Comenius's Contribution to Universal Search for Truth
By John Taylor; 2009 Mar 14, 'Ala 15, 165 BE
We have been concerned for some months on this blog with what John Amos Comenius has to say about justice as expressed on the individual level, that is to say, the quality of a person's search for truth. Dostoevsky wrote: "Each one of us is undoubtedly responsible for all men and everything on earth." I believe that the converse is also true, that any future world government should take on as its first duty the task of doing everything in its power to aid the individual to find out how to maximize their potential. The investigation of reality is the first and last of all human rights and any just world government would maintain and defend this as its first order of business.
As we have seen, Comenius sees the goal of the individual in seeking truth as threefold. One, to uphold "truth with agreement," that is, reason. A seeker of truth understands and accedes to the demands of reason. Two, in relation to eternal, universal matters, a seeker stands for moderation and piety. They express the longing of the heart through their own worship, whatever its form. And third, to bolster social order by complying to what is socially beneficial.
"...every individual, regardless of his station in life, ought to play his part in the building of this new Jerusalem like a well-measured beam or a well-squared stone, ready at all events to uphold truth with agreement, piety with worship, and order with obedience..." (Panorthosia, Ch. 20, para 3, pp. 20-21)
If this is how the individual thinks, the personal will embrace world government, and world government will do the same for each of us. In this respect, Comenius cites the Psalm, "Righteousness and peace have kissed each other." (6:10) On this holy ground, the love between personal and collective, is where a program of education for universal liberation begins.
On the Badi' blog in past years we have proposed a sort of universal planning template, a computerized dashboard or instrument panel, to aid the individual to investigate reality. Though each of us has a unique perspective on the world, there is every reason to think that a universal internet portal, including a banking and financial planner, would reinforce the both the particular and the common aspects of an individual's investigation of reality. Comenius's philosophy, which he called "universal wisdom" or pansophy, was designed for just that, to gather commonalities and universals of search for truth while nurturing whatever is particular to each seeker. Since we all have a mind, a heart and the ability to act, each of these can be understood and improved.
"The heart of Philosophy will be wisdom, of Religion, simplicity, and of Politics, vigilance." (Panorthosia, Ch. 13, para 12, p. 205)
In order to accomplish reform for each of these, he envisioned a society with a school built into every level, from the individual to the family to the culture and language group, right up to a world government, which would not be solely a political body but also a scientific institution and a parliament of religions. These proto-institutions for every level he called pampaedia, or universal schools.
"The end of universal schools will be to provide opportunities, not only for all nations and tongues and orders of men, but for every single individual to rise out of the darkness of ignorance and barbarism." (Via Lucis, qi Murphy, Daniel, Comenius, A Critical Reassessment, 147)
Right now government is oriented towards power and hegemony, but a Comenian world order would shift that away from this fundamentally violent and warlike worldview towards one based on education and the promotion of virtues. Baha'u'llah, of course, does the same thing in the Tablet of the World,
"O people of God! Do not busy yourselves in your own concerns; let your thoughts be fixed upon that which will rehabilitate the fortunes of mankind and sanctify the hearts and souls of men. This can best be achieved through pure and holy deeds, through a virtuous life and a goodly behaviour. Valiant acts will ensure the triumph of this Cause, and a saintly character will reinforce its power. Cleave unto righteousness, O people of Baha!" (Baha'u'llah, Tablets, 86)
The genius of Comenius is to point out that transformation is of the essence of the religious belief that we can be, at our best and with effort, the image of God.
"But inasmuch as you are the image of God, you must wholly transform yourself for the purpose of representing the very likeness of God in the actions of your daily life. This means that you should be holy, even as our God is holy," (Leviticus 24:2) and merciful and generous, and kind yet just to all men without respect of persons, (Romans 2:11) and so on, as true religion teaches you." (Panorthosia, Ch. 20, para 15, p. 25)
We have seen that Comenius proposes this slogan for the individual: "Here is a Splendid Image of God." These seven words could be stamped prominently on the world citizen's virtual dashboard or personal space, or even on the mirror on their vanity. He also suggests another saying that might be appropriate to place there: "If any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass.' (James 1:23-4) Reinforced by computer software planners, websites, blogs and other portals, these messages would serve as a constant reminder that we are not here to passively reflect our material surroundings or "natural face" but the image of God. To see the natural face is to worship idols and allow materialism and externals to triumph. The goal must be otherwise.
"The goal of your Reform will be to put yourself, with God's help, in the happy state in which all is well for you in body and soul in this world and unto eternity. This will come to pass if your relationship with nature, mankind, and God entitles you to expect peace and quietness, help and consolation everywhere, or through having your proper share of life's necessities, no more and no less, or by cultivating peaceful coexistence with your neighbours' and befriending them one and all, or by serving God with such devotion that you can be fully confident of earning His favour." (Panorthosia, Ch. 20, para 4, p. 21)
To reflect the image of God is rather to commune with the best of what is real, God. Nowhere else can we establish what is right about the first human right, the right to seek reality.
"...no-one can be prevented from founding Paradise in and around himself, and establishing God's Kingdom within himself, and setting up an altar to God likewise, and finding delight in the world and himself and God, by acting reasonably and reverently in all things." (Panorthosia, Ch. 20, para 2, p. 20)
This paradise can be gained if we all help each other in a lifetime of search through education, regular devotion and good works.
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John Taylor
email: badijet@gmail.com
blog: http://badiblog.blogspot.com/
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