The Birth of Human Being

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The Birth of the Human Being

Therefore, true freedom is dependent not only on liberation from exter- nal nature, but it also requires human emancipation from the bondage of internal nature. This internal nature is the principle and habit of struggle for existence, perceiving human society as a jungle. Affirming this redefi- nition of freedom as one of the central principles of the Bahá’í Faith, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá states: And among the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is man’s freedom, that through the ideal Power he should be free and emancipated from the captivity of the world of nature; for as long as man is captive to nature he is a ferocious animal, as the struggle for existence is one of the exi- gencies of the world of nature. This matter of the struggle for exis- tence is the fountain-head of all calamities and is the supreme afflic- tion. ( Selections 316) In this and other statements, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá presents a theory in which human freedom is realized when humans have overcome their naturalistic self-alienation. The rise of human beings from the dictates of nature con- stitutes the true realization of human freedom. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in His Writings defines the struggle for existence as a law that is prevalent in nature. However, humans must act according to the realm of values, tran- scend the realm of nature, and act as spiritual beings. Animals act on the basis of the principle of struggle for existence, but their behavior is regu- lated by natural instincts, and the overall result of such a system is the ecological harmony of the earth. Yet humans are not regulated by instincts because they are endowed with dynamic reason. Consequently if humans act in accordance with the principle of struggle for existence, the result will be not ecological harmony but rather the extinction of life on earth through the destruction of the environment and nuclear war. Social Darwinism, defined in broad ways, represents the reduction of humans to the level of nature. A culture of peace, justice, unity, and communication, on the other hand, represents the overcoming of human self-alienation, the birth of the human being, and true freedom. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in that same Tablet addressed to the Hague Peace