We should be our brother’s keeper

THE EDITOR, Madam:

One of the earliest stories in the Bible is that of Cain and Abel, mankind’s first two brothers. Cain, jealous that God favoured Abel’s sacrifice over his own, killed his brother. God, being omniscient, knew Cain’s sin and asked him where Abel was? Cain replied “Am I my brother’s keeper?” He was then confronted and condemned by God.

There is a popular saying “blood is thicker than water” but, just how thick is blood? Over the last few years, Jamaica has had several incidents of altercations or disputes between family members which escalated to murder. From the murder of Tamara Geddes in Trelawny where a woman allegedly ordered a contract hit on her sister, to the incident where a Papine businessman allegedly shot his son, Ruel Knight, and then almost ran over him with his car, and, finally, to the most recent story where a mother mourned the killing of her son, Kemar Kenyon, a farmer, allegedly by a family member over a goat who was grazing on the crops on his farm. Rushane Barnett had allegedly stabbed his own father before he would go on to carry out the infamous Cocoa Piece massacre. It is clear that disputes over just about anything can turn deadly, even if it is your own flesh being killed and blood being spilled.

These incidents highlight not only the well-known fact that conflict resolution skills are sorely lacking in Jamaican society, but it further evidences a deep-rooted problem in our families and homes. Many Jamaicans are not learning in their homes how to solve disputes peacefully. The family unit is the bedrock of society. If a person is willing to harm, use violence against or kill their own relative over a disagreement, then killing someone who is neither near nor dear to them would weigh far less on their conscience.

It is necessary for parents to raise their children seeing household disagreements (which are inevitable) being settled through mature communication and not violence. Teaching children that problems can be solved through talking and not fighting is a good first step. Also, correcting children whenever they fight or resort to aggressive behaviour is important. It all starts in the home, and how we are trained to deal with conflict within our family will influence how we solve our disputes with others.

The late Tupac Shakur, in his song Changes, asked the question “How can the devil take my brother if he’s close to me?” It is in this vein that I encourage every Jamaican to see themselves as their brother’s keeper. Show love first to those in your home and then extend that love to all those you meet. This would go a long way in healing Jamaica.

PAYTON PATTERSON