stronger together
Community Building for Times of Crisis
by Sebrina Somers
Be prepared. That has been my motto ever since I was a young scout in the Girl Guides. I even went on to teach it through my work in public health, and later as a parent and Girl Scout troop leader. But over the years, training, experience, and my faith helped me realize that being prepared is more than just checklists, go bags, and plans. It is not enough to prepare oneself. Whole communities need to work together in times of crisis, which means that the key to being prepared is working with others to build strong, supportive networks. After all, the people closest to us are the first to help us weather any storm. From many historical and contemporary stories, we can learn how strong communities band together to overcome even the darkest crises. One such story from the Bahá’í Faith demonstrates how disparate people were able to work together to avert a famine during World War I.
‘Abdu'l-Bahá — Photo: Picryl
In 1910, at the age of 66, ‘Abdu'l-Bahá set out from what was then called Palestine to spread the teachings of peace in Europe and America. He was a central figure of the Bahá’í Faith who had devoted His life to serving the poor and sick, and teaching people how to live in unity. For the next three years, ‘Abdu'l-Bahá gave public addresses at universities, synagogues, churches, mosques, public venues, and private homes, warning people about the potential for a great war and advocating for unity.
He implored people to recognize the growing world tensions and the spiritual solutions needed to create lasting peace. Newspapers across the West dubbed him the “Apostle of Peace.” Those who rallied behind ‘Abdu'l-Bahá’s message were inspired to build community with people they had never before considered, which became invaluable support networks in the years that followed.
In 1913, when ‘Abdu'l-Bahá returned to Palestine, His work was far from done. He intensified His efforts to unify and strengthen communities at home. At this later stage in life, He also worked tirelessly to develop agriculture centers to improve the local food supplies. Those centers became renowned model farming villages in the Jordan and Yarmuk Valleys near the Sea of Galilee.
‘Abdu'l-Bahá brought people together by not only teaching them how to increase their crop yields, but also how to build communities based on spiritual principles within villages, with neighboring farmers, and even with raiding bandits. Spiritual principles such as unity, cooperation, respect for the environment, and the inherent nobility of every person became the foundations of the farming villages. ‘Abdu'l-Bahá encouraged the diversification of crops and livestock, introduced new plants to the region, such as bananas, and taught farmers how to cultivate them.
Horrea — Photo: Carole Raddato, CC 2.0 BY SA
He promoted adult education and encouraged the building of schools for children. He taught the farmers to work collaboratively, insisted on the equality of men and women, encouraged profit-sharing with their workers, and trained them to solve community challenges through consultation. Anticipating future food shortages, He also directed farmers to store extra grain, saving a portion of the harvest in horrea (ancient Roman underground pits) where it would be safe from locusts. ‘Abdu'l-Bahá worked with people to prepare for an uncertain future by building and strengthening communities.
By the middle of World War I, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s communities averted a famine in the Haifa-‘Akká area. First, a locust plague hit the region in 1915, and then in 1917, a military blockade further cut off supplies. Though anxious and concerned for their lives, the communities were able to rely on their strong foundation of trust and mutual support. They organized a train of 200 camels to transport grain from the farming villages to the cities. They established a dispensary and distributed grain to people of all faiths, saving countless lives.
The following year, the British army (primarily composed of Indian soldiers) captured the area from the German and Ottoman Central Powers at the 1918 Battle of Haifa. However, in their haste to take the city, they outran their food supplies. Fortunately, due to the communities’ preparations and generosity, there was sufficient grain in Haifa to also feed the troops. To this day, Haifa Day is commemorated in places such as India, Israel, and New Zealand. Though the day is remembered for a battle that captured a city, it should also remind us of the community that saved an army.
Today, when I discuss current events with friends and family, anxiety and concern about the future and how to prepare for it often crop up. It feels like the world is shrinking as we become more aware of its interconnectedness and interdependence—from natural disasters to economics to health to education. We cannot expect to be unaffected even by far-away crises. And it is impossible to anticipate every challenge resulting from the ripple effects of the world’s travails. However, history—distant and recent—teaches us that the best preparation for any crisis is to use spiritual principles to strengthen our social connections within local communities. No one alone can fully prepare for the unexpected.
Though we do not know precisely what challenges are ahead of us, we should expect to be personally impacted by the travails affecting society. It brings me comfort to remember the example of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s farming villages and this counsel to humanity from the internationally elected Bahá'í institution, the Universal House of Justice:
[T]hough it is affected by these travails, it is not confused by them; it is saddened by humanity's sufferings, but not paralysed by them. Heartfelt concern must prompt sustained effort to build communities that offer hope in place of despair, unity in place of conflict.
As I check in on friends who were evacuated during Hurricane Helene and the Los Angeles fires, I hear countless stories of neighbors helping neighbors, networks of friends and families assisting one another, and communities rallying together to ensure people had shelter, food, clothing, medical attention, and emotional support. Before official personnel arrive on the scene, people often rely on those they know and trust for immediate help. But there are also news reports of others who did not fare as well, and my heart aches for those lives. If we all worked to expand, strengthen, and unite our communities, each of us would fare better in times of crisis, and no one would fall through the gaps.
Photo: USAG- Humphreys, CC 2.0 BY
These stories remind me to take stock of nearby friends and family and redouble my community-building efforts at home. My hope is that more and more people will do the same. Which neighbors do we need to contact and get to know better? Are there new coworkers to whom we should introduce ourselves? Who are the most vulnerable people nearby with whom we should visit and forge stronger ties? What expertise and skills can our community draw upon in times of need?
No one can truly be prepared alone. It takes a community. History and experience demonstrate that building community is more than hanging out and having fun. It requires learning to work together with heartfelt connections to improve everyone’s conditions, in both good times and crises.
For more information about how people around the world are building and strengthening communities, watch 2024 Year in Review from the Bahá’í World News Service.
Header Photo: Picryl