O ye lovers of this wronged one! Cleanse ye your eyes, so
that ye behold no man as different from yourselves. See ye no strangers; rather
see all men as friends, for love and unity come hard when ye fix your gaze on
otherness. And in this new and wondrous age, the Holy Writings say that we must
be at one with every people; that we must see neither harshness nor injustice,
neither malevolence, nor hostility, nor hate, but rather turn our eyes toward
the heaven of ancient glory. For each of the creatures is a sign of God, and it
was by the grace of the Lord and His power that each did step into the world;
therefore they are not strangers, but in the family; not aliens, but friends,
and to be treated as such. (‘Abdu’l-Baha, ‘Selections from the Writings of
‘Abdu’l-Baha’)
