# Apathy and Violence

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Hossain B. Danesh, Apathy and Violence, bahai-library.com.
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> 
> Apathy and Violence
> Hossain B. Danesh, M.D., F.R.C.P.
> 
> V     iolence, of all kind, is on the increase throughout the world. In varying degree and form it is influencing and
> affecting the lives of children, youth, adults, as well as the older people in all societies. Its presence is being felt
> at home, in schools, universities, places or work or leisure, in urban as well as rural regions and in so called
> developed and developing countries.
> In attempt to understand and deal with this wide-spread and ever increasing problem two schools of
> thought have developed, one of which has enjoyed and is still enjoying much greater degree of acceptance and
> recognition. This school of thought holds, that man, as an animal is governed by powerful instincts, one of the most
> important of which is the aggressive instinct (drive). This drive causes man to behave in a violent manner. Wars,
> crimes and aggressive acts of man are nothing but manifestations of this basic, strong and innate force. Therefore,
> there is little that man can do to eradicate violence and similar phenomena. Rather, through scientific findings and
> biological manipulation, through adoption of laws and development of law enforcement agencies, and through
> personal struggle and development of appropriate defence mechanisms man would be able to defend himself, to
> some extent, against the forces of his aggressive drive and thus decrease the intensity and frequency of his violent
> acts.
> To further strengthen their argument, the exponents of this school cite mankind’s long history of violence,
> war, crime, prejudice and other destructive acts as a convincing proof in favour of aggressive drive hypothesis. The
> same school which contends that man is an animal, perceives human societies in a similar manner and sees them
> basically as operating according to the laws of the jungle. In such an environment, force and power is the master,
> survival of the fittest the law, and aggression, competitiveness, individualism and productivity, the virtues. The
> guiding light of this school is science, the “hard core” science, science based on visible and measurable facts. All
> other components and aspects of human existence such as religion, poetry, intuition, imagination, morals and ethics,
> and to a large extent the arts are considered to be irrelevant, indication of neurosis, sign of weakness and basically a
> wasteful and non-productive activity and preoccupation. This school of thought, as mentioned earlier enjoys a
> widespread and usually unquestioned acceptance.
> The second school of thought—which, because of several newly reported studies, is gaining increasing
> credence and acceptance—considers man’s violence to be directly related to his education. In other words, it is held
> that violence is a learned behaviour, acquired through examples, faulty upbringing and misguided concepts,
> especially those concepts related to man and his world.
> In the first part of this presentation I would briefly review some of the prevalent theories in respect to
> aggression, violence, fear and anxiety. Next follows a description of a new formulation focussing on violence and
> apathy as a consequence of faulty life processes. Part III focuses on the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith and their
> relevance to prevention of violence and apathy.
> 
> Part I   Aggression, Violence, Fear and Anxiety: A Review
> 
> a. Aggression and Violence
> In the early decades of this century, Freud, in his attempts to understand the nature of human behaviour postulated
> that man basically has two instincts, the life instinct or the sexual instinct, and the death instinct or the aggressive
> instinct. He wrote “our hypothesis is that there are two essentially different classes of instincts, the sexual instincts,
> understood in the widest sense — Eros, if you prefer that name, and the aggressive instincts, whose aim is
> destruction.”12
> In a letter dated 30th 3uly 1932, Albert Einstein, upon the invitation of the League of Nations and its
> International Institute of Intellectual Co-operation in Paris, chose to write Freud for a “frank exchange of views on
> any problem…” To do so, Einstein posed the following question which in his opinion was “the most insistent of all
> the problems civilization has to face.” He wrote: “This is the problem: Is there any way of delivering mankind from
> the menace of war?” Freud’s response to this invitation, is in the form of a letter dated September 1932. He begins
> by stating that he expected that Einstein would “choose a problem on the frontiers of what is knowable to day, a
> problem to which each of us, a physicist and a psychologist, might have—particular angle of approach.” Freud goes
> on to say “you have taken me by surprise, however, by posing the question of what can be done to protect mankind
> from the curse of war.”13
> Freud further elaborates his opinion and states that “It is a general principle..., that conflicts of interest
> between men are settled by the use of violence.” To prove this point he says: “This is true of the whole animal
> kingdom, from which men have no business to exclude themselves.”14 With this notion, considered by him as a fact,
> Freud goes on to elaborate upon this theme. He says: “According to our hypothesis human instincts are of only two
> kinds, those which seek to preserve and unite, which we call ‘erotic’ or ‘sexual’ ... and those which seek to destroy
> and kill and which we group together as the aggressive or destructive instinct. As you see, this is in fact no more
> than a theoretical clarification of the universally familiar opposition between Love and Hate… Thus according to
> Freud, man is basically aggressive and the aim of the individual and the community should be to control this
> instinct.
