Chaotic times require clarity and wisdom. Yet, ambiguity and confusion surrounds western nations grappling with the onslaught of migrants seeking refuge from war torn areas and impoverished lands during this summer of 2015. Can guidance toward a future based upon global justice be discerned from past insights?

As migrants from the Middle East and North Africa flee danger and oppression, seeking sanctuary in Europe’s more peaceful and prosperous nations, the notion, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” springs to mind. In its original context, this assertion from Genesis, Chapter 4 was simply a derisive comment from Cain attempting to conceal the murder of his brother Abel from the Lord. Since then, it also served as a greater metaphor to ask this simple question, what obligations do we have toward our fellow man?

This is probably not the most erudite introduction to a topic that is dominating our politics and more importantly America’s historical optimistic verve. But, government efforts to fight high unemployment through stimulus spending, lowering interest rates and extending or revising income tax rates since 2008 have not addressed our declining labor force participation rate or a decrease in real wages. Nor have these undertakings boosted economic growth to levels commensurate with other recoveries over the past seventy years.