What's in a Name? Part 2: the Formative Age

"A new life is, in this age, stirring within all the peoples of the earth..." - Baha'u'llah, gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 196

It is the idea of the Formative Age, the second part of my blog title, that really gets my motor running. Some context first. In my late-teens I started to become consumed by the feeling that we were on the brink of a something cataclysmic; that the collective direction humanity took would either make or break us. I couldn't put my finger on exactly why, so I called it the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, or late-capitalism, or Armageddon. I aligned myself with socialism, feminism, ecological movements, human rights organisations and various spiritual traditions looking for the best way to contribute to our survival. Everyone I knew seemed to be searching for similar answers.

When I discovered the Baha'i Faith at age 23, I was curious but sceptical. Exactly one day after first hearing about this new-fangled religion, God introduced me to a Baha'i woman who had just moved to Australia from New York. We became fast friends. She encouraged me to investigate the Writings thoroughly for myself and by now thoroughly intrigued, I did. Actively studying Baha'u'llah's teachings over the next year and a half, I began to realise that all my suspicions were not only confirmed by the Baha'i Writings, the actual Source of these feelings had been revealed to me. I slowly became convinced that the upheavals I'd been observing and experiencing; the rapid advances of women’s rights in the West, devastating natural disasters, triumphs of technological and scientific enquiry, the suicides of loved-ones, half of my immediate family being saved from the clutches of active addiction in the space of nine months, our ever-shrinking planet; all fell under the banner of what Baha’u’llah’s grandson, Shoghi Effendi described as "the death-pangs of the old order and the birth-pangs of the new". Religious, agnostic or atheist, we can all agree that these global pangs are real. It's impossible to have eyes and ears and not acknowlege that unheralded change is underfoot. Perhaps the most pertinent question one can ask is why is all this happening? For Baha’i’s, the current turmoil on earth is the direct result of the energies that were unleashed in 1863 when Baha’u’llah revealed his mission - to unite all of humanity.

Baha'u'llah was not the first Manifestation of God and He will not be the last. According to His own Writings, His Dispensation will last no longer than 1000 years at which time He will be succeeded by the next Messenger of God. This is where the Formative Age comes in.

During the thousand years of the Baha’i Era, it has been revealed that there will be 3 distinct stages; the Heroic Age, the Formative Age and the Golden Age. Right now, we are right at the beginning of the Formative Age, the period which will determine what the Golden Age looks like for the future generations who are alive to experience it. Contrary to its mythical, Utopian connotations, the "Golden Age" is just a fancy way of describing something very down-to-earth and achievable; namely the emergence of world peace:

"For the first time in history it is possible for everyone to view the entire planet, with all its myriad diversified peoples, in one perspective. World peace is not only possible but inevitable. It is the next stage in the evolution of this planet." The Baha'i World Centre, The Universal House of Justice, 1985 Oct, The Promise of World Peace, p. 1

There is only one catch. While peace is promised, it’s duration is not set in stone. The clock started ticking in 1844 so we only have about 800 years to burn and a lot of work to do. It’s up to us whether we enjoy 799 years of fulfilling our spiritual, creative and intellectual potential or just 3. Moreover, the quality of this inevitable peace is in our hands. We can aim for gritted-teeth, clenched fists absence-of-war peace, or the absolute pinnacle of spiritual civilization. It’s our call. The good part is this: we have been given everything we need by an All-Loving God to succeed.

These principles are universally applicable and can be utilised by Baha’i’s and non-Baha’i’s alike. I believe that every individual inhabiting the planet right now is here because they have something unique and wonderful to offer future generations. This is what the Formative Age means to me. Plenty of my non-Baha’i friends have taught me incredible things about service and unity and they’ve never even heard of Baha’u’llah. One doesn’t need to understand the intricate workings of electricity to turn on a light.

The more ideas shared between different communities, both religious and secular, the more we capitalise on our chance to not only survive but to thrive. And if you don’t like the term “Formative Age,” call it something else. Judgement Day; the New Age, global rehabilitation. I don’t care how it’s talked about, so long as it’s talked about. My prayer is that this page can become a drop in the ocean of that dialogue; the most important dialogue in human history.

“It is the ardent desire of the Bahá'ís to put these teachings into common practice: and they will strive with soul and heart to give up their lives for this purpose, until the heavenly light brightens the whole world of humanity.”- Abdu'l-Baha, Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 29