The members thereof must take counsel together in such wise that no occasion for ill-feeling or discord may arise. This can be attained when every member expresseth with absolute freedom his own opinion and setteth forth his argument. Should anyone oppose, he must on no account feel hurt for not until matters are fully discussed can the right way be revealed. The shining spark of truth cometh forth only after the clash of differing opinions. If after discussion, a decision be carried unanimously well and good; but if, the Lord forbid, differences of opinion should arise, a majority of voices must prevail.
But it is true to say that they object to that which they comprehend, not to the expositions given by the Expounder, nor the truths imparted by the One true God, the Knower of things unseen. Their objections, one and all, turn upon themselves, and I swear by thy life that they are devoid of understanding.
To know is to possess, & any fact is possessed by everyone who knows it, whereas those who feel the truth are possessed, not possessors.
Explanations exist; they have existed for all time; there is always a well-known solution to every human problem--neat, plausible, and wrong.
Evidence-informed strategies do not oversimplify the complex challenge of urban violence. Because such approaches do not dumb violence down, they can be difficult to digest quickly. They may also challenge us to think and feel differently. For these reasons, they are often overlooked: we usually want solutions that can be evaluated using our own intuition and common sense. The media caters to this, telling us what we want to hear rather than what we need to know.
The good news is that we have a large body of scientific research on urban violence. The bad news is that most of it is hidden behind publisher paywalls, written in academic-ese, divided across disciplines and sectors, and of varying quality. Too much research is produced in a bubble. Too many scholars have limited contact with those with actual exposure to crime, leading to studies that pursue abstract academic queries with little relevance to real life. Advances have been made. Systematic reviews address some of these shortcomings by bringing together the best evidence on certain important questions. Think tanks and policy shops frame academic ideas in engaging ways while producing research of their own. Some in the media are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their reporting on urban violence, and some leaders have championed evidence-informed crime policy. Still, too much knowledge remains trapped in academia's ivory tower.
O Son of Spirit! The best beloved of all things in my sight is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not that I may confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of another, shalt know by thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbor. Ponder this in thy heart; how it behooveth thee to be. Verily, justice is my gift to thee and the sign of my loving kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.