The news coming out of television networks is mostly about the demise of Osama bin Laden. Gleeful crowds assembled in front of the White House immediately after the announcement of the death of a monster. Collage campuses erupted in jubilation and the mood everywhere was, in general, one of relief. The President declared, "Justice was done".
Something is wrong with this picture though. Not that Osama bin Laden should have been left alone, but the jubilant atmosphere and the kind of "justice" done are flawed.
The human society needs to look squarely into the eye of the cause of the anger and despair that breeds the types of Osama bin Laden. This has not happened and the monster is still out there. As the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 -1900) once remarked: "He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you".
An article in Tikkun rightly pointed out that it is futile to try to fight malaria by killing mosquitoes. The biggest mosquito was killed and even many more may be killed in the future. Nevertheless, the only sure way to fight malaria is to drain the stagnant water where mosquitoes breed.
One abyss that Cincinnati has been staring at for too long is urban poverty. And, yes, there are many doses of killing mosquitoes that cause urban poverty. But what is needed is concerted action to drain the water.
In the coming days and weeks we will introduce our readers to specific initiatives developed for this purpose, such as CORECHANGE. The hope is that you will contribute ideas for the success of these initiatives.
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