on knowledge on science
Question. Hypothesize. Experiment. Assess. Analyze. Conclude. Communicate.
One Report is spiritually-minded content for and by young people. This publication is borne from a reflection of the teachings of the Baha’i Faith and many of our contributors are Baha’is, but not all. The goal is for One Report to offer space for people from all faith backgrounds and beliefs to discuss issues of faith and spirituality. In a time of turmoil, One Report hopes to be a source of unity and collaboration. It is an opportunity for young people to learn from one another and share reflections that feel relevant, pressing, stirring, and elevated. Thank you.
One Report is edited by Anisa Tavangar with Maya Mansour. Photographs in this issue are by Stephanie Spencer.
Listen and perceive Written by Sula Ndousse-Fetter
Discovering the world through science feels like learning the world’s music—the particular hum of things seen and unseen to the eye. If you’ve ever listened to a musician deconstruct the pieces of a song, the next time you hear it, the bass line is clearer, the faintest harmonies resonate deeper, the magic of mystery supplanted by the wonder of complexity. I like to think this is the work of science—putting reality into sharper focus, drawing up a composition of infinite parts. We learn from the bass line, the deep truths that resonate, holding things together, stretching, pulling; everything is touched by basic, fundamental theories that we build upon, refute and resynthesize, the understandings that guide the rhythm of the next questions to ask. At the fringes of a composition, improvisation reigns. The borders of what we do not know—what we have little evidence of—are the parts of the song that pull comfort
“Nay, earthly and heavenly, material and spiritual, accidental and essential, particular and universal, structure and foundation, appearance and reality and the essence of all things, both inward and outward—all of these are connected one with another and are interrelated in such a manner that you will find that drops are patterned after seas, and that atoms are structured after suns in proportion to their capacities and potentialities…” Abdu’l-Baha, Tablet of the Universe
out from under us. The goals of investigation are bold, and rest on the faith that there is something out there singing, waiting to be heard and understood— in the tiniest of particles theoretically confirmed, to the bustling of cellular machinery in living forms, to the regular shifting of planets. What we learn through science is infused with the meaning we give it and honored by the choices we make about what to do with it. Illumined by spiritual sensibility and informed by investigation, we are able to come into closer harmony with the world and each other, allowing scientific discovery to take the shape of human curiosity and need. The more we study the natural world, the better we understand reality. Examining the interdependence of ecological systems gives insight into patterns of unity; through investigation of physical processes, we can better understand the way our own lives transform. The natural world— the worlds we each possess, the worlds we cannot perceive— are full of unknowns melodious and strange. What can we hear when we listen?
“Any religious belief which is not conformable with scientific proof and i n v e s t i g a t i o n is superstition, for true science is reason and reality, and religion is essentially reality and p u r e r e a s o n ; therefore, the two must correspond... If we say religion is opposed to science, we lack knowledge of either true science or true religion, for both are founded upon the premises and conclusions of reason, and both must bear its test.�
Excerpt from a talk given by Abdu’l-Baha on May 7, 1912.
a necessary love Written by Yasmine Ayman
“Why”, she said “How”, he replied Angrily, retorting at assumed fallacy. “Why”, she said “How”, he scorned And swept across the earth Green signs, gasses, chemicals Metamorphosis of life Unfolding in numbers His language was tending to the heavens Tending like an asymptote The equation makes no sense Without her. “Why”, she said “How”, he swore Shedding light on everything Like moonbeams— False enlightenment But still tending, as you need The variables You need the how But without her there was a void. “Why” she asked “How” he rebuked We must hypothesise, observe, and conclude Only makes sense with matter
Knock on wood— matter Under a microscope— matter Obeys the laws— matter The only kind that matters— matter. Why can’t we think Hypothesise, that is Observe, you know Conclude, as you do But with history, life, and morality? Since after all What is matter, but energy. And so he fell in love With how she inquired Made no claims to authority But challenged limits Instead of ignoring them. Challenged boundaries Instead of reducing them. Love, akin to harmony Between the two steeds Unified the tongues. Not only filled holes, But colored them Black holes became beautiful Paintings of diversity Of virtue, of humanity.
"Knowledge is as wings to man's life, and a ladder for his ascent. Its acquisition is incumbent upon everyone. The knowledge of such sciences, however, should be acquired as can profit the peoples of the earth, and not those which begin with words and end with words." Baha'u'llah
What is something that begings and ends with words? How can you tell? How can you avoid that? Why is it important that findings lead to action?
"It's quite literally true that we are star dust, in the highest exalted way one can use that phrase. ... I bask in the majesty of the cosmos. I use words, compose sentences that sound like the sentences I hear out of people that had revelation of Jesus, who go on their pilgrimages to Mecca." Neil deGrasse Tyson
The Five steps of prayerful problem solving By SHoghi Effendi The following is a pilgrim’s note recorded by Ruth Moffett in 1954 and published in 1973. It is not an authoritative text.
First Step. Pray and meditate about it. Use the prayers of the Manifestations as they have the greatest power. Then remain in the silence of contemplation for a few minutes.
Second Step. Arrive at a decision and hold this. This decision is usually born during the contemplation. It may seem almost impossible of accomplishment but if it seems to be as answer to a prayer or a way of solving the problem, then immediately take the next step.
Third Step. Have determination to carry the decision through. Many fail here. The decision, budding into determination, is blighted and instead becomes a wish or a vague longing. When determination is born, immediately take the next step.
Fourth Step. Have faith and confidence that the power will flow through you, the right way will appear, the door will open, the right thought, the right message, the right principle or the right book will be given you. Have confidence, and the right thing will come to your need. Then, as you rise from prayer, take at once the fifth step.
Fifth Step. Then, he said, lastly, ACT; Act as though it had all been answered. Then act with tireless, ceaseless energy. And as you act, you, yourself, will become a magnet, which will attract more power to your being, until you become an unobstructed channel for the Divine power to flow through you. Many pray but do not remain for the last half of the first step. Some who meditate arrive at a decision, but fail to hold it. Few have the determination to carry the decision through, still fewer have the confidence that the right thing will come to their need. But how many remember to act as though it had all been answered? How true are those words-�Greater than the prayer is the spirit in which it is uttered� and greater than the way it is uttered is the spirit in which it is carried out.
“...give full measure when you measure, and weigh with an even balance. That is the best [way] and best in result. And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart - about all those [one] will be questioned.� Quran
(17:35-36)
“Science without religion l
a
m
is e
,
religion without science
is
b l i n d . � Albert
Einstein
“We cherish the hope that through the lovingkindness of the AllWise, the All-Knowing, obscuring dust may be dispelled and the power of perception enhanced, that the people may discover the purpose for which they have been called into being. In this Day whatsoever serveth to reduce blindness and to increase vision is worthy of consideration. This vision acteth as the agent and guide for true knowledge. Indeed in the estimation of men of wisdom keenness of understanding is due to keenness of vision.” Baha’u’llah
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