By: Duane L Herrmann

            “How can we find people?” Tom asked. “We don’t have the key.”

            “But, we have the elements of the key, and you know them,” Sarah replied.

            “What do you mean?”

            “We have our loving hearts,” Sarah answered.

            “Well, yes,” Tom agreed.

            “And, we have His Words.”

            “There are so many, how will we know which ones to use?”

            “Our hearts will tell us,”

            “Are you sure?”  Tom asked.

            “It’s happened before,”

            “Well, yes,” Tom agreed. “But we were home then.”

            “So?” Sarah responded. “Location doesn’t matter. People are people wherever they are.”

            “We don’t know the language,” Tom protested.

            “We know a few words, we have some books, and we have a verbal translator,” Sarah reassured him. “We will learn.”

            “It will be hard.”

            “Learning anything new is hard,” Sarah assured him. “Learning to walk was hard, but we each did that. Every person does who is physically able. And, all animals. We tried. We fell down. We got up. We tried again. We all eventually succeeded.”

            “Yes, but…

            “It is the same,” Sarah reassured him. “We will try. We will stumble. We will try again.”

            “How will be know which words to use?” Tom asked

            “We will pray to use the right ones,” Sarah replied. “We will pray to find the right ones. We will find the ones we need when we need them. We’ve done that before.”

            “And money to live on?”

            “We’ve solved that before too,” Sarah assured Tom. “We don’t need much. We live simply. We don’t need much.”

            “Well, I know…,” Tom admitted.

            “And remember, ‘Make a beginning and all will come right,’ Sarah reminded him. “That’s all we have to do is, make a beginning. We only have to arise. The rest is up to God. We may not see the results in our life time, but there will be results. There always is. You’ve seen that before, following the efforts of others. The Spirit moves in mysterious ways.”

            “I know…,”

            “We are here, now,” Sarah stated. “We can begin. We have a home, we have jobs that provide enough income, we can invite our neighbors, and others we meet, to our home to get acquainted since we are new here. What could be more natural?”

            “Well, yes,” Tom had to admit. “But, I’ll let you do the talking. I’ll just serve refreshments.”

            “Even that might be part of the key,” Sarah suggested.

            “What?”

            “Our teamwork,” Sarah answered. “Where I’m the one speaking and you will be bringing out the food. I don’t think that’s done very often in this culture. We can demonstrate a different relationship than they are used to. The man does not always have to dominate. In fact, he can assist the woman, not the other way around.”

            “That’s so normal for us,” he agreed. “I hadn’t even thought about it.”

            “That could well be the key to the hearts of the woman,” Sarah replied. “And, you can demonstrate to the men that you are not lessened by being supportive. Women have been supportive of men long enough. You can explain that men and woman are two wings of the same bird and both wings must be strong for the bird to fly straight and true. A bird with only one strong wing can only flutter in circles and can not fly. Humanity has been fluttering in circles in the dirt long enough. It is time for us to fly!”

            “Yes,” Tom agreed. “That will be a good demonstration. It will show that we practice what we preach, though we won’t be preaching.”

            “That will be different, too,” she assured her husband. “There is good reason for preaching being forbidden as well as the profession of preaching. Humanity has reached the stage were we can each study and make up our own minds. We don’t need anyone to tell us what to believe or what to do. We can demonstrate an alternative way of sharing. Besides, we don’t want to preach to anyone. We are not better than anyone else. We certainly don’t want people to think we think we are superior to them in any way. We certainly aren’t.”

            “We need to learn from them,” Tom added. “We need to learn about this new culture we’re in. We need to learn more words so we can simply talk! We don’t need to expect them to learn English. We need to become part of the culture here. How else can we demonstrate that we’re serious about all of us being equal on this Earth?

            “That’s certainly a key,” Sarah said. “Respect goes a long way to reaching people’s hearts.”

            “We can ask if anyone knows enough English to help us translate,” Tom suggested.

            “And, as they translate, the translator can learn some of the Message we have to share with them,” Sarah added. “There will be a double learning process, learning will go both ways.”

            “So, we need to select the statements we want to begin with,” Tom stated. “Some that are uplifting and encouraging. They will show that we are not colonizing oppressors even though our Message has a new name that will be unfamiliar.”

            “I know,” Sarah agreed. “The first Christians also had that struggle. Who was this Christ person? They had to have been asked. With every new Message it is the same struggle with the unknown and unfamiliar. Now is the time that ‘Bahá’í’ is the new name.”

