Abel was free to wander the hills and sing in the sunshine alongside the creeks while Cain toiled away, pulling rocks from the flat earth. The sheep preferred Abel, I believe. They followed him because he had a song for them. He would kill for them. And so, they submitted to the fact he would be the one who killed them. He did it quick and precise and with great mercy. There was no suffering as there was when the wolves attacked.
Cain did not care for animals. He contrived ways to put them to work for himself. They suffered beside him in the fields, and the crops did not obey him the way the animals did. He beat the ground and harrowed it. Sweat and prayers every day. If the sun came. If the sun came and if the rain came. If the rain stopped.
Cain gave his portion to the Lord and resented doing so. For the Lord never made it easy on him. Abel slaughtered his best sheep with reverence and joy, and the Lord loved him for it.
The brothers talked to each other in the field. Abel said something. The farmer could not love a man who was freer than himself. Why should he be the keeper of one so spoiled? So Cain killed Abel the way he dispatched an oxen that would no longer pull.
I have left the land where Cain’s anger still simmers behind the smiles of my former keepers. If stayed in the fields with them, I could be well-kept. But if I leave for the freedom of the hills, then I choose my fate. They will not be held responsible.
Amen.
I know a Shepherd. He said to love your neighbor as yourself and someone else He loved said that we should treat others how we want to be treated.
Some people want to be kept.
But I’m floating down the river by the hills Abel cleansed himself in, and the farmers aren’t pleased. What right do I have to leave them lacking laborers without me?
In the grand confluence of egos flooding social media, you will find a thousand rocks to dash your head against. I stuff my brains back into my fractured skull on a daily basis. Then I go back to the river and try floating along without drowning myself.
I’m trying to get a group of companion misfits (artists) to a place we’ve only heard about–a shoreline filled with an audience that will sustain us. This platform we’ve built is flimsy at best, but dedicated people have crossed oceans with less at their disposal. Right now, the audience standing on the banks of the river, watching us pass, is ambivalent at best. We’re just another bunch of fools heading for the falls.
Just when you think everything you’re doing goes unnoticed, a poison arrow flies across the bow. It’s a warning shot. The person who fired it wants you to know you shouldn’t tread any further. You are encroaching, offending local customs, and not welcome here.
When that happens, I’ve got to rally my companions and give them a ration of spite to sustain themselves through the next part of the journey. If they don’t want us to go forward, you must be close to something highly coveted. In our case, that means the stages we want to play on. The folks shooting the arrows are also artists and musicians.
It’s a competition. Anyone who tells you we can “all be friends and support each other” is a beautiful soul destined to be roasted over the fire pit of a tribe less ethical than theirs. Every band is a tribe. Some bands believe in cannibalization. We don’t mind those because their intentions are clear. They give you plenty of warning.
We are all leary of congenial tribes, too. Their friendliness depends on the quality of the trade. You have something they need, and they have something you want. It’s the wanting that leads to danger. If what you have is what they need, then expect to be assimilated. They don’t want you to leave.
Some people want to keep you.
Resist assimilation, and the friendliness turns to resentment. Resentment is often a calm body of water that disguises the filth being let loose upstream. You’ll taste it in the water, but you have no choice but to drink it sometimes.
But now I truly understand what Joesph Conrad meant. Things get nastier the further you go. It’s okay, I’m becoming more immune to the poison.
Genesis 4:1-9 KJV
“And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?”
If you want to see what I see, then find my novels here: https://linktr.ee/gajohnson
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