Learning from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in a Society Characterized by Ageism

Abstract

Bahá’ís the world over view ‘Abdu’l-Bahá not only as the Centre of Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant but as the Exemplar of how we should live. However, although the images and stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that come to mind for many of us are from the period of His life after His release from prison at the age of sixty-five, we don’t often think about Him as an old man. This article summarizes the nature and impact of ageism and how we learn to be old by the way people treat us. It explores how ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s example informs our own lives given the prevalence of ageism in Western society. This paper is a slightly edited version of a presentation offered at the 2021 Annual Conference of the Association for Bahá’í Studies.