Looking at the man in the mirror

In my manifesto, I wrote that before I would criticize anyone else's behavior, I would want to criticize my own first.

I wanted to say something about some unhealthy-looking behavior I saw around me, so I decided to look for that behavior in myself first.

Here's what I saw:
- Jumping to conclusions about someone's personality and character from only a few observations of what they say and do, without any investigation.
- Anger and alarm continually erupting at the slightest provocation.
- Fear of letting people see the loving, affectionate, sensitive, sentimental, intuitive parts of my personality, and possibly being depreciated and intimidated, keeping me from talking about some of my thoughts and feelings in public.
- Continually being tempted to promote my ideas and interests in ways that depreciate and intimidate others.

There might be some clues for me in all that, about why my progress in learning kindness and humility has been so slow.

Responses to offensive evangelism

"Two ladies from Scotland, delighted that their request to have an evening with the Master while He was in London had been granted, were warmly received by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. How they relished having this intimate evening! Half an hour passed in His warm presence, when suddenly they were filled with consternation—an aggressive reporter strode into their midst and seated himself—he wanted information about the Master. His talkative, impolite manner left the ladies speechless—such an intrusion could spoil that precious evening. Then, to their surprise, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stood up and, beckoning the reporter to follow Him, led the way into His room. The ladies had indeed got rid of the intruder, but they had also lost ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. What were they to do? Before long the hostess went into the Master’s secretary and asked that He be informed ‘that the ladies with whom the appointment had been made are awaiting His pleasure.’ Very soon kind words of farewell were heard. Then the Master returned, pausing by the door. Gravely, He looked at each and said, ‘You were making that poor man uncomfortable, so strongly desiring his absence; I took him away to make him feel happy.’"

(Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 54)

I just learned about a man who travels around, preaching at universities, in the name of Christianity, promoting views that seem very offensive and alarming to many Christians. I've thought about how I might want to respond to that, if I lived or studied on that campus.

One way of responding that I read about, and which I love, was students of all persuasions, including atheists and a diversity of Christians, gathering nearby, having loving conversations with each other about their beliefs.

Beyond that, here are some other things I might want to do, and not do, if I lived or studied on that campus:

1. If we had advance notice, I might want to prepare information booths to set up near where he was preaching, about the gospel. Or not. I see pros and cons to that.

2. I would want to try to show him God's love, and surround Him with God's grace. Give him friendly attention. Look for things in his behavior to appreciate, and praise him for them. Express appreciation for his courage and audacity in trying to teach the gospel as he understands it. Ask him about his family, his interests, looking for some possible topic for friendly conversation. Walk with him, offer to help him carry his things. Bring him water. Invite him to a meal. Every way I could think of to shower him with God's love. Of course I would need to fill myself up with God's love first, before I would approach him! Maybe pray together with some friends first, and read some appropriate Bible verses, and ask them to pray for me while I was with him.

3. I would *not* debate with *anyone* about *anything.*

4. I would *not* mock or ridicule him, or say or insinuate anything depreciating him or his views. If I openly objected to anyone's behavior, I would start with the behavior of any of my friends I saw treating him unkindly or depreciating him, before I would say anything about his behavior.

5. I might not encourage any women to spend time with him, or to talk to him more than briefly. It might be better for men to spend time with him, and women to pray for them. That might be something to consult about, with whoever is volunteering to shower him with love.

More atheism might not be enough

This is written for atheists who have seen the same social problems among atheists, that they've seen in the rest of society; who have concluded that more atheism will not be enough, by itself, to improve the situation; and who are exploring other ways to address social issues, along with trying to help reduce the popularity of religion and belief in God. It may or may not be of interest to other atheists.

I'm practicing and promoting fellowship and collaboration across the widest ideological divides, as part of a solution to our social problems, and just to help improve the world in general. That might make all of our efforts more fruitful in a variety of ways. Besides, for me, that kind of fellowship and collaboration has been worth doing in itself.

