-->
Tuesdays in the
Chapel
Tuesday November 3 |
8:30am | MIT Chapel
Speaker: Brian Aull, Bahá'ì Chaplain, MIT
First Reading:
In this Cause
consultation is of vital importance, but spiritual conference and not the mere
voicing of personal views is intended. In France I was present at a session of
the senate, but the experience was not impressive. Parliamentary procedure
should have for its object the attainment of the light of truth upon questions
presented and not furnish a battleground for opposition and self-opinion.
Antagonism and contradiction are unfortunate and always destructive to truth.
In the parliamentary meeting mentioned, altercation and useless quibbling were
frequent; the result, mostly confusion and turmoil; even in one instance a
physical encounter took place between two members. It was not consultation but
comedy.
The purpose is to
emphasize the statement that consultation must have for its object the
investigation of truth. He who expresses an opinion should not voice it as
correct and right but set it forth as a contribution to the consensus of
opinion, for the light of reality becomes apparent when two opinions coincide.
A spark is produced when flint and steel come together. Man should weigh his
opinions with the utmost serenity, calmness and composure. Before expressing
his own views he should carefully consider the views already advanced by
others. If he finds that a previously expressed opinion is more true and
worthy, he should accept it immediately and not willfully hold to an opinion of
his own. By this excellent method he endeavors to arrive at unity and truth.
‘Abdu’l‑Bahá
2 May 1912
Three Civic Virtues - Brian Aull, MIT Bahá'ì Chaplain
So what did I learn this
summer?
As some of you know, this
was the year I published The Triad, a
book on American democracy. I undertook
this because I have become very concerned about the direction American society
is taking. We see a climate of hostile
and divisive partisanship, political corruption, and dysfunction in our
governing institutions. Alongside this
are some very concerning problems: failing
school systems, high incarceration rates, racial tension, decaying
infrastructure, and a widening gap between the social classes.
This is a faith-inspired
book. Its themes are rooted in the idea
that as fellow human beings, we are members of an extended family. This is a teaching we find in all the great
religions. It’s a deceptively simple
idea. It can be one of those lofty ideals
that we dismiss as obvious on an abstract level but unattainable in practice.
So my task was to answer
the question: what would a democracy look like if it was inspired by this
ideal? What specifically are the
“better angels” of citizenship that could make this happen in the real
world? I boil these down to three
civic virtues in my book. After the first
edition of the book came out at the end of January, I began having
conversations with others who share my concerns. Over the summer, I discovered that other
authors and activists had weighed in on these subjects. In fact, there is a growing body of writings
on civic renewal; remarkably, when I examined their solutions, I found that
they rely on the same civic virtues.
People of very different backgrounds and training were arriving at the
same answers. By the end of the summer,
I had a better understanding of the civic virtues, why they are important, and
what they look like in the real world.
So what are they?
First, there is what I
call service. The term usually connotes volunteer work, but
I use it more broadly. It’s personal
ownership of one’s role as a contributor to society. Citizens are problem solvers, not just
recipients of benefits. An example is
the California Redistricting Commission, in which a large number of
civic-minded people arose to help redraw the electoral districts in the state,
resulting in a new map that won praise from electoral reform groups.
The second virtue is learning. Again, I’m using a term broadly. It’s not academic learning, but civic
learning. A key part of this is an
approach to deliberation in which the participants seek to learn about the
problem they want to solve. Instead of
fighting for preconceived outcomes based on ideological bias, the participants
gain new insights from the conversation.
They figure out in a collaborative way what the outcomes should be. An example is the Strong Starts for Children
program in New Mexico, whose recommendations for improving childhood education
in the state came out of “dialog circles” comprising ordinary citizens.
The third virtue is community. This means building networks of
relationships. People are different,
and a powerful new capacity is created when they work together. It’s particularly powerful when the relationships
bridge traditional divides of race or class or whatever. Catalyzed by a group of scholars from Auburn
University, a racially diverse group of citizens began working together to
revitalize a segregated, economically depressed, and dilapidated Alabama
town. Initially, their meetings had a
stiff and formal atmosphere. As their
work progressed, something happened to them. Growing personal warmth melted away the estrangement,
and a strong group identity emerged that transcended race. This in turn made them effective in eliciting
cooperation and tapping diverse resources in the community.
Now imagine how
constituents like those in these examples might transform the incentives of political leaders. They send a powerful signal: don’t tell us what you think we want to hear.
Tell us the truth, and then we’ll help you do a better job.
The above examples and the
passages shared this morning from the Bahá’í writings reflect the longer-term
vision that inspired The Triad. This is humankind’s transition from
political adolescence to political maturity.
Adversarial debate gives way to collaborative learning. Radical
individualism yields to a spirit of community. The blame game is replaced by
acts of service. Most importantly, the realization that the human race is one
family, endowed by its Creator with the capacity to build a progressive and
prosperous world civilization, emerges as the self-evident truth of the
twenty-first century.
Second Reading:
Be united in counsel, be
one in thought. Let each morn be better than its eve and each morrow richer
than its yesterday. Man’s merit lieth in service and virtue and not in the
pageantry of wealth and riches. Take heed that your words be purged from idle
fancies and worldly desires and your deeds be cleansed from craftiness and
suspicion. Dissipate not the wealth of your precious lives in the pursuit of
evil and corrupt affection, nor let your endeavors be spent in promoting your
personal interest. Be generous in your days of plenty, and be patient in the
hour of loss. Adversity is followed by success and rejoicings follow woe. Guard
against idleness and sloth, and cling unto that which profiteth mankind,
whether young or old, whether high or low. Beware lest ye sow tares of
dissension among men or plant thorns of doubt in pure and radiant hearts.
Bahá'u'lláh
c. 1873
For just as each of us has
one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same
function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs
to all the others.
Romans 12:4-5
Thousands of candles can
be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be
shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.
Buddha
