In our concern for such immediate obvious calls upon our
succor we must not allow ourselves to forget the continuing, appalling burden
of suffering under which millions of human beings are always groaning -- a
burden which they have borne for century upon century and which it is the
mission of Bahá'u'lláh to lift at last. The principal cause of this suffering,
which one can witness wherever one turns, is the corruption of human morals and
the prevalence of prejudice, suspicion, hatred, untrustworthiness, selfishness
and tyranny among men. It is not merely material well-being that people need.
What they desperately need is to know how to live their lives -- they need to
know who they are, to what purpose they exist, and how they should act towards
one another; and, once they know the answers to these questions they need to be
helped to gradually apply these answers to everyday behavior. It is to the
solution of this basic problem of mankind that the greater part of all our
energy and resources should be directed. There are mighty agencies in this
world, governments, foundations, institutions of many kinds with tremendous
financial resources which are working to improve the material lot of human
beings. Anything we Bahá'ís could add to such resources in the way of special
funds or contributions would be a negligible drop in the ocean. However, alone
among men we have the divinely-given remedy for the real ills of mankind; no
one else is doing or can do this most important work. . . .
- The Universal
House of Justice (From a letter dated November 19, 1974; compilation:
Developing Distinctive Baha’i Communities, NSA of USA, 1998 edition)