by Claudia A. Whitworth
Editor, Roanoke Tribune
Since time immemorial the most important of mediums in all forms of life is that of communications, “the imparting or exchanging of information.” In watching nature channels and documentaries we observe that all forms of fish, fowl, man, and beast use some form of communication to relay different messages. Oddly enough we also observe that these respective communicative mediums remain basically unchanged in nature–with man alone endowed with the intellect to create and change everything–but man.
In the Holy Bible, we read, “Get knowledge, get wisdom; but with all thy getting get understanding.” And nothing is more critical to getting understanding than good communication, especially among men and nations! Yet the more advanced man becomes in science, technology, and intellect, the more alienated we become even within the most basic homes in which the former “family unit” has been replaced with other options.
The rapid deterioration and decay of the social and moral fiber of today’s high-tech society are being attributed in part to a serious breakdown in communications within the home where the first, most permanent, and formative attitudes and morals are formed in the child. With the multi-makeup of today’s fast-changing family structure, children are being progressively passed (as young as 2 weeks old) through early childcare givers, to pre-school, peers, teachers, and students of multicultural classrooms of various behavioral patterns and attitudes with little if any steady communicative moral or spiritual guidance through the child’s most critical and formative transition.
The end results, only the strong survive with far too many others falling through the cracks, becoming disillusioned, cynical, bitter, and rebellious, often resorting to fast-buck shortcuts through fear, peer pressure, and intimidation, to hopefully gain some acceptance and/or respect. Couple this with the continuous exposure of today’s children and youth to violence, vulgarity, profanity, and promiscuity on primetime television, boom boxes movie and TV screens, and easy accessibility to porn and pedophiles through the internet and other social media, and we are hit full force with the detriment of modern communication totally out of control.
The most effective mode of communication today, however, remains the continuous loving and positive nurturing of children at the earliest age, not by telling them what is wrong but by showing them what is right, and they will recognize wrong from the dynamic force of example!
To improve the quality of life in our communities, our state, nation, and the world we must improve our quality of communication to provide more healthy and accurate information and less indoctrination and manipulation “by different folks with different strokes,” for different reasons.
“The foundation of the Kingdom of God is laid upon justice, fairness, mercy, sympathy, and kindness to every soul,” we read in the Baha’i Scriptures, “Then strive ye with heart and soul to practice love and kindness to the world of humanity at large, “except to those souls who are selfish and insincere.” It is not advisable to show kindness to a person who is a tyrant, a traitor, or a thief because kindness encourages him to become worse and does not awaken him. The more kindness you show a liar the more he is apt to lie for he thinks that you know not, while you do know, but kindness keeps you from revealing your knowledge.”
In this new Divine Dispensation, (that began May 23, 1844–the same day the first telegraph (man’s first means of mass communication) tapped out the words, “what hath God wrought!”
“The days of idol worship (through words) are truly ending…” and nothing but the purest communication through deeds will be acceptable in the sight of the One True God of all religions–only through a new spiritual GPS!
