In the following passage, the Guardian called attention to the supreme importance of service to the Cause as a direct and powerful means of mitigating the severity of the ordeal through which mankind is now passing:
...he is constantly pointing out to the Bahá’ís that their direct Bahá’í work— teaching, perfecting the administration, propagating the Cause of God is their job and of immediate importance, because it is, so to speak, spiritually organic. What they are doing will release forces which will combat the terrible disintegration of society which we witness today in every field, political, economic, or otherwise.... (From a letter dated 5 July 1947, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer)
- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 14 July 1988 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; compilation: ‘Potential Calamities and Ensuring Sustainability of Communities’, prepared by the Baha’i World Center)
