Peace: The Roots of Distrust

For a long time I struggled to understand how humans changed a situation that worked perfectly in other species into one that bred distrust, violence and crime. Finally, I found the answer in evidence that is found in the old book of Genesis.

According to the Genesis story after the woman was formed from Adam’s rib he called her “bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh” even though it must have been obvious to him that she was very different from him. This was a clear statement that he accepted her uniqueness and accepted her as part of himself. Clearly, this is what nature intended as we can see from the various organ systems that work harmoniously together to produce a healthy body.

One chapter in the book of Genesis later, we discover that Adam has changed his tune. The camaraderie has disappeared and he now refers to his partner as “the woman you gave me.” This is an interesting change. What caused it? Before we answer that let us take a look at another example of that transformation.

In the next chapter of Genesis we find the well-known story of Cain and Abel; the sons of Adam and Eve. These two brothers were very different; one was a farmer and the other was a shepherd. Within a few verses of that chapter brotherly love had changed to jealousy and hatred and Abel was dead. What was at the root of that change?

The only common thread between those two stories is knowledge about God. In the story of the man, Adam, and the Woman the central cause was a belief that God would treat the different people differently because of their behavior. Based on that belief, Adam hoped that he could escape any punishment he believed was about to be dispensed by separating himself from his wife. What he did not realize is that this is exactly what he did; he erected a wall within the species where one did not exist. She was not different because of who she was but because of what he thought. This principle is painfully obvious today.

The story of Cain and Abel builds on that principle. For a long time I missed the foundational message of that story. To me it was simply a story of one boy who chose to do his own thing then killed his brother when he was rebuffed. Only in recent times did I realize that both Cain and Abel, both of whom are representative of stages of human development, were victims of the same misconception about God. Both had a warped view of the Creator that posited that God doles out his beneficence based on our behavior.

Given that view I finally understood why Cain killed Abel. If you believe in the fundamental fragmentation of the species that was birthed in the mind of Adam and accept that humans are not part of one body perceiving that God favors other people besides you can have only one result. If the Creator of the Universe is not on your side but seems to favor the other side all you can look forward to is a life of subservience. The only way to maintain your sense of worth would be to eliminate those on the other side.

The problem is not a belief in God but a warped view of who God is and what He stands for.