Labor Day weekend throughout the nation this year includes an added dimension with all of the clean-up efforts that must surely remain in progress for months (if not years) to come from Hurricane Harvy’s recent record rainfall in Texas. Its lasting effect on national gas prices, however, may remain for some time. Otherwise for most least affected, we simply count our blessings and continue our holiday celebrations with holiday picnics and celebrations as usual–hopefully accompanied at some point by assistance wherever and however possible to those grossly affected areas in Texas and elsewhere.
The constant advancement of highly sophisticated weaponry at home and abroad continues to pose an unimaginable threat to our nation and the world through increasingly “touchy” situations. For those of us who believe in prayer–Let’s PRAY!
In more ancient times as in many current systems, the term labor was closely associated with slavery as victors of prisoners captured in war, as well as innumerable others who were born into slavery. How drastically different is the concept of labor in this new Day of God, at least in this comparatively new nation. In this new “Revelation of Baha’u’llah,” labor (to the best of one’s ability, has been “elevated to the station of prayer when offered in the right spirit!
In this new Day work, the arts, sciences and crafts are all counted as worship when performed to the best of one’s capacity, conscientiously concentrating all of one’s forces on perfecting it, not for one’s own profit or gratification but for the benefit of mankind!
The keys unlocking the iron-clad doors of today’s self-imposed slavery include Knowledge, Volition and Action! With the unlimited knowledge readily available literally at our fingertips on any given subject, illiteracy is inexcusable! Yet one must seek that knowledge and, having obtained it, take action upon such knowledge! Mere knowledge of the fact that nourishing physical and spiritual food and action are mandatory for a healthy physical and spiritual being is insufficient in itself. One must voluntarily take deliberate action toward its realization if any benefit is to be derived– for one’s self and/or for others.
In the Holy Bible it is written: “Wisdom is the principle thing, therefore get wisdom (born of knowledge); but with all thy getting, get understanding (through spiritual perception-–which is impossible without some spiritual connection to guide our moral compass.
“It is not desirable that a man be left without knowledge or skills,” state the Baha’i Holy Writings for a fast maturing mankind, “for he is then but a barren tree.”
“Therefore, so much as capacity and capability allow, ye must deck the tree of being with fruits such as knowledge, wisdom, spiritual perception and eloquent speech!” What could possibly distinguish one more in this day than eloquent speech, knowledge, volition and action, the truest Labor of Love–of self, one’s Creator and His creation! (Investigate)
