Danielle Levy

The anniversary of the Berlin Wall, built 50 years ago this August, brings to mind other notable barriers in the world. There is the Belfast Peace Wall, a barrier that remains amidst still unresolved conflict; the U.S. Mexico Border, what some call a desert monument to failure; Israel’s anti-terror fence, a wall around the West Bank; the Korean DMZ which may be the world’s most dangerous border and Ceuta and Melilla, North African cities which have become enclaves with high tech ramparts to keep out those making their way to Europe through Morocco. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano once quipped “Show me a 50-foot wall and I’ll show you a 51-feet ladder.” This may indirectly be hopeful for those barriers to eventually be torn down, but more to the point they stand as a reminder of how far we still have to go before there can be some oneness in the world.

Being able to feed a growing world population in the years to come is not yet a sure thing. Beside population growth, there are issues like climate change, upheavals, higher prices and scarcities as even as Somalia is reminding us droughts that can end in famines. Anything that can therefore provide an answer to feeding present and future generation is welcome news. Hope is coming from indoor farming, farms in the middle of cities. Also called vertical farming because those farms are located in sky scrapers, agricultural researchers believe it is a way to feed up to the 10 billion people the earth will soon have without being dependent on weather or even more difficult an increased need for land. Growing fruits and vegetables has thus been done and South Korea is seriously working on developing vertical farming. The problem that has to be solved is the large use of energy. To make up for sunlight, LEDs are used and consume much energy. The Netherlands which has had many problems with climate and land shortages has found a way to make their vertical farming practical and is relying on them for their produce—leaving one to believe that if the Netherlands can figure out how to make vertical farming work, then so will South Korean and other researchers.

In Germany experts are becoming concerned about the welfare of the children of Neo-Nazis. They are growing up in isolated communities, being taught the values of their culture, often also how to use weapons. They are sometimes kept from public schools, taught to shun outsiders or be suspicious of them. They read Nazi-era books, put together puzzles showing maps of Germany with 1937 borders and attend ideological camps. The question is, is it time for the state to intervene? Do the values of a free and open society prevent intervention? Or, does the potential danger to society these youngsters pose warrant some kind of intervention? It may not be an easy question but is still one that ought to be seriously considered in Germany as well as in any country where the political right is gaining ground. The question brings up a host of sociological, psychological, political, ethical, philosophical and moral issues, yet, given the increasing presence of right-wing groups in Germany and elsewhere, one that cannot be ignored. A possible way to tackle it would be to consider the issue of harm. Where is the greater harm? Is it interfering with the rights of a group who sets themselves apart and whose values are not constructive? Or is it to allow them to be who they are at the risk of the danger they represent for others and for society?