            “Do you think they know Hawai’i?” Tom asked. “That will certainly help them pronounce the name, at any rate.”

            “We’ll have to learn how to ask,’ Sarah replied. “Do you have any statements in mind that can be translated first?”

            “Here’s a list I’ve been working on,” Tom answered and showed her his list of quotes:

                        “All mankind are the fruits of one tree, flowers of one garden.”

                        “Humanity possesses two wings: man and woman. Both must be strong.”

                        “O God! Verily, we are all Thy servants.”

                        “The foundations of the divine religions are one reality.”

                        “These are some of the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh.”

            “I like all of these,” Sarah said as she read the list. “And, we need that last sentence to explain the source of these ideas. We didn’t make them up!”

            “Yes,” Tom agreed. “We don’t deserve credit for any of these. We simply want to share and find any others who may agree with these too.”

            So, they set out. First, trying to find someone willing to translate these few sentences, they were part of the key. Then, inviting people to their home to share the sentences. The respect and consideration they offered was also part of the key to the hearts. In many cases, those who translated the sentences became attracted to the ideas behind the words. They wanted to learn more. They translated more.

            Gradually, Tom and Sarah, and the many thousands like them, who left their homes to “pioneer” to new places, found people who wanted these ideas in their lives and wanted to share them with others. These spiritual keys came together unlocking more and more hearts. Tiny, little groups of people in many places began to come together to study these words and more. They began to recognize that each person was a noble spiritual being and that new awareness influenced their lives in subtle but profound ways. It became harder and harder to see anyone as an “enemy.” They were simply people who didn’t yet realize their own nobility.

            One evening Tom and Sarah had invited a native family to their home because one of the adults had expressed an interest in the phrase: “All mankind are the fruits of one tree, flowers of one garden.” The family had wanted to know if this truly meant that all people, no matter the color of their skin, were the same fruit of the tree of humanity. Tom and Sarah assured them, that is exactly what it meant. They explained this was so true in the Bahá’í community that many Bahá’í families included people of different skin colors.

            This astonished the family. From the attitudes and actions of other white people they had known, they could not even imagine any white people thinking this way. This idea of families of many colors excited them so much that no one heard the slight disturbance in the bushes outside the window of the room they were in.

            CRASH!

            A rock broke through the window!

            Amid the cries of shock and pain, no one heard footsteps running away.

            “Here,” said Tom calmly to the child with a piece of glass in her arm as he took hold of her arm. “Let me take it out.” His touch and soothing voice so surprised the child that she calmed and stared at him. A white man was touching her. She had never seen such a thing before.

            When her cries stopt, the rest of the family immediately turned and looked. It was their turn to be shocked. This white man was tenderly taking care of their brown baby. How could such a thing be possible?  Sarah quickly entered the room with a clean, damp cloth to clean the wound and stop the bleeding. The family was doubly astonished. No white people had ever been so kind to anyone of their own. This was phenomenal!

            Sarah and Tom worked together to clean and bind the wound. They could see the cut was not deep and pulled the skin together before binding it tight. In their little time in this place, they had already learned there would be no other medical care for the little girl. Tom sat himself down on the floor and gently brought the girl onto his lap. He did it as naturally as if the girl was his own daughter. The little girl, exhausted from the trauma, melted into his strong comforting arms.

            The native family was amazed upon amazement. How could this be? How could these white people be so kind, and their baby had accepted the kindness as if it was the most natural thing. It was a natural, human spiritual thing when superficial differences dissolved. As Tom stroked the little girl’s head and gently rocked back and forth, he began to softly sing a short prayer. Sarah soon joined in. Some members of the family began to pick up the words and began to sing too. It was not long before everyone in the room was softly singing:

            “Is there any Remover of difficulties, save God? Say, Praised be God! He is God! All are His servants and all abide by His bidding!”

            There was no more discussion that night. There was no need. Keys had been turned in every heart in that room. Everyone knew, in the deepest part of their hearts, that they were all the fruit of the same one tree of humanity and flowers in the beautiful, diverse garden of God.

            No one found out who threw the rock, but in the days that folowed, various natives responded more kindly towards Tom and Sarah after that, while others, mostly on the side of the colonial authorities, did not. Nothing was said out loud, but Tom and Sarah could sense a change. Then, one day Tom received an official notice. He was being expelled from the country and had four days to leave, that was the day the next ship would depart. In those days, a ship was the only way in or out. There was no road through the surrounding mountains. Tom had been working on the possibility of an air strip for small planes, but he hadn’t finished those arrangements.