If that interests you, please email me, or if you know of anyone who might be interested, please invite them to contact me.

Value of anger

Considering how to rid myself of feelings of ill will, some questions came up about the value of anger. I had already thought of it as providing energy and determination for efforts to remedy some problem. Now a new idea came to me, anger might help avoid and counteract some demoralizing effects of some of our experiences.

I won't try to find all the possible benefits of anger. I'll just imagine that there are others besides the ones I see, and that if I work on some examples of how to rid myself of enduring feelings of ill will against individuals, without losing the benefits of anger that I see, some part of me will do whatever else needs to be done.

I'll try to practice putting my anger to good use in those two ways that I've already thought of, and at the same time try to rid myself of feelings of ill will against any person. One way I see to rid myself of ill will against a person, is to seek rewarding experiences with that person, if possible, otherwise to fantasize rewarding experiences with that person.

Another thing that helps me is to remember times when I've been tempted to do what the other person did that angered me, and times when I've failed to resist temptations that I wanted to resist.

While I was considering all this, a thought came to me that I sometimes stoke my anger, by dwelling on whatever made me angry. That might be something I could do without quite safely, whatever the value of anger might be.

----

Questions and answers

Fantasize rewarding experiences?
Maybe by thinking of someone in my life that the person reminds me of, and remembering rewarding experiences with that person.

Now I'm seeing a long and lonely road ahead, and it's bringing me down out of the clouds.

1. I want to practice finding things to love in some of the people whose ideology is most opposed to mine, and in some of the people who are hardest for me to love; and practice fellowship with them. I also want to practice speaking well of them to others.

2. I want to try to rid myself of all depreciating thoughts about people, and all enduring feelings of ill will.

3. I want to find ways to make all that appealing to other people, so they will want to do it too. Maybe, if I find treasures along the way, I can tell people about them.

4. I want to continue organizing my ideas; about practicing and promoting fellowship across ideological divides; and about freedom from backbiting, not to publish them but to make better use of them.

Lying awake in the middle of the night, my mind racing, I realized that I was starting to build a mountain of words, and putting words ahead of deeds, the exact opposite of what I want to practice and promote! I've been trying to organize my ideas about how to practice and promote loving people, and fellowship, across ideological divides; and freedom from backbiting; to write about them to some friends, and post on my blog.

Now I want to try to practice first, then write about my experience.

- Part of the foundation I want to practice and promote is praying and making efforts to learn to love God more. I'm trying to memorize, and learn to say and write, a prayer and a passage in Chinese. The prayer is "From the sweet-scented streams ..." and the passage is "Let the flame of the love of God ..."

- I have a long list of ideas I compiled, some of my own, and some from friends, about learning to love God more. One is to spend more time in communion with nature, as part of my communion with God. I've been spending more time with some trees and shrubs near our home.

- Part of what I want to practice is an idea I got from Abdu'l-Baha, praising people. Some people I want to practice praising, for these initiatives, are people with ideologies opposed to mine. Who, what, where, when, how? Here, in this blog? Privately, to friends I'm writing to about these initiatives? On Facebook? In the forum where I've been posting? The names of some of the first people who came to mind, were notorious in some religious feuding on the Internet, and I'm not sure of the wisdom of singing praises of them here, now.

I just thought of one of the hardest people for me to love right now, and I tried to find something to love in him. I've always loved his avatar, and I still do!

I decided to practice praising people by writing to some of the people themselves, to express my appreciation for some things they're doing, so I just now wrote to three of them.

