"As a college student in California, Amy Biehl dedicated herself to ending apartheid in South Africa. When she won a Fulbright scholarship in 1992, she decided to go to South Africa to immerse herself in the country's culture and politics. In 1993, the white American was stoned and stabbed to death by a mob of angry black militants. [...]
"At the time, with South Africa on the brink of a race war, Amy's death was a turning point. Horrified at the murder of a kindred spirit, blacks joined with whites in peace rallies across the country. The Biehls and their three other children went to South Africa. [...]
"The Biehls spent much of their time in Guguletu, passing the spot where their daughter was killed. "If we had never come back here, if we hadn't done something to carry on for her, I think she would be very, very disappointed in us," her father said.
"To keep her memory alive, they established a nonprofit agency, the Amy Biehl Foundation. With $500,000 in grants, donations and their own money, they have sponsored welding classes and after-school programs, including music, art and tutorials for those who want to go to college."
--From a CBS 60 Minutes interview with the Biehls
What does the story of the Biehls' journey have to say about the role of compassion in transforming people's view of their path and mission in life? Can this model be of compassion catalyzing a new mission and path ever be extended beyond the world of the individual and the social venture into the business world? Are there limitations?
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