Honouring the journey to the eighth fire: educating to create common-unity

Honouring the Journey to the Eighth Fire: Educating to Create Common-Unity Many directions people turn to today there is dissension: bombings, riots, shootings, famine and even genocide. There is an increasing awareness that change is required to create a more peaceful world, but how can we create common-unity and integrate it into educational systems? This narrative enquiry research explores the ways Maxwell International Baha’i School (MIBS) attempted to create an inclusive community that was founded on the principle of the oneness of humanity. It was through MIBS’s conscious attempt to create community that people felt accepted, safe and learned to connect. This research, through a focus group of primary stakeholders, explored the way community was intentionally built. The findings in this research revealed that from its inception, MIBS accepted diversity as a means to create unity, leading to members feeling a sense of belonging, connected to a greater purpose and a desire to serve humanity. With a conscious desire, schools could replicate this type of inclusive community. It is with this knowledge that I have been asked to create a more inclusive community at my current school. Education for a globally inclusive world must not be merely a separation and honouring of diversity, but must instead weave together the diverse elements through ritual and ceremony in a manner that creates an integrated tapestry. It is time to consciously and fully educate people to see that “the earth is but one country and mankind its citizens.” (Baha’u’llah, 1990, p. 346)