"My imprisonment doeth Me no harm, neither the tribulations I suffer, nor the things that have befallen Me at the hands of My oppressors. That which harmeth Me is the conduct of those who, though they bear My name, yet commit that which maketh My heart and My pen to lament."[1]

"All these things bring joy to the heart, and yet 'Abdu'l-Bahá is sunk deep in an ocean of grief, and pain and anguish have so affected my limbs and members that utter weakness hath overtaken my whole body. ... there hath arisen a dust cloud of ill will amongst the believers themselves. ... this doth lay upon the heart of 'Abdu'l-Bahá a heavy burden of grief, of inconceivable grief. For no tempest more perilous than this could ever assail the Cause of God, nor could anything else so diminish the influence of His Word."[2]

"Does not 'Abdu'l-Bahá wish us, as He looks down upon us with loving expectation from His glorious Station, to obliterate as much as possible all traces of censure, of conflicting discussions, of cooling remarks, of petty unnecessary observations that impede the onward march of the Cause, that damp the zeal of the firm believer and detract from the sublimity of the Bahá'í Cause in the eyes of the inquirer?"[3]

"With every day that passes, danger grows that the rising fires of religious prejudice will ignite a worldwide conflagration the consequences of which are unthinkable."[4]

"... the disease of sectarian hatreds, if not decisively checked, threatens harrowing consequences that will leave few areas of the world unaffected."[5]

For twenty years, from the earliest days of the Internet, the most popular Baha'i Internet forums have been divided into opposing ideological sanctuaries, with Baha'is in every forum continually maligning Baha'is with views opposed to theirs, often using Baha'i writings, and the words of Baha'i institutions and Baha'i celebrities, as excuses and instruments for their maligning. I've seen that same maligning in some of the most popular Baha'i Blogs and Web pages, and in the writings of Baha'i scholars; and I've seen the same division into opposing camps in Baha'i facebook groups.

I see that maligning as a symptom of divisions that have always existed within the Baha'i community, all over the world and at every level, and at the same time I see it threatening to deepen and widen those divisions. I also see it breaking hearts, staining the reputation of the Faith and repelling people away from it, and undermining the zeal and even the faith of some of its members.

I see a need for more individual initiatives to help calm that tempest. I'll be posting some relevant guidance I've found for those initiatives, and some ideas for strategies and lines of action. I would welcome any ideas from anyone, regardless of your ideology!

References:
[1] (Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 23)
[2] (Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 229)
[3] (Shoghi Effendi, 5 March 1922, to the Baha'is of the British Isles)
[4] (The Universal House of Justice, 2002 April, to the World's Religious Leaders)
[5] (The Universal House of Justice, Naw-Rúz, 2005, One Common Faith)

Stalking and bullying in online games and forums

I've been thinking about how to help reduce the use of online games and forums for stalking and bullying, and counteract its effects. All the ones I've ever seen have neon signs hanging over them saying "stalking and bullying welcome here, and fully supported by the management." I don't mean that game and forum administrators intend for their spaces to be used that way. I mean that their responses to stalking and bullying behavior invariably reward it and reinforce it, and stigmatize and penalize its targets as if they were the troublemakers. The only solution I see is for some volunteers in the game or forum, including some of the administrators, to educate and train themselves in reducing and counteracting stalking and bullying, and to practice and promote what they're learning, in the game and forum.

Next question: how to sell that idea to game and forum administrators.

If anyone reading this has any ideas or questions about any of this, please post them.

People hurting and feeling wronged

"Is it only a dream, that there'll be no more turning away?"
- Pink Floyd

Some recent events in an online game and in the associated forum brought my attention back to people hurting and feeling wronged in online games and forums, and to some other online social issues, including an issue that I hadn't previously thought about much: the use of online games and discussions for stalking and bullying.

Considering what to do about someone hurting or feeling wronged in an online game or forum, the only idea I've come up with is to send him a friendly message, post friendly replies to his posts in the forum, and/or find some other way to show him my friendly interest and intentions. I imagine that whatever else I might be able to do to help him, would follow naturally from that.

If anyone reading this has any other ideas, or any questions, please post them.

Networking with thralls and candles: Next steps

I might look for blogs of people who are enthralled by God, and people who want to be candles for him, read them, and link to them, and tell them about what I'm doing.

I might try to learn to make my blog more useful to anyone who might be interested in what I'm doing.

