Now Cain [e]talked with Abel his [f]brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
- Genesis 4:8 ( NJKV )
"What if Cain had made a different choice?" Might the Middle East be a bit less of a 'hot-bed' right now if he had? As they say, "it's not outside the realm of possibility", but as I like to say, "there's no use saying "IF" because it happened". For the purposes of this post, though, we will explore the realm of possibility, at least concerning this subject, the Story of Cain, the so-called 'first murderer'!
The majority of my readers are probably more or less familiar with the biblical Story of Cain & Abel. Whether or not one believes this to be an entirely factual account, or a metaphorical, parabolic one, the moral, or lesson, of this Story is that; if we let our Ego determine our actions, it usually doesn't ( if ever ) turn out well! But, again, this post is about what might be the case if things had gone differently.
The ones that are often referred to as 'Our First Parents' ( "mea culpa" ) had been forced by their neighbors to remove themselves from an especially lush oasis in the region of Mesopotamia that was fed by both the Tigris & Euphrates rivers, as well as several other ancient sources. The reason for their exodus may be a matter of conjecture, but as the case may be, they were forced to work harder, with the less fertile soil of the region they settled in, to grow their fruits, vegetables & yes, even grains. For one thing, they found that the soil outside the Oasis was full of Rocks! Fortunately, it was not so rocky that nothing would grow there, but it sure made for a lot more strenuous labor for both of them. As the Pair had become pregnant during their stay in the Oasis, when they were forcibly ejected from their lush surroundings, the Woman was already quite heavy with child, so the Man did much of the work of clearing the land. Try as he might, the rocks were ever-present; "it seemed they kept pushing up from the womb of Mother Earth!" As the Time grew near that she should deliver, the Woman felt in herself that this Child would be significant to their plight. The Day finally came that She finally held a healthy little baby boy in her arms. The Man was very pleased, for he knew that it wouldn't be long before he would have help in the fields. "That & of course, he was overjoyed at the new human they had created!"
Several years later & the Man had done it again! It would seem that He just couldn't stay off of Her ( "not that She really had any reason to complain!" ). After the Woman had delivered Him another healthy baby boy, she decided that it was enough for a time. Their closest neighbor in their new surroundings was quite some distance away, so they were able to live as they wished, as far as the Land would allow, of course. Their first son, they had named Cain, for the Woman, in her premonition, had seen that he would be a master craftsman. Their second son, the Pair named Abel, for the Woman saw this One as a breath of fresh air. As the two grew, Cain began, like his father, to become a tiller of the fields, whereas his younger brother was more likely to be found exploring the local fauna. As often happens with siblings, there began to be a bit of rivalry between the two boys, who were both strapping young men by now. Abel had always been kind of a Mama's Boy, so when he surprised his father by bringing him an offering of one of the local fauna that lived in the surrounding hills, Cain decided that he too should bring his father an offering of the fruits of his own labor. Now, though the Man was not the typical 'Meat & Potatoes' man that we tend to revere here in the West, he did enjoy a good steak once in a while. Since he had just consumed a healthy portion of the offering his younger son had brought him, the Man was in no hurry to eat the fruits & vegetables his older son brought him. Cain was a bit crestfallen, but when the Man noticed this, he simply reminded Cain that he had just eaten his brother's offering to the full & would partake of Cain's offering later. At first, Cain did not understand why his brother's offering seemed to be more acceptable to his father, but when the Man explained to his oldest son that it was not so much that Abel's was more acceptable; it was more that he had been the first to bring an offering to his father ( plus, the Man had not had a good steak in some time! ) "Cain", the Man told his son, "you have a choice to make; you can let your Ego win & continue to be 'butt-hurt' that I accepted Abel's offering, not yours ( although, technically, I simply told you "later", because I was already full ), or you can choose to be patient, taking satisfaction in the knowledge that I have already accepted YOUR offering, just "LATER'!
