THE FIRST KILLING
Let’s say it is at the dawn of human people on Earth however or whenever it happened. A man and woman have a child, a son. They have daughters. Later they have another son. One of the sons thinks his brother is preferred above him. He tells no one but the level of hatred for his brother festers and grows large until one day he lays a trap and murders his own brother.
Those humans still living are in anguish over this tragedy. One asks “What shall we do when a human murders?”
One replies, “ We shall take the killer and kill him as a punishment for his evil deed and as a warning to prevent such a terrible thing happening again.”
Two or three agree. But one speaks out “No. That is not wise. We should not ask: “Now that this horrible thing has occurred what do we do to this one who did the killing”. The right question to ask is what truly can be the cause of one of us killing another? We should trace back to see how it came to this awful action on the part of one of us against another of us and make a correction within ourselves that might actually prevent the recurrence of such tragic occurrences in the future. The way you propose will leave the tribe failing to address what may grow into more of the same. Don’t you see? In truth, were we to kill the one who murdered we are endorsing that act…the act of slaying…as a valid response to feelings of loss that will be so recorded in all our minds and the killing is bound to go on and on. You see, do you not, what must follow when the real wound goes undressed?
The one who had spoken first gave this retort, “I am an individual! We are all individuals. I wish you would deal with us as individuals.”
The one who had said “no” to the idea of killing the murderer spoke again, saying, “The word ‘individual’, of which you show so much pride, means ‘not divisible’. In pride you say ‘I stand alone!’. In truth you know not what you do to yourself and those you care about when you act on the belief “I stand alone!” and isolate yourself behind a wall of your own making. You will soon live in a cold, cold world without love.
In such a world people play a game where a few gather riches and the many starve. They called it “trade” in the beginning. The few with some of their riches purchase politicians to make it illegal to steal their loot. Some of the many without will try to rob the rich. In the attempts people will be killed. All Hell breaks loose. Society has gone mad. In fear and rage people demand something be done. So, people who attempted to rob the rich are arrested, tried, and executed. Nobody looks into the “game”. You know the rest of that story. You live by it.
People crossed oceans to find “gold”. They planted flags and claimed the land. As the new rulers they demanded the natives to spit out the gold or die. How did the world become so corrupt? It had become so before the ships sailed after the gold lying in another place. A little child could tell you. All one has to do is to recall with clarity how you were treated after your arrival here at birth and, if you can stand to be so honest, see the corrupt society for what it is and you will want no more to do with it. Truth is simple yet it is so, so difficult to admit one’s own part in it. But it happens to be so that until you do you will remain blind to the way to make a meaningful change. One has to cease pointing the finger and put one’s own house in order. You think the fire is “out there” but it is “in here”.