> In an insightful paper, Gorney reviews the views of Freud, and Lorenz on Aggression and Love, and makes
> the following statements: “Freud’s discouraging view of aggression was that it welled up from within
> spontaneously. Although directed inward, primarily against the self, it could be deflected outward upon other people
> or things... This formulation allowed for the possibility that if one could shut off aggression (and violence) at the
> source, love would still exist. Lorenz’s supposition carried the instinctual conception of aggression a dismal step
> further toward hopelessness. Because love was to him nothing but made over aggression, elimination of aggression
> would also eradicate love.”16
> This view, that aggression is an instinct, and thus a basic unavoidable component of human behaviour, has
> a subtle, but extremely dangerous appeal. It helps man to justify his violence, his wars, his crimes, his lust for
> power, his desire to rule, and his prejudices. There has been much discussion about whether indeed aggression is an
> instinct or a learned behaviour. A number of studies now are providing convincing evidence that aggression indeed
> is a learned behaviour and not an instinct as Freud, Lorenz and others in this group hypothesized.
> In a ten year longitudinal study to determine how learning conditions in early childhood relate to
> aggression in late adolescence, Eron and his co-workers concluded that “the fact that aggressive behaviour is shaped
> by learning through socialization practices and varies by sex, detracts from the theories of the ethologists who argue
> that aggression in man is innately determined.”11
> In this presentation a view is advanced that aggression is a learned behaviour which manifests itself in a
> varying phenomenon ranging from being aggressive and competitive to violence, hate, war and crimes of all type.
> To understand this formulation, there is a need for further elaboration of the relationship between anger and
> aggression. However, before we begin to study this relationship, we should examine some of the present theories in
> respect to fear and anxiety, and anger.
> 
> b. Anxiety, Fear and Anger
> The feeling of anxiety is a familiar one. We experience anxiety under varied circumstances and conditions.
> Sometimes we are able to locate the source of our anxiety, while at other times we are not able to do so. Fear is a
> similar experience to that of anxiety. However, in psychiatric literature a distinction is made between fear and
> anxiety. Fear is considered to occur when we are aware of the source of danger, while anxiety occurs when the
> source of threat and danger is not in our consciousness. Harold I. Lief describes the above points aptly:
> “Anxiety is a diffuse, highly unpleasant, often vague feeling of apprehension, accompanied by one or more bodily
> sensations that characteristically recur for the same person... Anxiety is an alerting signal, it warns of impending
> danger and enables the person to take measures to deal with a threat. Fear a similar alerting signal is ordinarily
> differentiated from anxiety on the basis of whether the threat is known or unknown, external or internal, immediate
> or future, definite or vague, non-conflictual or conflictual in origin…”22
> There is much said about anxiety in our times. The 20th century is called the age of anxiety. Stresses of
> modern life, civilization, industrialization and rapid change, all are believed to be contributing to man’s anxiety. The
> declining position of the individual in an increasingly complex world, varied responsibilities and demands put upon
> him and many actual dangers and threats of danger engulfing him, all are mentioned as causes of the anxiety of the
> modern man. This notion is especially upheld by psychoanalytic schools amongst others.23 In this school it is
> believed that anxiety is closely related to experiencing either existence of danger or anticipation of danger. On the
> other hand, anxiety to some degree is considered essential for the individual’s safety and growth. Without some
> degree of anxiety, there is little motivation for protecting oneself or improving one’s condition in life. Rothenberg
> believes that anxiety and anger are closely related and both are the organism’s response to threat and danger. Fe
> states: “on the basis of all that is currently known about anger and anxiety, both clinically and experimentally, it
> seems likely that both of these phenomena are aspects of a diffuse, alerted and aroused state. Anger becomes the
> predominant manifestation of this state when the motoric arousal begins to be directed at the source of threat or
> obstruction or at an imagined source. Anxiety is the predominant manifestation when the motoric arousal is
> undirected or is directed toward avoidance or escape. However, neither of these manifestations ever seems to occur
> exclusive of the other. Anger, especially, is always accompanied by anxiety.”25
> While these observations all are insightful and do clarify to some extent the nature of anxiety, anger and
> fear, nevertheless, there are several basic points left unanswered by them. We need to know the relationship between
> anxiety and fear on the one hand, and anxiety and aggression, and fear and aggression on the other hand. Finally, we
> need to understand where anger fits in this complex of feelings and behaviour.
> 
> Part II Life Processes
> Man creates his way of life. In other words, the result of the interaction between the individual’s innate endowments
> and his life experiences, especially those of his childhood, is the development of a person unique in his outlook, in
> his perception of the world and life, his response to challenges they offer him and the manner in which he attempts
> to resolve these challenges. Life characteristically and continuously exposes the individual to threats (challenges)
> and opportunities.
> 
> a. Threats to Life
> Threats in our life are either actual or assumed. They either originate from the environment in the form of physical
> and social threat or from within, in the form of psychological and spiritual crisis. The individual could meet those
> dangers head on and with full consciousness, or they could creep upon him gradually and in a disguised form. Some
> perceive these threats in a realistic manner, and respond to them accordingly, while others either underestimate the
> intensity of the danger and subject themselves to injuries and affliction, or go over board and respond to the slightest
> challenge as though it was indeed a fearful and destructive danger.
> Our perception of the danger situation is closely related to our upbringing and our endowments. The details
> of these differences are too lengthy to be discussed here and need to be the subject of another presentation.
