Craig, most families, in the East or the West, North and South have SEVERE issues, they do not publicly talk about; perhaps the worst would be in the South…. This is part of human life.

Families with more problems are more challenging, offer more opportunities for progress and for fall. The bigger the stumbling block, the greater the stepping stone if we manage to overcome it.

No one expected Shoghi Effendi to be a perfect person; He had to be a perfect interpretor of Baha’u'llah’s revelation. You dont expect a judge or a referee to be a perfect person; it has to be a person perfectly obeyed so that social life becomes possible ; we need to orgainse into an order, build a new structure.

After going through May 1968 when it was “forbidden to forbid”, I finally realise now that our society needs to go through periods of disruption, disintegration, disorder (black-hole) and periods of integration, cohesion to live. There can be no progress outside this natural cycle.

This is true for seasons, galaxies, concepts, social structures and religious dispensations. We do not have a linear progress in life, only in man made machines like clocks. Life is in progress: whether mineral, vegetal, animal, human, social or spiritual, and this progress is not on an automatic basis, but on our own volition ; a test.

Perhaps ( ?) unlike the molecule in the compost, humans _choose_ to link with the root and rise to the flower or to stay in the compost.

I agree with the message of your previous comment and appreciate your skillful use of language, too, in making your point. I did just want to say that when you write, “Goodness knows this entire family had S E V E R E I S S U E S as most families from the psychologically disturbed Middle East have for millenia,” I certainly agree that THIS family seems disturbed. But I don’t think it’s fair to say “most families” from the middle east have more severe issues than any other group.

Anyway, thanks for your post.
Amanda

Goodness knows a psychiatrist surely would. Goodness knows this entire family had S E V E R E I S S U E S as most families from the psychologically disturbed Middle East have for millenia (ie. Joseph and his Brothers. Cain and Abel. Etc.) Goodness knows people surely would have been upset by the language of this cable. Goodness knows s o m e o n e was having m a j o r p r o b l e m s that day from getting up on the wrong side of the psychological bed. Goodness knows there were unresolved psychological self identity issues in play. Goodness knows someone should have sought family counseling in their lifetime. Goodness knows millions of human beings would suffer and die in World War II and the Baha’is would be sound asleep in their little self satisfied Baha’i World Club. Goodness knows the psychological basket cases in the Administrative Order addiction system over 86 years would eventually make Shoghi Effendi their psychological S u p r e m e M a n i f e s t a t i o n of G o d for t h i s W o r l d A g e. Goodness knows Baha’u'llah and what He wrote no longer counts in any way at all in the current apparatchik Baha’i Faith of 2008. Goodness knows things are not looking good. Goodness knows things are not looking good at all with over 2500 FORMAL WITHDRAWALS from the Baha’i Faith in the U.S. alone since 2001 by very deepened and long serving Baha’is totaling hundreds and even thousands of collective years of selfless service. Goodness knows everyone who ever served in the Administrative Order has got some spla’nin to do in the next world. G o o d n e s s k n o w s.