Cain’s 2nd Act

In the first part of Cain’s life I relate more with Abel. Abel is the good one who does everything right and his life is cut short because of it. I have been that person at times in my life. Cain’s reason for killing his brother is that he is not adored the most, how childish. Then Cain does a couple of things that makes me admire him. First he begs to stay alive with all of the guilt and shame. So many people would kill themselves or give up and die inside. It takes courage to live after our critical mistakes. The second redeeming act of Cain is to build a city, a place where wanderers can find rest. Cities at their best are places where people with stained lives can create cleaner second acts. When I was away from New York City I was sick. I missed the street vendor trying to make an alternate legitimate living. Not having the Sikh, Muslim, and Jew on the same subway car with me left me feeling an emptiness that cannot be filled with any amount of silly frills. Thank God for Cain, Thank God for the city.