Building a Better World: 5 Pillars for Transforming Yourself and Humanity

My good friend and hiphop and rap artist Colby Jeffers has written a book! It’s called Building a Better World: 5 Pillars for Transforming Yourself and Humanity and I am thrilled that it’s out in the world and available for purchase!

Over the years, Baha’i Blog has shared many of Colby’s songs and more recently, we’ve featured several of his contributions to Baha’i Inspired’s Hip Hop Sessions.

His book carries the same energy that Colby radiates: it’s sincere, heartfelt and formatted in such as way that you can record your thoughts, reactions and plans too. What I admire about Colby is that he doesn’t just dream up projects–he brings them into fruition and completion, and in his latest project, he hopes to inspire readers to act too.

I reached out to Colby to learn more, and here’s what he kindly shared with me:

Can you tell us a little bit about your new book and who it’s for?

My new book, Building a Better World: 5 Pillars for Transforming Yourself and Humanity, is intended for a broad audience—really anyone who is striving to grow personally while also contributing to positive social change. Whether someone identifies as an artist, educator, activist, community builder, entrepreneur, parent, student, or simply a person who wants to make a meaningful contribution to the world, I hope the book offers practical insights, encouragement, and inspiration. At its heart, the book explores five foundational concepts that can help us transform ourselves and contribute more effectively to the betterment of society.

Can you tell us why you decided to write this book?

This book is the fruit of years of experience and reflection on striving to contribute to the betterment of the world through my creative endeavors, my role as a husband and father, and broader efforts to serve the Baha’i Faith and humanity.

More specifically, in late 2023 I launched the Better World concert series as part of my aspiration to use music as a means of uplifting, educating, and inspiring others. Since then, the endeavour has grown significantly, as I’ve surpassed 100+ concerts across more than 30 states and provinces in the United States and Canada.

Throughout these concerts, I shared songs and reflections on practical ways we can contribute to building a better world, drawing upon spiritual concepts and principles from the Baha’i teachings that have guided my own life. Over time, those reflections crystallized into what I began calling the “5 Pillars for Building a Better World”—a framework that helped me communicate these ideas more clearly and coherently.

On several occasions, attendees encouraged me to turn the ideas from the concerts into a book. Eventually, I decided to act on that encouragement. I took the flow of the concert experience—including the reflection questions, the Five Pillars framework, stories and lessons from my own life, and even the lyrics from many of the songs—and shaped them into a book. I’m incredibly grateful that those seeds planted through the concerts ultimately blossomed into this project, and I’m so happy with how it turned out!

What are some of the things you’ve learned over the course of making this happen?

One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned is just how powerful the arts can be as a force for personal and social transformation! The Better World concerts have been such a wonderful way to bring people together, spread joy and inspiration, as well as disseminate knowledge and share the teachings of the Faith!

I’ve drawn much inspiration from the 30 December 2021 letter from the Universal House of Justice where it’s stated that the arts are “an important means of generating joy, strengthening bonds of unity, disseminating knowledge, and consolidating understanding, as well as of acquainting those in the wider society with the principles of the Cause.”

Through this journey, I’ve had the bounty of seeing those words come to life again and again!

How do you hope people who have read the book will be affected?

My goal in writing the book was to create something that has a similar effect to the Better World concerts.

Feedback from concert attendees has been incredibly encouraging. In surveys collected over the past two years, people have most frequently described the concerts as uplifting, inspiring, joyful, and energetic experiences that combine meaningful spiritual and social themes with a strong sense of unity and community. Many have also highlighted the participatory, interactive, and inclusive nature of the experience.

I hoped to capture some of that same spirit in the book. More than anything, I hope it gives readers renewed encouragement on their current path of service, sparks new reflections about their purpose and potential, and helps them identify practical ways they can contribute to the betterment of the world. Ultimately, I pray that the book will leave readers feeling more hopeful, more empowered, and more committed to making a positive difference.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

This experience has been such a powerful example of confirmation! It’s truly remarkable how when we sincerely strive to use our talents and capacities in service to others, the doors fling open, often in ways we may have not even anticipated!

For many years, I’ve sought to use music as a means of uplifting, educating, and inspiring people. That aspiration led to a further desire to pursue music as a profession, with the hope of earning a living for myself and my family from the art. This led to the creation of the Better World concert series, which has since grown far beyond anything I originally imagined. Through those concerts, I’ve had opportunities to connect with thousands of people, travel to communities all throughout North America, and engage in meaningful conversations about how we can contribute to building a better world. Then, somewhat unexpectedly, those same experiences led to the creation of this book. What began as songs became concerts. Those concerts then developed into a framework for articulating some key concepts for building a better world. That framework then flowed into a book. And now this book has the potential to reach an even wider audience of people and create conversations in ways I never could have predicted when I first started writing music years ago. It’s simply awe-inspiring!

For those reading this interview, I encourage you to reflect on how you can use your talents, interests, and passions to develop your potential and contribute to the betterment of the world. And as you take action, be ready for the confirmations! And if you need some extra support or encouragement in working through that process, I hope my book and experiences can be of service and assistance!

Where can people buy the book?

Friends can purchase the book on Amazon and if anyone is interested in a bulk order to obtain books for a group, school, etc, you can order them at a bulk discount by emailing me at [email protected]

Thank you so much, Colby, and congrats on your book!

Posted by

Naysan Naraqi

Naysan is passionate about using the arts and media to explore the teachings of the Baha’i Faith. Back in 2011, Naysan started up the Baha’i Blog project, channeling his experiences in both media and technology companies to help create a hub for Baha’i-inspired content online.