How Humanity Can Finally Create a Peaceful Global Society

Many people seem to have given up on ever building a peaceful global society. Instead, pessimism reigns, and we revert to the negative notion that humanity will always have wars and rumors of wars.

However, religion promises us otherwise — that the lion will one day lay down with the metaphorical lamb, and that the nations will have peace.

For example, in the Biblical book of Romans, Chapter 1, verses 19-20, we read this promise:

For all that may be known of God lies plain before [humanity’s] eyes; indeed, God has disclosed it to them. His invisible attributes, that is to say, His everlasting power and deity, have been visible, ever since the world began, to the eye of reason, in the things He has made.

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The Baha’i teachings assert that this long-term religious promise will soon become a reality. Baha’u’llah, the prophet and founder of the Baha’i Faith, wrote that within this modern age we will have peace:

The purpose of religion as revealed from the heaven of God’s holy Will is to establish unity and concord amongst the peoples of the world … The religion of God and His divine law are the most potent instruments and the surest of all means for the dawning of the light of unity amongst men. The progress of the world, the development of nations, the tranquility of peoples, and the peace of all who dwell on earth are among the principles and ordinances of God. Religion bestoweth upon man the most precious of all gifts, offereth the cup of prosperity, imparteth eternal life, and showereth imperishable benefits upon mankind. 

When we contemplate this vast universe, we can see how everything emanates from God’s divine Will, operating with precision, following an immutable course, and abiding by one universal set of laws. All creation is bound by these laws and cannot deviate from their perfection of design and execution. The massive sun and stars, the planets and galaxies, even down to the smallest atom, all obediently follow the dictates of God’s creative command. 

We human beings, as part of this vast creation, are bound by this same natural law as well — but we are not wholly governed by it to the same extent as the rest of the natural world. Our free will sets us apart from nature, and we possess qualities that nature does not share: the qualities of our soul. Through its spiritual reality, that is, the soul’s power of mind and spirit, we possess consciousness, will, reflection, and the capacity for knowledge. Nature is devoid of these. 

Also, our souls possess the spiritual capacity of expressing all the divine virtues, such as gentleness, love, kindness, compassion, the appreciation of beauty and the love and knowledge of God; nature has none of these qualities. We are made in the spiritual image and likeness of the Creator, and this unique capacity, which sets us apart from rest of creation, is a divine bestowal, our greatest bounty. 

If God’s Will expresses His perfection, then it follows that if we align ourselves with His spiritual laws, if we acquaint ourselves with His commands, internalize them, obey their guidance, and implement their requirements, then through our being and action we can construct a harmonious, vibrant, peaceful, prosperous and just society — the fruits of God’s commandments. 

Herein lies our capacity for peace. 

This is our birthright — and completely within our power. We just have to choose to make it so. 

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The suffering, turmoil, division, agitation, and strife we see today are a direct consequence of the light of religion dying out in our collective hearts. In order to find the will and power for transformation, we must, as another verse of Romans says:

… offer your very selves to Him; a living sacrifice, dedicated and fit for His acceptance, the worship offered by mind and heart … adapt yourselves no longer to the pattern of this present world, but let your minds be remade and your whole nature thus transformed. Then you will be able to discern the will of God, and to know what is good, acceptable and perfect.

Relationships molded and formed by these spiritual principles ensure peace, whether between individuals or entire nations. Just as the universal physical laws operate with precision and order, spiritual laws do as well; the difference is that we have to choose that path. 

Let’s not relegate the essentials of religion to the periphery of our lives, but use and absorb their power to heal and build a unified, peaceful, and secure world.