> In any case once the threat is felt two major defense mechanisms are put into motion for the purpose of
> protecting the integrity and the well being of the organism. These two mechanisms, defensive in nature, are
> immediate and automatic in their occurrence. They are innate. Depending on the nature of the individual’s life
> experiences and endowments, one or the other defense mechanism takes a more predominant position in the manner
> in which the individual responds to the threats in his life.
> These two defense responses are the fear response and the anger response. The fear response is composed
> of three components. The alert signal, which informs the individual of the threat, anxiety which puts into motion the
> needed energy for action, and an urge for escape or withdrawal, which is an appropriate response to the felt danger.
> The anger response, likewise, consists of three components. The first and second components are identical with
> those of fear. However, the third component consists of an urge to attack and thus to remove and eliminate the
> source of threat. The relationship between anxiety and fear on the one hand and anxiety and anger on the other hand,
> is observed both in research and in clinical work.*
> During infancy and early childhood, the individual responds both with fear and anger. Indeed during this
> period of life, it is difficult to distinguish between these two responses. However, with the passage of time and
> experience and with the opportunity for observing the models in our lives, we choose one or the other response as
> our primary mode of defense against threats to our self integrity. This however does not automatically exclude the
> other defense response and indeed throughout life we respond to threats in our life, to a lesser or greater degree, with
> both fear and anger. Whenever we respond with either fear or anger, the other response is also present, usually in a
> less obvious manner.
> The responses to the threat described above are in the realm of emotions and consist of desire and urge to
> either attack or escape, to fight or flight. Beyond this however, the individual has not committed himself. Depending
> on the intensity of the threat and the capacity of the individual to discipline himself, others could be unaware of the
> fact that the person has perceived a threat and has experienced either of the emotions of fear or anger.
> Following this phase comes the phase of solution. In this phase, the individual has two basic choices. The
> first choice we call the “objective solution”. The person would evaluate the threat, its intensity, its potential danger
> and its relative importance. He further would evaluate his own capacity to deal with the threat and would make a
> decision to either carry out his urge to escape, in case of fear response, or to attack the source of threat, in case of
> anger response. This escape or attack, however, is solely for the purpose of self-preservation, and as such is a
> constructive act. There is another component of the objective solution, which is equally as important as the capacity
> for realistic evaluation of the situation. This component is the creative power of the individual. This is unique to
> him. It is the driving force which brings together the inherited endowments and life experiences of the individual
> and allows for a response, a unique response to that individual, at that time and situation. This is the reason that
> people with similar capacities, under similar circumstances respond to a threatening situation in different ways, all
> healthy, and many quite creative. The existence of this creative force and its role in development of the individual’s
> way of life is described quite clearly by Adler. He says: “Do not forget, the most important fact, that not heredity,
> and not environment are determining factors—both are giving only the frame and the influences which are answered
> by the individual in regard to his styled creative powers.”5
> The second solution, is the “pathological solution”. This solution has in its roots, our faulty perception of
> ourselves and our world. The manner in which we deal with our fears and anger, and the anxiety and urges which
> goes with them is very much dependent upon our personality, which in turn is the result of interaction between our
> endowments and our environment. If we have been encouraged to deal with threats of our life with anger and have
> observed others to deal with their anger with aggressive behaviour and violence, we most likely would adopt the
> same behaviour.
> Here is where the major problems related to aggression lies. We have stated that aggression and anger are
> fundamentally different. Anger is an emotion, which acts as a defense to protect the integrity of the individual. It is
> not an act. It doesn’t have any negative, destructive component in it. It is an innate defense mechanism for the
> protection of the organism.
> Aggression on the other hand, is a learned behaviour, which the individual uses as a solution to the needs
> felt by the organism in the form of anger or fear response in the face of a threat. Thus, as a learned behaviour,
> aggression and violence are the by-products of the life experience of the individual.
> When the fear response has been in motion, here again the individual has the choice of objective evaluation
> of the danger situation, and dealing with it in a realistic and creative manner, or responding to the fear in a
> pathological form.
> In the case of fear response, the pathological solution manifests itself in either the avoidance behaviour or
> apathy.
> An avoidance behaviour, includes any behaviour which allows the individual to either underestimate his
> own capacities, or to overestimate the intensity and extent of the threats or both. In the extreme, individuals with
> such a life style are fearful, uncertain, apologetic, sickly and shy. They avoid opportunities of life and live a life of
> isolation, avoidance and emptiness.
> Apathy, is another pathological solution used by many in the face of threats. Here the individual, for all
> practical purposes, avoids solution, abandons hope, and denies possessing inherent capacities and qualities which are
> obvious to the objective observers.
> These two responses are behaviours which are used as solution to threats. They are learned from and
> modeled after those whom we in our childhood and later years tend to look up to.
> The following diagram demonstrates the points we have made so far:
> 
> DIAGRAM 1 Fear and Anger, Apathy and Aggression
> 
> PHASE I                                        PHASE 11                                       PHASE III
> Threat
> Defense Response                                   Solution
> (From within or
> (EMOTIONS)                                     (BEHAVIOUR)
> without)
> Component       Component       Component
> .
