Inside my head
I’m struggling with a conundrum: does “service” necessarily imply “without compensation?” Must all service rendered to the Baha’i Faith be for free, or can one serve the Faith and earn a living from that service? I believe there exists in our community a perception that service to the Faith should be offered up voluntarily, without compensation. I admit to feeling that way myself. But then I had the idea for this venture, and suddenly I was no longer sure that the matter was so black and white. Here is why: there are some things which are simply too big for one person (or even a group of people) to undertake solely on a volunteer basis. Which means that if the job that needs to be done costs too much in the way of time, money or effort, it simply won’t get done. I’ve spoken with several people who think that what I propose to do is very important to the Baha’i community. Many before me have felt the same way. They tried but failed. (I’ve spoken to five people myself.) I’m guessing that the reason they failed is because they wanted to do it “as a service to the community,” aka “for free.” But those people had jobs and lives which didn’t leave them with enough time/money/energy to see the project through to the end.
I’m very fortunate because at the moment, I have all these resources and a supportive (non-Baha’i) husband who is willing to let me give it a go. However, if things don’t work out, I will eventually have to go find a paying job, which will doom my efforts as well.
I really want to see this venture succeed. Not for my sake, but for the sake of all the people who could potentially hear the name of Baha’u'llah through it. But that can only happen if Verdanta can pay for itself, with a little left over to contribute to the support of my family. Knowing all this, I am at peace running this business as a for-profit business.
Enter: “others”
I recently received an email from a colleague whose comment I thought meant he felt service to the Faith should be offered up for free. (I apologize if I’m misrepresenting his feelings on this; I may be projecting my own confliction onto him). The issue is, should this perception prove prevalent, it could cripple Verdanta before it even gets off the ground.
Baha’u'llah tells us to strive to ”render service to the world of humanity.” He also tells us that earning a livelihood “is a duty which, in this most great Revelation, hath been prescribed unto every one, and is accounted in the sight of God as a goodly deed.”
Abdu’l-Baha told us to “Trust in God and engage in your work and practice economy; the confirmations of God shall descend and you will be enabled to pay off your debts. Be ye occupied always with the mention of Bahá’u'lláh and seek ye no other hope and desire save Him.” (Baha’i World Faith, p. 375)
So earning a living is a goodly deed, and the mission of my proposed occupation is to “be always occupied with the mention of Baha’u'llah.” Often we think of these things as separate and distinct, but why? What would Baha’u'llah say about a job that earns money AND serves the Faith? I’d like to think He would be happy about it.
The other aspect of service is wanting to serve as many people as possible. If I do this on a volunteer basis, I will be limited in the number people I will ultimately serve. Why? Because I will have to go out and find a paying job, thereby leaving me much less time (and even less energy) to tackle something as ambitious as what I am proposing.
Service: free or fee?
The culture I live in – America – loves to think of everything in terms of either/or. But the heart and soul of the Baha’i Faith is based on “both/and.” Is science right or religion? They both are. Jesus or Muhammad? Both. So can I serve the Baha’i community and earn a living? I believe I can, but ultimately, it is up to Baha’u'llah. I lay all my affairs in His capable hands, and I pray that He only let me succeed if He deems this venture good and worthy.
