My Brother’s Keeper

This blog was going to be about something else, but then “My Brother’s Keeper” kept rolling in my head. So I listened, and this is what came out.

 

The first time I heard the words, “my brother’s keeper”, I was in first or second grade at Holy Cross Catholic School. We were learning the story of Cain and Able. They were the first sons of humanity, according to the Bible. In short, Cain became jealous by what seemed to him as more of God’s favor being given to his Brother Able. This was due to a test that the men were burdened with to come up with an impressive sacrifice to give to God. Ables’s sacrifice receiving the favor, equated to extreme personal failure in Cain’s mind. Once he tapped into that dark thought, it just grew into a full rage. One day Cain bludgeoned Able to death deep into the woods, and abandoned his Brother’s lifeless body.

Even as a young child of six or seven, my immediate thought to this was, “Why didn’t Cain just try again? Even if he still offered another lack luster sacrifice, surely God would have taken note to his effort!?” My second thought was, “Why did things get so violent so fast. How can you love your Brother one day, then be angry enough to kill them the next day?”

As I got older and began to learn the dynamics of human relationships, I identified a recurring theme. Whenever love, communication, trust, and loyalty break down. The origin can always be found in Self Talk gone wrong. Self Talk is a powerful and beautiful tool to get you through anything your journey will put you through. The catch is that it only works properly when combined with compassion. Its compassion, not only for others, but yourself as well. If you try to use Self Talk without compassion, you are instantly playing with dark power. Whatever intensity you put into it is how intense the effect will be on yourself, and those around you.

In the story, Cain’s Self Talk started with “I’m not loved by God”. The dark power was sparked. After a string of unchecked negative affirmations, he finds himself having to answer God for the death of his Brother. He responds, “Am I my Brother’s keeper?”. As far as I’m concerned, the answer is an unambiguous YES. See, what I said about keeping your Self Talk in check takes a long focus…like a lifetime. (Totally worth it!) It gets exceedingly more complicated when it comes to relationships with another person. When we’re alone, one of the tools of being a healthy and happy person is positive and productive Self Talk. When we are in the presence of others, we should turn those tools on them. If you continue Your Self Talk while in the presence of a loved one, you are no longer engaged in pure communication. You are seeing them only through the window of your Self Talk. Therefore…not truly seeing them at all. This is what I call non organic reality.

The view from Cain’s dark Self Talk window showed him a manifested full assault on his very being. The more he stared out that window, the darker His truth became. Had he checked his Self Talk, he could have seen that there are unlimited tries at being better in our lives. He would have realized that failing the first test was not about him and his Brother. It was about him and his God. In the end, his rage was directed at someone who didn’t mean him harm at all.

I share this thought because I have come to a point in my life where my goal is to commit to creating a more balanced Self Talk. In the past I have gone to extremes like caring to the point where I put myself on a path of harm to myself and from others. Then the other extreme where I’m so protective that I end up harming someone else. The balance will give you a grip on the organic reality of every moment. A mind that is dedicated to organic reality will never fall into extremes.

Try it for yourself. First, it will reveal what your Self Talk habits are. That’s always fun! Then you will learn that you can alter and control it. That’s when you will be pleased to learn that we all are good and loving people by nature. That also brings the responsibility of knowing better in every situation. It’s just something exciting and beautiful to work on while we’re here…  #thejourney

PS-

The song for this entry is called “Pollock Splash”. I wrote this many years ago when I was rediscovering my Life philosophy and working out the Self Talk concept. Here are the lyrics. I changed “sensual” to “sensible” so it can relate wider. Also, I was in a place when I originally wrote it.

Pollack Splash:

These hard minds…they continue to challenge peaceful times. Sensible guides seem to hang in the balance between the signs. A disturbing swerve. A straight line forced to curve. A streak of red…a Pollack splash…a harmonic crash. When I play with the truth, you’re nowhere to be found. Then I get myself grounded.

These hard minds…they continue to challenge peaceful times. Sensible guides seem to hang in the balance between the signs. Squinting eyes…focused on self demise. A crafty knack for holding back…slipping through the cracks. When I play with the truth, you’re nowhere to be found. Then I get myself grounded.

Oh no, I don’t believe the God that I receive would be so easily deceived. Oh no, I don’t believe the Goddess I receive would be so easily deceived. On track with no training…on speed without gaining….upscale and complaining. I don’t believe the Goddess I receive would be so easily deceived.

These hard minds…they continue to balance…