The writer explains the importance of sincerity and trust in building lasting friendships and fostering unity in our communities.
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Sincerity and trust are two requisites for true and lasting friendships. Genuine friendships can be founded on these two important pillars.
To be genuine and sincere in our friendships is also a key requirement for harmony and unity in our families and in our communities.
The Bahá'í Writings counsel: “Be ye sincerely kind, not in appearance only,” and “Do not be content with showing friendship in words alone, let your heart burn with loving kindness for all who may cross your path”.
Our friendships should be based on a strong spiritual bond, rather than physical and material attractions.
We often wonder if we can trust people of other backgrounds enough to become their friends. In fact in the Bahá’í view our friendships should be all-embracing.
To create a better world, in which all-embracing friendships are practiced, many patterns of behaviour that characterize our world today must be re-examined. Millions around the world are currently suffering from the ravages of war and conflict. What are the causes of such strife and conflict? Only by eliminating the underlying reasons for the current conflicts and wars can we hope to have all-embracing friendships, and move towards establishing peaceful societies. The causes of such conflicts are, usually, prejudices and discrimination due to differences of race, religion, nationality, or ethnic origin.
The Bahá’í Writings state: “Be kind to all people, love humanity, consider all mankind as your relations and servants of the most high God” and “consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship” and “… associate in friendship; love one another; abandon prejudices of race; dispel forever this gloomy darkness of human ignorance, for the century of light, the Sun of Reality hath appeared. Now is the time for affiliation, and now is the period of unity and concord”.
Lasting and universal friendships can be built by having a loving attitude towards all, from whatever background they may be. The Bahá'í Writings encourage us to actively try “to establish ties of friendship that show no regard for prevalent social barriers and ceaselessly endeavour to bind hearts together in the love of God”.
To be worthy of the trust of others is another basis for strong and lasting friendships. If people know that we keep to our word, that we do what we say we will do – that we practice what we preach – they will naturally trust us. Thus, trust and faithfulness are the basis of all lasting friendships.
According to the Bahá'í Writings, “Trustworthiness is the greatest portal leading unto the tranquillity and security of the people. In truth the stability of every affair hath depended and doth depend upon it”.
Another requirement for lasting friendships is to be able to share our ideas with kindness and not to dwell on people’s faults or, worse, to broadcast them to others. Rather, we should concentrate our thoughts on love and unity, focus upon the good qualities in people, and forgive each other’s shortcomings.
Serving one another, as well as the common good are also amongst the requirements of true and lasting friendships.
* For feedback please contact: secretary.nsa@bahai.org.za or (011) 801 3100
* Websites: www.bahai.org, www.bahai.org.za