I had a HUGE epiphany today. A "light bulb" moment of such wattage, it could light up the entire city of San Jose! I heard the above quote as I was listening to my audio book on my morning walk yesterday. I remember when I read How Good Do We Have to Be by Harold Kushner many years ago, that he was the first and only person I have ever experienced saying that Eve has been wrongly maligned. She was not man's downfall, but the catalyst to human evolution. The eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge has been mislabeled, The Fall of Man or Original Sin, when in fact it was the moment when humans evolved and rose above the rest of the animal kingdom. No longer were we driven by mere instincts, as most animals are, but it was in that moment we became AWARE. We became CONSCIOUS. …show more content…
Harold Kushner went on to say that women are the gatekeepers of morality and in a way more evolved emotionally and spiritually than men.
Yet, as a result of characterizing Eve as the instigator, the ringleader, the troublemaker, the inciter, women have been blamed rather than uplifted. This would explain why throughout so much of history, women have been treated as second-class citizens. In many parts of the world today they are still treated
thus.
This false belief, this myth, this LIE would also explain why rape and domestic abuse exists. For how could men perpetrate such violence against women were it not for the collective subconsciousness of the world in holding on to this story the way it has been presented for centuries. I think it also explains the complicated mother/daughter dynamics in many families, including my own. It matters not what religion, race, or nationality, I believe that at the core of human consciousness, this lie continues to live in all of us.
Often times I have had discussions with my girlfriends about the competition that exists among women. We all agree that women can be vicious to one another in ways that men cannot even fathom. While men may be inherently competitive with each other to prove their strength, intelligence, and courage, they do not stoop to the same hurtful tactics that women do. Yet, when women truly love, support, and encourage one another, there is no stopping us. Women are amazingly powerful! Unfortunately, backstabbing and sabotage are much more common among us. And here is where my epiphany came in - I believe our competition stems from the Adam and Eve story. Even us women have bought into it and we compete in order to garner and curry man's favor to prove that we are better than the others. I am the best, I am the prettiest, I am the most desired! All to prove that we are NOT like Eve.
We waste so much time and energy tearing each other down. How much greater the world would be if we realized that we don't need to do this. We could move mountains!