THIS IS A TEST SITE
Mental health concerns in the context of faith:
A Baha'i Perspective
Meet Sarah:
Sarah grew up in a small town in a Baha’i family where there was a small aSarah grew up in a small town in a Baha’i family where there was a small and united Baha’i community. Her family regularly attended feast and held many activities in their home. In her last year of high school, she was introduced to Crystal Methamphetamine (Crystal Meth). Sarah’s grades began to drop, she was not able to complete tasks, was at times withdrawn and sleeping all day while at other times, when high, felt like she could achieve anything no matter how unrealistic. She had deep feelings of shame and self loathing. Sarah tried many times to quit but the withdrawal symptoms were unbearable.
Participating in Baha’i activities was an integral part of Sarah’s identity, but she found it difficult to wrestle with her own feelings of unworthiness. Why she was struggling so much and why her Baha’i friends were no longer comfortable around her. All her life she believed if you put your trust in God, everything would work itself out. All that was gone now.
She got up the courage to share her addiction struggle with one of her Baha’i friends. She was told she needed to pray more and strive to live a Baha’i life. This was very confusing for her during her time of distress, as “no matter how much I prayed, my cravings did not go away” said Sarah. She felt judged and dismissed by her community. She began to believe the reason for her addiction was that she was not being a good person and that she was turning away from God. People did not want to be around her when she was experiencing her highs and crashes. They were afraid of her skinny and nervous appearance. She didn't know how to act in the Baha’i activities, but worse the friends didn't know how to act around her. This led her to feel even more isolated and depressed and she stopped attending activities. Even though Sarah wanted to have the support of the community, she felt she did not have the resources to maintain the friendships.
Sarah needed medical and psychological help. Instead she lost all connections that could lead her in the right direction.
How can the Baha’i community be different? Can we break down the stigma of addiction and mental illness? How do we incorporate our belief of the inherent nobility and worth of each individual in supporting someone like Sarah?
“Humanity is not perfect. There are imperfections in every human being, and you will always become unhappy if you look toward the people themselves. But if you look toward God, you will love them and be kind to them, for the world of God is the world of perfection and complete mercy. Therefore, do not look at the shortcomings of anybody; see with the sight of forgiveness. The imperfect eye beholds imperfections. The eye that covers faults looks toward the Creator of souls. He created them, trains and provides for them, endows them with capacity and life, sight and hearing; therefore, they are the signs of His grandeur. You must love and be kind to everybody”
(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 92)
Links:
Learn more about the Baha’i Faith: www.bahai.org
Learn more about the Vancouver Baha’i Community: www.vancouverbahai.org
Learn more about the Institute process: www.bahai.org/frontiers/
