Personal Reflections on the Baha’i Faith from Around the World – Collection 11

“Personal Reflections on the Baha’i Faith from Around the World” is a Baha’i Blog initiative in honor of the bicentenary anniversaries of the Births of Baha’u’llah and the Bab, the two Prophet-founders of the Baha’i Faith. 

In this initiative, we share portraits of Baha’is and their friends from different countries and territories all over the world, along with a few of their words about what the Baha’i Faith means to them or how it has touched their lives. 

You can stay updated by following the “Personal Reflections” social media pages Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can also visit the website dedicated to this project:personalreflections.bahaiblog.net

In 2017 we shared 200 portraits and reflections in honor of the Birth of Baha’u’llah and in 2019 we decided to share another 200 to celebrate the bicentenary of the Bab’s Birth. Our hope is that by sharing these pictures and excerpts, we will answer the call from the Universal House of Justice to communicate “a sense of what it means for humanity that these two Luminaries [the Bab and Baha’u’llah] rose successively above the horizon of the world.”

Here is the 11th collection of images displayed here via the Instagram page, and it’s the first set of 20 in honor of the Birth of the Bab.

We hope you find this project as inspirational as we do!

 

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“…we should be looking for the truth, and not be blinded by wealth, qualifications, or social positions when seeking the answers to the very dire social and economic problems, or the spiritual problems that we face…” #bahai #bahaifaith #bahaipeople

A post shared by Personal Reflections Baha’i (@personalreflectionsbahai) on Nov 16, 2018 at 2:34pm PST

 

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“The greatest thing that you can see in the history of mankind started by Tahirih, one of the Letters of the Living. And that started way before the suffragist movement in the West and Tahirih was the pinnacle, not only the starter, but the pinnacle of the movement for the emancipation of women and her sisters throughout the world… And at the last moment she says, ‘You can kill me, you may kill me, but you will never ever be able to stop the emancipation of women.’ This is probably the most spectacular example of the Babi movement and later the Baha’i Faith.” #bahai #bahaipeople

A post shared by Personal Reflections Baha’i (@personalreflectionsbahai) on Nov 18, 2018 at 4:09pm PST

 

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“When I think of the Revelation of the Bab, I think of love and I think of hope. Mainly because those are just some of most powerful forces that exist in this world. Some of my favourite quotes from the Faith is: ‘O Son of Spirit! Love me that I may love thee, if thou lovest Me not, My love can in no wise reach thee!’ Another is: ‘If thou loves me turn away from thyself, if thou seekest My pleasure, regard not thine own.’ The Faith and the Bab always reminds me to have love in my heart and to have that hope. If I love Him, He is going to love me back and if I love the world, it’ll be a better place.” #bahai #bahaifaith #bahaipeople #bahaiphotos #bahaiphotographer

A post shared by Personal Reflections Baha’i (@personalreflectionsbahai) on Nov 23, 2018 at 3:16pm PST

 

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“The early Dawn-Breakers gave their lives and we’re just here to give our time and our energy as much as we can and align ourselves with the Teachings and the plan of the House of Justice and the Baha’i world. I don’t think there’s one right way of serving — there are so many ways — we just have to try and it takes courage.” #bahai #bahaipeople #bahaiphotos #bahaiphotographer

A post shared by Personal Reflections Baha’i (@personalreflectionsbahai) on Nov 24, 2018 at 2:55pm PST

 

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“I think what can be learned from the time of the Bab is devotion to a cause that you know is greater than yourself; to see, to understand that, and to continue moving forward with that devotion in your heart and that sort of sacredness.” #bahai #bahaifaith #bahaipeople

A post shared by Personal Reflections Baha’i (@personalreflectionsbahai) on Nov 27, 2018 at 3:36pm PST

 

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“It’s really impacted my life because I’ve seen a whole different way of looking at everything.” #bahai #bahaipeople #bahaiyouth #bahaiphotos #bahaiphotographer

A post shared by Personal Reflections Baha’i (@personalreflectionsbahai) on Dec 1, 2018 at 3:30pm PST

 

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“The Baha’i Faith has provided me with a lot of love and fellowship with the rest of the world. It gives me hope to be able to live in this society and know that I have support, both spiritually and from the Institutions who contribute to my daily life.” #bahai #bahaifaith #bahaipeople #bahaiphotos #bahaiphotographers

A post shared by Personal Reflections Baha’i (@personalreflectionsbahai) on Dec 5, 2018 at 4:02pm PST

 

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“It’s timely to discuss the Bab and His life as a merchant and how just He was in that field. Especially in this current day, as with the past, where our whole society is governed by commerce and to have someone who worked within commerce but has brought more altruistic viewpoints, and altruistic practices and tendencies to that space could lend so much insight by having that example. He wasn’t taken advantage of but He understood the dynamics of commerce and interpersonal interactions and also how to bring the Teachings of God towards the oneness of humanity.” #bahai #bahaifaith #bahaipeople #bahaiphotos

A post shared by Personal Reflections Baha’i (@personalreflectionsbahai) on Dec 9, 2018 at 5:16pm PST

 

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“I like how Baha’is are really open and I also like how they don’t really discriminate against other people’s beliefs.” #bahai #bahaifaith #bahaiyouth #bahaiphotos #bahaiphotographer

A post shared by Personal Reflections Baha’i (@personalreflectionsbahai) on Dec 14, 2018 at 4:44pm PST

 

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“The Baha’i Faith puts forward an ideology that we can all live under one banner of unity and peace.” #bahai #bahaifaith #bahaipeople #bahaiphotos #bahaiphotographer

