Last weekend Australia held a national youth conference. Around 800 people in total attended, and it was such a fantastic conference- well organized, intriguing topics, phenomenal speakers, and a lovely and loving atmosphere. The conference really honed in and focused on what the role of Baha'i youth are (what youth in general are destined to do) which is tohelp ignite the hearts of those around them, to assist in the education of children and pre-teens, with the words of Baha'u'llah; to help all realize their true station, that we are spiritual beings created noble, with the reason for being here on earth is to recognize our Creator and through that build our spiritual capacities and help our society advance into a better civilization.
This wasn't all that clear to me until this weekend. After attending workshops and listening to talks, I realized that being a good Baha'i isn't just abiding by the basic laws (praying, Fasting...etc), what it is is to make the word of Baha'u'llah available to those around me, to teach the Faith as a service to humanity because the Faith is an eternal truth- that we are spiritual beings longing to be connected to our Creator. It was said that we are not going out trying to make people Baha'is, we are just trying to assist the growth and development of humanity through the teachings of spirituality, and that really resonated with me. Baha'is are seeking to offer that service through study of the Creative Word (Ruhi courses, first book looks at the purpose of life, progress of the soul and life after death
), childrens classes (taught with Baha'i inspired moral education material), Junior Youth Empowerment Programs (Baha'i inspired material that focuses on developing pre-teens' ability to recognize spiritual forces, to articulate concepts with clarity and to develop the concept of morality), and devotional gatherings (gatherings that consist of collective worship to awaken spiritual susceptibilities). All these activities, after being part of them for numerous years, finally became clear to me, and their purpose magnified.
The governing body of the Baha'i Faith, The Universal House of Justice, ordained by Baha'u'llah (the founder of the Baha'i Faith), wrote to the youth attending just a day before the conference, expressing that we are convening “at a moment of unprecedented opportunity and need "and that we "have been assigned the responsibility to show forth...values in [our] lives, so that [we] can be a source of attraction and illumination to those seeking direction within the turmoil of the society..." and "central to [our] role in the present day is to give new vigor to the concept of service". Youth these days are presented with so much pressure from society to act and show forth values that are not in coherence to who we really are. Society has skewed the view of what beauty is, what service is, what unity is. Service isn't donating money, service is looking at your environment and seeking out the areas that need attention and trying to address those needs hands on.
If any of this is resonating, if these concepts are true to what you believe in, I would like to discuss it further with you!
Over all it was an exhausting (7am to midnight for 4 days) but invigorating weekend. It was focused, mentally challenging, intellectual, social, and I loved it :)
4 comments:
YAAYY!!!!1
The blessings surrounding your decision to serve in Aussieland are so numerous Ailene.
One can see this has been and will continue to be LIFE CHANGING.
I feel so honored to be a part of this journey.
Enjoy, Enjoy, Enjoy!
What an amazing and vitally important conference!
You are one of those youth who are an agent for change, wherever you may be, with the insights and galvanizing infusion of understanding you have achieved.
May you ignite all with whom you come in contact through your shining spirit and the sharing of the creative and sacred Word.
So HAPPY for you and all the youth in Australia!
A conference, no matter the reason behind it, is a very powerful event. You attend because you are interested in what is being presented. But one you get there a whole new world opens up. There are very intelligent and talented people giving you insight that you have never been exposed to. But most of all… you are surrounded by people of all walks of life who might only have this one thing in common with you. It’s an amazing feeling and it seems that what you learned means a lot to you.
“One mankind…” It’s a very powerful phenomenon (:
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