Serving the Community Through Service

Dundee May 2, 2022,

Our Baha'i community in Dundee joined together with the local Dundee City Council's Countryside Rangers Service for a day of service. We met at a green space in Broughty Ferry Nature Reserve that had become overgrown with weeds and litter. Equipped with gardening tools and garbage bags, we got to work clearing away the mess.

As Baha'is, service to humanity is an important principle of our faith. Baha'u'llah, the Prophet-Founder of the Baha'i Faith, wrote:

"Blessed is he who preferreth his brother before himself."

By coming together with our neighbours to care for this shared public space, we aimed to put this teaching into practice.

The Dundee Countryside Ranger Service assist local initiatives interested in improving the environment in our community or in important conservation projects. Working side by side with them, we strengthened bonds of friendship and collaboration. The Baha'i writings state:

"So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth."

Through unified action, we can increase love and harmony in our society.

It was satisfying to transform an unkempt lot into a tidy garden ready for the public to enjoy. The simple acts of pulling weeds and sweeping sidewalks made a visible difference in the appearance and energy of the place. Though the work was difficult at times under the hot sun, spirits remained high. We stopped for water breaks and chatted about our hopes for the future of Broughty Ferry.

At the end of the day, we said farewell to our new friends with promises to work together again soon. On the walk back, our weary bodies and dirt-stained hands were a testament to a job well done. We look forward to the next opportunity to serve shoulder-to-shoulder and unite in common purpose. As Baha'u'llah wrote:

"That one indeed is a man who, today, dedicateth himself to the service of the entire human race."