I just looked back through this blog, and I was surprised how much what I've written relates to to what I want to do now.

Later:

I'm getting confused about who I'm looking for, and how to look for them. I think now that I'll try following one or two blogs at a time, in depth, for a while, before I try to follow any more.

New horizons, new dreams, new hopes. Take it easy. One step at a time. Three thoughts:
1. Bigger and brighter flame.
2. Learning to put myself, all of me, where God can use me to light other candles.
3. Encouraging and supporting other candle volunteers, and learning from them.

- God, what can I do about that flame?
- How about those devotional practices you've been forgetting?
- Oh. Yeah. Those. Okay.

Nets of theology and other ideology woven and cast by wolves in shepherd's clothing, disabling and isolating volunteers for the gift of faith, and dividing them from each other. Unbelief masquerading as belief even in the most scripture-quoting corners of the most scripture-quoting communities. Popular superstitions masquerading as science. Folly masquerading as wisdom. Psychological manipulation masquerading as reason. A tidal wave of naked, shameless, proselytizing self-worship. Arrows of blame and ridicule.

I will raise my ugly candle, flame or no flame, in defiance of all that, in defiance even of my fear of offending God with my weak or missing flame. Maybe some other volunteers will see my candle, flame or no flame, and take courage from it, or at least find some amusement in it to cheer them. Maybe some will send me messages of encouragement too. Raising our candles, however ugly, flame or no flame, might help volunteers for the gift of faith find each other, so we can encourage and support each other and learn from each other.

Learn to put myself, all of me, heart, mind and body, where God can use my candle to light others, if I'm lit. Learn to do whatever I can do, so my flame will get bigger and brighter.

"O My servants! Deprive not yourselves of the unfading and resplendent Light that shineth within the Lamp of Divine glory. Let the flame of the love of God burn brightly within your radiant hearts. Feed it with the oil of Divine guidance, and protect it within the shelter of your constancy. Guard it within the globe of trust and detachment from all else but God, so that the evil whisperings of the ungodly may not extinguish its light."

 - Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah,  p 153

Trying to learn to write more freely, to let my heart show, and stop putting words in the way. How, how, how?

Seeing God doing something in people's hearts, what people sometimes call the gift of faith ... yes, just try to move the images and feelings onto the tablet, without all that stuff I do with words. God doing something in people's hearts, that I think of as like lighting a candle ... God as a reality that many people see as nothing more than a myth, a psychological gimmick ... lighting candles. He might use some candles to light others. Am I lit? Maybe there's no way for me to know? Is it only on or off, or degrees, or maybe both at the same time, like light transmission as waves and as particles, both at once? I don't dare lay claim to being lit, but I want to be, and hope to be, and maybe that's what matters. If I am, that's the most important thing by far that I have to give to the world. If I want to be, then what better can I do than put myself where He can use me if He wants to, to light others if I'm lit.

Better Conduct Award of the week 2012-01-03

One Baha'i's approach...

Hearts and hearts

I've been thinking a lot about hearts turned to God, and about the word "heart" in the scriptures. It seems to me that when I see or say that word, in verses from the words of God, I'm mostly thinking of the kind of heart that pumps blood. Lately I've been wondering about associating it more with the kind of heart in "heart of the forest," "heart of the night," and "heart of the matter." One meaning recorded in dictionaries is "the central or innermost part."

It might be that one meaning is derived from the other. Also, in some cases I see a clear reference to a blood-pumping heart, as in "shall cause the heart of every righteous man to throb.

In any case, I want to practice thinking of "the central or innermost part" of me, when I'm memorizing verses about hearts, like "Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart," for example.

Doing things in the right spirit

Reading some discussions about anti-racism has confirmed my interest in promoting doing things in the right spirit, and in continual awareness of that among people who are doing that. At the same time it has helped me see hearts possessed by God as only part of the picture of people turning to God, and of the people of Baha. It might please God for me to pursue this interest as long as I keep in mind that it's only part of the picture.

