This question originates in the first book of the Old Testament, Genesis 4:9 to be exact, where Cain uttered the phrase when confronted by God as to the whereabouts of his brother Abel. Over the centuries the statement has taken on a much larger meaning and has come to symbolize people's unwillingness to accept responsibility for the welfare of another human being, whether related by blood or not.

The question is as relevant today as it was several millennia ago and the only reason that it has stood the test of time is that the answer is a personal one that fluctuates from one to another.

Cain's interrogative, almost from its first utterance, has caused much debate which has yielded some very interesting and often surprising results.

In essence it has become a rhetorical question as it asks each of us to search our conscience and decide just where we stand in relation to our fellow man or woman.

Are we innately selfless beings having a primal responsibility to care for and about another human being? Or do you subscribe to the more pessimistic view that we are innately selfish beings with no responsibility whatsoever unless there is some sort of payoff?

I hear a lot of people talk a great game, expounding beautifully on the mutual benefits of selflessness until it's time to take action or when the price of a selfless act becomes dearer than they had budgeted for.

If you read my article titled, "Behavior Does Not Lie" you will have an easy method for determining where you and others stand on this issue. For no matter how much another's situation tugs on your heartstrings, it is the action that you take that tells all. It's one thing to feel for another person and something very different to get off your ass and lend a helping hand.

You know what I mean?

As this is an issue I believe warrants further discussion, I will continue to write on it exploring its many facets.

So stay tuned and please search your own belief system and conscience and share what you discover, OK?