The material world, in relation to the spiritual world, is a world of imperfections. It is full of dangers and difficulties which have been greatly aggravated by man’s neglect and misuse of his responsibilities. Human society itself, which exists in the material world, is in disastrous disarray.
Our appetites and inclinations are strongly influenced by the condition of our physical makeup, and our bodies are in varying degrees of health, depending upon factors such as heredity, environment, nourishment and our own treatment of them. Genetic variations occur, producing conditions which can create problems for the individual. Some conditions are of an emotional or psychological nature, producing such imbalances as quickness to anger, recklessness, timorousness, and so forth; others involve purely physical characteristics, resulting not only in unusual capacities but also in … diseases of various kinds.
Whether deficiencies are inborn or are acquired, our purpose in this life is to overcome them and to train ourselves in accordance with the pattern that is revealed to us in the divine Teachings.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated September 11, 1995, to a National Spiritual Assembly; compilation: ‘Guidelines for Local Spiritual Assemblies, Developing Distinctive Baha’i Communities’, prepared by United States NSA)
