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citizens of the republic of spirit where there is no discrimination, prejudice or hatred against
other people on the basis of their natural, biological or imagined differences. In other words, a
true understanding of human reality requires a realization of the unity of humankind and global
cooperation and universal dignity of all human beings.
This third characteristic of humans is the logical conclusion of both previous principles. The first
principle namely the spiritual definition of humans teaches us to realize that as image of God we
are all one and the same. We cannot define human being as the image of God and then hate and
kill each other on the basis of our biological differences, our place of birth on planet earth or
religious superstitions and vain imaginings. But the principle of global consciousness is also the
logical result of the second principle namely the idea of historical consciousness. If humans are
historical and dynamic beings, then we need to understand that at this time the process of
historical development have brought humanity to a new and global stage of development. In this
global condition our mystical unity has become an objective material reality. In this stage no
problem can be adequately solved except through a consciousness of universal brotherhood and
sisterhood of all humanity and the imperative of global cooperation. Humans, in Baha’u’llah’s
words, need to regard the world as one interdependent and organic body. The age of
particularistic prejudices, hatred, estrangement, discrimination and dehumanization is over. We
need to be awakened by this spiritual enlightenment and reconstruct our world in ways that
correspond to the requirement of time. In Baha’u’llah’s view, human dignity is embodied in this
definition of human being, a human being who is spiritual, historical and global.