> I               II              III
> Healthy Solution
> Objective and Creative
> Urge to
> Anxiety                      Solution
> Fear                 Alert                          Escape
> Acute or                     Pathological Solution
> Response             Signal                           or
> Chronic                      Avoidance Behaviour,
> Withdraw
> Threat or Danger                                                                          and
> (Includes needs denied)                                                                      Apathy
> Healthy Solution
> Urge to
> Objective and Creative
> Anxiety          Attack
> Anger                Alert                                       Solution
> Acute or           or
> Response             Signal                                      Pathological Solution
> Chronic         Remove
> Aggressive Behaviour
> the Threat
> and Violence
> Actual or Assumed                                Innate Response                              Learned Behaviour
> The above diagram identifies three phases in the development of our response to life challenges, the Threat Phase,
> The Innate Defense Response and the third phase which consists of the learned behaviour used by the individual as a
> solution to the threats.
> The threats are either from within or without and may be actual or assumed. The response to these threats
> are both in the form of fear or anger, with one or the other taking predominance. Both of these responses are
> accompanied by chronic or acute anxiety and the urge for escape or attack. The individual’s personality which is the
> result of interaction between his innate qualities and his life experiences will attempt to deal with these threats, his
> fear and/or anger and the resulting anxiety in an objective and creative manner or in a pathological form. The
> following simplified diagram is of help in clarifying the different ways in which we usually respond to cha1leges in
> out life.
> 
> DIAGRAM II Healthy and Pathological Solutions to Threats to Life
> 
> Pathological Solutions              Healthy Solutions
> Fear                    1. Avoidance
> Anxiety                                       Objective and Creative Solution
> 2. Apathy
> Threat
> Anger                   1. Aggression
> Anxiety                                       Objective and Creative Solution
> 2. Violence
> 
> This formulation has the following advantages. It identifies the mechanisms which the individual employs
> in response to the threatening situations in life. It differentiates between emotions and behaviour. It places fear and
> anger in the realm of emotions and identifies them as the two main defense responses in the face of danger and
> threat.
> The anxiety, here, is defined as an unpleasant feeling. It is a component of both fear and anger, which are
> considered to be innate responses. It is the main motivating force which puts into motion the needed energy for
> escape from or attack upon the source of threat.
> The individual, through the interaction between his life experiences and his endowments learns to respond
> predominantly with either anger or fear. He further learns to deal with his urge for escape or attack either in an
> objective and healthy manner or in a pathological way, manifesting itself in the form of aggression and violence.
> These are related to the anger response pattern. Avoidance behaviour and apathy are the pathological results when
> the fear response is in operation.
> This formulation further allows us to study the causes of anger and fear by identifying the major types of
> threat to self integrity. Likewise, our views on the causes of aggression and apathy clearly demonstrate that attempts
> at eradicating aggression, violence, and apathy in our society would fail as long as we fail to focus our attention on
> the underlying dynamics of these conditions. We need to learn how to objectively deal with our fear and anger and
> prevent them from evolving into unhealthy behaviour patterns. We also would benefit from identifying the major
> sources of threat to man’s self integrity, and employ necessary mechanisms to decrease and if possible eradicate
> these threats. These will be subject of further discussion, later in this presentation.
> 
> b. Life Opportunities
> What are life opportunities? One could say that the challenges of life, in a sense, are its opportunities, and indeed
> many people transform life threats into opportunities. Opportunities in addition to challenges are also offered us in
> life. These need to be understood if we are to fully realize our potentialities.
> An integral quality of life is growth. Every individual from birth to death is constantly in a fluid state,
> characterized by growth, progression and retrogression, integration and disintegration. In physical sense, once this
> process is stopped, death has arrived. Man experiences the same process in regard to his intellectual, emotional and
> spiritual realities.
> Learning is a process of accumulation of knowledge, experience and wisdom. During the process of
> assimilation, the new knowledge and experience requires the re-evaluation and rejection of some of previously held
> beliefs. Thus, learning involves the simultaneous processes of integration and disintegration which are essential if
> we are to become individuals open to new ideas, willing to re-evaluate our previous notions and continuously be in
> search for the truth.
> In emotional realms the same principles apply. Emotional maturity is characterized by a capacity for
> sharing, intimacy, trust, love and other directedness. It is achieved as the individual attempts to harmonize his
> experiences with his thoughts, feelings, hopes and fears. However, due to the fact that these aspects of our existence
> are by their very nature fluid, they are subject to retrogression, and progression, integration and disintegration. In
> other words, they are subject to the laws of growth.
> Spiritual growth, encompasses our physical, intellectual and emotional growth, and gives everlasting and
> universal meaning to these processes of life. It too, is subject to the laws of growth. From the moment of birth on,
> the search for an all embracing vision and meaning of life is being conducted. In the process of such a search the
> individual constantly acquires new spiritual qualities. He improves upon the old ones and replaces the previous
> notions with broader and more universal visions. Thus, growth is one of the major and main opportunities of life.
> The other opportunity which life offers is the opportunity for self-fulfillment. As the individual grows he
> becomes conscious of his uniqueness. He becomes aware of the need for cultivation of those qualities which would
> reveal that uniqueness and exalt the existence of its possessor. To this process, we have applied the term creativity.