I want to continue:
1. Developing friendships with people of all religions and ideologies.
2. Improving my practice of doing things in the right spirit, with the love of God.
3. Memorizing verses about doing things in the right spirit, and the possibilities and responsibilities of hearts possessed by God.
4. Improving my practice of continual attention to doing things in the right spirit, and responding favorably in words and actions to other people doing things in the right spirit.

I also want to learn more about how people who think in non-theistic terms talk about doing things in the right spirit.

I'm imagining that it would include doing things in a spirit of all-inclusive friendliness and fellowship, that doesn't draw any fixed lines between people, racial or otherwise.

Some verses about doing things in the right spirit, with the love of God

The first duty prescribed by God for His servants is the recognition of Him Who is the Dayspring of His Revelation and the Fountain of His laws, Who representeth the Godhead in both the Kingdom of His Cause and the world of creation. Whoso achieveth this duty hath attained unto all good; and whoso is deprived thereof hath gone astray, though he be the author of every righteous deed. It behoveth every one who reacheth this most sublime station, this summit of transcendent glory, to observe every ordinance of Him Who is the Desire of the world. These twin duties are inseparable. Neither is acceptable without the other. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Source of Divine inspiration.

(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 19)

O people of Baha! Subdue the citadels of men's hearts with the swords of wisdom and of utterance. They that dispute, as prompted by their desires, are indeed wrapped in a palpable veil. Say: The sword of wisdom is hotter than summer heat, and sharper than blades of steel, if ye do but understand. Draw it forth in My name and through the power of My might, and conquer, then, with it the cities of the hearts of them that have secluded themselves in the stronghold of their corrupt desires.

(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 54)

O people of Baha! Ye are the dawning-places of the love of God and the daysprings of His loving-kindness. Defile not your tongues with the cursing and reviling of any soul, and guard your eyes against that which is not seemly. Set forth that which ye possess. If it be favourably received, your end is attained; if not, to protest is vain. Leave that soul to himself and turn unto the Lord, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Be not the cause of grief, much less of discord and strife. The hope is cherished that ye may obtain true education in the shelter of the tree of His tender mercies and act in accordance with that which God desireth. Ye are all the leaves of one tree and the drops of one ocean.

(Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 27)

O friends! Be not careless of the virtues with which ye have been endowed, neither be neglectful of your high destiny. Suffer not your labors to be wasted through the vain imaginations which certain hearts have devised. Ye are the stars of the heaven of understanding, the breeze that stirreth at the break of day, the soft-flowing waters upon which must depend the very life of all men, the letters inscribed upon His sacred scroll. With the utmost unity, and in a spirit of perfect fellowship, exert yourselves, that ye may be enabled to achieve that which beseemeth this Day of God. Verily I say, strife and dissension, and whatsoever the mind of man abhorreth are entirely unworthy of his station.

(Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 195)

I beseech Thee, O my Lord, by the sighs of Thy lovers throughout the world, and by their lamentation in their remoteness from the court of Thy presence, and by the blood that hath been shed for love of Thee, and by the hearts that have melted in Thy path, to protect Thy loved ones from the cruelty of such as have remained unaware of the mysteries of Thy Name, the Unconstrained. Assist them, O my Lord, by Thy power that hath prevailed over all things, and aid them to be patient and long-suffering.

(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 35)

