Cultivating a new pattern of family life also counters the forces of disintegration that are an inseparable feature of an age in transition.
- These forces assailing society have particularly affected the family, sundering its ties, and taking a heavy toll on its members, especially on children.
- They can expose family members to some of the most destructive social pathologies:
- an absence of love and care,
- neglect of the things of the spirit,
- dehumanization,
- poverty,
- insecurity, and
- violence.
- Individuals are tempted to surrender to a life of material distractions or personal gratification, thereby becoming mere objects to be manipulated by those who seek to impose their designs on society.
- Contrasting ideologies and identities, incompatible with the ideals of the oneness of humanity and a peaceful world, vie for the allegiance of the masses and contend for superiority with one another.
- Some of these movements plant seeds of prejudice and fanaticism which ultimately yield estrangement, conflict, and contention among the peoples of the world.
- Others may seem to conform to some aspect of the Teachings, only to subtly lead the friends away from Bahá’u’lláh’s straight path.
- The forces associated with the process of disintegration affect different populations in different ways.
The family, and the community as a whole, will need to
- learn to examine existing circumstances,
- grasp the nature and impact of such forces, and,
- with full reliance on divine assistance, develop preventive and remedial measures in order to weather the tumultuous storms of a perilous age.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a message dated 19
March 2025 to the Bahá’ís of the World; online Baha’i Reference Library of the
Baha’i World Center)
