JBS21 1-4

Therefore, true freedom is dependent not only on liberation from exter-

nal nature, but it also requires human emancipation from the bondage of

internal nature. This internal nature is the principle and habit of struggle

for existence, perceiving human society as a jungle. Affirming this redefi-

nition of freedom as one of the central principles of the Bahá’í Faith,

‘Abdu’l-Bahá states:

And among the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is man’s freedom, that

through the ideal Power he should be free and emancipated from the

captivity of the world of nature; for as long as man is captive to nature

he is a ferocious animal, as the struggle for existence is one of the exi-

gencies of the world of nature. This matter of the struggle for exis-

tence is the fountain-head of all calamities and is the supreme afflic-

tion. (

Selections

316)

In this and other statements, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá presents a theory in which

human freedom is realized when humans have overcome their naturalistic

self-alienation. The rise of human beings from the dictates of nature con-

stitutes the true realization of human freedom. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in His

Writings defines the struggle for existence as a law that is prevalent in

nature. However, humans must act according to the realm of values, tran-

scend the realm of nature, and act as spiritual beings. Animals act on the

basis of the principle of struggle for existence, but their behavior is regu-

lated by natural instincts, and the overall result of such a system is the

ecological harmony of the earth. Yet humans are not regulated by

instincts because they are endowed with dynamic reason. Consequently if

humans act in accordance with the principle of struggle for existence, the

result will be not ecological harmony but rather the extinction of life on

earth through the destruction of the environment and nuclear war. Social

Darwinism, defined in broad ways, represents the reduction of humans to

the level of nature. A culture of peace, justice, unity, and communication,

on the other hand, represents the overcoming of human self-alienation,

the birth of the human being, and true freedom.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá in that same Tablet addressed to the Hague Peace

The Birth of the Human Being