Eve
The Misfit
Topics covered in this document:
Introduction
Though she might not be considered a "square peg" by some, Eve is
nonetheless a woman who has been unjustly maligned for millennia.
It's time we took another look at her so-called "sin," perhaps from
a different viewpoint. I believe we owe the lady an apology. We all
(probably) know the story very well, so I won't bother repeating it
here. Instead, let's concentrate on her one act of "rebellion."
However, if you truly are curious ... and don't mind hearing a more
detailed story of her life ... here are a few other parchments where you
can read more about her and her husband:
- Adam ... her husband.
- Adam ... and his wives.
- Eve ... her mythological story.
- The Fall ... her punishment.
However, if you believe the Biblical story to be absolutely and
literally correct, please don't go there.
A Sin?
Personally, I don't see Eve's choice to eat the "forbidden" fruit as
a sin. In fact I, for one, am infinitely grateful to her for making the
choice she did. It shows that she was the only one in the Garden who
knew what was going on. Apparently, Adam was clueless.
Suppose Eve had never eaten that fruit. Where would we all be today?
Well, I say we wouldn't be anywhere ... in fact, we never could
have been born.
Just as in every other aspect of life, our universe runs on the principle
of opposites ... duality, as the philosophers call it. There can be no light
without darkness ... no up without down ... no goodness without evil. And
there can be no life without death (at least at the cellular level). How
can you grow older if there is no death and replenishment of your cells?
And if you can't grow older, how can you be born in the first place?
At what age would you have the clock stop? At the fetal stage? At the
newborn stage? At the diaper stage? That thought alone might have been
enough to scare Eve into partaking as fast as she could! It would have
been enough to scare me, I know. And I'm not even a woman.
Okay, perhaps you wouldn't mind if your cells aged normally up until --
oh, let's say -- you turned 20 or 30. And then you might want them to stay
just that age for the rest of eternity. You see the problem?
Eve Wiser Than Adam
Adam favored the status quo plan ... you know, don't rock
the boat. Typical man ... thinking only about himself. Still, we shouldn't
be too hard on him.
Poor, unthinking Adam. He probably thought he was faithfully complying
with God's commandments. But guess what? He forgot the other commandment ...
the one about multiplying and replenishing the Earth.
But hey, he knew his life was okay as it was ... so what was
the problem?
Well, the problem was that Eve knew she couldn't give birth to any of
those children without bringing death into the world. What if the clock
stopped while she was pregnant, for example ... and she had to spend
the rest of eternity waddling around the Garden?
Now I ask you, would you be satisfied with that state of
affairs? Me neither.
Impossible Task
Incidently, I've always kinda wondered why God did that to Adam
and Eve. Unless God really enjoys issuing commandments that we can't
possibly succeed in following.
I've heard it said that it was probably done to allow Adam and Eve
the freedom to choose between the two. But if that were the case, then
why didn't God present it as a choice between two mutually exclusive
options instead of as two commandments where it was impossible to
satisfy both?
It's kinda like a parent who gives conflicting orders to a child like,
"Go outside and play ... but don't get dirty." Now how is it possible for
a child to comply with both of those commandments? As a parent, you might
as well go ahead and punish the child before they even set foot outside.
Of course, we have no guarantee that the story of Adam and Eve is
anything more than a myth ... but even if it is, lots and lots of
people believe in it (including me, to a degree).
And according to that belief, many of those people assume that the
original woman -- and by association, all women since -- are somehow
inferior to men. What an odd notion!
Thanks Eve!
But not even the Genesis account supports that view. And if you consider
other legends of the Jews, you'll find that Adam's sense of superiority
caused his first wife, Lilith, to leave him.
At any rate, I think it's high time we gave Eve the credit she deserves
for being able to see the big picture. Thanks to her, children exist. We
exist.
Thank you, Eve! By making the sensible choice, you've proven that women
have been the smarter sex from the beginning.
What Next?
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