Not long ago I was having a conversation with Dana, a mentor of mine, on the subject of race and the media. The exact conversation isn't important, but she was telling me about a radio show which had aggravated her greatly, except for one caller. The caller was a Persian woman, who just called in to make the comment that she personally believed that there was only one race, "and that's the human race." Obviously, this isn't news to any of us, although it is fabulous that such comments are being made on public radio. What struck me as wonderful about this exchange was her offhand comment about the woman: "She sounded like one of yours."

A few months earlier, I had called my grandmother up in Montreal to wish her a happy Hanukkah, and she asked if I was still involved with the Baha'is. I told her that, indeed, I was, and this is how she responded: "I had a few Baha'i friends growing up as a girl. I liked them a lot. They have such high standards, the Baha'is."

As we as Baha'is become less and less obscure, as we become more commonly known as a worldwide Faith, remarks of this variety are sure to multiply. People will begin to recognize the Name of Baha'u'llah when they hear it in conversation, instead of wondering desperately why their friends have to think of the most difficult religion on the planet to pronounce (we've all had these experiences, I'm sure!). However, there is danger in this emergence from anonymity, and we, especially the youth, are the only ones who can overcome it.

It is up to us, as representatives of this glorious Faith, to act in a way that will reflect only the best in us. How could we continue our teaching efforts with a devoted seeker if, when he heard the word "Baha'i" he recalled several of his peers who swore, smoked, and fought? Today we are being pressured more and more to fit into the customs of a crumbling World Order. Resistance can cause us to be alienated and looked upon as "strange", "prudish", or "a stick-in-the-mud". Our optimism can be mistaken for innocence or na�vet�, and not all will care to hear the explanation of our behaviors and attitudes which, when seen from their perspective, may truly be bizarre. Still, there are those who will listen. There are those who will be drawn to us because of our separation from the materialism of current society, who will want to know (because they need to know) the source of our virtue. And it is for their sakes that we must strive to live a Baha'i life; to be as the Master would have us be in every aspect of our lives.

In a letter written on behalf of the Guardian, it is said: "Shoghi Effendi's greatest hope, and his prayer is that they may so distinguish themselves in the eyes of their fellow- countrymen that it will become increasingly evident what a Baha'i is and what he stands for. How wonderful it would be to witness the time when the actions and words of the Baha'is will have become so well known that people will say: 'Ah! That must be a Baha'i -- they are like that!' and mean it as a compliment."

Baha'u'llah tells us, "Bring thyself to account each day, ere thou art summoned to a reckoning," and this is not just for the good of our own souls, but for the souls of those who are touched by us. At each moment, whether we are aware of being watched or not, let us consider this: everything we do is, to the world, not an act of ourselves, but of our entire Faith. Each word we say may be the memory someone keeps of our Community for the rest of their lives. Let this be our challenge, that our daily lives might be the greatest teachers of all.


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