The Sins of the Eldest

I am the oldest in my family, so I know the responsibility that position takes in the hierarchy of siblings. The oldest has to be the learning dummy for new parents to learn how to be parents. The oldest has to set the example for others who follow.

Each sibling looks up to the one who came before him or her; all look to the oldest for guidance and approval. Boys will follow the oldest boy's actions, girls will follow the oldest girl. And all will follow the oldest.

Having said that, Tamalan led his younger brother down a path of destruction and violence, which we have not seen in many years. He developed ideas and beliefs which to most of us are foreign and also repugnant. The younger Tsarnaev wanted to please his brother, so when Tamalan returned from Russia, he followed him down that slippery slope.

We all know what happened last Monday; we were glued to our TVs and computers for updates on the victims who were injured and for the senseless deaths of a little boy and two young women. On Thursday, we watched the multi-denominational service, where President Obama gave a sincere and heartfelt eulogy along with other motivational speakers.

We watched again on Thursday afternoon as the FBI released video and pictures of the perpetrators. And we were transfixed on Friday as we watched the police, FBI and other first responders track down both brothers early in the morning and the surviving brother all day until he was finally taken into custody Friday night.

Now we will watch to see what transpires next for Dzokhar Tsarnaev who followed his older brother on a misguided journey that may ultimately lead to his death. Tamalan Tsarnaev did a disservice to his brother and that is terrible by itself.

But both have done great harm to innocent bystanders, the city of Boston, and to the psyche of the USA. For that, Dzokhar Tamalan will certainly never see the outside world again.

And for that the younger will pay with his life for the sins of the elder.