About

I have a background as an adult language teacher (Luxembourgish/English) for over 12 years now, and so I’m of course interested in learning and development. I lived in Israel and Northern Ireland. Maybe more relevant as to why I have completed my MA in Learning & Development at the University of Luxembourg is the fact that I’m a member of the Bahá’í Faith (www.bahai.org). This world-wide community promotes education and is actively engaged in the building of an ever-advancing civilisation.

Keywords in Bahá’í discourse are: promoting a culture of change and learning; collective decision-making (consultation), action and reflection; world citizenship.

Key quotations: “That one indeed is a man who, today, dedicateth himself to the service of the entire human race. … Blessed and happy is he that ariseth to promote the best interests of the peoples and kindreds of the earth. … It is not for him to pride himself who loveth his own country, but rather for him who loveth the whole world. The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens.” On education: “Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom.” (Bahá’u’lláh, 1983)

Social change is being carried out on three levels: the individual, the community and the institutions. I hope to find ways to shed light on how the Bahá’í community understands and helps to construct social reality.

Let me leave you with this opening paragraph: When a new Revelation is brought to humanity, it upsets the equilibrium of the old social order. It unites the hearts and minds of those who recognize it and thus forges a new community. From within that community must emerge a consciousness that can decipher and a capacity that can apply the new teachings in order to make the world a different place. How do we move from a world centered on materialism and self-gratification to one that is centered on the application of spiritual principle and service to humanity? How do we transcend dissension and destructive criticism to harvest the fruits of critical thought in a united search for truth? What is the nature of the process through which we understand the meaning of the Sacred Texts and put the teachings into practice so that we can contribute to the unfoldment of an ever-advancing civilization? (Lample, 2009, p. V)

Bahá’u’lláh. (1983). Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh. USA: Bahá’í Publishing Trust.

Lample, P. (2009). Revelation & Social Reality. USA: Palabra Publications.