An exploration of the Ridvan Message of 2024 by the Universal House of Justice.

The message explores the interaction between the forces of disintegration and integration at work in the world today - highlighting the inescapable need for a sustained, rapid rise in the number of those committing their time, energy and concentration to the success of our peace-building initiatives.

CONTENTS:
0:00 Introduction
1:26 Dark Times
8:15 Our Role as Haven
11:24 Methods & Instruments
12:58 Our Message
16:19 Closing Thoughts

In this episode we explore the recent message which the Universal House of Justice sent to the Baha'is in Iran on Naw Ruz (March 20th, 2024). The message is not only important for the love and admiration which the Universal House of Justice showers on the Persian Bahá’i community, suffering under intense and relentless persecution, but also because in many ways, it represents the next chapter, building on its November 28, 2023 message - helping us navigate a path to universal peace. The episode also explores the Universal House of Justice's message of January 18, 2019, which they reference here, exploring strategies for peace building and the promotion of the oneness of the human race.

Key references
Mar 20, 2024 Naw Ruz Message: https://payamha-iran.org/en/document/833
Nov 28, 2023 Message: https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/the-universal-house-of-justice/messages/20231128_001/1
Jan 18, 2019 Message: https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/the-universal-house-of-justice/messages/20190118_001/1

CONTENTS:
0:00 Introduction

2:12 Love for Persian Baha’is

7:55 State of the World

12:40 Key Milestones for Peace

19:44 Disintegration on the Rise

24:07 A Crisis of Identity

29:36 Agency & Peace Building

34:11 Peace as Meta Narrative

37:19 Closing Thoughts

An interview with Nealin Parker, Executive Director of Common Ground USA, exploring the range of like-minded organizations contributing to depolarization (including over 6,700 such organizations in the US alone).

Nealin explores the different approaches such organizations take and provides guidance on how to find collaborators, assess their quality and best engage with them.

She also explores the role of neighborhoods, society building and more.

Organization referenced in episode (in order of appearance):

• Living Room Conversations (www.livingroomconversations.org)
• Preemptive Love Coalition (Love Anyway Feasts) (www.preemptivelove.org/feast-templates)
• Braver Angels (www.braverangels.org)
• Listen First Coalition (www.listenfirstproject.org/listen-first-coalition)
• Telos (www.telosgroup.org)
• Make America Dinner (www.makeamericadinneragain.com)
• The People’s Supper (www.thepeoplessupper.org)
• Resetting the Table (www.resettingthetable.org)
• Bridge USA (www.bridgeusa.org)
• Campus Conversation (www.aascu.org/resources/campus-conversations-toolkit)
• Sustained Dialog (www.sustaineddialogue.org)
• Solia (www.solia.net)
• American Exchange Project (www.americanexchangeproject.org)
• Shoulder to Shoulder (www.shouldertoshouldercampaign.org)
• Telos (www.telosgroup.org)
• Interfaith America (www.interfaithamerica.org)
• Habitat for Humanity (www.habitat.org)
• One America Movement (www.oneamericamovement.org)
• City Year (www.cityyear.org)
• AmeriCorps (www.americorps.gov)
• Red Cross (www.redcross.org)
• United Way (www.unitedway.org)
• All Sides (www.allsides.com)
• The Flip Side (www.theflipside.io)

CONTENTS

0:00 Introduction
3:45 Mapping Depolarization
11:21 Flavors of Depolarization
17:50 Cooking as Unifier
22:37 Interfaith Dialog
25:17 Service as Unifier
28:08 Finding Collaborators
30:11 Assessing Quality
33:41 The Role of Neighborhood
38:55 Society Building
48:21Engaging with the Like-Minded
51:37 Closing Thoughts