Recently I came across a video clip of Dr. Jane Goodall, filmed near the end of her long, beautiful life on this planet. She spoke, of course, about the fact that we cannot separate ourselves from nature but also spoke movingly about each of us having a purpose and how our actions make a difference.
There are many passages in Baha’i scripture which address the purpose of life in this world, but I am most familiar with three of them. The first is a favorite of mine: “Having created the world and all that liveth and moveth therein,” Baha’u’llah tells us, “He (God), through the direct operation of His unconstrained and sovereign Will, chose to confer upon man the unique distinction and capacity to know Him and to love Him – a capacity that must needs be regarded as the generating impulse and the primary purpose underlying the whole of creation.” All of us, even the most limited, have been gifted with the ability to respond to and reciprocate God’s love, and in so doing, to manifest it in deeds.
Another passage indicates that an additional purpose of our life here is to attain virtues – all of which flow from God – such as mercy, compassion, love, knowledge, justice, creativity, forgiveness, wisdom, truthfulness, detachment, courage, forbearance, trustworthiness and generosity. Attributes such as these, we are told, will enable us to help others in this world and ourselves in the next, for they are the essentials we will carry with us when we leave this earthly life. If we fail to develop them in the material world, we will be handicapped in the spiritual world.
The third passage I mentioned is this, from Baha’u’llah:
“All men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization.” This passage differs from the others in that it tells us that our purpose here is not only personal and individual, but that it also has a collective aspect. When we undertake anything for the betterment of the world, whether in the fields of science, education or the arts, and when we put forth efforts to combat evils such as racism or seek to actively promote positives such as global peace, we are fulfilling our collective purpose.
If we strive to develop our spiritual qualities and also do our part to make the world, or our little corner of it, better, as these passages suggest, we are assuredly living in harmony with God’s purpose for us. Usually, though, there is an additional “cosmic pull” that is unique to each of us. This may be something we feel we were “put on earth to do.” I have a friend who knows it’s his purpose to work with Parkinson’s patients, another who has devoted much of her life to helping those struggling with poverty. There is no calling which is either more or less valid than another. And, of course, one’s specific purpose may change during the course of a lifetime.
In his book, Forces of Our Time: The Dynamics of Light and Darkness, Baha’i author Hooper C. Dunbar illustrates this point in a most compelling manner: “The path of action through which we fulfill God’s intention for humanity is also the path that allows us to attain our own highest stage of the excellence latent in each one of us. ‘Abdu’l-Baha explains that, while we can potentially express and reflect the light of all the names and attributes of God, there is a dominant name of God acting in every individual. This is why each of us views the writings and views life from a somewhat different perspective. Perhaps the name of God, the merciful dominates in one and in another, the name of God, the knower. In one person there is a tremendous thirst for knowledge while another person shows a thirst for ministering to peoples’ needs. The unique endowment of divine spirit, which is the character of each human being, will come to light and be fully expressed through our individual efforts to serve the divine plan. Each of us has a distinct role to play, each has a unique contribution to make . . . In the final analysis, no one can play the role of anyone else or deprive another of their service.”
Developing your spiritual attributes and that divine calling which is uniquely yours and using them for the world’s betterment constitutes one of the most profound joys this life has to offer. Jane Goodall knew this. May we all know it, as well!
Nancy Flood-Golembeck is a retired teacher and longtime member of the Baha’i faith. In addition to serving on the local Baha’i governing body, she is currently writing a memoir.
