Genesis 37

Now it's time for Jacob's son Joseph to get his 14 chapters of fame. (Not quite 15). However, Jacob's arguably pernicious influence still snakes its way into Joseph's account right from the start: Jacob's favoritism of Joseph, manifested through the famed Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (though the Bible just uses the word "ornate," and even that's an uncertain translation), leads to his other sons to sell Joseph into slavery.

Again, I'm not a parent yet, but I do know that showing favoritism to one of your kids never ends well. The favored kid may adopt an uppity or entitled attitude, while the unfavored kid(s) will feel demoralized and rejected. Although I'm not the most gregarious person, I do enjoy the company of some people more than the company of others--that's just a human trait. And although I don't trumpet to the four corners of the Earth that I like this person more than that person, my actions do reveal whom I prefer to be around. Well, as a parent, you can't really "prefer to be around" one of your kids more than another lest you evince favoritism. Yes, I'm not a parent myself, but (and this is a fact I've revealed only to a select, lucky few) I happen to have extensive experience being raised by parents. My parents did not show favoritism toward me or my siblings, but if they had, I definitely would not have dealt with it well.

Joseph and his brothers did not deal well with their father's favoritism either. Joseph acts like an obnoxious little prig, tactlessly crowing to his brothers about his visions of supremacy over them, causing them to resent him even more. Joseph's brothers soon see an opportunity to get back at the "dreamer," but their revenge goes far beyond giving him a wedgie or noogie. They actually want to kill him. Yes, Joseph was being a bit of an insufferable brat, but that's certainly no grounds for killing someone. (Very few people would be alive today if that were the case.) Reuben (of pastrami fame) tells his younger brothers to stash Joseph in a well; Reuben plans to sneak Joseph back out and return him home. But while Reuben wanders off to perfect his Thousand Island dressing recipe, Judah and the other brothers sell Joseph into slavery. Not good, but still better than outright murdering him.

Because Joseph's brothers thought about their plan before carrying it out, they kept themselves from committing a heinous crime. Sometimes, I'm tempted to do something unwise, but if I prayerfully think about it beforehand, I stave off embarrassment. Occasionally, I get sucked into reading YouTube comments (which serve as the nexus of ignoramuses, so I don't know why I keep reading them); at times, I'm sorely attempted to create an account just so I can bicker with imbeciles who write patently pea-brained comments, such as all Democrats/Republicans suck, women/men aren't talented enough to do such and such, or Hans Zimmer is better than John Williams. So far, I've avoided being drawn into that vortex of vituperative vitriol. But if I go further and bring all my decisions prayerfully before God, I can avoid making foolhardy choices.