A Bahá'í community which is consistent in its fundamental
life-giving, life sustaining activities will at its heart be serene and
confident; it will resonate with spiritual dynamism, will exert irresistible
influence, will set a new course in social evolution, enabling it to win the
respect and eventually the allegiance of admirers and critics alike. These
profound possibilities reside in the will of the individual to take initiative,
to act in accordance with the guidance offered by Bahá'í institutions, and to
maintain such action regardless of the myriad distractions posed by the
disintegration of a society adrift in a sea of materialism.
- The Universal House of Justice (Frpm a letter to a
National Spiritual Assembly Ridván 1984); The Compilation of Compilations,
Vol.III, Social and Economic Development)
