Sunday, July 20, 2008

Mother Eve

The story of Adam and Eve has always fascinated me. I’ve wondered about their relationship; did they get to choose each other or did Father, in His infinite wisdom, know that they would make the perfect couple? I’ve wondered about their life in Eden; how long were they there? Was it really all we imagine it to be? It seems that it was enough for Adam; I can picture him being very content with his life of ease. It was Eve who wanted something more out of life. It was Eve who wanted to be like the Gods, knowing good and evil; it was Eve who wanted to be wise. Could it be that Eve desired children and knew that the only way to get them would be to leave the garden? Was that a factor in her decision? Was there ever a time that they talked over the possibility of transgression, discussing pros and cons? Did he know that she was a woman who knew her own mind; did he feel threatened when she made such an important decision on her own?

I believe her actions to be very courageous indeed. For she took a great risk, there was that chance that Adam wouldn’t follow her, he did have other ribs, after all; perhaps she would be cast out without him. She wanted a better life that much. I imagine that their initial reaction to their new, fallen world was one of shock, maybe even despair, “What have we done?” And I wonder if Adam held it over Eve’s head or if she had to constantly remind him, “It is better this way.” Did Eve ever wonder if she did the right thing? I hope someday I will know the details.

There are many lessons in the story of Adam and Eve. To name just a few: Sometimes we have to let go of something good to get something better. Sometimes we have to take a chance. Sometimes we just need to follow our hearts. There is joy and satisfaction in a life of hard work…

All of these things tell me Eve was truly a great lady, worthy of our respect and honor. Thank-you Mother Eve, for your courage; you were true to yourself, truly a woman ahead of your time.

2 comments:

jamiecassidy said...

Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great Fall.
All the King's horses,
and all the King's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.

When I hear the Adam & Eve story, I often am reminded of this nursery rhyme.

Someone once asked me, did Humpty fall, was he pushed, or did he jump?

I suppose the pragmatist would say, who cares? we're having eggs for breakfast.

Perhaps the scientist would ask how he got there in the first place.

If we asked Humpty, he'd likely say he found himself there when he woke up..

I like to think that his round construction made him a great candidate for not staying put (ambivalent?).

Nevertheless, it was obvious he would need a companion who was a perceptive and intelligent teacher to help him through the dilemmas he would soon face.

Did he Fall? Certainly. Was it necessary? So it seems...

Was he pushed? Yes. Was it necessary? Yep. I would call it more than a nudge.. If I were her, I'd like to think I would be pushing too. (nobody likes to be lonely)

Did he jump? Well, he did have legs -and feet-... I think he chose to jump after he started rolling. I also think he was hoping he could land on his feet.. but, not sure what shape he would be in afterwards.

To me it's interesting that the first thing he did when confronted was to blame someone else for his new dilemma (a very guy thing to do). I think Eve's explanation was more plausable than Adam's..

Since it was apparently a team activity, we could ask the witnesses(all the King's horses and all the King's men)what they saw..

I think I understand why Kings and Queens are considered Royalty. They are supposed to have all the answers to everything. How fortunate for Humpty that his King did in fact have the only answer that would be a lasting fix..

Maybe the men should be more grateful for the women in their life.

Lovey said...

Very insightful observations!