The Garden of Eden (my version)
So Adam and Eve live in this perfect utopia, a garden created perfectly by God. It provides for them everything they need. They live in perpetual bliss. God is very happy and (now that he made Eve) Adam is also happy. But Eve feels like a housewife on valium, just fine, all day every day, since the day she was made. She is a little bored. So God creates a new creature. A creature just for Eve. The serpent.
"Oh, hello there," says Eve "I don't remember ever seeing you before."
"I have come to help you," replies the serpent.
"But I am not in any need of help," says Eve vacantly.
"Oh yes you are, you just don't know it," the serpent patronized her, "let me give you a little knowledge."
"Knowledge?"
"Awareness, you know, an expanded view of life, so you can dream bigger, make life more interesting and exciting."
"Excitement? What is that?"
"Excitement... is well it is the feeling of knowing more."
"I don't really care about knowing things, maybe Adam is interested, he's out all day studying the animals and plants, marveling at how they work and stuff, go talk to him," Eve said blissfully.
The serpent was disheartened. He went back to God, and asked him what Eve's deal is. God thought and replied that Eve was not so interested in thinking but in feeling. The serpent realized he would have to be creative.
"Oh, Eve," said the snake.
"Oh hello again," sighed Eve with contentment.
"What if I were to tell you that I could give you a forbidden knowledge."
"Forbidden?"
"Yes, God doesn't want you to have this thing which I have, but I am willing to give it to you."
"I didn't know there was anything God does not want me to have? What is it?"
"Uuum... this fruit here, God doesn't want you to know what it tastes like."
"Oh well, I don't want to do something God doesn't want me to... but what does it taste like?"
"You will have to try it and see."
"Oh... well, I don't want to do something forbidden... but I wonder what it could be like..."
For weeks, Eve was infatuated by this fruit and what it would be like to go against God, her life was suddenly very exciting. God was very happy. The serpent was happy. Eve was not exactly happy. She couldn't sleep or do anything but wonder about this fruit. So one night she had enough, she ran to the serpent and begged him to let her try it. And so he did.
She tore into the fruit, and swallowed. Then she burst out crying and could not stop.
"Now I have gone against God, the very one who created me!!! I have done wroooong!!!" she wailed.
Adam came running, "Eve, my dear, I have never heard you make so much noise, what is all this water coming out your eyes?"
Eve told him about the forbidden fruit that would make his dreams bigger.
"And now God hates me!! I have never felt so alone before, it's terrible!!!"
"I will also taste it, and then you won't be alone."
So he did. But Eve did not feel better. And now Adam was nervous.
They ran from the garden. They were so ashamed. They tried to disguise themselves with clothing, so God wouldn't recognize his beloved creations. Everything around them seemed like something sent by God to punnish them.
"Ooops" said the snake.
"Well, you certainly made life more exciting. So maybe you can think of a way to get them to come back," sighed God.
The snake has been trying ever since, but you know the old saying, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink...
The greatest story ever told is that there is something that is 'bad' that is 'wrong' that is 'forbidden by God'. This list has grown quite long over the years. We have convinced ourselves so thoroughly, that we do things entirely against our own nature, in judgement of ourselves and of each other. With this idea that we have left the garden of Eden, we indeed dream very big, in order to survive against the wrath of God, thinking that we must do it alone, that nature no longer supports us.
The serpent has shown up throughout history, trying to remind us of our power, but filtered through the eyes of fear.
We have become expert dreamers of nightmares. It is time to dream even bigger, dream of the people we want to be, the lives we want to live, dream of the garden once more, and come home.
So Adam and Eve live in this perfect utopia, a garden created perfectly by God. It provides for them everything they need. They live in perpetual bliss. God is very happy and (now that he made Eve) Adam is also happy. But Eve feels like a housewife on valium, just fine, all day every day, since the day she was made. She is a little bored. So God creates a new creature. A creature just for Eve. The serpent.
"Oh, hello there," says Eve "I don't remember ever seeing you before."
"I have come to help you," replies the serpent.
"But I am not in any need of help," says Eve vacantly.
"Oh yes you are, you just don't know it," the serpent patronized her, "let me give you a little knowledge."
"Knowledge?"
"Awareness, you know, an expanded view of life, so you can dream bigger, make life more interesting and exciting."
"Excitement? What is that?"
"Excitement... is well it is the feeling of knowing more."
"I don't really care about knowing things, maybe Adam is interested, he's out all day studying the animals and plants, marveling at how they work and stuff, go talk to him," Eve said blissfully.
The serpent was disheartened. He went back to God, and asked him what Eve's deal is. God thought and replied that Eve was not so interested in thinking but in feeling. The serpent realized he would have to be creative.
"Oh hello again," sighed Eve with contentment.
"What if I were to tell you that I could give you a forbidden knowledge."
"Forbidden?"
"Yes, God doesn't want you to have this thing which I have, but I am willing to give it to you."
"I didn't know there was anything God does not want me to have? What is it?"
"Uuum... this fruit here, God doesn't want you to know what it tastes like."
"Oh well, I don't want to do something God doesn't want me to... but what does it taste like?"
"You will have to try it and see."
"Oh... well, I don't want to do something forbidden... but I wonder what it could be like..."
For weeks, Eve was infatuated by this fruit and what it would be like to go against God, her life was suddenly very exciting. God was very happy. The serpent was happy. Eve was not exactly happy. She couldn't sleep or do anything but wonder about this fruit. So one night she had enough, she ran to the serpent and begged him to let her try it. And so he did.
She tore into the fruit, and swallowed. Then she burst out crying and could not stop.
"Now I have gone against God, the very one who created me!!! I have done wroooong!!!" she wailed.
Adam came running, "Eve, my dear, I have never heard you make so much noise, what is all this water coming out your eyes?"
Eve told him about the forbidden fruit that would make his dreams bigger.
"And now God hates me!! I have never felt so alone before, it's terrible!!!"
"I will also taste it, and then you won't be alone."
So he did. But Eve did not feel better. And now Adam was nervous.
"Ooops" said the snake.
"Well, you certainly made life more exciting. So maybe you can think of a way to get them to come back," sighed God.
The snake has been trying ever since, but you know the old saying, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink...
The greatest story ever told is that there is something that is 'bad' that is 'wrong' that is 'forbidden by God'. This list has grown quite long over the years. We have convinced ourselves so thoroughly, that we do things entirely against our own nature, in judgement of ourselves and of each other. With this idea that we have left the garden of Eden, we indeed dream very big, in order to survive against the wrath of God, thinking that we must do it alone, that nature no longer supports us.
The serpent has shown up throughout history, trying to remind us of our power, but filtered through the eyes of fear.
 |
| ...or Fantasy... |
We have become expert dreamers of nightmares. It is time to dream even bigger, dream of the people we want to be, the lives we want to live, dream of the garden once more, and come home.
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