A few questions...

"The betterment of the world can be achieved through pure and goodly deeds, commendable and seemly conduct."

This quote from the Baha'i writings is one of the first quotes we studied as part of our newly begun study circle. Though seemingly obvious/trivial, there are some very profound ideas in this quote, and there is a wealth of knowledge to be gained from it about how we need to act in this world. I'd just like to pen down some of the questions brought up during our discussions (and some others) to get you thinking...

1. What do we mean by the betterment of the world? Who decides what is better for the world?

2. What are pure/goodly deeds? Again, who defines them? And who's perspective are they good in? Do we each develop our own personal moral code that defines what is good/bad, and act according to it? Would the betterment of the world be achieved in such a situation? Or is there a more absolute standard that exists beyond our subjective opinions about what might be good/bad? How much can we trust our instincts when it comes to deciding what is good/bad?

3. Who should our conduct be commendable to? To ourselves? To others? To our near and dear ones? To society? Or, again, is there an external standard that serves as a benchmark?

4. Can the betterment of the world really be achieved through pure and goodly deeds? What about rational self-interest? Can the world be made better purely by everyone acting selfishly? It definitely seems like in the short term, in some situations, acting selfishly and competitively could be beneficial. Is that true in the long term as well? And even if that can be beneficial sometimes, is that the best we can do?

5. How do pure and goodly deeds lead to the betterment of the world? What effect do our pure and goodly deeds have on those who benefit from those deeds? And what effect do they have on us?

6. How is the betterment of the world related to the betterment of the self? Can one improve the world before improving oneself? Or do the two go hand in hand?

I think that's enough questions for you to think about... :)