The bulk of humanity now realiseth what a great calamity war
is and how war turneth man into a ferocious animal, causing prosperous cities
and villages to be reduced to ruins and the foundations of the human edifice to
crumble. Now, since all men have been awakened and their ears are attentive, it
is time for the promulgation of universal peace—a peace based on righteousness
and justice—that mankind may not be exposed to further dangers in the future.
Now is the dawn of universal peace, and the first streaks of its light are
beginning to appear. We earnestly hope that its effulgent orb may shine forth
and flood the East and the West with its radiance. The establishment of universal
peace is not possible save through the power of the Word of God.... - ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a Tablet; compilation: ‘Peace’, prepared by the Research
Department of the Universal House of Justice, Revised September 1990; Baha’i
Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)
