Thoughts on Peace and Unity

On Wednesday, September 23, 2009, the TV news was full of reports about speeches at the UN. At the same time, a number of people offered on the air opinions about how well the UN has contributed to the advancement of peace and unity.

In 1912, long before there was a UN in New York City, Abdu'l-Baha arrived in New York, and he brought with him a message of peace and unity. In fact, when asked by reporters why he had come to the United States, Abdu'l-Baha told them that he had journeyed to the U.S. in order to open the door to a "universal peace." He then followed that bold statement by saying that he intended to lay the foundation of the "oneness of mankind."

During the 8 plus months that Abdu'l-Baha spent in the United States, he continued to focus on this same message--a message about the world's need for unity and peace. Since Abdu'l-Baha could not present a talk at the UN, he traveled all over the U.S. giving talks before those groups that showed an interest in promoting peace and unity.