GOOD AFTERNOON,

TO THE BAHA’I COMMUNITY OF MELBOURNE, FRIENDS AND OTHERS WHO ARE HERE TODAY;

I AM PLEASED TO HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO BE WITH YOU TODAY AND SPEAK A FEW WORDS ON WHAT I CONSIDER A VERY IMPORTANT SUBJECT, BUT FIRST I WANT TO THANK ___________ FOR THAT VERY GRACIOUS INTRODUCTION. I WON’T BE LONG AND AS ONE OF FAVORITE TEACHER USED TO TELL US ABOUT GIVING A SPEECH – THERE’S THREE THINGS YOU MUST REMEMBER:

BE ON TIME

BE BRIEF, AND

BE SEATED. I INTEND TO FOLLOW THAT TODAY!!

BEFORE I BEGIN, MY MIND IS FILLED WITH ACCOUNTS OF THE TRAGEDIES THAT ARE OCCURING IN THE WORLD TODAY AND I ASK THAT YOU JOIN ME IN A BRIEF PRAYER:

O God, our help in ages past,

Our hope for years to come,

Our shelter from life’s stormy blast,

The lifeline to our eternal home;

We thank you God, for the seasons of life,

For to all things there is a season;

We thank you for opportunity to assemble in peace and brotherhood with this diverse group of people, each unique in their own way, yet all bound together by the commonness of humankind. Recognizing that our similarities are greater than our differences; that the richness of our individual heritage is woven together in a beautiful tapestry of colors from a common ancestry.

We thank you God for this great adopted land we call America; this great nation, land of the free, home of the brave; made great not by the strength of its Armies, nor the might of its Navies but by the Will and Resolve of its People. Teach us tolerance and understanding, teach us humility and honor;

And as we go forth from this day,

we ask your guidance along the way;

Give us faith, for the assurance we crave,

To keep us strong, to keep us brave;

Give us hope, as our guiding star,

To light our way on the paths afar;

Give us Love, as our badge to wear,

Incline our hearts as we hear this prayer;

And Father God, we beseech thee,

Enrich our lives and we’ll all be free.

Amen

(2)

TICK TOCK, TICK TOCK, TICK TOCK-

“I HAVE ONLY JUST A MINUTE,

JUST 60 SECONDS IN IT;

FORCED UPON ME – CAN’T REFUSE IT,

DIDN’T SEEK IT – DIDN’T CHOOSE IT;

I MUST SUFFER IF I LOSE IT,

MUST GIVE AN ACCOUNT IF I ABUSE IT;

JUST A TINY LITTLE MINUTE –

BUT ALL ENTERNITY IS WRAPPED UP IT”.

8:45AM SEPTEMBER 11, 2001, A MINUTE IN TIME – A HIJACKED JETLINER IS CRASHED INTO WORLD TRADE CENTER ONE, AND OUR LIVES ARE CHANGED FOREVER.

WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO DO WITH YOUR MINUTE ?

I CHOOSE TO SPEND MY MINUTE HELPING TO MAKE THIS WORLD A

BETTER PLACE FOR ALL OF US LIVE !!!

“THE IMPORTANCE OF RACIAL HARMONY” THE THEME FOR TODAY’S CELEBRATION IS MOST APPROPRIATE GIVEN THE CURRENT STATE OF WORLD AFFAIRS. AND THERE IS, CONCERN WITH THE STATE OF AFFAIRS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD – FOR INDEED WE ARE ALL GLOBALLY TIED TOGETHER THROUGH A VARIETY OF PARTNERSHIPS AND RELATIONSHIPS, WHETHER THEY BE ECONOMIC, MILITARY, POLITICAL. BUT WHY DO WE NEED TO HAVE RACIAL HARMONY? WE HAVE OUR ENTHIC GROUPS, WE HAVE OUR RELIGIOUS GROUPS, WE HAVE OUR POLITICAL GROUPS, WE HAVE OUR RACIAL GROUPS – SO WHY DON’T WE JUST ASSOCIATE WITH OUR OWN GROUPS AND THEN EVERYTHING WOULD BE ALRIGHT – RIGHT!!!

