It is not good to be partial to the wicked
and so deprive the innocent of justice – a Proverb

When you throw away your trash, where does it go? In the United States, more often than not domestic trash is collected in landfills. These dumpsites soon become overfilled and are abandoned. Instead of leaving the mountains of trash as an eyesore, many municipals cover the dumpsites with soil and plant grass on top, creating artificial hills that are pleasant to look at. At the surface, these knolls seem to be the perfect solution to the overflow of garbage in our consumer society today. But, time brings forth the truth. After a while, rainwater trickles through the dirt, flows through the garbage and comes out as toxic sludge. Moreover, methane collects in the hills under the dirt dome and creates pressure until it is released unpleasantly as gaseous bubbles in the mud. The gas is highly flammable and can cause landfill fires.

Trying to satisfy the victims of war with compensation under the excuse of “preserving peace” is simply covering the problem with a layer of dirt, leaving the suffering to fester. Sure, it may be a quick Band-Aid method of alleviating the pain, but sooner or later the grievances are going to ooze out more toxic than before. Moreover the lack of a channel to express these injustices is going to build up in pressure, waiting for the right spark to ignite it violently. Nepal has seen it before, when the Maoist provided the spark a decade ago. History is known to repeat itself, but people have the right to fight the injustices and correct the wrongs of the past. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.