Last week, a kid in suburban Atlanta went to school and shot six kids. None died, luckily. The pundits hit the airwaves immediately, each pumping their own pet causes. Fewer guns, more guns. Guards in school, better parenting. No Marilyn Manson, don't let kids date until they're 18.

Whatever.

Reggie White, admittedly not the most thoughtful guy around, stood up and said what I'd been thinking, that this sort of thing has been happening in the inner city for years, but the nation cares only when it's white kids who get shot.

A co-worker of mine pooh-poohed this statement. "Kids haven't been getting shot in inner city schools. And if they are, it's their own fault."

I couldn't have proved White's statement better myself.

I live in the Triangle area of North Carolina. In Durham, the one municipality with a significant minority population. In fact, if you don't count the southern part of town, which is pretty much suburbia within the city limits, the "old" parts of Durham are about half black and half white. I live in the "old" part of town, and my wife and I are buying a house. In a neighborhood some view as "questionable". Partly there are about as many black people as white people living there. And partly because there is, admittedly, a higher level of crime in the area.

In general, white folks fear black folks. Yes, this fear comes from ignorance, and yes, there is no good reason for it, but it is a fact. As much as they hate to admit it, most white folks let this fear control their thoughts and actions. And that is just as racist as calling someone a nigger or not giving someone a job because they're black.

So most white folks who come into money buy houses as far away from "the city" (a common euphemism for minorities--hispanics in the southwest and blacks most everywhere else) as possible, telling themselves that they're safe.

And then these shootings. What's a white flight veteran to do? I mean, they've moved to the right part of town, gotten the right neighbors, put the kids in the "good" schools, and it turns out they have to deal with all the stuff that the kids in "the city" have to handle.

Duh.

See, there's no getting out of being human. Of avoiding unpleasant human contact. Hey, I don't like messing with homeless folks who bug me for money, either. I wish they would just disappear. I'm just like everybody else that way. But the fact is, they won't. And retreating to the far-flung suburbs won't change the problem. Eventually, even the most sheltered child has to go into "the city" someday, and he or she had better to ready to deal with whatever is there.

I like living in cities, among people who aren't like me. Who have different ideas of how to paint a house, what car to drive or who to elect president. It is that diversity which ensures that cities will always be the epicenters of the advancement of civilization. New York is the capital of the world, a city without peer, bustling with thousands of neighborhoods and a multitude of different ethnicities. It's not a melting pot, but a simmering stew. Each part is distinct, but the pieces form a coherent whole as well. And the mixture of those ingredients creates something new and exciting.

Yes, I might get mugged. I might get hassled by homeless people more often. I might hear a gunshot now and again while sitting on my porch. Know something? That's life. I choose to stand and face it head-on. I don't worry excessively about any kids I might have, because I know that the best way to prepare for life is to live it. Period.

Concern is valid. When I walk around in a city at night, I don't carry all my credit cards and I keep a reasonable eye out for potential trouble. I know how to walk and talk so that potential assaulters stay away. I'm not stupid. I know there are folks out there who have nothing against doing me (or anyone else) harm. But I don't fear them. I don't fear the eventuality that I'll be mugged someday. Because giving into the fear means that I would not be in control of my life.

The one bit in the new Star Wars movie that rang true was Yoda's comment to the young Anakin about fear. "Fear leads to anger, which leads to hate," he counseled the youngster. All that is true. And unfortunately, we have seen all too often what hate can do.

Jon Worley tries very hard not to fear much of anything.