NOT EXACTLY!! WE AS HUMAN BEINGS HAVE AN INSATIABLE APPITITE TO BE FREE TO CHOOSE. WE DON’T WANT TO BE TOLD WHO WE CAN OR CANNOT ASSOCIATE WITH – REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD AND YOUR PARENTS DIDN’Y WANT YOU ASSOCIATING WITH CERTAIN OTHER KIDS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, OF COURSE DURING THAT TIME YOUR PARENTS THOUGHT THEY KNEW WHAT WAS BEST FOR YOU. BUT AS IT WERE, WE ARE SO MUCH ALIKE, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO BE SEPARATE. I BELIEVE, LEFT TO THEMSELVES A GROUP OF

2-YEAR OLDS REPRESENTING ALL RACES AND ENTHIC GROUPS COULD PLAY TOGETHER FOREVER AND FORM LIFELONG FRIENDSHIPS PURELY ON THE BASIS OF PERSONALITIES OF THE CHILDREN PLAYING.

I’M SURE YOU HAVE SEEN THIS TIME AND TIME AGAIN WHEN YOU’VE TAKEN YOUR SMALL CHILDREN TO THE PLAYGROUND AT THE PARK OR PERHAPS TO THE VIDEO ROOM IN THE MALL OR TAKEN THEM TO THAT AMERICAN ICON – McDONALD’S!!

(3)

MY POINT IS – CHILDREN HAVE NOT BEEN CORRUPTED BY FEAR, ENVY, MISTRUST, OR GREED, THE CHARACTERICS THAT LEAD TO FEELINGS OF PREDJUDICE, BIGOTRY AND HATERED.

BUT THEN IF THE NATURAL ORDER OF THINGS IS FOR HUMANS TO EXIST IN RACIAL HARMONY – WHY DON’T WE? AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT’S THE ADVANTAGE OF RACIAL HARMONY?

WELL, FOR ONE THING; IT WOULD MAKE LIFE A WHOLE LOT EASIER FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE, INCLUDING A NUMBER OF CIVIL RIGHTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS. IT WOULD RENDER USELESS – THE CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, THE UNITED NATIONS AND MANY OTHER ORGANIZATIONS DEDICATED TO ENSURING THAT RACIAL AND HUMAN RIGHTS LAWS ARE ENFORCED.

AND THAT WOULD BE A GOOD THING, BUT THE FACT IS, WE STILL NEED THOSE ORGANIZATIONS AND THE WORK THEY DO.

THEN WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF RACIAL HARMONY – WELL FOR THOSE OF US OF THE CHRISTAIN FAITH, IT IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT FORMS THE FOUNDATION OF OUR FAITH – TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS WE LOVE OURSELVES BUT THERE IS ALSO ANOTHER MORE BASIC REASON – WE ARE ALL THE SAME, WE LOOK DIFFERENT BECAUSE OUR ANCESTORS CAME FROM DIFFERENT REGIONS OF THE WORLD BUT!!! WE ALL HAVE ONE COMMON ANCESTOR. PRESENT DAY SCIENCE HAS UNDENIALLY PROVEN THROUGH DNA TRACING THAT INDEED, ALL MODERN DAY HUMAN CAME FROM ONE GROUP OF HUMANS LIVING IN AFRICA SOME 150,000 TO 200,000 YEARS AGO.

AND WHILE THIS IS AN IMPORTANT FINDING AND CERTAINLY GIVES US CAUSE TO PAUSE, THE REAL QUESTION OF WHY RACIAL HARMONY IS IMPORTANT HAS TO DO WITH THE SURVIVAL OF THE HUMAN RACE, PERIOD!!!

FOR IF WE DO NOT LEARN TO LIVE IN RACIAL HARMONY, THEN IT IS INEVITABLE THAT MANKIND WILL ANNIHILATE ITSELF AND GO THE WAY OF THE DINOSAUR – WE BECOME EXTINCT!!

BUT WAIT, THERE MAY BE HOPE, REMEMBER WHEN I TALKED ABOUT THE CHILDREN PLAYING TOGETHER AND BECOMING FRIENDS JUST BECAUSE THEY LIKE EACH OTHER’S PERSONALITY – WELL THAT PROCESS CONTINUES INTO ADULTHOOD, AND AS ADULTS LIKE EACH OTHER, THEY GET MARRIED (HOPEFULLY) AND HAVE CHILDREN. NOW THESE ADULTS COME FROM ALL BACKGROUDS, RACIAL, ENTHIC, REGIOUS AND YOU KNOW WHAT –

(4)