> Without creativity, an individual experiences boredom and isolation.
> Growth enables an individual to become aware and conscious of his life and achieve greater levels of
> maturity. Creativity provides the opportunity to develop meaning and vision and ultimately enables the
> achievement of fulfillment and universality.
> The necessary fuel for growth and creativity is love. Without love, the human child would grow to be
> unhealthy, troubled and self-centered. Under such circumstances, neither his growth nor his creativity have the
> chance to develop to fruition. Many studies, including those by Bowlby6,7, Skeels29, Erikson10, Harlow and Harlow
> et al20, all demonstrate the detrimental effects of deprivation, rejection and loss on the overall growth of the child
> and its long term negative effects.
> To summarize, life’s opportunities are basically two, Growth and Creativity. Love is necessary if the
> growth and creativity are to occur in a healthy manner. Under such circumstances the individual would experience
> maturity and fulfillment. In the absence of love the growth process is arrested and boredom and isolation set in.
> The following two schema demonstrate the above:
> 
> 1.
> 
> Growth                     Love                      Maturity
> Life Opportunities                                                                                 Universal Man
> Creativity                  Love                     Fulfillment
> 
> 2.
> 
> Growth          Inadequate (Absent) Love         Arrested Growth
> Self-centered
> Life Opportunities
> Boredom &               Individual
> Creativity       Inadequate (Absent) Love             Isolation
> 
> In the discussion of an unhealthy process of growth and creativity above, we stated that the end result of
> such a situation is arrested growth, boredom and isolation. The arrested growth in an individual manifests itself in
> disharmony between different aspects of his being. Thus, an individual in his mid-thirties could find himself
> intellectually or emotionally functioning at a level below his capacities. Under such circumstances the person would
> experience feelings of humiliation and frustration, which in turn would cause him to become angry and eventually
> apathetic and/or aggressive. Likewise, a person who has had no opportunity for the development of basic love and
> respect for himself or for the capacity to use his unique qualities, would find life empty and meaningless. This is a
> state of being which could not but cause boredom, apathy and aggression.
> Here we have tried to show that violence has its roots in several specific conditions. One such condition is
> the faulty way in which we deal with fear and anger in our lives. The other condition is directly related to our
> incompetence and ignorance as to how to take advantage of life’s opportunities in order to foster our growth and
> creativity.
> The following schema outline the major causes of aggression and violence and their counter parts, i.e.
> withdrawal and apathy.
> Pathological Life Processes
> 
> Fear
> + Severe Anxiety          Withdrawal and Apathy
> Life Challenges          (chronic or acute)
> Violence and Apathy
> (Threats)          Anger
> + Severe Anxiety          Aggression and Violence
> (chronic or acute)
> 
> Absence of
> Growth            Love           Arrested Maturity                                   Violence
> Life                                                                      Life Challenges
> and/or
> Opportunities                                        Boredom and                (Threats)
> Creativity                                                                            Apathy
> Isolation
> 
> Healthy Life Processes
> 
> Fear
> Anxiety          Objective and Creative Solution
> Life Challenges
> Opportunities
> (Threats)          Anger
> Anxiety          Objective and Creative Solution
> 
> Growth                        Love                      Maturity
> Life Opportunities                                                                                  Universal Man
> Creativity                     Love                     Fulfillment
> 
> PART III Teachings of the Bahá’í Faith and Their Relevance to Prevention of Violence
> 
> a. Bahá’í Concept of Man
> “Man is the noblest of all beings, the sum of all perfections.”1 With this statement ‘Abdu’l-Bahá summarizes the
> Bahá’í Teachings in regard to the nature and stature of man. This view of man is closely related to the teachings of
> the Bahá’í Faith which state that the whole of creation is pure and good and that evil doesn’t exist. The non-
> existence of evil is a notion of far reaching consequence and therefore it needs to be understood fully. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> in one of his “table talks” elaborates upon this concept.
> 
> “In creation there is no evil, all is good. Certain qualities and natures innate in some man and apparently
> blame-worthy are not so in reality. For example, from the beginning of his life you can see in a nursing
> child the signs of desire, of anger and of temper. Then it may be said good and evil are innate in the reality
> of man, and this is contrary to the pure goodness of nature and creation. The answer to this is that desire,
> which is to ask for something more, is a praiseworthy quality, provided that it is used suitably. So if a man
> has the desire to acquire science and knowledge, or to become compassionate, generous and just it is more
> praiseworthy. If he exercises his anger and wrath against the blood thirsty tyrants who are like ferocious
> beasts, it is very praiseworthy, but if he does not use these qualities in a right way, they are blame-
> worthy.”2
> 
> However, man, created pure and noble, in his history and in his everyday life has manifested such behaviour and
> conduct which is a far cry from the characteristics of a noble and pure creation. The discrepancy between man’s
> noble creation and his ignoble conduct is directly related to man’s education.
> In response to an inquiry regarding the cause of the differences and varieties in man’s character ‘Abdu’l-
> Bahá states that man “... has the innate character, the inherited character, and the acquired character which is gained
> by education. With regard to innate character, although the divine creation is purely good, yet the varieties of natural
> qualities in man come from the difference of degree, all are excellent, but they are more or less so, according to the
> degree. But the difference of the qualities with regard to culture is very great; for education has great influence.
