The work of western cultures

'Abdu'l-Bahá said:

In these days the East is in need of material progress and the West is in want of a spiritual idea. It would be well for the West to turn to the East for illumination, and to give in exchange its scientific knowledge. There must be this interchange of gifts.
The East and the West must unite to give to each other what is lacking. This union will bring about a true civilization, where the spiritual is expressed and carried out in the material. {Paris Talks, p. 21]

I believe this contrast of cultures, capacities, and needs is what someone pointed out to me recently is what is known as high-context and low-context (or what I like to call, to give them a sense of their value, high-task cultures), with low-context cultures being less concrete and more about the story, relationships, and what things mean. I think addressing these two kinds of cultures accounts for a contrast in styles used by Bahá'u'lláh such as in the Kitab-i-Aqdas, where rules and exhortations are interspersed with profound language and allegories and in the Hidden Words, where the same or similar subjects are addressed in both the Persian and Arabic but in very different ways. For example (keeping in mind that the translation of the word Justice in the following verse comes from the Arabic word for fair-mindedness):

O SON OF SPIRIT!
The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not that I may confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbor. Ponder this in thy heart; how it behooveth thee to be. Verily justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.
[Baha'u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words]

O SON OF SPIRIT!
The bird seeketh its nest; the nightingale the charm of the rose; whilst those birds, the hearts of men, content with transient dust, have strayed far from their eternal nest, and with eyes turned towards the slough of heedlessness are bereft of the glory of the divine presence. Alas! How strange and pitiful; for a mere cupful, they have turned away from the billowing seas of the Most High, and remained far from the most effulgent horizon.
[Baha'u'llah, The Persian Hidden Words]

Applying this thinking to some of the other Hidden Words, I realized that though I come from a culture that is most definitely primed for and well-ahead in developing the material part of civilization, I was relying on the last Persian Hidden Words related to how and why a person should work. When I looked at what I think are the corresponding Arabic Hidden Words, it felt like receiving a breath of life. After reading back through a few that I am not certain I understood, I came across this gem:

O CHILDREN OF MEN!
Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts how ye were created. Since We have created you all from one same substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of detachment may be made manifest. Such is My counsel to you, O concourse of light! Heed ye this counsel that ye may obtain the fruit of holiness from the tree of wondrous glory.
[Baha'u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words]

I believe this talking about the duty we in Western cultures have to our Eastern brothers. First, it says that no one should for any material consideration of material means consider themself better than another. Then, He tells us to ponder on it, which would lead to thinking about the material well-being of others. Then, He tells us what we can do to create a more balanced world society, which I think is the most exciting part: being as one soul, I believe implies, accompanying and making them partners in projects and works, such as Bahá'u'lláh implied in the verse "That which the Lord hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument for the healing of all the world is the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause, One common Faith." Second, it says we should walk with the same feet, which to me implies living the same lifestyle and in a more concrete sense (which I think would make sense in this context) making sure they have shoes and by extension clothing and general material comfort; I think it's also important to note here that one of Bahá'u'lláhs laws relates to the washing of feet, so general hygiene and the capacity for public works and health systems is probably also implied. Third, it says we should eat with the same mouth, which I think that Western civilizations have become at least aware enough of, that everyone needs to have healthy, nutritious food, and likely by extension is referring to having what one needs for health, and by extension the means of agriculture (which all of the Central Figures emphasized), transportation, and social organization, and by extension of agricultural tools and industry. Fourth, it says we should dwell in the same land, which implies the need for the development of mankind's awareness of living on and sharing a single planet­­, the need for everyone to have a protected right to whatever part of it they inherit or earn of it, and the protection of that right, as Bahá'u'lláh commanded the rulers of America and its president: "Bind ye the broken with the hands of justice, and crush the oppressor who flourisheth with the rod of the commandments of your Lord, the Ordainer, the All-Wise." [Baha'u'llah, Synopsis and Codification of the Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 20]

The rest is entirely between an individual and Bahá'u'lláh, but I believe the mention of the signs of oneness being perceivable from a person as a result of taking such action makes sense in this context in thats if a person took those thoughts into action to the degree they knew they were able they would be demonstrating that they were doing what they had the capacity to do to unite humanity into a more healthy oneness and wholeness. And take note, He calls us the concourse of light! And He promises the fruits of holiness to us. Praise be to Him!

I think this quote is also helpful in feeling some hopefulness about our ability to help our brothers:

The purpose of the foregoing statements is to demonstrate at least this, that the happiness and greatness, the rank and station, the pleasure and peace, of an individual have never consisted in his personal wealth, but rather in his excellent character, his high resolve, the breadth of his learning, and his ability to solve difficult problems. [Abdu'l-Baha, The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 23]

I will be chewing on that one for a while.

Also, remember that Huquq'u'llah and funds given to the general funds of the Baha'i world do in fraction trickle into social and economic development projects, and much of the rest go into supporting projects that are intended to raise humanity's awareness of its spiritual identity and the individuals love for his fellow-men.