89
In the aftermath of murderIng hIs brother,
Cain is posed a simple question by God. “Where
is your brother Abel?” God asks. Cain—we imag-
ine him here as a sullen teenager, which perhaps he
was—responds with a question of his own. “I do not
know,” he says. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” It’s an
insubordinate question, a trick of a young man try-
ing to shirk responsibility and hide a dark secret.
I live in California, where the
governor recently announced
that all individuals must stay
home or at their place of resi-
dence until further notice. That
means not going out except for
essential errands, like picking up
groceries or medication or get-
ting medical attention. My fam-
ily and I are new to our neigh-
borhood, and I’ve been eager to meet our neighbors,
but the sheltering order has put a stop to our plans
to knock on their doors with cookies and greetings.
Similar mandates, often called “shelter in place”
orders, are likely to be enacted across the coun-
try as the coronavirus continues to infect and kill
patients and potentially overwhelm our health care
system. Since the virus can be transmitted by peo-
ple who feel entirely well, staying home may be thebest defense we have against spreading it.
To stay home these days is to say yes to t he
question “Am I my brother’s keeper?”Many of us have seen people posting on
social media that they’re frustrated about
having to stay at home. We’ve seen photos
of restaurants in which people are clearly not
six feet apart, videos of spring breakers refus-
ing t o l et a p andemic r uin t heir p arty. When
I s ee t hese i mages, I t hink o f my 8 8-year-old
grandmother, who lives in Los Angeles. Under
normal circumstances, she and her best
friend—who is 93 and lives, independently,
in the same condominium complex—go o ut
to eat a couple of times a week, usually to
Olive Garden or In-N-Out or, for a nice oc-
casion, the Cheesecake Factory. They attend
church together. My grandmother goes to the
library regularly, plays cards with friends, gets
her hair done every few weeks by the same
woman who has been doing it for decades.
This past week, my grandmother and her
best friend both stayed home from church.
They ate all their meals at home. My grandmother drove by the library to
return the five novels she read last week. They were closed, which, I told
her, was for the best. “You never know who touched those books last,” I said.
She agreed, although I knew she was sad that she c ouldn’t get anything new
to read. She lives alone and already spends a lot of her time feeling lonely.
My grandmother is one of the millions of people who are more likely to die
if they contract the virus. You probably know one of these people too: some-
one with a compromised immune system, or an underlying condition, or
someone over 65. When you’re a healthy 34-year-old, as
I am, the threat of the coronavirus can seem distant, just
like the threat of death (though recent research suggests
young people may be at higher risk than previously un-
derstood). And when you live in a culture that values in-
dividualism and productivity, as Americans do, it can be
dis orienting to be told that you can no longer do things
the way you used to. But if I want to love my neighbors,
it is my responsibility to do whatever I can—even things
that inconvenience me—to prolong the lives of others.
After Cain asks God about being his brother’s keeper, God responds
with thunder. “Listen; your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the
ground!” Thousands of people have already died from this virus; scien-
tists predict that millions more may still die. If I were to do anything to
add to that number, the blood of those who died would cry out from the
ground. By sacrificing our own routines and maybe even briefy our senses
of identity, we keep our brothers and sisters safe.Turner is a writer in San FranciscoTo s tay h ome i s
to s ay yes t o t he
question ‘A m
I my b rother’s
keeper?’LOVE I S
STAYING H OME
If we really care about the lives of others, we will endure
inconvenie nces in order to protect them By Laura Turner<
The Painte d Ladies houses
in San Francisco, where
a “shelte r in place” order
is in effect, on Marc h 19ROZETTE RAGO—THE NEW YORK TIMES/REDUX
UWR.Turner.indd 89 3/25/20 9:01 AM