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SECTION NINE
ATTAINMENT TARGET THREESKILLS APPROPRIATE TO THE LIFE OF A BAHÁ’Í
a. INDIVIDUAL SKILLS
Time and again we are reminded, by the Bahá’í scriptures and by the Guardian and the Universal House of Justice, that the success and progress of the Faith is largely dependent upon the individual believer and their personal initiative and contribution to the Cause.
This being the case, we need to prepare individual Bahá’ís in such a way that they will have the skills to be self-sustaining members of the community, to continue to live and function as Bahá’ís even when things become more difficult, even when they are alone without benefit of a Bahá’í community or another believer nearby.
From strong, well-motivated individual believers, strong families, strong communities and strong institutions grow. Many of the troubles from which the Faith suffers at present would disappear if the individuals who make up the worldwide community of Bahá’u’lláh were solidly grounded in those skills which helped them sustain their faith and their active participation in Bahá’í affairs.
We cannot afford to allow our children to go through several years of Bahá’í education and emerge without the means to utilise their spiritualised characters and their knowledgeable minds. These must be channelled, focused and directed toward meaningful ends through the acquisition of those skills which enable them to function effectively and in a fulfilling way as active Bahá’ís.
Programme of Study for Individual Skills
The soul
The mind (intellectual)
The heart (emotional)
The body
How to answer the needs of all these aspects
Prayer and Fasting
Developing a devotional attitude
Learning to pray
Learning how to use prayer effectively, including the 5 steps
Getting the best out of the obligatory prayers and the 95 times Allah’u’Abhá
Learning to fast
Getting the best out of the Fast
Reading the Writings
Learning to read the writings daily
Learning to deepen effectively
Learning to study the writings
Memorising the writings
Learning to recite the Word of God by heart.
Using the writings effectively
Financial
Giving to the Fund
Paying Huquq’u’llah
Making a Bahá’í will
Choosing a worthwhile occupation
Honest financial dealings
General / Life
Developing a Bahá’í identity
Learning to prioritise and balance one’s life with its conflicting demands
Developing learning and study skills
Learning to deal with strong feelings, temptations and idle thoughts
Learning to deal with wrong-doing, conscience and putting things right
Learning to acquire the virtues and practising them in daily life
Learning to eat, sleep, dress, work, exercise and play within the bounds of moderation and restraint
Learning to develop one’s creative and artistic skills
Learning to develop one’s cultural heritage in relation to the Faith
The individual in relation to themselves
The individual in relation to their family
The individual in relation to the Bahá’í community and society
The individual in relation to the Bahá’í administration
KEY STAGE APPROPRIACY
KS 0, KS 1: Here individual skills might chiefly be approached through appropriate behaviour for saying and listening to prayers, learning short prayers and passages by heart, coping with strong feelings, etc
KS 2: Here develop skills of praying, reading the writings, giving to the Fund, acquiring and practising virtues, exercising moderation and dealing with thoughts and feelings, etc.
KS 3: Here these may be approached with greater sophistication, introducing everything that remains gradually, and perhaps leaving some financial skills, fasting and cultural heritage until later.
KS 4: Enable students to be confident in exercising all individual skills at a basic but effective level, and to be able to assist themselves and others in acquiring these same skills.
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