O thou who art attracted to the fragrant breathings of God!
I have read thy letter addressed to Mrs. Lua Getsinger. Thou hast indeed
examined with great care the reasons for the incursion of disease into the
human body. It is certainly the case that sins are a potent cause of physical
ailments. If humankind were free from the defilements of sin and waywardness,
and lived according to a natural, inborn equilibrium, without following
wherever their passions led, it is undeniable that diseases would no longer
take the ascendant, nor diversify with such intensity.
But man hath perversely continued to serve his lustful appetites, and he would
not content himself with simple foods. Rather, he prepared for himself food
that was compounded of many ingredients, of substances differing one from the
other. With this, and with the perpetrating of vile and ignoble acts, his attention
was engrossed, and he abandoned the temperance and moderation of a natural way
of life. The result was the engendering of diseases both violent and diverse. (‘Abdu’l-Baha, ‘Selections from the
Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá’; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, Some
Aspects of Heath, Healing, Nutrition and Related Matters)
