The history of humanity has primarily been one of dehumanization, said Dr. Nader Saiedi, speaking at the annual Conference of the Association of Bahá’í Studies in San Francisco, 11-14 August 2011. His talk, the 29th Hasan M. Balyuzi Memorial Lecture, was a highlight of the conference attended by more than 1,500 adults, youth and children.
Dehumanization is a process by which human beings are reduced to the level of nature, reflected today in such forces as materialism, violence, militarism, extremes of wealth and poverty, and state-sponsored violations of the freedom of conscience and belief, noted Dr. Saiedi. The “birth of the human being”, in a genuine sense, requires the rethinking and reconstruction of both religion and modernity, Dr. Saiedi explained.
The Central Figures of the Baha’i Revelation, the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, all give spiritual impetus to this “birth of the human being” as spiritual consciousness and the oneness of humankind emerges on the horizon of history.
Citing a passage from Baha’u’llah - “That one indeed is a man who, today, dedicateth himself to the service of the entire human race.” - Dr. Saiedi elaborated on the dynamics of universal love and the nature of a new morality characterized by the consciousness of universal spiritual principles.
Dr. Saiedi’s comments were among numerous insights shared at the conference that included eight plenary speakers, and more than eighty presentations at breakout sessions on topics as varied as the arts, bioethics, education, human rights, law and governance, philosophy and religion.
Parallel programs were offered for children and youth throughout the conference.
The theme of the conference was “Transforming Habits of Thought”, inspired by the 28 December 2010 message of the Universal House of Justice, the international governing council of the Baha’i community. The message mentions a few specific habits of thought that need to be developed at the level of culture including the ability to think in terms of process.
The organizers challenged participants to think of the following questions: Where do ideas and practices in various fields originate? How do habits of thought change – individually and collectively, whether through deliberate effort or subconsciously, through study, spiritual practice, or experience?
Drawing on the conference theme, Kenneth Bowers, Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States, spoke about how the plans of the Universal House of Justice have changed the way of thinking and managing the governance of the Baha’is of the United States.
Key to this new way of thinking is the posture of learning central to recent Plans of the Universal House of Justice. He noted that a learning process is clearly in motion when we ask different questions today than we did previously.
Dr. Hoda Mahmoudi, coordinator of the Baha’i World Centre’s Research Department, spoke about human knowledge and how the worldwide Baha’i community has been challenged by the House of Justice to apply with humility spiritual and secular knowledge that can contribute to an enduring process of civilization building.
One participant commented how pleased he was to see more and more speakers correlate the processes of the Baha’i Plan currently guiding the work of Baha’is around to the world to their discussions. He also noted the presence of many university students at the conference, and their focus on how to live a life of service.
Another participant, attending the annual conference for the first time, said she was impressed by the range of themes addressed in the light of the Baha’i teachings, and the creative ways that presenters were relating the teachings to broad fields of discourse.
“The keynote speakers delved deeply into the Baha’i Writings and their implications on a broad variety of social themes including public policy, the generation of knowledge, and the role of the arts,” she said.
Matthew Weinberg, former research director of the Baha’i International Community, spoke about the importance of identity, and how religion shapes identity through the dialogical character of human life. He argued that new models of social transformation would only emerge from a fundamental change in consciousness about who we are and how we regard others.
Dr. Billie Mayo, an educator, shared her experience developing a program that is helping marginalized youth overcome racism and took conference participants through parts of the workshops she has helped develop for young people.
Numerous artistic presentations were offered throughout the conference, and plenary sessions included accomplished artists, such as renowned architect Fariborz Sahba and composer and pianist Ludwig Tuman. The latter performed a fourteen-piece original composition before sharing his thoughts on integrating the arts into the process of community-building.
The final speaker was actor Rainn Wilson, who entertained the audience as he explained the way his website Soulpancake, has created a space for individuals to have dialogue on spiritual matters.