The
passage below indicates that the Baha'i youth in the year 1983 will
see
the establishment of the Lesser Peace in their lifetime. Meaning
the
Lesser Peace is being predicted to occur within around 70 years
(assuming
a life expectancy of at least 80 years for these youth and
average
age of 10 years in 1983). In other words, the Lesser Peace is
predicted
to occur by around 2053 (give or take some years).
2144.
The
Bahá’í Youth of Today have the Distinction of Seeing the
Establishment
of the Lesser Peace and the Reconciliation of Society
“This
generation of Bahá’í youth enjoys a unique distinction. You
will
live
your lives in a period when the forces of history are moving to a
climax,
when mankind will see the establishment of the Lesser Peace, and
during
which the Cause of God will play an increasingly prominent role in
the
reconstruction of human society. It is you who will be called upon in
the
years to come to stand at the helm of the Cause in face of conditions
and
developments which can, as yet, scarcely be imagined.”
(From
a letter of the Universal House of Justice to the European Youth
Conference
in Innsbruck, July 4, 1983)
--Compilations,
Lights of Guidance.
The
passage above is contradicted by the statements below indicating
that
the timing of the Lesser Peace in not known and therefore a fairly
specific
time frame (as implied by the passage above) cannot be given
on
it.
For
who could have imagined, even at the beginning of this Plan, the
sudden
changes of attitude moving political leaders in some of the most
troubled
spots on the planet to break away from seemingly intractable
positions
-- changes which in recent months have prompted editorial
writers
to ask: "Is peace breaking out?"? To any observer conscious of
the
divine Source of such occurrences, this development must certainly
be
encouraging, although the precise circumstances attending the
establishment
of the Lesser Peace are not known to us; even its exact
timing
is concealed in the Major Plan of God.
--Ridvan
Messages of the Universal House of Justice, Ridvan 146, 1989,
p.
2
However,
attainment of the unity of nations should not be regarded as
being
synonymous with the establishment of the Lesser Peace. In answer
to
a question about the timing of the Lesser Peace, Shoghi Effendi
stated,
in a letter written on his behalf in 1946, that: "All we know
is
that the Lesser Peace and the Most Great Peace will come -- their
exact
dates we do not know."
--Letters
of The Universal House of Justice, 2001 Apr 19, Unity of
Nations
and the Lesser Peace, p. 3
For
the sake of some degree of specificity regarding the Lesser Peace,
it
can be considered to be a time when the majority of the world (if
not
the entire world), is living under such peace and security. As a
reference,
below is a passage from writings of Baha'u'llah calling for
the
establishment of the Lesser Peace.
We
pray God -- exalted be His glory -- and cherish the hope that He may
graciously
assist the manifestations of affluence and power and the
daysprings
of sovereignty and glory, the kings of the earth -- may God
aid
them through His strengthening grace -- to establish the Lesser
Peace.
This, indeed, is the greatest means for insuring the
tranquillity
of the nations. It is incumbent upon the Sovereigns of the
world
-- may God assist them -- unitedly to hold fast unto this Peace,
which
is the chief instrument for the protection of all mankind. It is
Our
hope that they will arise to achieve what will be conducive to the
well-being
of man. It is their duty to convene an all-inclusive
assembly,
which either they themselves or their ministers will attend,
and
to enforce whatever measures are required to establish unity and
concord
amongst men. They must put away the weapons of war, and turn to
the
instruments of universal reconstruction. Should one king rise up
against
another, all the other kings must arise to deter him. Arms and
armaments
will, then, be no more needed beyond that which is necessary
to
insure the internal security of their respective countries. If they
attain
unto this all-surpassing blessing, the people of each nation
will
pursue, with tranquillity and contentment, their own occupations,
and
the groanings and lamentations of most men would be silenced.
--Baha'u'llah,
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 30-31
Unity of nations..
The
fifth candle is the unity of nations -- a unity which in this
century
will be securely established, causing all the peoples of the
world
to regard themselves as citizens of one common fatherland.
--Abdu'l-Baha,
Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 32
In
reviewing this material it becomes apparent that there is nothing in
the
authoritative Bahá'í Writings to indicate that the Lesser
Peace
would
be established before the end of the twentieth century. However,
there
are clear statements affirming that the unity of nations would
be,
in the words of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, "securely established" during the
twentieth
century...
In
the letter of 29 July 1996 sent on its behalf in reply to that
individual,
the House of Justice wrote:
Clearly,
the emergence of the Lesser Peace will be a gradual process
and
its various stages will no doubt witness tests and setbacks, as
well
as great advances. It will certainly include, however, a
development
of historic importance: that point at which the majority of
the
world's nation-states formally commit themselves to a global order
comprising
institutions and laws, and equipped with the means by which
collective
decisions can be enforced. While we cannot at present
foresee
the precise form that this development will take, much less the
point
at which it will occur, we recognize that it is a feature of the
process
of the Lesser Peace...
You
should also take note of the distinction between the unity of
nations
and the Lesser Peace. Shoghi Effendi, in response to questions
from
believers, clarified that "unity in the political realm", to which
'Abdu'l-Bahá
referred in his enunciation of the seven candles of unity,
"is
a unity which politically independent and sovereign states achieve
among
themselves". As expressed in the passages cited in the enclosed
memorandum,
the Lesser Peace will initially be a political unity
arrived
at by decision of the various governments of the world. The
unity
of nations can be taken as that unity which arises from a
recognition
among the peoples of the various nations, that they are
members
of one common human family.
The
twentieth century has been distinguished by the emergence of the
unity
of nations, to which both Shoghi Effendi and the House of Justice
have
referred in the enclosed document. This movement, the evidence of
which
accumulates with each passing day, stands in sharp contrast to
the
nationalistic tenor of the nineteenth century, and is an evidence
of
the spirit of a new age moving in the hearts of humankind. Viewed
from
this perspective, there can be no doubt that the promise of
'Abdu'l-Bahá
has been fulfilled, and the unity of nations securely
established
in the century now concluded. The further expansion and
strengthening
of this consciousness of world solidarity in the years to
come
will have their effect in the political realm, and will influence
the
evolution towards world government.
--Letters
of The Universal House of Justice, 2001 Apr 19, Unity of
Nations
and the Lesser Peace