Cain was still grumbling about this when he caught up to his brother the next day in the field where they just happened to be alone. Although he was prepared to get rough with his younger brother for preemptively ( as HE saw it ), Abel saw it coming ( the shit hitting the fan ), reminding him that the Man was his father too & so if he wanted to bring him an offering of the animal that had willingly sacrificed itself, Cain had no reason to complain. After Cain calmed down & thought about it in those terms, he decided that his brother was right & rather than picking up one of the rocks he saw laying around & bashing his brother's head in, as he had felt like doing; he chose instead to join his brother in his explorations.
After this little squabble, Cain & Abel were the best of friends! As true siblings, of course, not to mention 'human beings', they still had their disagreements, but having learned a valuable lesson, they both came away with a renewed sense of empathy & brotherly love! They both married & in The Grand March of Time, moved on from those desert plains, Cain to the South, while Abel struck out for Eastern parts. Much later, descendants of Cain would become known as Arabs, their multitudinous host covering much of the Arabian Peninsula, while the descendants of Abel, fewer in number, though not by much, became known as Cana'anites & eventually, Hebrews. In time, their tribes, though separated by distance & custom, would often come together in the face of adversity, one helping the other in need. Sometimes there were even squabbles between the two peoples, but when this happened, they were always reminded of what almost was & they quickly forgave & forgot any perceived wrong!
Fast forward many centuries & the landscape looked much the same, with Arab & Cana'anite coexisting peacefully, in harmony both with the land & themselves! Sure, 'as above, so below', brother still squabbled with brother, sister with sister, tribe with tribe, but when their individual peace was disturbed, their separate tribes convened & sorted out the differences, usually just hurt feelings or pride. However, it came about, in the Passage of Time, that a man named Moses arrived on the scene, who claimed descent from their mutual ancestor, the Man named earlier in this account; he made the outlandish claim that the 'One True God' had enlisted him to exterminate these godless, yet relatively peaceful Cana'anites. This proposal, of course, went over like a screen door on a submarine & at first, there were but few who paid him much heed. Moses, enlisting the help of his brother Aaron, among others, succeeded in making such a stink that he was eventually able to change the relatively peaceful landscape into one of war. The cities these invaders attacked began at first to try peaceably to settle any differences they had with these usurpers, but eventually were forced, either to lose it all, including their very lives, or to fight back. Unfortunately, by the time they started to take a stand, they had already been so depleted by the supplanters that their resistance was all but futile. The majority of the fighting men, as well as most of the male children, were decimated, while many of the women, as well as the livestock, were assimilated by these foreigners, who became known as Hebrews!
I realize this account sounds quite different from the one we read in the early part of the Hebrew Scriptures, but as my readers are well aware, 'the winners write the history books', so you may take that for what it's worth! Much of the fighting in the Middle East, which is where this fictional account takes place, has come about because of religious differences! Hurt Pride & Feelings also play a big part in the constant battle that these warring tribes, the Arabs & the Hebrews, have waged for the past several millenia. Lately, in the past century or so, Greed has also played a big part! Adding fuel to the fire, the West, the U.S.A. Inc. in particular, has for the past century or so, decided to stick their nose in where it doesn't belong, for the most part because of Greed. Our fighting men & women are told that they are fighting for our Freedom, defending Democracy & rooting out Terrorists, while Truth be told, they are actually CREATING terrorists by vengefully attacking them on their own soil, in their own Land; in short, the U.S.A. Inc. has been acting much lack the Usurpers of old, the damnable Hebrews, with their damnable 'God'! Rather than Religion, per se, Politics is the main culprit here!
When I began to write this 'account', I had envisioned quite a different outcome to the Story & many of my readers may yet draw their own conclusions, but unfortunately, as the case may be, human nature being what it is, especially when religion is brought into the mix, it is hard not to face the terrible facts! While it is not outside the Realm of Possibility that, with many different outcomes, not just to the Story of Cain & Abel, but to so many other biblical stories, that Peace would reign in the Middle East; human nature, again, 'as above, so below', would have to be overcome. For most, if not all of us, this means a War Within! Peace will come, but only when We realize, as Human Beings, that We are One Race, indeed, One Tribe. Pride, like the proverbial Rock that Cain had lifted up with the intent of murdering his own brother, must fall by the wayside!
Namaste' & Blessed Be!
Sage Charles