A post shared by Personal Reflections Baha’i (@personalreflectionsbahai) on Dec 20, 2018 at 5:20am PST

 

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“The Baha’i Faith has significantly altered every aspect of my life from how I conduct my personal affairs to the course of my career. Perhaps the most tangible of these is the way I have been able to integrate aspects of the Writings into my doctoral work on emergency preparedness in North India and how the guidance from the Central Figures is playing a huge role in the revision of my thesis into a forthcoming book. The principles on economics have been especially important as they allowed me to connect what could have been secular work to a profound spiritual belief and to the Bahai Faith in particular. As I continue to study the Writings ever more deeply, I find that what I used to consider theoretical is actually extremely practical.” #bahai #bahaifaith #bahaipeople #bahaiphotos #bahaiphotographer

A post shared by Personal Reflections Baha’i (@personalreflectionsbahai) on Dec 25, 2018 at 4:16pm PST

 

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“What I like most about the Baha’i Faith is that I am learning many things that I haven’t seen in other places. I especially love the people who are part of this faith, it’s a big family. And we not only develop spiritually as individuals but also as a group, and it is wonderful to be a part of it.” #bahai #bahaifaith #bahaipeople #bahaiphotos #bahaiphotographer

A post shared by Personal Reflections Baha’i (@personalreflectionsbahai) on Dec 30, 2018 at 5:01pm PST

 

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“What most attracted me to the Baha’i Faith was the way the friends would relate to each other and how all the family is included not only one age range. So parents can mix with grandparents and children. Then what really made me hold on to it was the word of Baha’u’llah and Abdu’l-Baha as I really saw the power that their words and prayers had on my life.” #bahai #bahaifaith #bahaipeople #bahaiphotos #bahaiphotographers

A post shared by Personal Reflections Baha’i (@personalreflectionsbahai) on Jan 4, 2019 at 4:25pm PST

 

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“I see the world and life in another perspective… Often what people think is amusing and to be happy is to go partying, drinking and [not] be yourself. I’m not into it. I have another perspective how to be happy and be happy in your own skin in your life.” #bahai #bahaifaith #bahaipeople #bahaiphotos #bahaiphotographer

A post shared by Personal Reflections Baha’i (@personalreflectionsbahai) on Jan 10, 2019 at 3:57pm PST

 

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“Service to others is joy and happiness. It is those moments of giving and helping others that creates true joy. In these moments you forget about yourself. You do service not to be appreciated but to give love to others.” #bahai #bahaipeople #bahaiphotos #bahaiphotographer

A post shared by Personal Reflections Baha’i (@personalreflectionsbahai) on Jan 16, 2019 at 5:10pm PST

 

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“My father became a Baha’i in the late 50’s and he said he was choosing a religion by which his family could contribute to an ever-advancing civilization. Recently I visited with him and he said, ‘You know when I was in my 20’s and 30’s, before I found the Baha’i Faith, I was trying to figure out how to combat white supremacy.’ … And that conversation I had with him, it made me so happy to be a Baha’i because I have something to combat these ‘ims’… Baha’u’llah has given us everything we need to advance civilization.” #bahai #bahaifaith #bahaipeople #bahaiphotos #bahaiphotographer

A post shared by Personal Reflections Baha’i (@personalreflectionsbahai) on Jan 20, 2019 at 6:59am PST

 

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“It’s been really beautiful to serve alongside my wife in this neighbourhood. I’ve always loved being in the neighbourhood but somehow being with her makes it so much more natural. It’s a family interacting with another family when we go on a visit or when we’re working with the youth, it’s not just one person trying to get another person involved. But me and wife, together, we can be a close friend to some of the youth we’ve come into contact with.” #bahai #bahaifaith #bahaipeople #bahaiphotos #bahaiphotographer

A post shared by Personal Reflections Baha’i (@personalreflectionsbahai) on Jan 24, 2019 at 7:20pm PST

 

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“How do we imbue ourselves with this revolutionary spirit? That’s what I think the Dispensation of the Bab shows us: that a small band of people with this fiery love in their hearts can transform the world. And I think this generation needs it. And I think the stories of the Dawn-Breakers can set that fire in your heart.” #bahai #bahaifaith #bahaipeople #bahaiphotos #bahaipgotographer

A post shared by Personal Reflections Baha’i (@personalreflectionsbahai) on Jan 28, 2019 at 5:15pm PST

 

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“For me what was interesting about the Baha’i Faith was to realize that it aims to improve the social and material conditions of society through spiritual principles.” #bahai #bahaifaith #bahaipeople #bahaiphotos #bahaiphotographer

A post shared by Personal Reflections Baha’i (@personalreflectionsbahai) on Feb 2, 2019 at 3:29pm PST

 

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“I would say [the Bab was] more of a rebel of His day. I think that to against the populace is incredible. It takes strength of character, a certain power that only a Manifestation can possess, to go against the grain so much. That’s what resonates with me the most.” #bahai #bahaifaith #bahaipeople #bahaiphotos #bahaiphotographer

A post shared by Personal Reflections Baha’i (@personalreflectionsbahai) on Feb 7, 2019 at 4:01pm PST

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Sonjel Vreeland

In her innermost heart, Sonjel is a stay-at-home parent and a bookworm with a maxed out library card but professionally she is a museologist with a background in English Literature. She currently lives on Prince Edward Island, an isle in the shape of a smile on the eastern Canadian coast. Sonjel is a writer who loves to listen to jazz when she's driving at night.