> Education has a universal influence, and the differences caused by it are very great...”3
> Education of children in the Bahá’í Faith is compulsory at a universal level and is the responsibility of the
> parents and the community alike. Acquisition of knowledge, of arts, of sciences and of spiritual realities are likewise
> the responsibility of every individual. Without a proper education, man loses the very essence of being a human and
> thus falls into an animal—like state, debased and aimless. To further understand this point we again refer to
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s writings. He says:
> 
> if man himself is left in his natural state, he will become lower than the animal and continue to grow more
> ignorant and imperfect... If we wish to eliminate this dark plane of human existence. we must bring man
> forth from hopeless captivity of nature, educate him and show him the pathway of light and knowledge,
> until uplifted from his condition of ignorance he becomes wise and knowing, no longer savage and
> revengeful, he is endowed with attributes of heaven. But left in his natural condition without education and
> training, he will become more depraved and more vicious than the animal.4
> 
> In the above passage ‘Abdu’l-Bahá clearly identifies those characteristics of a proper education which would help
> man to become free of violence. Under such an education man needs to be freed from the hopeless captivity of
> nature and learn to effectively deal with challenges and threats of life. In addition he needs to acquire wisdom,
> knowledge, kindness and other attributes of a higher plane of existence. This clearly is related to the processes of
> growth and creativity outlined above.
> Existing education doctrines, view man primarily in the negative, and consider him to be a slave to his
> instincts. Mans cruelty, aggression and violence are given independent realities by themselves, and as such, the
> educators endeavour to teach the students how to deal with and accept their violence and aggression. These efforts
> however are ineffective, primarily because what the individual needs to learn is how to deal with challenges of life
> and use its opportunities. Under such circumstances, the emphasis would be on prevention which is a far more
> effective way of dealing with such problems. However, such an education is difficult to achieve without existence of
> a milieu in harmony with the view of nobility of man.
> 
> b. The Bahá’í Community—A Milieu for Growth and Creativity
> The Bahá’í Community can be viewed from many angles, each emphasizing one or the other of its unique
> characteristics. For the purposes of this presentation we would review those aspects of Bahá’í Community which
> provides opportunities for growth and creativity, in a basically united, safe and non-threatening environment.
> Individual growth does not take place in isolation or a vacuum. The interaction between the individual and his
> environment is the dynamic force which allows him to use the opportunities creatively and face the challenges
> provided by the environment. To understand what type of an environment is created in the Bahá’í Community, we
> shall elaborate on some of the Bahá’í concepts in regard to evolution of mankind.
> Bahá’u’lláh teaches that mankind as a whole sails through similar stages of growth and development as a
> human individual does. Thus at one time mankind collectively was in its infancy, at another time in his childhood,
> and now is going through the period of adolescence, rapidly approaching its manhood. Shoghi Effendi, in referring
> to this growth process, describes the present state of mankind in the following manner:
> 
> “The long ages of infancy and childhood, through which the human race had to pass, have receded into the
> background. Humanity is now experiencing the commotions invariably associated with the most turbulent
> stages of its evolution, the stage of adolescence, when the impetuosity of youth and its vehemence reach
> their climax, and must gradually be superceded by the calmness, the wisdom and the maturity that
> characterize the stage of manhood. Then will the human race reach that stature of ripeness which will
> enable it to acquire all the powers and capacities upon which its ultimate development must depend.26
> 
> Adolescence is a period of change, of upheavals and of transition. The adolescent needs an appropriate environment
> in which he would be able to sail through this turbulent stage and arrive at the calm shores of adulthood. If the
> adolescent is not provided with such an environment, then his integrity is threatened and conflicts arise. Emotions
> and passions take charge of him and in his lonely and misguided struggle he succumbs to destructiveness, violence,
> apathy and withdrawal.
> Mankind now in its adolescence, realizes that he himself alone is incapable of directing his own growth.
> Gradually he is becoming aware that a total change in his thinking, life-style, attitudes, beliefs and consciousness
> must precede any improvement in his present dilemma.
