In Genesis Chapter 3-9: And the Lord, God called to the person, And said to him, “Where are you?” 10: And he said, “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid.” 11; and God said: “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree which I commanded you not to eat?” 12: And the man said “The woman whom you gave to me, she gave me of the tree and I ate.” 13: and the Lord, God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” And the woman said “The serpent beguiled me, and I ate.”
Genesis Chapter 2-8: And Cain Spoke unto Abel his brother. And it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and he killed him. 9: And God said to Cain: “Where is Abel your brother?” and he said; “I don’t know; Am I my brother’s keeper?”
There are so many commentaries on these verses, humans have dissected these passages and brought meaning to them for centuries.
What strikes me more than anything this year as I read these passages is the inability for anyone in this story to take even an ounce of responsibility.
Adam blames God – the woman that you gave me.
And he blames his wife – she gave it to me.
Eve blames the serpent – the serpent beguiled me...
Cain pretends that he doesn’t even know where his brother is.
Cain takes even less responsibility by not so much as acknowledging that any wrong was done.
I wonder, what would have happened if when God asked Adam, "Ayeka – Where are you?" Adam had answered:
I am hiding. Hiding because I ate from the tree of knowledge and the knowledge that I gained allowed me to see that I am naked. And now I am ashamed of my nakedness. This knowledge that I have gained has allowed me to see, see in a way that now my nakedness is shameful. I am so sorry. Now I will have to live with this knowledge … this shame… this knowing.. Now I need to live with the consequences of my actions.
What would have happened then?
I wonder what would have happened if when God asked Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" Cain had answered:
Oh my goodness!!! I am bereft with grief… I killed my brother! I killed my friend! In a moment of anger and hostility, in a moment of complete rage and selfishness, I struck my brother, and now I miss him terribly. Now my heart aches... And nothing I do will get him back. It hurts so much… Now I need to live with myself and the reality of what I have done, and this pain in my heart that will never go away.
What would have happened then?
Genesis Chapter 2-8: And Cain Spoke unto Abel his brother. And it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and he killed him. 9: And God said to Cain: “Where is Abel your brother?” and he said; “I don’t know; Am I my brother’s keeper?”
There are so many commentaries on these verses, humans have dissected these passages and brought meaning to them for centuries.
What strikes me more than anything this year as I read these passages is the inability for anyone in this story to take even an ounce of responsibility.
Adam blames God – the woman that you gave me.
And he blames his wife – she gave it to me.
Eve blames the serpent – the serpent beguiled me...
Cain pretends that he doesn’t even know where his brother is.
Cain takes even less responsibility by not so much as acknowledging that any wrong was done.
I wonder, what would have happened if when God asked Adam, "Ayeka – Where are you?" Adam had answered:
I am hiding. Hiding because I ate from the tree of knowledge and the knowledge that I gained allowed me to see that I am naked. And now I am ashamed of my nakedness. This knowledge that I have gained has allowed me to see, see in a way that now my nakedness is shameful. I am so sorry. Now I will have to live with this knowledge … this shame… this knowing.. Now I need to live with the consequences of my actions.
What would have happened then?
I wonder what would have happened if when God asked Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" Cain had answered:
Oh my goodness!!! I am bereft with grief… I killed my brother! I killed my friend! In a moment of anger and hostility, in a moment of complete rage and selfishness, I struck my brother, and now I miss him terribly. Now my heart aches... And nothing I do will get him back. It hurts so much… Now I need to live with myself and the reality of what I have done, and this pain in my heart that will never go away.
What would have happened then?
We live in a society that penalizes us for our wrongdoings. And one can often get away with a less severe punishment by denying any wrong-doing .
A few years ago, I volunteered for an organization that is committed to Restorative Justice. What I noticed was the incredible transformation of individuals when they took full responsibility for the crimes they had committed. There is an understanding—almost a breaking internally—when they grasp the gravity of what it means to take a life. They change, not the pseudo change that is expected of them. No, they change so totally and become committed to creating a better world. They choose to spend their time and energy to create a world where violence no longer exists.
What would it be like if we took full responsibility for our actions???
If we looked ourselves in the eye and asked ourselves:
How did I end up here?
What have I done in my life that created the circumstances that got me where I am right now? The good, the bad, the ugly, the pain and the joy.
How am I responsible for this situation?
What would the world look like if we stepped fully into living in the consequences of the actions we took to create our reality?
What would it be like if we took full responsibility for our actions???
If we looked ourselves in the eye and asked ourselves:
How did I end up here?
What have I done in my life that created the circumstances that got me where I am right now? The good, the bad, the ugly, the pain and the joy.
How am I responsible for this situation?
What would the world look like if we stepped fully into living in the consequences of the actions we took to create our reality?
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