They speak courteously to one another and use kind and gentle words. More importantly, they know that they must listen carefully to one another and think about what each person is saying. It is in listening and thinking, not just speaking, that ideas come together; new and wonderful ideas are born. Think of making soup. Many different ingredients are put together in a pot, like carrots and beans, salt and water, and as they cook over the fire, all the separate things melt together into one whole and become a delicious meal for everyone to enjoy. In consultation, as all the participants share their thoughts lovingly, listen patiently, and think carefully, with their hearts turned to God and confident in His blessings, the most beautiful ideas emerge. Of course, in the way ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke to others, we see the perfect example of how people should consult together. He was detached, patient, and humble. He always encouraged others to talk and listened with calm attentiveness. He never argued or insisted on an idea. One friend who lived at the time of the Master wrote that He spoke: “as if offering a gift to a king”. Imagine you were giving a gift to a king. With kindness and gentleness, you would present your gift. When we share our ideas with one another, we do the same, wherever we are, whatever we are doing—in our classes here together, with our family and friends, at home and school. To help us remember some of the beautiful qualities we try to show when we speak with another one, let us memorize the quotation:

First, ask the children to imagine they are offering a gift to a king or queen. How do they hold the gift? How do they approach the king or queen? What tone of voice do they take? What words do they choose? Then divide the children into pairs, and have one child in each pair pretend to be the king or queen and the other the gift-bearer. They can then switch roles. Afterward, gather the children together and ask them some questions:

How did they show courtesy?

How did they demonstrate care?

What did it mean for them to conduct themselves with dignity?

Help them think through how their words and actions became a reflection of these qualities. Next ask the pairs to improvise a few short scenarios, in which they will demonstrate the same qualities discussed above. You should think of some situations suited to the capacity of the students in your class. For instance, one child could pretend to be an older brother or sister helping a younger sibling in his or her efforts to learn a short quotation by heart. In another scenario, two children could be trying to decide what game to play—one wanting to play a particular game and the other wanting to play something else. With your help, the pairs can embellish the scenarios with the relevant details before acting them out. Remind them, as they do so, how they spoke and acted when offering the gift to the king or queen.