![]() Our spiritual health and growth should be our priority, and our thoughts should be centered on serving humanity. Abdu’l-Baha advised us to not let a pastime become a waste of time. It’s okay if we enjoy the occasional decent game or video, as long as we don’t become addicted or attached to them. Such a chaste and holy life, with its implications of modesty, purity, temperance, decency, and clean-mindedness, involves no less than the exercise of moderation in all that pertains to dress, language, amusements, and all artistic and literary avocations. Our words should bring people together, not tear everyone apart. When you engage in insults, slander, gossip, or profanity, you defile your tongue, which is meant for kind words. Henceforward everyone should utter that which is meet and seemly, and should refrain from slander, abuse and whatever causeth sadness in men. Verily I say, the tongue is for mentioning what is good, defile it not with unseemly talk. I’m so grateful that I was raised in a household that does not cuss or insult each other. Use Kind, Decent, and Appropriate Language Not only did this cleanse my mind, but it also refreshed my heart and spirit. And, after reading that a chaste and holy life “ condemns the prostitution of art and of literature, ” as explained by Shoghi Effendi, I decided to stop reading books, listening to music, and watching any television shows or movies that prevented my mind and thoughts from remaining clean and innocent. When I was around 14 years old, I realized how influential the media and entertainment industry is in influencing our thoughts. RELATED: The Effects of Violence in Video Games, Movies, and TV Shows If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.” The Buddha said, “All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts. If we want our actions to be chaste, our thoughts have to be as well. “ But beware,” Baha’u’llah warned, “O people, lest ye make yourselves the playthings of the ignorant.” When we dress modestly, we treat ourselves with dignity and respect and prevent ourselves from being sexualized and objectified. In the Baha’i Faith, what we wear is left to our discretion. Modesty doesn’t just apply to our behavior, but also to how we dress and present ourselves. Act ye in such wise, showing forth pure and goodly deeds, and modesty and humility, that ye will cause others to be awakened. Let your thoughts dwell on your own spiritual development, and close your eyes to the deficiencies of other souls. In order to live a pure and holy life, we need to manage our ego and not vaunt our success, progress, or achievements.Ībdu’l-Baha, the son of Baha’u’llah and one of the central figures of the Baha’i Faith, wrote: Here are nine ways you can live a chaste, pure, and holy life, according to the Baha’i writings. One speck of chastity is greater than a hundred thousand years of worship and a sea of knowledge. It is exemplified by pure deeds, clean thoughts, a noble moral conduct, and our resulting spiritual health, upliftment, and vitality.īaha’u’llah, the prophet and founder of the Baha’i Faith, wrote: ![]() Holiness and chastity are not meant to be confused with bigoted puritanism. ![]() Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith, explained that we need to have “a chaste, pure, and holy life, unsullied and unclouded by the indecencies, the vices, the false standards, which an inherently deficient moral code tolerates, perpetuates, and fosters” in order to spiritually heal ourselves and our nation. And, just like our physical health, our spiritual wellness also requires self-control and abstinence from habits that can harm our mind and spirit. Whether you experience hives, stomach pain, or swelling of the tongue or throat, we all know that the harmful reactions we experience last longer and are far more significant than the temporary high we get from indulging in a tasty treat. If you are one of the 32 million people who have food allergies in the United States, you know what it’s like to eat something that you know you shouldn’t.
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