No longer were they together; instead, they inaugurated the blame-game, as graphically and painfully seen in the next generation and Cain’s defensive question: “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
Whose will ...?
Friendship?
Purpose &/or Pleasure?
Hurried patience?
Power-prayer?
Dr. Jekyll? Mr. Hyde?
When I consider our world—particularly the twentieth century, the bloodiest in human history, although some are now labeling the twenty-first century as “the dark century”—I wonder if we might do well to imbibe hefty doses from the nineteenth century: The Heart of Darkness, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, or even Withering Heights.
Contentment?
Contentment is an “acquired taste.” This certainly seems true as we observe babies and infants: upon being fed, we observe that they are “content,” at least for a while, until they become discontent. But whether for infant or adult, if I understand Paul, contentment is not a natural or innate attribute: for both it is learned, a process of time and acceptance.
