…a significant advance in culture, one which we have
followed with particular interest, is marked by the rise in capacity to think
in terms of process. That, from the outset, the believers have been asked to be
ever conscious of the broad processes that define their work is apparent from a
careful reading of even the earliest communications of the Guardian related to
the first national plans of the Faith. However, in a world focused increasingly
on the promotion of events, or at best projects, with a mindset that derives
satisfaction from the sense of expectation and excitement they generate,
maintaining the level of dedication required for long-term action demands
considerable effort. The expansion and consolidation of the Bahá’í community
encompasses a number of interacting processes, each of which contributes its
share to the movement of humanity towards Bahá’u’lláh’s vision of a new World
Order. The lines of action associated with any given process provide for the
organization of occasional events, and from time to time, activities take the
shape of a project with a clear beginning and a definite end. If, however, events
are imposed on the natural unfoldment of a process, they will disrupt its sound
evolution. If the projects undertaken in a cluster are not made subordinate to
the explicit needs of the processes unfolding there, they will yield little
fruit.
- The Universal House of Justice
(From a message dated 28 December 2010 addressed to the Conference of
the Continental Boards of Counsellors)
