The Great Irony of the Adam and Eve Story

While science has proven that Adam and Eve were not the first two humans, their story somehow remains relevant. Perhaps this can be understood by seeing Adam and Even as the first modern humans.

As it is told Adam and Eve live in the garden of Eden, but are cast out when Eve is enticed to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The term for good and evil in Hebrew is meant to cover both good and bad, and it is a reference to everything.

It is not a coincidence that the start of the Jewish calendar ties closely to the start of the agricultural revolutions, estimated to be about 10,000 years old.

Analyzing that in the historical context, Adam and Eve were part of hunting and gathering societies on Earth. They moved from accepting the rules of God and nature to build their own knowledge and control of nature.

So we are cast out of the Garden of Eden due to the pursuit of knowledge, and it is that knowledge that gives us command over our world.

Fast forward 6,000 to 10,000 years and it is humans, and not God, that dominate nature and existence on Earth. Humans are now the God’s of Earth.

If you are not a believer, think of what a/the God delivers. By definition, God is a superhuman being that can control nature and human forces.

Today, who controls miracles like creating, saving or improving life? Humans deliver many times the miracles than God delivered. There are a lot more moms delivering babies via IVF than Virgin Mary’s. There are still “acts of God” like weather and earthquakes, but fewer and fewer people die from these events. In addition, we are the ones that are rerouting rivers to create energy and melting the icebergs through climate change.

We were cast out of the Garden of Eden, and now we are in direct competition with God — taking over the role of God on Earth.

What does this mean for capitalism? As long as we see ourselves as consumers, we will fail to take the necessary actions to maintain a sustainable planet. We desire the apple and we take the apple, but the truth is we have the power to decide which apple species live and which go extinct. Recognition of this, should drive our behavior looking forward.