One of the oldest surviving stories in human history is about the birth of murder. In Hebrew (and later Christian) scriptures, the story of two brothers, Cain and Abel, teaches us about the mythic first atrocity: brother killing brother. Both brothers are loved by God. Cain is a farmer, and Abel is a shepherd. Both offer a sacrifice to God from the fruit of their labors. The story tells us that God is pleased with Abel's offering of meat, and that God holds no regard for Cain's offering of grain. Shortly thereafter, consumed by envy, Cain murders his brother in the fields where Cain toils. When God catches up with Cain and asks him what happened to Abel, Cain responds, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"
"Am I my brother's keeper?" To the scripturally minded these words would resonate through the eons as the quintessential backdoor confession of guilt, claiming ignorance and deflecting responsibility. "Why should I know or care? That other person is his own man and no problem of my own." It's an ancient story of murder, but it's also an early story detailing the roots of evil. We divest ourselves of our personal responsibility for those around us, especially when we know they are in trouble, whether we're to blame or not. Implied in the story is the fact that we are our brother's keeper, or at least we're called upon to account for the well-being of those around us.
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