The Bab, which is a title that means 'The Gate', declared His mission on earth on the evening of May 22, 1844. He was the first of the Twin Messengers, and the first of the four major players in my faith. His life was short, but His mission important. He was the one who paved the way for the others.
Feast today was beautiful and interesting. I am truly blessed to have started my life as a Baha'i in Korea. To sit in a study group or prayer meeting, as I often refer to them for simplicity, with folks who've not spoken English their entire lives, people who live in a country/culture where the Baha'i law of receiving permission from parents of both parties when getting married is just a given, and things like respect for elders and making education a high priority are cultural norms... That's an amazing opportunity. In the states, I find myself often explaining, it is more and more rare for couples to ask their parents' permission to marry. In the Baha'i faith, a proposal is just the first step, but the couple are not officially engaged until the permission of both parents is obtained. The purpose of this is to help merge not just the couple, but to integrate families and build community. Marriage is not just a promise between two people, it is the bringing together of families, and the creation of a new one at the same time. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and the Baha'i mindset very much agrees with this, from all I've been so blessed as to experience.
We also went over the Ridvan (pronounced riz-wan) message today. Each year our highest headquarters writes a message for us- Army folks, think of it as an AAR of sorts. It's comprised of what we've done, what we intended to do, and what our strengths and weaknesses are. We, as a global community, are told what we need to focus on to strengthen our communities and spirits. This year's message was quite long, and, so, we only got to go through a couple paragraphs today.
This passage caught my attention and hit me like a sucker punch hits a drunk: "Let no one fail to appreciate the possibilities thus created. Passivity is bred by the forces of society today. A desire to be entertained is nurtured from childhood, with increasing efficiency, cultivating generations willing to be led by whoever proves skilful at appealing to superficial emotions."
Tell me that's not the truth.
This sprung a conversation amongst our group about the state of music today. Music is now an industry, whereas it was once an event, a practice, a ritual. Mrs. Yoon, a very kind lady of a generation before my own, commented that she went to a festival at the local college not so long ago and it was almost upsetting to her to see these younger folks sit, separated, and watching people dance. 'I felt the generation gap,' she told us, as she explained that music has always been a participatory thing to her, and here were these young people passively letting themselves be entertained by watching someone else enjoy music. I couldn't help but agree. It reminded me of the ride up to the spiritual retreat last weekend. Rock Star and I were the only ones with headphones on practically dancing in our seats to the music. How do you listen to music and not feel moved? What's the point of listening to music if it doesn't move you? Even when I am still, music brings out emotions in me that aren't tapped otherwise. Why is life becoming a spectator sport?! Why do you think these videos of people breaking out into song and/or dance in public places are going viral now? Are people really happy watching life? Are you really happy worrying about what people might think if you dance? Are you happy waiting for someone else to entertain you?
"We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance." -Japanese proverb
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