Once upon a time there was a woman named Eve. Eve was married to a man named Adam and their lives were perfect, and I mean perfect. They didn't even have weeds in their garden. They didn't have to worry about gophers or snakes or anything. Although, there was one snake... And the more she thought about it, Eve was starting to believe there might be a problem too. Maybe things weren't as perfect as they thought.
Adam and Eve had lived perfectly for a really long time, and nothing had changed. Eve spent many nights thinking about her life with her husband, her perfect life, and yet, something was missing.
One night she asked Adam how he felt about their lives.
"It's cool," he answered.
"Don't you feel like we're kind of stuck, like we need something more?"
"Nope. Why?"
"It just seems like we've been here for a long time and we're not really doing anything."
"What do you mean we're not doing anything? I watched fish all day, and you made a fig leaf purse. That's something."
"That's not what I mean."
"What do you mean? Do you think we should eat the forbidden fruit like the serpent said?"
"What?"
"Yeah, the serpent approached me today telling me to eat the fruit."
"What did you say?"
"I said no. I mean, God said don't eat it, the serpent said do eat it. Which one do you think I'd choose? Besides, if I ate it, I would be kicked out of the garden. I don't want to be kicked out of the garden. Do you?"
Eve turned over on her bed of soft grass. "I just know something's not right."
"You just need rest. When you wake up tomorrow, you'll probably forget all about it."
"Yeah," Eve said, unconvinced.
When she woke up the next morning, she hadn't forgotten about it. And she didn't feel any different as she picked up her fig leaf purse and headed to the watering hole.
Before she reached her destination, the serpent slithered up beside her.
"What's up?" the serpent asked.
"Just headed to the watering hole to collect nectarines," Eve answered.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why collect nectarines at the watering hole? Nectarines are growing everywhere. The watering hole is far. So, why?"
Eve shrugged. "It gives me something to do."
"Mmmm," the serpent said knowingly, "something to do. I guess you're bored."
"I don't know what bored means."
"Never mind. Hasn't it occurred to you that there might be more to life than eating nectarines and walking down to the watering hole?"
Eve paused. "Yeah, I have thought of that actually. It's all so perfect, sometimes I wonder what's the point."
"Exactly!" the serpent hissed and slithered in front of her. "You don't even know what bored means," he laughed. "You don't know what happy is. Or sick, or anxious. You don't know anything except that going down to the watering hole is the most interesting part of your day."
He had a point.
The serpent continued, "What if I told you of a simple way you could gain knowledge? Not only could you learn the meaning of the word bored, but you could experience it."
Eve crossed her arms, uncertain of whether to trust the serpent. But then, if she had knowledge...
"You could experience boredom and excitement, and pain, and happiness. You could experience everything and it's opposite. Opposites give you knowledge and understanding. Here in your perfect little world, you have nothing, and that makes you stupid."
Eve didn't know what stupid meant, but the serpent seemed to know something and he was laughing at her. She felt longing and embarrassment and a hunger, all at once. She needed to know what the serpent knew.
"Want to know what I'm talking about?" he asked.
She nodded.
The serpent smiled. "All you have to do is take one bite of the fruit of this tree," he wrapped himself around the trunk of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. "And you will know what boredom is, you will know what stupid means, and you will have knowledge. Just one bite will change everything."
"But I'm not supposed to. That is the only thing we're not supposed to do, eat that fruit. I'll be kicked out of the garden. I'll lose everything."
"Let's face it, Eve, this garden isn't that great. What do you have to lose, an eternity doing nothing? You could gain infinite knowledge."
Eve stared at the fruit. He was right. She needed knowledge. She was missing opposites. Eating the fruit was the only real choice they had in the garden. If she didn't eat it, everything would stay the same forever.
But what about Adam? He had already rejected the fruit. He didn't want to leave the garden.
If she ate the fruit and he didn't, she would be kicked out of the garden to wander the earth alone.
Was she willing to risk losing her husband over the opportunity to progress?
She looked down at her fig leaf purse. She looked at the nectarine tree by the watering hole and a deep sadness came over her. She would be leaving all of this behind. Eating the fruit would throw her into a strange world where she may or may not have her husband by her side. She would lose everything in order to gain a real life, a life of opposites, a life of knowledge.