> But what is needed to make this change of course possible? The adolescent needs a stable environment, in
> which an authority with characteristics of universality, justice and mercy would provide him with the opportunity to
> mature and develop in a unique and creative manner. In such a community, guidance would come not from the
> collective will of individuals where one adolescent would be guiding another adolescent. Rather, the guidance would
> come from a universal and a supreme source. The following passage by Shoghi Effendi fully demonstrates this
> point:
> 
> “The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, whose supreme mission is none other but the achievement of this organic
> and spiritual unity of the whole body of nations, should if we be faithful to its implications, be regarded as
> signalizing through its advent the coming of the age of the entire human race. It should be viewed not
> merely as yet another spiritual revival in the ever-changing fortunes of mankind, not only as a further stage
> in a chain of progressive Revelations, nor even as the culmination of one of a series of recurrent prophetic
> cycles, but rather as marking the last and highest stage in the stupendous evolution of man’s collective life
> on this planet. The emergence of a world community, the consciousness of world civilization, the founding
> of a world civilization and culture, all of which must synchronize with the initial stages in the unfoldment
> of the Golden Age of Bahá’í Era — should by their very nature, be regarded as far as this planetary life is
> concerned, as the furthermost limits in the organization of human society, though man as an individual,
> will, nay must indeed as a result of such a consummation continue indefinitely to progress and develop”7
> 
> The following statement by Horace Holley further elucidates the nature of Bahá’í Community:
> 
> “The inherent nature of the Community created by Bahá’u’lláh has great significance at this time, when the
> relative values of democracy, of constitutional monarchy, of aristocracy and of communism are everywhere
> in dispute. Of the Bahá’í Community it may be declared definitely that its character does not reflect the
> communist theory. The rights of the individual are fully safeguarded and the fundamental distinction of
> personal endowment natural among all people are fully preserved. Individual rights, however, are
> interpreted in the light of the supreme law of brotherhood and not made a sanction for selfishness,
> oppression and indifference. On the other hand, the Bahá’í order is not a democracy in the sense that it
> proceeds from the complete sovereignty of the people whose representatives are limited to carrying out the
> popular will. Sovereignty in the Bahá’í Community, is attributed to the Divine Prophet, and the elected
> representatives of the believers in their administrative function look to the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh for their
> guidance, having faith that the application of His universal principles is the source of order throughout the
> community. Every Bahá’í administrative body feels itself a trustee, and in this capacity stands above the
> plane of dissension and is free of that pressure exerted by factional groups.”21
> 
> So far we have attempted to outline some characteristics of the Bahá’í Community which foster growth and
> development of unique qualities of the individual. As we stated earlier love is an absolute and necessary element in
> such a process. This type of growth-inducing, all encompassing and universal love however is obtainable when the
> individual and community alike have developed those basic rules of human conduct which are free from oppression,
> fear, power struggle and authoritarianism and are characterized by basic trust, harmony, kindness, mutual respect
> and affinity at the highest level of human hopes, aspirations and spiritual capacities. This type of orientation is in
> fact what is called love orientation.8 In a love oriented community the individual not only is encouraged and helped
> to mature and attain fulfillment, he is also freed from anxieties, fears and anger closely related to living under
> threatening circumstances. The consequence of living in such an environment is that the chances for apathy,
> aggression and violence are reduced to a large extent. Therefore, at the centre of this change from power orientation
> to love orientation is the emphasis on love as a primary factor in human relationships replacing the orientation
> toward power, inherited from a past that was dominated by childlike needs.
> The discussion of Bahá’í Community and its role in helping the individual to attain maturity cannot be
> complete without a reference to Bahá’í consultation. The basis which Bahá’u’lláh creates for training and
> development of the individual and the community is Bahá’í Consultation. It applies to all areas of human
> association, including the family and the community. Bahá’ís are encouraged to speak with “absolute freedom”
> while seeing that “no occasion for ill—feeling or discord may arise.”28 They are urged to see their ideas as
> contributions to the group and to struggle, to detach themselves from personal interest in them once they have been
> presented. Criticism of others as a means of social control is strongly discouraged, whether it occur in consultative
> situations or individual encounters. The spirit of trust that communication of this kind produces, in turn engenders
> real love and a profound sense of unity. The deep satisfaction such experiences provide are more than sufficient to
> overcome gradually and discipline the appetite for power or fear of inadequacy.
> The following is a summary of this part of the presentation:
> 
> — Man is a noble creature,
> — Proper education is needed for man’s nobility to manifest itself,
> — Education takes place at the individual, family, and community level,
> — Mankind collectively is going through its adolescent stage,
> — Bahá’í Community with its administrative organization, its emphasis on love and unity and its unique
> consultation creates a milieu in which the individual and mankind as a whole, would be able to use their creative
> faculties, feel secure in facing the challenges of life and learn to deal with fears, frustrations and anxieties of life in
> an objective and creative manner.
> 
> CONCLUSION
> Aggression and violence are learned forms of behaviour. They occur whenever the environment is threatening and
> the individual’s capacity for dealing with these threats are not fully developed. In addition to environmental threats,
> there exists another serious source of threat, which is directly related to the individual’s inner state of being, his
> sense of impotence, imperfection, and vulnerability. These conditions have a direct and inverse relationship to the
> level of maturity and the degree of fulfillment and creativity of the individual. The more creative and the more
> mature the individual is, the more capable he is to deal with threats and challenges of life, and therefore the less
> prone to aggression and violence.
> To deal with threats and challenges of life a healthy degree of anxiety is needed. This healthy anxiety
> manifests itself in our excitement, impatience, sense of anticipation and intense desire to plunge ourselves into
> arduous, and challenging tasks of life. Apathy and/or violence result when anxiety reaches an acute level or lingers
> for a long duration. There is a similar result when the threats are monumental and we feel our capacity to deal with
> these threats to be minimal.
> The opportunities of life manifest themselves in processes of growth and creativity, the end result of which
> is maturity, fulfillment, freedom to experiment and to create. At this level the individual becomes universal in his
> outlook and spiritual in his conduct. Love is the essential fuel for growth and creativity. Those growing in an
> environment characterized by inadequate or absence of love suffer boredom, isolation and disharmony in different
> aspects of their growth.
