LESSON 11: IMPORTANCE OF JUSTICE
We know that all the peoples of the world are meant to live in unity as one family. In a family, everyone is treated with fairness. We learn to find ways to work together for everyone’s benefit. The well-being of every member is connected to the well-being of the family as a whole. Should harm come to one member, all are affected. Similarly, we should be fair in our dealings with all those who cross our path, never taking advantage of anyone. We strive to show forth such fairness and justice in our daily lives that we become worthy of the trust and confidence of our fellow human beings.
For lessons 10,11 and 12 we will memorize the prayer below
O Lord God! Make us as waves of the sea, as flowers of the garden, united, agreed through the bounties of Thy love. O Lord! Dilate the breasts through the signs of Thy oneness, and make all mankind as stars shining from the same height of glory, as perfect fruits growing upon Thy tree of life. Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the Self-Subsistent, the Giver, the Forgiving, the Pardoner, the Omniscient, the One Creator
‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Send the Prayer to a friend
You can use the following explanation to help you present today’s quotation to the children:
Knowledge is essential for human progress. In order to build a better world, we must gain knowledge of the sciences and the arts. By applying what we learn, we are able to improve the quality of the food we grow, make advances in medicine that help us live healthier lives, discover ways to communicate with people in far-off places, and create
things that beautify the world. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá encourages learning about the sciences and arts, as well as acquiring spiritual knowledge that comes from the teachings of God.
These teachings give us a deeper understanding of the world around us and inspire us to use our knowledge for the benefit of others, to remove conflict and to promote cooperation and harmony.
Once, while speaking with a teacher from England, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asked what subjects he taught in school. The gentleman told Him that he taught Latin, English, Algebra, and Geometry. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá then asked him if he also addressed spiritual matters in his classes. The gentleman replied that there was no time for spiritual education in school.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá made no comment, but He did not need to! From His question and His silence, the gentleman understood that both material and spiritual education are necessary for human advancement. Aware that most schools did not provide spiritual instruction, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá encouraged Bahá’í communities to establish regular classes for this
purpose. To help us remember how acquiring knowledge can help us contribute to the betterment of the world, let us memorize the following quotation:
We ask God to endow human souls with justice so that they may be fair, and may strive to provide for the comfort of all . . .
‘Abdu’l-Bahá
MEANING OF WORDS
Endow
Meng is very intelligent. She is endowed with intelligence.
Conrad was easily frightened and lived in fear, but then a friend told him that God has endowed every human being with courage. Conrad thought about this and decided that he would no longer be so afraid.
Strive
Edward decided that he wants to do better in school. He studies diligently every day so that he will reach his goal. Edward is striving to be a better student.
Gabriela tries to do her best at any task that she is asked to do. She strives for excellence in every task.
MEMORIZATION AID FOR QUOTE
PICTURES TO REMEMBER THE QUOTE HERE
A Story of Abdu’l-Baha when He encountered injustice
To live in harmony with others, we strive to treat all people fairly, without thought of their religion or background, their age or circumstances. Of course, there are times in our lives when we encounter injustice. I am going to share a true story of Abdu’l-Baha when He encountered injustice, and we will learn from His example what to do about it.
In the days of Baha’u’llah and Abdu’l-Baha, the people of Akka had been misled about the Bahais and did not think they deserved to be treated fairly. But Abdu’l-Baha, with His great wisdom and love, changed the hearts of many of these people. He showed kindness to people of all religions and helped them become united.
There was a Christian merchant in Akka who, like his fellow citizens, did not respect the Bahais. One day, outside the gates of the city, the merchant saw a camel load of charcoal that belonged to the Bahais. (HAVE CAMEL statue and pretend coal out as prop- can explain what charcoal was used for burning it for heat, etc.; If you want a prop, pretend coal can be bought at AMAZON. OR just use a piece of paper that is squished up!
He stopped the driver and said, “This is better charcoal than I can get!” Without paying any money, he took the charcoal for himself.
When Abdu’l-Baha heard of this incident He went to the merchant’s shop to ask for the return of the charcoal. There were many people in the office, and the merchant did not pay Him any attention. Abdu’l-Baha sat there and waited patiently. Finally, after three hours, the merchant turned to Him and asked coldly, “Are you one of the prisoners? What have you done that you were imprisoned?” Abdu’l-Baha replied that His crime was the same one for which Christ was persecuted. The merchant was surprised. “What do you know about Christ?” he asked. Then Abdu’l-Baha calmly and kindly began to talk to him about Christ and His teachings. As Abdu’l-Baha spoke, the merchant’s heart began to melt, and his pride and arrogance disappeared. At last, he explained to Abdu’l-Baha that unfortunately the charcoal was gone, but he would gladly pay for it. Then Abdu’l-Baha rose and walked with Him to the street, treating Him with great respect and honor.
What did you learn from the way that Abdu’l-Baha dealt with injustice?
Courage to confront it, but He also had patience, spirituality, calmness, kindness and love. It says something very special in the Bahai Writings about love. It says that love is “a most potent elixir that can transform the vilest and meanest of people into heavenly souls.”
We can learn from Abdu’l-Baha’s example and strive to be like Him!
Draw any part of the story
DRAMA / GAMES
The following activities will contribute to the student’s ability to participate in the creative drama:
Ask your students to stand in their imaginary squares. As you did in the previous lesson, have the children stand about 5 feet apart and imagine that they are in their own squares. Ask them to walk along the border of his/her imaginary square.
Ask children to: raise up their arms and stretch from the tips of their toes to the tips of their fingers, reaching towards the sky. Now relax and let your arms and head hang freely. Repeat this several times.