"Glory to Thee, O my God! But for the tribulations which are sustained in Thy path, how could Thy true lovers be recognized; and were it not for the trials which are borne for love of Thee, how could the station of such as yearn for Thee be revealed? Thy might beareth Me witness! The companions of all who adore Thee are the tears they shed, and the comforters of such as seek Thee are the groans they utter, and the food of them who haste to meet Thee is the fragments of their broken hearts. How sweet to my taste is the bitterness of death suffered in Thy path, and how precious in my estimation are the shafts of Thine enemies when encountered for the sake of the exaltation of Thy Word! Let me quaff in Thy Cause, O my God and my Master, whatsoever Thou didst desire, and send down upon me in Thy love all Thou didst ordain. By Thy glory! I wish only what Thou wishest, and cherish what Thou cherishest. In Thee have I, at all times, placed My whole trust and confidence. Thou art verily the All-Possessing, the Most High. Raise up, I implore Thee, O my God, as helpers to this Revelation such as shall be counted worthy of Thy Name and of Thy sovereignty, that they may remember Thee among Thy creatures, and hoist the ensigns of Thy victory in Thy land, and adorn them with Thy virtues and Thy commandments. No God is there but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting."

(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 94)

Say: O ye lovers of the One true God! Strive, that ye may truly recognize and know Him, and observe befittingly His precepts. This is a Revelation, under which, if a man shed for its sake one drop of blood, myriads of oceans will be his recompense. Take heed, O friends, that ye forfeit not so inestimable a benefit, or disregard its transcendent station. Consider the multitude of lives that have been, and are still being, sacrificed in a world deluded by a mere phantom which the vain imaginations of its peoples have conceived. Render thanks unto God, inasmuch as ye have attained unto your heart's Desire, and been united to Him Who is the Promise of all nations. Guard ye, with the aid of the one true God -- exalted be His glory -- the integrity of the station which ye have attained, and cleave to that which shall promote His Cause. He, verily, enjoineth on you what is right and conducive to the exaltation of man's station. Glorified be the All-Merciful, the Revealer of this wondrous Tablet.

(Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 5)

Every time My name "the All-Merciful" was told that one of My lovers had breathed a word that runneth counter to My wish, it repaired, grief-stricken and disconsolate to its abode; and whenever My name "the Concealer" discovered that one of My followers had inflicted any shame or humiliation on his neighbor, it, likewise, turned back chagrined and sorrowful to its retreats of glory, and there wept and mourned with a sore lamentation. And whenever My name "the Ever-Forgiving" perceived that any one of My friends had committed any transgression, it cried out in its great distress, and, overcome with anguish, fell upon the dust, and was borne away by a company of the invisible angels to its habitation in the realms above

(Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 308)

Say: From My laws the sweet smelling savor of My garment can be smelled, and by their aid the standards of victory will be planted upon the highest peaks. The Tongue of My power hath, from the heaven of My omnipotent glory, addressed to My creation these words: "Observe My commandments, for the love of My beauty." Happy is the lover that hath inhaled the divine fragrance of his Best-Beloved from these words, laden with the perfume of a grace which no tongue can describe. By My life! He who hath drunk the choice wine of fairness from the hands of My bountiful favor, will circle around My commandments that shine above the Day Spring of My creation.

(Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 332)

Be unrestrained as the wind, while carrying the Message of Him Who hath caused the Dawn of Divine Guidance to break. Consider, how the wind, faithful to that which God hath ordained, bloweth upon all the regions of the earth, be they inhabited or desolate. Neither the sight of desolation, nor the evidences of prosperity, can either pain or please it. It bloweth in every direction, as bidden by its Creator. So should be every one that claimeth to be a lover of the one true God. It behoveth him to fix his gaze upon the fundamentals of His Faith, and to labor diligently for its propagation. Wholly for the sake of God he should proclaim His Message, and with that same spirit accept whatever response his words may evoke in his hearer. He who shall accept and believe, shall receive his reward; and he who shall turn away, shall receive none other than his own punishment.

(Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 339)

O Thou Whose face is the object of the adoration of all that yearn after Thee, Whose presence is the hope of such as are wholly devoted to Thy will, Whose nearness is the desire of all that have drawn nigh unto Thy court, Whose countenance is the companion of those who have recognized Thy truth, Whose name is the mover of the souls that long to behold Thy face, Whose voice is the true life of Thy lovers, the words of Whose mouth are as the waters of life unto all who are in heaven and on earth!

(Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 12)

O God! The trials Thou sendest are a salve to the sores of all them who are devoted to Thy will; the remembrance of Thee is a healing medicine to the hearts of such as have drawn nigh unto Thy court; nearness to Thee is the true life of them who are Thy lovers; Thy presence is the ardent desire of such as yearn to behold Thy face; remoteness from Thee is a torment to those that have acknowledged Thy oneness, and separation from Thee is death unto them that have recognized Thy truth!

(Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 78)

For Thine ardent lovers Thou hast, according to Thy decree, reserved, at each daybreak, the cup of Thy remembrance, O Thou Who art the Ruler of rulers! These are they who have been so inebriated with the wine of Thy manifold wisdom that they forsake their couches in their longing to celebrate Thy praise and extol Thy virtues, and flee from sleep in their eagerness to approach Thy presence and partake of Thy bounty. Their eyes have, at all times, been bent upon the Day-Spring of Thy loving-kindness, and their faces set towards the Fountain-Head of Thine inspiration. Rain down, then, upon us and upon them from the clouds of Thy mercy what beseemeth the heaven of Thy bounteousness and grace.

(Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 143)

I know not, O my God, whether I should speak forth the wonders of Thy praise among Thy servants, and lay bare before them the secrets of Thy mercy and the mysteries of Thy Cause, or keep them wrapped up within the receptacle of my heart. Though the lover be loth to share with any one the intimate conversation of his beloved, yet at whatever time Thine inescapable commandment to declare Thy Cause reacheth me, I will unhesitatingly obey it. I would proclaim Thee, undeterred by the darts of affliction that may rain down upon me from the clouds of Thy decree.

(Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 184)

I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thy Name through which Thou hast hearkened unto the call of Thy lovers, and the sighs of them that long for Thee, and the cry of them that enjoy near access to Thee, and the groaning of them that are devoted to Thee, and through which Thou hast fulfilled the wishes of them that have set their hopes on Thee, and hast granted them their desires, through Thy grace and Thy favors, and by Thy Name through which the ocean of forgiveness surged before Thy face, and the clouds of Thy generosity rained upon Thy servants, to write down for every one who hath turned unto Thee, and observed the fast prescribed by Thee, the recompense decreed for such as speak not except by Thy leave, and who forsook all that they possessed in Thy path and for love of Thee.

(Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 292)

By the righteousness of God! It is not Our wish to lay hands on your kingdoms. Our mission is to seize and possess the hearts of men.

(Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 211)

The utterance of God is a lamp, whose light is these words: Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch. Deal ye one with another with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness and fellowship. He Who is the Daystar of Truth beareth Me witness! So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth. The One true God, He Who knoweth all things, Himself testifieth to the truth of these words.

Exert yourselves that ye may attain this transcendent and most sublime station, the station that can insure the protection and security of all mankind. This goal excelleth every other goal, and this aspiration is the monarch of all aspirations. So long, however, as the thick clouds of oppression, which obscure the daystar of justice, remain undispelled, it would be difficult for the glory of this station to be unveiled to men's eyes. These thick clouds are the exponents of idle fancies and vain imaginings, who are none other but the divines of Persia. At one time We spoke in the language of the lawgiver; at another in that of the truth-seeker and the mystic, and yet Our supreme purpose and highest wish hath always been to disclose the glory and sublimity of this station. God, verily, is a sufficient witness!

Consort with all men, O people of Baha, in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship. If ye be aware of a certain truth, if ye possess a jewel, of which others are deprived, share it with them in a language of utmost kindliness and goodwill. If it be accepted, if it fulfill its purpose, your object is attained. If anyone should refuse it, leave him unto himself, and beseech God to guide him. Beware lest ye deal unkindly with him. A kindly tongue is the lodestone of the hearts of men. It is the bread of the spirit, it clotheth the words with meaning, it is the fountain of the light of wisdom and understanding.