She took the fruit, then closed her eyes and took a bite.
Adam and Eve had lived perfectly for a really long time, and nothing had changed. Eve spent many nights thinking about her life with her husband, her perfect life, and yet, something was missing.
One night she asked Adam how he felt about their lives.
"It's cool," he answered.
"Don't you feel like we're kind of stuck, like we need something more?"
"Nope. Why?"
"It just seems like we've been here for a long time and we're not really doing anything."
"What do you mean we're not doing anything? I watched fish all day, and you made a fig leaf purse. That's something."
"That's not what I mean."
"What do you mean? Do you think we should eat the forbidden fruit like the serpent said?"
"What?"
"Yeah, the serpent approached me today telling me to eat the fruit."
"What did you say?"
"I said no. I mean, God said don't eat it, the serpent said do eat it. Which one do you think I'd choose? Besides, if I ate it, I would be kicked out of the garden. I don't want to be kicked out of the garden. Do you?"
Eve turned over on her bed of soft grass. "I just know something's not right."
"You just need rest. When you wake up tomorrow, you'll probably forget all about it."
"Yeah," Eve said, unconvinced.
When she woke up the next morning, she hadn't forgotten about it. And she didn't feel any different as she picked up her fig leaf purse and headed to the watering hole.
Before she reached her destination, the serpent slithered up beside her.
"What's up?" the serpent asked.
"Just headed to the watering hole to collect nectarines," Eve answered.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why collect nectarines at the watering hole? Nectarines are growing everywhere. The watering hole is far. So, why?"
Eve shrugged. "It gives me something to do."
"Mmmm," the serpent said knowingly, "something to do. I guess you're bored."
"I don't know what bored means."
"Never mind. Hasn't it occurred to you that there might be more to life than eating nectarines and walking down to the watering hole?"
Eve paused. "Yeah, I have thought of that actually. It's all so perfect, sometimes I wonder what's the point."
"Exactly!" the serpent hissed and slithered in front of her. "You don't even know what bored means," he laughed. "You don't know what happy is. Or sick, or anxious. You don't know anything except that going down to the watering hole is the most interesting part of your day."
He had a point.
The serpent continued, "What if I told you of a simple way you could gain knowledge? Not only could you learn the meaning of the word bored, but you could experience it."
Eve crossed her arms, uncertain of whether to trust the serpent. But then, if she had knowledge...
"You could experience boredom and excitement, and pain, and happiness. You could experience everything and it's opposite. Opposites give you knowledge and understanding. Here in your perfect little world, you have nothing, and that makes you stupid."
Eve didn't know what stupid meant, but the serpent seemed to know something and he was laughing at her. She felt longing and embarrassment and a hunger, all at once. She needed to know what the serpent knew.
"Want to know what I'm talking about?" he asked.
She nodded.
The serpent smiled. "All you have to do is take one bite of the fruit of this tree," he wrapped himself around the trunk of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. "And you will know what boredom is, you will know what stupid means, and you will have knowledge. Just one bite will change everything."
"But I'm not supposed to. That is the only thing we're not supposed to do, eat that fruit. I'll be kicked out of the garden. I'll lose everything."
"Let's face it, Eve, this garden isn't that great. What do you have to lose, an eternity doing nothing? You could gain infinite knowledge."
Eve stared at the fruit. He was right. She needed knowledge. She was missing opposites. Eating the fruit was the only real choice they had in the garden. If she didn't eat it, everything would stay the same forever.
But what about Adam? He had already rejected the fruit. He didn't want to leave the garden.
If she ate the fruit and he didn't, she would be kicked out of the garden to wander the earth alone.
Was she willing to risk losing her husband over the opportunity to progress?
She looked down at her fig leaf purse. She looked at the nectarine tree by the watering hole and a deep sadness came over her. She would be leaving all of this behind. Eating the fruit would throw her into a strange world where she may or may not have her husband by her side. She would lose everything in order to gain a real life, a life of opposites, a life of knowledge.
She took the fruit, then closed her eyes and took a bite.