The Wellbeing 5 Project

Dr. Rotbart: The eradication of evil. Of course that sounds impossible – evil has been part of our world since the biblical tale of one brother killing the other in the very beginning of the Bible. So how can I even suggest the eradication of evil as a potential change in the world which would improve our mental (and physical!) wellbeing? Because we have already proven we can eradicate, or severely reduce, plagues of diseases, the scourge of natural disasters, and the impacts of man-made accidents. Over the past 200 years, we have been able to relieve, to a great extent, each of those burdens. And now it’s time to prevent and cure the world of evil.

The root causes of evil, like the root causes of heart disease and diabetes, will, I believe, be identified and addressed. As a pediatrician, though, I can offer a head start in our search. I believe virtually every societal malady can be traced to childhood. The environment in which a child is born and raised is the single greatest determinant of that child’s future as an adult—and their propensity for choosing to do good or evil. Of course there are exceptions, but, as a general rule, a child raised with love and kindness, a child taught tolerance and acceptance, a child witnessing ethical and charitable role models does not turn into Adolf Hitler. Our focus for scientific advances to heal the world, to prevent and someday eradicate evil, must start in the home where that disease starts and spreads from adult to child.