> To help the individual to deal with threats of life in a healthy manner and learn to cultivate the
> opportunities of existence, he needs an education which would provide him with a positive sense of indentity and
> trusting attitude towards the world and its people.
> The Bahá’í Faith, with its concept of man as a noble creation, places a great emphasis on education, so that
> the individual will learn to deal with the threats of life in an objective and creative manner and consciously enhance
> his opportunities for growth and creativity.
> The Bahá’í Community, structured on the principles of love, unity, trust and cooperation functions with
> consultative practices characterized by mature qualities of openness, frankness, love and humility. This creates a
> milieu in which threats are decreased and opportunities are enhanced. In such an environment, and under such
> educational practices, the emphasis is on prevention of violence, rather than on measures on how to cope with it.
> 
> Notes
> * As Gellhorn states, “chronic anxiety is due to the simultaneous activities of the orgotropic and the trophotropic
> systems at a high level of arousal or psychologically speaking to fear and aggression.” 17
> References
> 1. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1964. p. 227.
> 2. ibid. p. 250
> 3. ibid. P. 247–249.
> 4. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Reality of Man, Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1966. p. 39–40.
> 5. Adler, Alfred, as quoted in the book Individual Psychology of Alfred Adler, by H. L. Ansbacher, E. R. Ansbacher,
> opposite page 1.
> 6. Bowiby, J., Maternal Care and Mental Health, ed. 2, Monograph Services No. 2, World Health Organization,
> Geneva, 1952.
> 7. Bowlby, J., Attachment and Loss, Vol. III, “Separation, Anxiety and Fear”, Basic Books Inc., Publisher, New
> York, 1973.
> 8. Danesh, H. B., “Universal Man and Prejudiced Man”, World Order, Vol. 8, Number 3, 1974. p. 16–25.
> 9. Darwin, C., The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, Appleton, New York, 1896.
> 10. Erikson, E. H., Identity and the Life Cycle, Psychological Issues Monograph No. 1, International Universities
> Press, New York, 1959.
> 11. Eron, L. D., Huesman, L. R., Lefkowitz, M. M., Walder, L. O., “How Learning Conditions in Early Childhood,
> Including Mass Media Relate to Aggression in Adolescence”, American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, Vol. 44,
> #3, April 1974, p. 412–423.
> 12. Freud, Sigmund, “Anxiety and Instinctual Life” Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, Vol. XXII,
> The Hograth Press, London, 1967, p. 103.
> 13. ibid. p. 109
> 14. ibid. p. 203
> 15. ibid. p. 204
> 16. ibid. p. 209
> 17. Gellhorn, E., as quoted by Harold I. Lief, M. 13., In “Anxiety Reaction”, Comprehensive Textbook of
> Psychiatry, edited by Alfred M. Freedman and Harold I, Kaplan, the William and Wilkins Company, Baltimore
> 1967, p. 858.
> 18. Gellhorn, B., The Neurophysiological Basis of Anxiety: A Hypothesis, Perspect, Biol. Med. 8:488, 1965.
> 19. Cornery, R., “Interpersonal Intensity, Competition and Synergy: Determinants of Achievement, Aggression and
> Mental Illness”, American Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 128–4, October 1971, p. 436–445.
> 20. Harlow, H. F., and Harlow, M. K., The Affectional Systems in Behaviour of Non-Human Primates, A. N. Schrier,
> H. F. Harlow and F. Stollnitz, editors, Vol. 2, Academic Press, New York, 1965.
> 21. Holley, H., “The Purposes of the Bahá’í Faith”, The Bahá’í World Vol. VI (1934–1936) p. 6, Bahá’í Publishing
> Committee, New York, N. Y., 1937.
> 22. Lief, Harold, I., “Anxiety Reaction”, Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, edited by Alfred M. Freedman and
> Harold I. Kaplan, The Williams and Wilkins Company, Baltimore 1967, p. 857.
> 23. Mack, John, B., Semrad, B. V., “Clinical Psychoanalysis”, Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, edited by
> Alfred M. Freedman, and Harold I. Kaplan, The Williams and Wilkins Company, Baltimore 1967, p. 269–320.
> 24. Rado, S., Emergency Behaviour: With an Introduction to the Dynamics of Conscience in Psychoanalysis of
> Behaviour, Vol. 1, p. 214, Grene and Stratton, New York, 1956.
> 25. Rothenberg, Albert, “On Anger”, American Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 128–4, October 1971, p. 454–460.
> 26. Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 202, Bahá’í Publishing Committee, Wilmette, Illinois,
> 1944.
> 27. ibid. p. 163.
> 28. Shoghi Effendi, Bahá’í Administration 6th ed. rev, and enl. Wilmette, Illinois, Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1968, p.
> 21.
> 29. Skeels, H. M., Adult Status of Children with Contrasting Early Life Experience, Monograph Soc. Res. Child
> Development, 31 Series 105, No. 3, 1966.
>
> — *Apathy and Violence (Used by permission of the curator)*