            Hurriedly, he and Sarah made plans for the little business he had started, their major source of income, and informed the few people they had become close to. The natives were genuinely surprised and distressed. The response of the whites was superficially concerned, but Tom and Sarah could tell it was not a surprise nor upsetting to them.

            The notice, consisting mostly of legal sounding language, essentially indicated that Tom’s respect for the natives was considered “undermining social order.” It could no longer be tolerated, therefore his presence was no longer welcome. It was assumed that his wife, being a woman, would give up and leave with him, go back home. But her name was not mentioned in the expulsion order, so she did not.

            Sarah continued their business and created an additional way to earn money and, unknown to the authorities, their friends among the natives went to great efforts to help her. They did not want her to leave. They valued the respect and meaning she, and her Message, gave to their lives.

            “We will help you,” they assured Sarah. And, they did in little ways, unnoticed because, after all, they were women and of no value.

            “Jumba,” Sarah addressed the native who had worked in their business. “You’ve worked for us from the beginning.”

            “Yes, ma’m,” he replied.

            “You can do the work here as well as I can.”

            “If you say so, ma’m.”

            “Oh. You know you can,” Sarah smiled at him.

            “Well…” He didn’t disagree.

            “With Tom gone, I can’t do everything. I’m going to put you in charge. I don’t need to be here al the time. I trust you.”

            “Yes, ma’m,” he grinned widely. He’d never imagined such a thing as this. Whites didn’t trust his people, but Tom and Sarah had been different from the beginning. “I will do good for you.”

            “I know you will,” Sarah replied. “I’ve got to work on this other project, and I can’t give all my time to both.”

            “Yes, ma’m.”

            News of this development quickly spread through the native population. This white woman was trusting one of their own with running her business. More and more began to patronize the business and her income grew. Sarah was no longer just a white woman, but a remarkable friend.

            The colonial authorities had no rules against this, it had never happened before. They didn’t have any pretext for stopping it and simply fumed. After all, she was a woman, what could she do? They had no idea the extent of the social change that was going on which they couldn’t see.

            Tom and Sarah had wondered what key would open the hearts to their attempts to be friends, this became a major key. There was no longer any question in the hearts of any natives of who was on their side. They also knew to keep this to themselves. They now all knew how much Tom and Sarah had done for them, they would not let them down. More and more wanted to hear the new Message they brought with them. Most continued to attend the churches, but that was only for appearance sake. They no longer believed the negativity that was preached in them, but they didn’t want to attract attention. On the surface everything appeared to continue as before, but change had occurred.

            A native who had been traveling for his employer made contact with Tom in his new home and took information back to Sarah. Native women began to write to friends and relatives of theirs in Tom’s new home, some learning to read and write (from Sarah) so they could do so. This eased the separation of Tom and Sarah. They prayed and continued their efforts. Neither considered giving up and going back to their old “home.” These places were their home now.

            After a time, the colonial government collapsed. A native government replaced it. In the disorder, Tom was able to return. He was welcomed as a hero by the population. Both he and Sarah were honored for not giving up, not caving in, and were celebrated by the new, native government. They were treasured members of the new nation.

            Not long after Tom’s return, he asked to meet with the new administration for the area. When he went to that meeting, he took a map he had made of the area.

            “It’s been on my mind for some time that we need more connection to the rest of the world, and quicker,” he began. “I’ve been walking around and I made this map to show what might be possible, but there may be obstacles I’m unaware of.” He unrolled the map. “Right here it might be possible to make an airstrip for small planes to fly in and out. The land is uneven, rocky, several homes are there, and an extension will be needed a short ways out into the bay, but it seems to be the best possible place. And, it’s not far from the pier, so all in-coming and out-going will be near each other.”

            “We can use the rocks that need to be cleared to make the extension,” he continued. “And, as we level the land, there is a small rise here,” he pointed. “The dirt can be used on top of the rock. It will need to be a dirt strip at first, but that will be a beginning. It can be paved later. I’ve seen several such airstrips in the time I was away.”

            The council was impressed. No one had thought of creating such a thing. No one had thought there was enough open land that wasn’t needed for crops.

            “The people who live there would need to move,” Tom continued. “But, if their houses could be moved, or new houses provided for them, some are in really bad shape, they may not object to moving. Maybe there is a better place where they would like to live. They will need to be consulted.”

            The council appreciated his concern for the disruption such a project would make in some people’s lives.

