasn't hoping for a 'substantial reward' > then and a reward isn't my first priority now. > Also, I didn't think you were supposed to believe in the words of > God just because of a reward when you get to heaven. Since when > have most needed rewards in order to believe? > Regards, > David > __________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:arch...@mail-archive.com Unsubscribe: send a blank email to mailto:leave-526009-27401.54f46e81b66496c9909bcdc2f7987...@list.jccc.edu Subscribe: send subscribe bahai-st in the message body to ly...@list.jccc.edu Or subscribe: http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=bahai-st Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu Web - http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/?forum=bahai-st News (on-campus only) - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai...@list.jccc.net New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu
