SWA #3 Am I My Brother's Keeper?

Weisel has survived a significant event in history, one that no one in our generation has experienced firsthand: the Holocaust.  Having survived that, he has a very different view on life and the world than most people.  He defines things in a different perspective to offer insight not often found in today’s society.  According to Weisel, information is only temporary.  He says, “We are informed about too many things” (42).  Once an event occurs, everyone is constantly focused on that one event, but when the next event occurs the previous one is no longer important.   Because communication has improved, information is so much easier to access and therefore is seen as less significant.  Weisel is trying to tell us that information can become knowledge if we absorb it, study it, and try to act out in response to it.  He believes that everyone should have responsibility, but his definition of responsibility is more intense than the one we would think of.  Weisel sees responsibility as being accountable for everyone.  In his eyes, we should try to help out everyone that we can, and if we cannot then we should try.  We should be our “brother’s keeper” to all people, not just to family, friends, and neighbors.  He does not believe that there are strangers in the world, he sees everyone as a brother.  He says, “I always feel strongly about the person who needs me.  I don’t know who that person is, but if the person needs me, I somehow must think of that person more than about myself” (45).  His definition of responsibility actually requires more responsibility!  With the responsibility of being our brother’s keeper for all people, we can gain knowledge.  We can use information that we’ve learned to try and help out our brothers and therefore become knowledgeable and responsible at the same time.   Weisel says that if people “talk sincerely” then they will gain something rewarding out of it.  He encourages dialogue and believes that one’s problems are their own, but they can receive support from others to get through them.  He truly believes that we should all be there for one another, even those we don’t know because everyone needs other people to survive.  We should listen to each other, respect each other, learn from each other, converse with each other, and protect each other.  We should be our brother’s keeper, for all of our brothers all the way around the world.