Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu was quoted recently as saying that South Africa is in many ways a microcosm of the world, embodying all of the global issues of white and black, rich and poor, of developed and undeveloped peoples.
"Once we have got it right," he reportedly said, "South Africa will be the paradigm for the rest of the world."
We believe that the inevitable forces of history lie on the side of "getting it right" and that, indeed, South Africa will be successful in its effort to create a peaceful, unified and prosperous multi-racial society.
And just as Bahá'ís are optimistic about the final outcome there, we also believe that other countries that are torn by conflicts over race, ethnicity, class, religious heritage, and nationality -- which in today's world excludes virtually no place -- will also find that history is on the side of peace, unity and justice.
It may be hard to discern such trends amidst the carnage of several dozen regional and civil wars, the widespread disadvantage of women and minorities, and gross inequities in the world's system of wealth and finance.
Yet Bahá'ís nevertheless are convinced that humanity stands on the verge of a new era in its history, a turning point that can be compared to the collective emergence from adolescence into maturity.
The basis for the optimism that Bahá'ís feel about humanity's future stems from at least three sources: religious inspiration, historical analysis and practical experience.
The first source of optimism is the words of Bahá'u'lláh, the Prophet-Founder of the Bahá'í community. More than 100 years ago, He foresaw that while the world would go through an extended period of change and travail, it would soon reach new heights of peace, prosperity and accomplishment.
"That all nations should become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men should be strengthened; that the diversity of religions should cease, and differences of race be annulled -- what harm is there in this?" said Bahá'u'lláh to British orientalist Edward G. Browne in 1890. "Yet so it shall be; these fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the 'Most Great Peace' shall come."
The second source of hope lies in the historical analysis of this century's most subtle but enduring trend: the gradual and ever-increasing move toward greater levels of unity and interdependence. The reality of this trend can be seen in everything from the interrelatedness of world economic markets to the proliferation of global communications systems; from the steady acceptance of great new universal ideas, such as human rights, education for all, and general suffrage, to the dawning realization that global social problems such as poverty, violence and environmental degradation cannot be addressed in isolation from each other.
The third source of optimism for Bahá'ís is their own practical experience at building unified and harmonious communities.
The lead story in this issue focuses on three Bahá'ís who were murdered solely because they were white. What makes the story significant is not just the tragic irony that all three men were vigorously engaged in promoting racial unity when they were gunned down but the degree of social and racial integration that is reflected in their lives and in the lives of their co-religionists.
The Bahá'í community of South Africa, though relatively small, is extremely diverse. Among the roughly 10,000 Bahá'ís there, the entire spectrum of races, tribes and religious backgrounds is represented.
While there may be other groups and organizations in South Africa that display a similar diversity, it is unlikely that they display a similar depth and breadth of unity. The teachings of the Bahá'í Faith, for example, call for the elimination of all forms of prejudice; full equality between the sexes; recognition of the essential oneness of the world's great religions; the elimination of extremes of poverty and wealth; universal education; a sustainable balance between nature and technology; and the establishment of a world federal system, based on collective security and the oneness of humanity.
When one surveys the great social and political movements of this century, any one or two of these great principles by themselves are and have been quite enough to cause disunity within the various groups that have sought to promote them.
So to know that there is one cohesive movement that supports all of these ideas and more is really quite astounding.
The unifying factor in the Bahá'í community is an idea that is spiritual in nature -- rather than from some social or political concept. Krishna Naidoo, chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of South Africa, explains it this way:
"What is different is the way we view the whole concept of unity and diversity. This view lies in the way Bahá'ís understand the nature of human existence itself. To us, every human being has been created in the image of God. And latent in that human being is the potential to manifest and reflect the qualities and attributes of God.
"Therefore, we see fellow humans as a creation of God, and the respect and the dignity we feel for each other is based on the fact that we see each other as mirrors of the one reality, which we call God. This transcends our ethnicity, our secondary qualities in terms of culture and language for a higher reality.
"Our hope is that South African society will grow to the point where its people begin to live together as human beings, rather than as black and white, or brown and yellow.
"And we believe that the communities that we have, although perhaps few in number, offer a new vision for unity," Mr. Naidoo said. "If anyone would like to observe it, to learn what it would take to bring about unity, we are definitely here."
The experience of the Bahá'ís of South Africa is far from unique. Around the world, Bahá'í communities everywhere are almost invariably as diverse.
Bahá'ís welcome such diversity, believing that,
when understood in line with the fundamental principles of unity
as outlined by Bahá'u'lláh, it contributes to a
creative stream of fresh ideas, new possibilities and human advancement.
This is in accord with the inevitable direction of history.