When Cain killed Abel and God asked him where Abel was, he replied, "Am I my brother's keeper?" Genesis 4 :9. In the movie "Legends of the Fall", Brad Pitt, the colorful and endearing brother who spent his life mostly "raising Cain" was embraced by his brother Aiden Quinn, the diligent and unendeared one, as his keeper. On the other hand, Leviticus, 19:17 is specific about who is our brother. Luke 10:25, the parable of "The good Samaritan" tells us who is our brother. Luke 15: 11, the parable of the Prodigal Son gives no quarter to the diligent and dutiful son. We are perforce, our brother's keeper. Moreover we are our neighbor's brother. It's a tough old world. It's hard for us Narcissists to universally love our neighbor as ourselves. How about somewhat less? Even those who piss us off. Even Hermes and Apollo, sons of Zeus had the potential to be at odds. Hermes was the bad boy; not really bad, more like a scamp, but they were both beautiful and Apollo was his keeper. We can say Apollo was good, but he was never goody-two-shoes toward his brother, to my knowledge. It becomes easier when you are old and none of us can sit by the pool and see our reflection as beautiful. We have to reflect on another kind of beauty that says , "I am my brother's keeper! "
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