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Beauty in the Universe and Ourselves
There is a beauty in the following verse from the Qur’an, which inspired the title for this article. It is sometimes translated as follows: “We will show them our signs in the universe and themselves, until it becomes manifest to them that it is the truth.” [Qur’an 41:53] Beauty, is one of the many signs (or qualities) of God. In English and many other languages the word “beauty” is applied to qualities that we see in nature, in each other, the things human beings create and in the beautiful lives of outstanding human beings. The image above is an example of impressionist art – a period of art which is…
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Newspapers – Mirror of the World
Newspapers and their more recent digital descendants are the lens through which we see the world. Recently the role of the media has been a subject of intense public scrutiny. Baha’u’llah commented on newspapers in the 19th century. In this Day the secrets of the earth are laid bare before the eyes of men. The pages of swiftly-appearing newspapers are indeed the mirror of the world. They reflect the deeds and the pursuits of diverse peoples and kindreds. They both reflect them and make them known. They are a mirror endowed with hearing, sight and speech. This is an amazing and potent phenomenon. However, it behooveth the writers thereof to be…
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As Mild As Milk – The Human Power of Speech
We live in a time where increasingly shouting down those who think differently than we do is the “normal” of public discourse. Words are bludgeons to be used to subdue and humiliate an opponent or win an argument. Truth is distorted or disregarded. Listening plays a marginal role in this verbal warfare, and the polarisation of society and heightened potential for conflict are frequent outcomes. Yet the power of speech (with its full implications of complexity, abstraction and grammar) is, as far as we know, a distinguishing characteristic of human beings. The tongue, Bahá’u’lláh, warns is a “smouldering fire” consuming “heart and soul”, “the effects of which last a century”.[1] It is…
