Thursday, September 3, 2009

Frisbee and the Nobility of Humanity

In trying to move deeper about the purpose of our junior youth group, the following quotation from Baha'u'llah became the point of discussion and a few activities:

"O SON OF SPIRIT! Noble have I created thee, yet thou dost abased thyself. Rise then unto that for which thou has been created!" - Baha'u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words, #22

After saying a few prayers, i took out a frisbee and told them we were going to use it to help us memorize the quote after discussing its meaning and coming to understand how it relates to the purpose of our group and who we are. The frisbee was simply going to be used to throw from one person to the next, each person saying what had been said of the quote already and then adding the next word each time it was caught. The memorization comes from the repetition. Following this discussion, and seeing that it was time for the frisbee, one of the junior youth, who had just turned 12 that day, said the following:

"Oh, I see! We throw the frisbee and it goes down to the ground. Then we have to pick it up and throw it again so it flies!"

Such keen insight into the meaning of the quote that she was able to make the memorization game and frisbee into a metaphor for the very quote we were trying to understand!

This may serve as a reminder of not only a glimpse into the great potentiality of junior youth, but also that every activity, game, project, quote, subject of study, talent, skill, hope, goal, idea, etc. can be directed towards the purpose of junior youth groups. Namely, the releasing of the powers of these young people to help them navigate this crucial stage in their lives and to direct their energies towards the betterment of humanity. In doing so, they will recognize these forces and realities in even the seemingly meaningless.

"Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth is a direct evidence of the revelation within it of the attributes and names of God, inasmuch as within every atom are enshrined the signs that bear eloquent testimony to the revelation of that Most Great Light." -Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 177

  • Now, dear friends, how can this particular insight shared by the junior youth be channeled toward the service of her neighborhood?
  • As unleashers of the inherent powers of junior youth, in what aspects of her life can we help her apply this insight during the years she traverses schooling and navigates this stage of her life?

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