“The First Murder” - Saturday, November 8, 2014, 4:30 PM (Age 24)

AN EXCERPT FROM THE CHAPTER ENTITLED “IDEAS”

What was that moment like? When Cain slaughtered Abel? Whether you believe that it was the first murder or not, it is quite thought-provoking. Who was the first person to kill someone? Why did they do it? Who was to say it was wrong if it was never done before? Just like most rules they have to be enacted after the fact. Animals kill each other all the time, so am I my brother's keeper? I can't help but pause to think how many criminals have uttered those words, almost mocking their original meaning. I won't name them, but what does it take to kill a person? An innocent one?

My first time at a gun range was one of mixed emotion. I was delighted to hit my targets but horrified that those weapons were aimed at other humans...all the time. The smell, sounds, and the unmistakable jolt of power from the kickback felt entirely different than Call of Duty. My thoughts turned to military generals that weigh lives every day. What number makes a mission too costly? Do some nationalities matter more than others? I'm sure there's an answer, but do I really want to know it?

What would a society in which murder was legal look like?

I mean... other than the occasional police officer taking the law into his own hands... a serious society in where if you had a problem you could take it out and have a dual. Wait.. we've had that before. Okay, well let's say there were no rules of engagement just retaliation and impulse. Everyone would probably walk around with weapons like... samurai. Well since that's clearly happened before too, what's stopping it from happening again? The government? If we're all just evolved, particles, born from incredible happenstance, doomed to oblivion does it really even matter?

For anyone willing to take it that far, it has to cross their mind. Is there any real deterrent for them at that point? If every serial killer killed themselves before they got caught, would justice be the fact that they can't kill more people? Is that good enough since they theoretically escaped punishment?