Flora Teckie
We commonly use the term ‘empowerment’, and it is often associated with advances in socio-economic development.
There is, however, a need to re-examine this concept and its application to various aspects of life.
Consensus on the meaning of empowerment, in the words of the Bahí International Community, can be found around its definition as a “means of improving quality of life and expanding the basis of human well-being. In short, empowerment can serve as a mechanism for effecting deep and broad-based social transformation”.
Social justice implies equality before the law, equal opportunity, and equitable management and distribution of wealth. When discussing strategies for human rights, social and economic development, and empowerment, justice towards all has to be at the heart of it.
Observing justice towards everyone is vital to the establishment of unity and harmony at all levels of society. “No light can compare with the light of justice. The establishment of order in the world and the tranquillity of the nations depend upon it”, says Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Baháí Faith.
Moral and spiritual empowerment is an essential element of individual and social transformation. Principles such as trustworthiness, justice, and unity are pre-requisites for socio-economic empowerment, social justice, stability, and well-being.
In the Bahá’í view, empowering everyone will depend on transformations at both personal and structural levels. Many see social change as an outcome of the development of individuals through education, training, access to material resources and so on. In practice, this is not necessarily always the case, because often those who benefit from such resources participate in oppressive social structures. On the other hand, there is a belief that human beings can only change and be transformed if social structures are changed first.
The Baháí International Community, in a statement to UN Commission for Social Development, states, “increasing the capacity of individuals and communities to build more just and equitable social structures requires a conception of social development that avoids these extremes. Individual and structural transformation are intimately related: the individual’s inner life shapes his or her social environment, and that environment, in turn, exerts a profound influence on one’s spiritual and psychological well-being”.
The Baháí Writings use the following metaphor, in which humanity is likened to a single social organism. This metaphor helps in exploring empowerment as means for transformation of both individuals and society. Accordingly, society is composed of not only a mass of diverse people, but of associations of individuals. The same way as the perfect functioning of the human body is due to the unity of diverse cells and organs, so the well-being and well-functioning of body of mankind is dependent on the unity of, and cooperation amongst, its diverse elements.
Regarding the empowerment of the individual and institutions, the Baháí International Community states that the individual, “must be helped to reclaim his dignity and sense of self-worth, must be encouraged to gain confidence to improve his condition and strive to realize his potential.
Beyond the achievement of personal well-being, he must be nurtured to become a source of social good—of peace, happiness and advantage to those around him. It is at the level of service to others that our humanity achieves its highest expression”.
Institutions “at every level of society, … must serve as channels through which the talents and energies of individuals can be harnessed in service to humanity. Resources that help to develop this individual and institutional capacity represent a true source of wealth to the community”.