For this next exercise, the children will remain in their imaginary squares. Ask them to create a shape with their bodies, using their heads, arms, and legs. This is shape number 1. Tell them to hold that shape for a few seconds. Next, have them move into a second shape. This is shape number 2. Again have them hold the shape for a few seconds. Now count- 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2 as the children move from shape to shape. Call freeze when children are in shape number 2. Now ask the students to find a completely new shape. This is shape number 3. Have them hold it for a few seconds, and then go back to shape number 1. Now count 1, 2, 3, 2, 1, 3, 1, 2, 1, 3- as the children move from shape to shape. Call freeze when children are in the shape number
Finally, have the children create a fourth shape and ask them to hold it for a few seconds. Then ask them to go back to shape number 1 and count, 1, 2, 3, 4 (mix it up) having children move from shape to shape. Try to establish as rhythm as you count.
Now explain to the children that the same word can be said in different ways. Depending on how we say it, the meaning changes. Ask them to say the word “oh” as if… (you can have the following on slips of paper that the kids take turns pulling out of a bag and reading and then they tell them to the whole group for them to act out)
- someone had stepped on their foot
- they are sleepy
- their mother is calling them to get up in the morning
- someone is giving them a present
- their father says he is going to take them fishing
- he says they cannot go after all
- they are invited to take a trip to the moon
- they are petting a dog
- they took a bit of something they did not like
- they are running hard and are out of breath
- their grandfather has just come to visit
Now you are going to invite the students to improvise the following story, related to today’s lesson, which is unity and fairness. They will improvise the same situation twice. The first time, the situation will end unfairly. The second time, it will be resolved fairly. As always, the children should be allowed to fill in the details of the story with their own imaginations. First, listen to the story and then act it out. They can use fruit props, plastic hammer/building tools props etc.
It is harvest time. The fruits are ready to be picked from the trees. The sun is rising, and everyone is preparing to make their way to the orchards. As they slowly gather in the village square, they talk about the harvest, which promises to be abundant. Since a storm is predicted for tomorrow, they decide that they will have to pick all the fruit today. Just then you enter the scene, pretending to be the village teacher. You, too, have heard about the coming storm. You explain to them that there is a leak in the roof of the school that has to be fixed. “Last time it rained,” you tell them, “the children’s books got soaking wet.” Everyone agrees that the roof should be fixed immediately, so two or three of the villagers volunteer to go and do it. The others go off to the fields.
It is now the end of the day. Dark clouds are starting to roll in, but, thankfully, the roof has been fixed. Those who repaired it are tired as they return to the village square. The others, too, are returning from a hard day’s work, their baskets filled with fruit. But do they want to share their fruit with they sent to fix the roof? No. They keep all of the fruit for themselves. They are unfair to their friends.
Now we are going to improvise the situation again. This time, however, those with the fruit show FAIRNESS towards their friends. They decide that, since everyone agreed it was urgent to fix the roof, it is only fair that the day’s harvest should be shared with those who repaired it. Everyone joyfully gathers together, and they divide the fruits among themselves.
Craft with the image of the Camel from the story
The first is a simple card to cut and fold. HERE
The second is a 3D version of a camel. HERE
Cut out both camel pieces per child. Use cardstock or use the cutout image as a template to cut the cardboard.
I used foam tape that is sticky on both sides, available in dollar stores. You need the two parts of the camel to be layered with space between the pieces so that it is sturdy and can stand up. If you do not have access to foam tape, use small square bits of cardboard and glue between the pieces.
Australian Peace Pack to supplement today’s lesson. Using the quote by Bahá’u’lláh:
“Be vigilant, that ye may not do injustice to anyone, be it to the extent of a grain of mustard seed.”
…we created a beautiful little piece of art – with a nest made of tissue paper, and a tiny mustard seed stuck in the middle of it. We have to be fair at all times, and can’t let injustice happen – even though it might only be to the extent of a grain of mustard!
Light of Unity
This is a two-day activity.
Materials:
First day:
- White watercolor paper, one page for each child
- Watercolors
- Paint brushes.
- Pots of water so children can rinse brushes
- Paper towels so children can dry brushes between colors
Second day
- White card stock, one for each child, for background
- Scissors
- Glue
- Pre-printed verse about unity, or pen or felt-tipped markers to write the verse.
On the first day, the children fill their paper with painted abstract and colorful swirls and swishes. Make sure there is plenty of yellow for the sun. Let it dry completely. See example here
On the second day, cut the painted paper and create a collage that resembles a sunrise over water, or maybe over land, gluing the pieces to the background card-stock. The children can write in a verse about Unity, or create a pre-printed verse that they can glue onto their art work.
Craft using images in the prayer
The prayer we are leaning has so many beautiful images. we can do a few crafts using these images
O Lord God! Make us as waves of the sea, as flowers of the garden, united, agreed through the bounties of Thy love. O Lord! Dilate the breasts through the signs of Thy oneness, and make all mankind as stars shining from the same height of glory, as perfect fruits growing upon Thy tree of life. Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the Self-Subsistent, the Giver, the Forgiving, the Pardoner, the Omniscient, the One Creator.
1. paint or draw the images in the prayer:
- Waves of the sea
- flowers of the garden
- united (holding hands?)
- agreed (saying Yes)
- dilate the breast (heart)
- Stars
- fruit
Review the quotation from today’s lesson, and then remind the children of the qualities of trustworthiness and radiance and the quotations they memorized in Grade 1:
Tread ye the path of justice, for this, verily, is the straight path
Baha’u’llah
Trustworthiness is the greatest portal leading to the tranquillity and security of the people
Baha’u’llah
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