            “I don’t think the national government can help,” Tom added. “At least not right now. A new road will need to be built to the airfield. Maybe later the government can help with improvements, after we have something to improve. Until then, we can work together on this, if you think the idea will work.”

            The members of the council began to talk excitedly about the project. Several knew some of the people who lived in houses that were in the way. They knew some of them would be willing to move, but they didn’t know about the others. There wasn’t a lot of big equipment to do most of the work, but they knew that improved contact with the rest of the world would be helpful. They were especially aware of the need for quicker access to outside medical care. The ship simply took too long.

            The council decided the first thing to do was to talk to the people who would need to move.  They didn’t want to force anyone. They would first draw up a list of benefits for everyone so that those who would need to move could see the positive side of the result.

            As time went on, progress was made on this project. People appreciated being involved in the decision-making process. Only one family was upset about having to relocate. They could see the value of the airstrip, but wanted it some place else. The council went ahead and built them a new house. When the family toured the new house, they agreed to move. There had been too many empty promises made by the colonial government, that they didn’t trust the new government. 

            Groups of people were formed to do different stages of the construction. One group, with Tom’s direction, staked out the location of the air strip. Another group began moving rocks and piling them on the beach where the extension would be. Another, began leveling the dirt and putting the dirt on top of the rocks when the rocks were high enough. Another, marked out and began clearing space for the section of road to connect to the airstrip. This working together was so different from decisions imposed by the former authorities, the population was grateful to be involved.

            People worked together who didn’t otherwise know each other. Social barriers had to be crossed. Recognizing that all religions came from the same Divine Source meant there was no longer any basis for considering others to be infidels or some kind of religious enemy. This became the foundation for many new friendships. After all, humans are far more alike than they are different.

            Priests and clergy of other religions attacked as they saw their congregations dwindle and their own financial base decrease.

            “They are wolves in sheep’s clothing,” they would exclaim from their pulpits. “They will lead you astray. The road to Hell is paved with sweet words. Beware! Beware!” Some put pressure on employers and officials to oppose the people who embraced these ideas. Some complied, some didn’t, but the people carried on.

            Only a few in the congregations believed them. Many didn’t care, they had tuned out long before. Some began to think and compare.

            “There is the hate and separation that is preached sermon after sermon, yet the Bahá’ís demonstrate equality and respect for everyone irrespective of their race or class or religion. I can’t believe they are evil.” And, more left the congregations.

            There were others who watched and liked what they saw. Some of these people wanted to contribute financially.

            “We are sorry,” Tom and Sarah told them. “We can only accept financial or material contributions from recognized members of the Bahá’í community. You are welcome to join our community if you wish, but to do that you will need to learn and accept these teachings.”

            All were startled when they learned their money would not be accepted. This was not any kind of religion they had been familiar with. This was radical. Some natives decided to join.

            The new believers met together to consult on ways to practice these teachings in their lives and what they might mean at deeper and deeper levels. They also found keys in the new scripture to understand and make sense of older scriptures, even some they had formerly been told not to think about it, just believe what they were told it meant. Now, their hearts were opened and they could understand much more.

            “It’s a Revelation!” Some would joke.

            “Yes,” others agreed. “A new Revelation!” And they would laugh together. Friendship with a former enemy was so much more enjoyable than the effort to maintain antagonism and enmity.

            They also created institutions outlined within the new teachings to administer their joint activities. Unlike institutions that had been imposed on them by conquerors or tradition, all were able and encouraged to participate, male and female. Families began to change so that the husband and wife cooperated more equally. Girls were educated so they too, could participate more fully in society.

            Education became more valued for everyone, moral education and scientific education. Science was recognized as essential to the advancement of civilization. This realization led to many advances in all aspects of life.

            Tom and Sarah, as they grew older and were forced by incapacity to do less and less, did not go “home” as missionaries often did, but stayed in their new home. This was their home and they would be buried here. Near the end of their lives they were honored by the government for their many contributions to the life of the society of the new nation. They had worked actively to improve the lives of everyone around them. It had not been easy, especially under colonial authorities, but they had persevered and, in consultation with the population around them, improvements were accomplished.

            Simple measures were taken to improve hygiene and medical care, classes were held and small schools were started. There was some controversy over the latter. In this area, churches had started schools to indoctrinate students as much as educate them. When the Bahá’ís started schools which focused on actual, useful education, science and fact based, more and more parents recognized the value of that over the church schools, and supported the new schools. Preachers and missionaries tried to create division among the people, and some few listened, but Tom and Sarah urged caution and patience. Eventually, when no conflict erupted, the opposing efforts gave up.

