Baha'i social and economic development

UN-NYC

For reflection, here's a comment from the Office of Social and Economic Development at the Baha'i World Center, from "The Evolution of Institutional Capacity for Social and Economic Development".

Baha'i social and economic development focuses on increasing the capacity of the friends to make decisions about the spiritual and material progress of their communities and then implement them.

While such development activities provide services that lead to a visible improvement in some aspect of life, their ultimate success is measured by the degrees to which they enhance the ability to address issues of development at increasingly higher levels of complexity and effectiveness.

This applies not only to individuals and communities but also to institutions. As development efforts grow, organizational structures should evolve to meet new challenges and opportunities.

And, this from a Letter of October 20, 1983, from the Universal House of Justice to the Baha'is of the World:

The steps to be taken must necessarily begin in the Baha'i Community itself, with the friends endeavoring, through their application of spiritual principles, their rectitude of conduct and the practice of the art of consultation, to uplift themselves and thus become self-sufficient and self-reliant....

Progress in the development field will largely depend on natural stirrings at the grassroots, and it should receive its driving force from those sources than from an imposition of plans and programs from the top....

... All can share; all can participate in the joint enterprise of applying more systematically the principles of the faith to upraising the quality of human life. The key to success is unity in spirit and in action.

And from the 1993 "Baha'i Social and Economic Development:Prospects for the Future",

Activities in the development field should be viewed as a reinforcement of the teaching work, as a greater manifestation of faith in action. ...

Development projects in themselves offer great opportunities to the friends to become involved in the life of society...

Openness to collaboration with people of capacity and leaders of thought concerned with issues of progress and willingness and ability to invite them to participate in applying the Teaching to specific problems, have to be created at all levels ...

The observations made in the previous section suggest the gradual establishment in each national community of channels ... to achieve material progress for themselves and their people.

...to have relevance ... it must, in all cases carry out its projects in collaboration with the responsible administrative institutions.

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Village scene
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