Jamál, 17 Núr (Light), 183 B.E.
Quotes for Reflection
This is telling. Such objectives could not be realistically contemplated if administrative institutions and agencies had not evolved markedly, endowing them with significantly heightened capacity to manage the affairs of a community whose activities have multiplied so quickly, embracing a vast and growing number of kindred souls. It would not be possible to aspire to such growth if a desire to learn—to act, to reflect, to capture insights, and to absorb the insights emerging elsewhere—had not been cultivated at all levels, extending to the grassroots of the community. And the effort implied by such projections would hardly be feasible if a systematic approach to the teaching work and to human resource development had not become increasingly manifest in the Bahá’í world. All this has brought about an advance in the Bahá’í community’s awareness of its own identity and purpose. A determination to be outward looking in the process of community building had already become an established aspect of culture in many, many places; it has now blossomed, in a rising number of communities, into a sense of real responsibility for the spiritual and material progress of larger and larger groups within society, well beyond the membership of the Bahá’í community itself. The efforts of the friends to build communities, to engage in social action, and to contribute to the prevalent discourses of society have cohered into one global enterprise, bound together by a common framework for action, focused on helping humanity to establish its affairs on a foundation of spiritual principles. The significance of the developments we have described, reaching this point one hundred years after the inauguration of the Administrative Order, cannot be overlooked. In the extraordinary rise in capacity that has occurred in the last two decades—and which has made it possible for the Bahá’í world to view its endeavours in terms of the release of the society-building power of the Faith—we see incontrovertible evidence that the Cause of God has entered the sixth epoch of its Formative Age. We announced last Riḍván that the widespread phenomenon of large numbers participating in Bahá’í activities, being kindled by faith, and acquiring the skills and abilities to serve their communities signalled that the third epoch of the Master’s Divine Plan had commenced; thus, the One Year Plan, at its inception then and at its conclusion now, has come to mark a set of historic advances made by the company of the faithful. And at the threshold of a new, mighty undertaking, this united body of believers stands ready to seize the possibilities wide open before it. — Universal House of Justice [1]
Question for Consideration
How can one apply the general call for Bahá’í s to “render service to the world of humanity” while focusing on the aim of an ongoing series of global plans for “the release of the society-building power of the Faith in ever-greater measures” to social endeavors in eldercare? [2]
Perplexity Computer Response
Mid-Level: Sustained Programs and Community Structures
As human resources grow and learning accumulates, communities can develop more sustained programs. These might include:
- Caregiver support circles: Small groups where family members and neighbors who care for elders can study Bahá’í perspectives on the soul, detachment, and service together, find mutual support, and develop shared capacity for caregiving. [3]
- Neighborhood accompaniment networks: Coordinated systems by which community members — inspired by the community-building process — visit isolated or homebound elders regularly, not as paid professionals but as friends and neighbors enacting the “extended family” model the BIC has advocated. [4] [5]
- Intergenerational community festivals and public discourse forums: Events that bring together people of all ages to consult on what flourishing aging looks like in their neighborhood, contributing to the “prevalent discourses of society” that the global plans identify as a key area of engagement. [6] [7]
Footnotes
[1] Universal House of Justice. “Riḍván 2022 – To the Bahá’ís of the World.” Bahá’i Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/987507527
[2] Perplexity Computer. “Practical Pathways: A Spectrum of Eldercare Engagement.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. June 20, 2026. https://www.perplexity.ai/computer/a/7136fb50-4676-4fcd-8695-c2ee4ec4d94f
[3] Tully Law Group. “Spiritual Care for Caregivers of Loved Ones with Alzheimer’s Disease.” Tully Elder Law. https://tullyelderlaw.com/blog/spiritual-care-caregivers-loved-ones-alzheimers-disease/
[4] Baha’i International Community Brussels Staff. “A European strategy for the elderly: The irreplaceable role of community life.” Bahá’í International Community, November 29, 2023. https://www.bic.org/statements/european-strategy-elderly-irreplaceable-role-community-life
[5] Bahá’í International Community Brussels Staff. “BIC Brussels: Reimagining the elderly’s role in society.” Bahá’í International Community, December 6, 2023. https://www.bic.org/news/bic-brussels-reimagining-elderlys-role-society
[6] Universal House of Justice. “Nine Year Plan (2022-2031).” Bahaipedia. https://bahaipedia.org/Nine_Year_Plan_(2022-2031)
[7] International Environment Forum Staff. “Community Social Action.” International Environment Forum. https://iefworld.org/cmpcommunityaction
Be the Voice of…
Therefore, all souls should consider it incumbent upon them to investigate reality. Reality is one; and when found, it will unify all mankind. Reality is the love of God. Reality is the knowledge of God. Reality is justice. Reality is the oneness or solidarity of mankind. Reality is international peace. Reality is the knowledge of verities. Reality unifies humanity. — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá The Promulgation of Universal Peace | Bahá’í Reference Library.
Frameworks for Understanding the World 