(or why I dont sleep well)
OK, this morning we are going back to Genesis. Genesis 3.
Oh, dont roll your eyes at me, you all knew Id end up here eventually.
V. 5&6, are my first issue. and as usual, my issues are ones that have been widely ignored.
In verse 5, the serpent says "youll know good and evil" - But this is pre-fall... so *why* in verse 6, then, does Eve *want* "wisdom".
Most theologians dont deal with motive, really. They respond with a very post fall attitude. Of *course* she wanted to be wise. She had free will, (Ill get back to this) and wisdom is always desirable... and obviously, she didnt *really* understand the command that God gave - because she mis-quotes Him, badly. SO she eats.
Its a very simplistic explanation.
It allows us to shift the blame for the fall to Adam, if we want, who obviously didnt do a good job of explaining the situation to his wife... oh hold up... theres that post fall attitude again... who says it was Adam who told her?
Lets *define* evil, first of all.
From Wikipedia - Evil is intentionally causing harm or destruction, or deliberately violating some moral code. The philosophical question of whether morality is absolute or relative leads to questions about the nature of evil. Evil is usually seen as the opposite of good.
But this isnt the biblical view of Evil at all. Its what *we've* decided that evil *should* be, in order to make ourselves feel better. God tells us that evil, is whenever we seek something for ourselves, without any thought to Him, or anybody else. Evil, is taking the last cookie in the jar, without offering it to someone else first. Evil, is the very idea of "I want"
This is probably why, btw, Ive embraced Taoism/Buddism. If there was *ever* a non-evil, in the biblical sense, way of life, its *Zen*.
SO what did the Serpent *really* offer her?
Something *just* for her.
It probably wasnt even something she had ever thought of before. But being who and what she was, and having free-will - unclouded by all concepts of culture that we have today. Un manipulated by centuries of guilt and dogma... She tried.
And in that moment, she learned the wondrous thrill of *selfishness*.
Now she goes to Adam. Shes probably feeling a bit smug. Like any woman does when shes "discovered" something *soooooo* good. And if shes a normal woman, she doesnt tell him what it is. And he trusts her.
Up untill that point, they've been equals. He doesnt see her as something he owns, but as a pure extension of himself. He *does* treat her, exactly as he would treat himself. And since He would take anything *he* took. (wow, is that bad grammar) He takes from her.
v.16(b) Yet your desire will be for your husband,
And (R)he will rule over you."
He didnt tell the man that he would rule over her. He told *her*. He *hardwired* it into *her* mind, not his. And this has caused more duality of thought then any other troubling concept since the dawn of time.
You see, as Ive pointed out before - our "souls" - long for heaven. The perfection - and since we dont have the tools to fill that desperate need here on earth, we try *anything*, and *everything* to fill it. Most of us are not capable of just sitting back and waiting. Of course, if we are truely honest with ourselves, most of us dont know... not really... and certainly dont understand that the longing *cant* be filled here. And more to the point - we dont want to hear that.
But because of this, we as women *know* how we should be treated. And we *want* it. We want the equality, the fairness.
Problem is, we are incapable of it.
Because we *want* him to rule over us.
And this, dear people, is why we flirt, and demand the right to dress provocatively, and "look our best" This is why "looking our best" has slowly morphed into "looking like teenage jail bait dressed as a prostitot" - Because its the lowest, most debased form of *lust*.
Oh yes, some of us rebel. We dress like men, or - in shapeless, unattractive garments, demanding respect. But its not in our nature. its something we have aquired by again, a selfish nature demanding things that we ourselves cannot allow *him* - the faceless entity of male animal to give.
In the garden, it probably worked perfectly. He made *her* attractive - and made *him* visually stimulated. He sees her, he gets aroused, so he does whatever it takes to get her into bed. Shes pleased as punch because it brings them together. The affection and arousal that he planned for us to have. Uncomplicated by selfishness, ego, or ulterior motives.
If God has just stopped there... it might have still worked out. She wants him, he wants her... not too bad. But God knew how he programed us... and so, we have vs. 17 - 19.
17Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it';
(S)Cursed is the ground because of you;
(T)In toil you will eat of it
All the days of your life.
18"Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you;
And you will eat the plants of the field;
19By the sweat of your face
You will eat bread,
Till you (U)return to the ground,
Because (V)from it you were taken;
For you are dust,
And to dust you shall return."
His interest *isnt* ruling over her. *His* interest is ruling over his *work*.
He's still visually stimulated. Hes now selfish as hell - literally.
And all he wants is "his piece of the pie"
And this my friends, is an absolute recipe for disaster. Because now she wants him, but he just wants *more*. And its *hardwired* into him. This isnt something he has a choice about, people. And I think its probably why in someways, there are so many attacks on the eastern cultures... It may even be why later, in the times of Noah, God made *sure* that those beliefs would be strongly maligned. Or at the very least, depending on where you sit on the idea of free-will post curse, allowed it to happen the way it did.
Because lets be honest - "Zen" isnt going to bring about the end of the world.
Then again - it only takes one man with a sword, who wants *more* - to destroy peace. And the sons of Japeth, unfortunately, bred like rabbits. Those selfish, greedy bastards *(yes, insert all the sarcasm, or humor, you want into that statement, please)*
SO the next time you blame someone for being "entitled" or "misogynistic" or even just strongly biased, remember - *hardwired*. We honestly *cant*help*it*. And the moment you put that label on them, also remember - the only reason why you get angry at *them* isnt just because they are wrong, dear reader, but because you feel that they are getting in *your* way, too. Of what *you* want. Because I too, am hardwired, to want what I want. And in moments when I am at my best, Ill let it slide, realizing that sometime in the future, it wont matter - and not only will it not matter, but I *will* be fully satisfied, and having them bend to my will wont change that now.
In moments when Im not at my best - well..
I am, after all - just a bag of flesh. So forgive me, and move on. If you feel like it *wg*.
_____________________________________________________________________________
after posting this, I found this - and I laughed, a bit too much.....
The world had a beginning
which we call the Great Mother.
Once we have found the Mother,
we begin to know what Her children should be.
When we know we are the Mother's child,
we begin to guard the qualities of the Mother in us.
She will protect us from all danger
even if we lose our life.
Keep your mouth closed
and embrace a simple life,
and you will live care-free until the end of your days.
If you try to talk your way into a better life
there will be no end to your trouble.
To understand the small is called clarity.
Knowing how to yield is called strength.
To use your inner light for understanding
regardless of the danger
is called depending on the Constant.
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