This article was written by Felora Derakhshani, the Managing Director of
Crimson Woman, Keynote Speaker, and Author. She is also the
President of United Nations Association-Austin Chapter.
As I ponder the plight of the peoples of the world, all they endure beyond the recent storms and fires, mass shootings reported and unreported, the silent and ever so loud drum of suffering and tribulation, a knowing emerges: it is through loss, adversity, and defeat that we come face to face with the meaning of life- beyond the facade of the material life.
I vividly remember when I first wrestled with the concept of immortality many years ago. I was on a road trip with my family after the loss of my father due to religious persecution. As I was looking outside the window, the passing trees, I could not stop thinking about a Bahá’í prayer I had read just that morning.
“The fleeting hours of man’s life on earth pass swiftly by and the little that still remaineth shall come to an end, but that which endureth and lasteth for evermore is the fruit that man reapeth from his servitude at the Divine Threshold…”
I asked myself there and then, what is the expression of my servitude at the Divine Threshold?
I made a decision, at that moment, that I would leave my corporate position as an engineering manager and dedicate my life to advocating gender equality-an issue I had been preoccupied with as long as I remember.
As a young girl growing up in a small city in the northern part of Iran, often I found myself confronted with age old concepts of the roles of women. How fortunate I was to be raised in a Bahá’í family that embraced the principle of equality of women and men, one of the fundamental principles of the Baha’i Teachings. As a teenager, I would challenge my father to treat me the same as my two older brothers. This was not so easy for him since the society was not such that he could freely advocate or implement this principle. However, because of my beloved father’s determination to abide by the Laws of the Bahá’í Faith, he yielded to my wishes, sent me to England at the age of 16, that I might enjoy more freedom as a woman, have a better education, and pursue my dream of being an engineer.
Upon my return from my road trip, I was determined to honor my father’s legacy and find a way to “reap the fruit” of my life. I decided to dedicate my life to issues related to gender equality and founded a non-profit organization for the “Empowerment of Women and Girls.”
However, I realized that to “reap the fruit” of my life, I still needed to implement a posture of servitude that has the necessary influence.
This month, as the international Bahá’í community celebrates the 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh, Founder of the Bahá’í Faith, I endeavor alongside millions of other Bahá’ís throughout the world, to live out the twofold moral purpose of transforming our own character while simultaneously contributing to the advancement of society. This only becomes a reality through a posture of servitude where our “actions” become “beautiful prayers.”
Now more than ever we need positive models of social change that would bring people together rather than divide them. We need to embody the attitude of service that would help us transform our character and the character of the society.
On the weekend of October 21st, the Austin Bahá’ís are joining millions around the world, to celebrate the transformative impact of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings in the lives of families, neighborhoods, and communities, who are becoming protagonist for their own change. For more information about the local celebration activities visit http://www.austinbahai.org/.