            In one case, it was the children who caused change. One of the churches, which ran a school, had insisted that all students and their parents participate in a ritual which involved drinking alcohol. This often resulted in the parents becoming drunk because their metabolism would not tolerate the chemicals. The children became so disgusted they quietly went on strike and insisted their parents stop participating. The Bahá’í-operated school was an alternative and the children began to attend on their own and refused to attend the other. The parents, when sober, began to recognize the wisdom of their children’s choice and followed them. The absence of alcohol helped all their lives improve. This was another key to a better future. Continued sobriety helped them appreciate their individual nobility. This empowered them all.

            It took some time for people to shake off negative beliefs that had been an insidious part of the local culture. Bahá’ís taught that there were no evil spirits of ancestors, or enemies, to be placated. Spirits did not cause tidal waves or storms. The people no longer had to live in fear of them. The concept of an ancient human sin which condemned all to eternal torment, gradually was forgotten. The realization of their inherent spiritual nobility was uplifting for all. Their speech and actions become more noble. People felt better about themselves and the cycle continued upwards.

            “You mean I’m not going to Hell?” A new Bahá’í asked Sarah.

            “No,” Sarah gently replied. “In my understanding there is no hell to go to. Bahá’í scripture only mentions distance from Creator and Source of all, but that distance only happens when a soul turns away from that which is good. Do you think you have turned away?”

            “I try not.”

            “Then you have not,” Sarah assured. “It is our efforts and attitude that make the difference.”

            “But, on Sunday the preacher said….”

            “And, does the preacher have authority over you?” Sarah asked. “Over your soul?”

            “No. Bahá’u’lláh is my Guide now.”

            “Then, that’s what’s important,” Sarah replied. “Bahá’u’lláh said to acquire virtues and improve your life, to pray for guidance and understanding, and pray to draw closer to God. The more virtues we acquire and develop, the more we will be able to function in the next world. You want to function as much as possible in the next world, don’t you?” Sarah asked.

            “Oh, yes. Tell me again, what is it like?”

            “Just as there are different forms of life here, so there are different levels of functioning in the next world,” Sarah answered. “Here, trees and other plants cannot walk around or run, but animals can. Animals can’t understand human reasoning, but other humans can. Plants, animals and humans all live together in this world, but we each function differently in our own ways. So, it will be the same in the next world. We will all be there, we will just have different abilities, different levels of functioning. The more virtues we practice here, the more we can function there.”

            “So, our virtues help us function in the next world?”

            “Yes,” Sarah answered. “Our spiritual virtues here will be like arms and legs in the next world. We may not think we need them here, but we’ll really need them there. Just like a baby develops physical arms and legs before it is born so it can function after it’s born, we develop spiritual virtues here so we can function in the next world after this life.”

            “How can we tell what they will be?”

            “We can’t for sure,” Sarah replied. “But, Bahá’u’lláh said that after death we will be given a new form that best suits our immortality. That new form should have something to do with our virtues. To me, that is exciting.”

            “That is such a good story,” the new Bahá’í said. “I will remember that. I can do that. I can teach my children. I’m not a bad person.”

            “You certainly are not a bad person,” Sarah agreed. “You are learning all the time. That is a very good thing. And, the people who think they are bad, simply don’t know. But, you know you are a noble spiritual being, you can help them understand that too.”

            A key had opened another human heart. Such little changes in self awareness resulted in big changes in lives and families, and eventually, more of society.

            Tom and Sarah saw the community of their new friends grow and grow. They were grateful for the confirmations of their efforts. Life had been hard at times, but they had persevered. The results they now saw had been worth it. They, as all Bahá’í pioneers, had left their original “home” of their own accord. They had wanted to share with others the new teachings Bahá’u’lláh had brought. When Bahá’ís moved to a new place, they became part of the community, not merely outsiders looking in. They wanted to find others who might be interested. In many places, new communities of Bahá’ís were formed.

            These communities spread over the globe to such an extent that, by the end of the twentieth century, it was noticed by observers that Bahá’ís were one of the most wide-spread group of people all over the planet. In many cases, even after governments changed, these little communities continued and new societies were were created around them More and more people came to see and accept the value and practicality of these teachings and adopted them. These keys unlocked heart after heart and the people embraced these ideas for their own.

            They were sure, in their hearts, that eventually, a new social order would emerge on Earth as it is in Heaven. Respect and compassion are the keys.