(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 14)

It is Our wish and desire that every one of you may become a source of all goodness unto men, and an example of uprightness to mankind. Beware lest ye prefer yourselves above your neighbors. Fix your gaze upon Him Who is the Temple of God amongst men. He, in truth, hath offered up His life as a ransom for the redemption of the world. He, verily, is the All-Bountiful, the Gracious, the Most High. If any differences arise amongst you, behold Me standing before your face, and overlook the faults of one another for My name's sake and as a token of your love for My manifest and resplendent Cause. We love to see you at all times consorting in amity and concord within the paradise of My good-pleasure, and to inhale from your acts the fragrance of friendliness and unity, of loving-kindness and fellowship. Thus counselleth you the All-Knowing, the Faithful. We shall always be with you; if We inhale the perfume of your fellowship, Our heart will assuredly rejoice, for naught else can satisfy Us. To this beareth witness every man of true understanding.

(Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 314)

O My servants! Be as resigned and submissive as the earth, that from the soil of your being there may blossom the fragrant, the holy and multicolored hyacinths of My knowledge. Be ablaze as the fire, that ye may burn away the veils of heedlessness and set aglow, through the quickening energies of the love of God, the chilled and wayward heart. Be light and untrammeled as the breeze, that ye may obtain admittance into the precincts of My court, My inviolable Sanctuary.

(Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 322)

Lines of action for spreading the love of God

Some of my current lines of action:

1. Learning Chinese, to improve my capacity to develop friendships.

2. Memorizing verses about turning to God, lovers of God, doing things in the right spirit, and the possibilities and responsibilities of hearts possessed by God.

3. Improving my practice of continual attention to doing things in the right spirit, with the love of God, and encouraging and supporting other people doing the same, in all religious and ideological contexts.

4. Applying what I'm learning with RVCBard, about performance, to performances of hearts possessed by God.

----

Some performance issues: Visions of possibilities of human life, visions of possible performances of hearts possessed by God, visions of possible responses, ideas about how to represent performances and how to work with performers and audiences on creating and presenting them.

Other ways of representing a performance, besides writing a script

I've been thinking about RVCBard's efforts to go off the beaten paths of dialogue-oriented analytical plays. I've been thinking that it might require going off the beaten paths of scriptwriting, and that it might require a cast and crew who have had some experience with what the performance is about, and who participate in developing the performance.

I tried googling "other ways of representing," with "plays" and "scripts," and a lot of results are about visual representations. A few other ideas came up using other senses, but one result was in a different direction altogether:

"Thus 1.0 and 0.999... are two different decimal numerals representing the natural number 1. There are infinitely many other ways of representing the number 1, for example 2/2, 3/3, 1.00, 1.000, and so on.

(Number, in Wikipedia)

Infinitely many ways of representing, yes . . .

I wonder, has anyone ever tried writing two or three scripts for the same play? What about a comic strip representation and a musical representation for the same performance, developed and applied separately? The performers might practice the two performances separately, then combine them into one, or present them one after the other. That might mean two or three times as much work for everyone. The performance might need to be shortened and simplified, but the possibilities might make it worthwhile.

It reminds me of front, side and top views in mechanical drawing. One flat drawing can not convey all the information needed to construct a solid object. One representation of a performance might not be enough to give a cast and crew everything they need to create the kind of performance Bard wants to create.

I'm wondering how all this might be applied to my performances.

Baha'u'llah wrote:

"Deal ye one with another with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness and fellowship. . . . Exert yourselves that ye may attain this transcendent and most sublime station, the station that can insure the protection and security of all mankind. This goal excelleth every other goal, and this aspiration is the monarch of all aspirations. . . . At one time We spoke in the language of the lawgiver; at another in that of the truth-seeker and the mystic, and yet Our supreme purpose and highest wish hath always been to disclose the glory and sublimity of this station."

(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 14)

Some God-centered performances might revolve more around what He says in the language of the lawgiver, others more around what He says in the language of the truth-seeker and mystic. Looking at it that way might help improve my relationships with some people.