Institute Cultivates Spiritual Resources for South Africa

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JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - "Rainbow Nation" is South Africa's moniker. It's particularly apt, as it captures the country's racial diversity and conjures hope that 49 million people can overcome their tormented, complex past.

Much augurs well for their future. As the continent's richest nation, South Africa's resources, both natural and human, are substantial, its infrastructure first-rate, and its universities renowned. And then there is the miracle of1994. Apartheid ended, bloodshed was averted, a constitution was promulgated, and a new democracy was born. Truth-telling and attempts at reconciliation were made. Political power continued to be transferred peacefully; no "big man" has emerged to threaten democracy.

These remarkable achievements are only half the picture, however. South Africa has the second most uneven distribution of wealth among the world's nations, an unemployment rate of 24 percent, and the world's highest rate of HIV/AIDS-affected adults. There are more rapes and assaults per capita in South Africa than any other place in the world. Anger and resentment persist below the surface and seep out in widespread corruption and endemic violence. Life is made even more difficult by the refugees from neighboring …