WITH GREATER INTERMARRAIAGE AND CHILD BEARING AMONG THE VARIOUS RACES AND ENTHINIC GROUPS, AT SOME POINT IN TIME, TO HATE YOUR NEIGHBOR BASED ON THEIR COLOR OR ENTHNIC BACKGROUND – WHETHER THAT PERSON LIVES NEXT DOOR OR ACROSS THE CONTINENT, WOULD BE HATING YOUR OWN GRANDCHILD OR GREAT-GRANDCHILD OR SON-IN-LAW OR DAUGHTER-IN-LAW. THE LAW OF NATURAL EVOLUTION WILL DO WHAT WE HAVE BEEN UNWILLING AND UNABLE TO DO. THE LAW OF NATURAL EVOLUTION WILL MAKE US ALL COMMON AGAIN. THAT IS WHY I BELIEVE LOVE IS BLIND.

WHEN PEOPLE ARE ATTRACTED TO EACH OTHER THEY WILL FORSAKE FAMILY, FRIENDS, GOVERNMENTS, EVERYTHING TO BE WITH THAT OTHER PERSON. LOVE WILL SAVE US, LOVE WILL ALLOW US TO BE THE BEST WE CAN BE . LOVE OF OUR CHILDREN WILL ALLOW US TO LOVE WHO THEY LOVE, TO BE TOLERANT OF WHO THEY LOVE, TO ACCEPT WHO THEY LOVE AS WE LOVE THEM!!!

IN OUR PURSUIT OF RACIAL HARMONY WE MUST EACH BE WILLING TO BELIEVE IN THE TRUE ONENESS OF MANKIND, IN THE TRUE DESIRE OF ALL PEOPLE TO LIVE IN PEACE AND HARMONY. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. ONCE SAID;

“I HAVE THE AUDACITY TO BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE EVERYWHERE CAN HAVE THREE MEALS A DAY FOR THEIR TIRED BODIES, EDUCATION & CULTURE FOR THEIR SPRITS. I BELIEVE THAT WHAT SELF-CENTERED MEN HAVE TORN DOWN, MEN OTHER-CENTERED CAN BUILD UP. I STILL BELIEVE THAT ONE DAY MANKIND WILL BOW BEFORE THE ALTAR OF GOD AND BE CROWNED TRIUMPANT OVER WAR AND BLOODSHED, AND NON-VIOLENT REDEMPTIVE GOODWILL WILL PROCLAIM THE RULE OF THE LAND AND THE LION AND THE LAMB SHALL LIE DOWN TOGETHER AND EVERYMAN SHALL SIT UNDER HIS OWN VINE AND FIG TREE AND NONE SHALL BE AFRAID.”

THIS IS OUR CHALLENGE, TO WORK FOR THAT DAY WHEN ALL MEN OF ALL COLORS, RACES, ENTHNIC BACKGROUNDS AND RELIGIONS CAN SIT UNDER THEIR FIG TREE AND NOT BE CONSUMED WITH HATERED, ENVY, GREED OR PREJUDICE. THIS IS MY HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF MANKIND. THIS IS THE IMPORTANCE OF RACIAL HARMONY.

EACH OF US HAS A ROLE TO PLAY IN ACHIEVING RACIAL HARMONY, WITH EACH ACT, WITH EACH OPPORTUNITY, ONE ON ONE; WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD, FOR IF ITS TO BE-IT IS UP TO ME. AS WE TEACH OUR CHILDREN TO LIVE IN THIS WORLD, IT IS UP TO US TO TEACH THEM WE ARE ALL THE SAME, TO IMPRESS ON THEM TO MAKE THEIR JUDGEMENTS BASED ON A PERSON’S CHARACTER, NOT THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN OR THEIR HAIR OR WHETHER THEY ARE TALL OR SHORT, ETC. AND IF WE DO THAT WE WILL HAVE DONE OUR DUTY TO HELP THIS WORLD LIVE IN RACIAL HARMONY –

I took a piece of plastic clay

And idly fashioned it one day,

And as my fingers pressed it, still;

It bent and yielded to my will,

I came again, when days were passed,

The bit of clay was hard at last,

The form I gave it, it still bore,

But I could change that form no more,

I took a piece of living clay,

And gently formed it, day by day

And molded with my power and art,

A young child’s soft and yielding heart,

I came again when years were gone,

It was a man I looked upon

He still that early impression bore,

And I could change it, nevermore.