Daily Frameworks for 06 December 2025

Jalál, 15 Qawl (Speech), 182 B.E.

Social Action: Selected Themes Pertaining to Social and Economic Development

Quotes for Reflection

One of the most significant developments that mark the unfoldment of the Divine Plan at this time has been the advancements at the level of culture that the Bahá’í community has experienced and to which the House of Justice has in several of its messages referred. These advancements deserve profound reflection. Every devoted believer will surely wish to guard and further foster them. Accordingly, the friends must pay heed to their manner of communication which can do so much to impact the community’s culture. They must aim to raise consciousness without awakening the insistent self, to disseminate insight without cultivating a sense of celebrity, to address issues profoundly but not court controversy, to remain clear in expression but not descend to crassness prevalent in common discourse, and to avoid deliberately or unintentionally setting the agenda for the community or, in seeking the approval of society, recasting the community’s endeavors in terms that can undermine those very endeavors. — Universal House of Justice ¹

Question for Consideration

What manner of communication by the friends protects and furthers advancements deserving profound reflection that mark the unfoldment of the Divine Plan at the level of culture within the community?

Perplexity Pro Response ²

The manner of communication that protects and furthers these cultural advancements is one that is consciously humble, elevating, and aligned with the community’s learning process and collective mission. [1]

Core qualities of such communication

It seeks to “raise consciousness without awakening the insistent self,” meaning it focuses listeners’ or readers’ attention on principles, practice, and collective progress rather than on personalities, ego, or personal grievance. [1]
It “disseminates insight without cultivating a sense of celebrity,” so even when sharing valuable experience or perspective, it avoids self-promotion, building followings around individuals, or presenting any believer as an authority above the institutions or the community’s shared understanding. [1]

Tone and style

It “addresses issues profoundly but not [by] court[ing] controversy,” so it does not shy away from depth, complexity, or difficult questions, yet it avoids polarizing language, sensationalism, or modes of expression that mirror partisan or confrontational discourse. [1]
It is “clear in expression but not [descending] to crassness prevalent in common discourse,” maintaining courtesy, purity of speech, and dignity even in informal settings or online spaces. [1]

Relation to the community’s direction

It refrains from “deliberately or unintentionally setting the agenda for the community,” instead supporting the direction given by the institutions and the evolving conceptual framework of the Plan, helping others understand and walk that path rather than proposing alternative programs or personal platforms. [1]
It avoids “recasting the community’s endeavours in terms that can undermine those very endeavours” in order to gain society’s approval, meaning it does not translate Bahá’í work into purely partisan, ideological, or fashionably secular categories that distort its spirit, aims, and methods. [1]

Overall effect

Such communication reinforces a culture of learning-in-action—rooted in consultation, accompaniment, and service—by encouraging participation, unity of thought, and confidence in the divine origin and purposes of the Plan. [1]
It thus “guards and further fosters” those cultural advancements that “deserve profound reflection,” helping the community unfold the Divine Plan in a way that is coherent, spiritually focused, and protected from the patterns of an old and divisive social order. [1]

Follow-Up Questions Proposed by Perplexity

A useful way to deepen understanding is to ask questions that examine inner attitudes, practical applications, and community implications of this guidance. [2] [3]

About inner attitude

What does “raising consciousness without awakening the insistent self” mean in my own experience of speaking, writing, or posting online? [2] [4]
In what subtle ways might a desire for approval, influence, or visibility be shaping how I communicate about the Faith or about service? [4] [5]

About practice and habits

How can I share insights or experiences of service in a way that strengthens a culture of learning but does not create or reinforce a sense of celebrity? [2] [4]
What concrete habits of speech (choice of words, tone, platforms, frequency) help me avoid courting controversy while still addressing issues with depth and candor? [3] [5]

About community life

When does personal commentary risk “setting the agenda” for the community, and how can my communication instead support the guidance of the institutions and the plans under way? [2] [3]
In efforts to speak to contemporary audiences, how might I be tempted to recast Bahá’í endeavors in terms that please prevailing ideologies but weaken their spiritual assumptions and aims? [4] [5]

About consultation and discourse

How can the qualities of Bahá’í consultation—courtesy, detachment, truthfulness, and focus on the common good—shape the way I participate in public discourse, both within the community and in society at large? [5] [6]
What safeguards can a group adopt (for example, in WhatsApp groups, social media, or community gatherings) so that its communication patterns reflect this guidance and foster an uplifting, unified culture? [5] [6]

Citations

Footnotes

Research Department of the Universal House of Justice. “Social Action.” Bahá’í Reference Library, August 2020. https://www.bahai.org/r/277860317 ↩︎
Perplexity Pro. “Communication by the Friends That Protects and Furthers Advancements.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. December 5, 2025. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/one-of-the-most-significant-de-3c9CQDglSMKG2jDec6bjgg#0. ↩︎