...the most urgent need of human beings is to recognize the
Manifestation of God and thereby to learn how to collaborate constructively.
All over the world tremendous efforts are being made to improve the lot of
mankind -- or of parts of mankind, but most of these efforts are frustrated by
conflicts of aims, by corruption of the morals of those involved, by mistrust,
or by fear. There is no lack of material resources in the world if they are
properly used. The problem is the education of human beings in the ultimate and
most important purpose of life and in how to weld differences of opinion and
outlook into a united constructive effort. Bahá'ís believe that God has
revealed the purpose of life, has shown us how to attain it, has provided the
ways in which we can work together and, beyond that, has given mankind the
assurance both of continuing divine guidance and of divine assistance. As
people learn and follow these teachings their efforts will produce durable
results. In the absence of these teachings, a lifetime of effort only too often
ends in disillusionment and the collapse of all that has been built....
- The Universal House of Justice (From a
letter dated 3 January 1982 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice
to an individual believer; Compilation: Redistribution of Wealth, prepared by
the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)
