13 Asma' 166 (Baha'i Calendar)
Drumbeat in my head: Seals and Crofts, "Summer Breeze"

I just got back from the Green Lake Baha'i Conference, where over a thousand Baha'is attended.  I feel refreshed and invigorated.

The keynote speakers were Douglas Martin, a former Universal House of Justice member, Erica Toussaint, member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States, and Suheil Bushrui, a scholar who was the first Baha'i Chair for World Peace at the University of Maryland.  All were insightful, helping me gain some deeper understanding of the Baha'i Faith.  I also went to several workshops, including one on socio-economic development in the Baha'i context, and one about methods of deepening spiritual connection during devotions.

But really, it was more than just the lecturers and workshops that invigorated me.  Being immersed in this conference, being immersed in a Baha'i world for almost two days really helped remind me why I became a Baha'i and why I signed that pledge card on November 19, 2007.  I feel proud to be a Baha'i.

This Different Drummer has always sensed that a better world can and must come into being.  What has evolved and changed over the decades is my understanding of what is necessary to bring about a better world. I started off as an activist involved with peace and environmental issues.  But I realized that it was more than political and social change that needed to occur--the change had to occur within myself and within individuals. I felt God was guiding me into religion. I seriously considered the Baha'i Faith as far back as 1988, but I went through a number of spiritual paths before rediscovering the Faith in 2007 and declaring myself as a Baha'i shortly thereafter.

There is no doubt in my mind that Baha'i values are essential for any civilized society.  That does not mean that everyone must become a Baha'i--indeed one of the most important Baha'i values is the importance of working *with* other religions and putting an end to religious strife. The world needs us to love humanity, avoid backbiting and look at the good in others, have humility, truthfulness, honesty, courtesy, reverence, and a mind of service, and ensure justice, the equality of men and women, freedom of conscience and the right to individual conscience and an unfettered search for truth.

I find such qualities in people from all different religions and backgrounds. And while Baha'is are not perfect, I do find that these qualities run strongly among the Baha'is. Even during the nineteen years between the time I was introduced to the Baha'i Faith and the time I actually declared, I held the Baha'is in high esteem even though becoming a Baha'i was furthest from my mind during most of that time.

In my last post, I said that I was trying to figure out just how the Baha'i Faith should fit into my life.  I'm still trying to figure that out, but it's clear that it must play an important, even central role for me.