The choice was between
awareness and paradise. Paradise was lost in that conflict. That is how the
Bible tells the story of the origin of humankind. The great English poet, John
Milton, converted that myth into one of the most moving epic poems titled Paradise
Lost. Paradise had to be lost if the human creature had to rise above the
state of being a mere animal, a creature with a lower consciousness level. Adam
and Eve were innocent until they ate the fruit of knowledge, the forbidden
fruit. The only condition that God had put on the first couple was that they
should not strive to rise above being mere animals. “Do not eat the fruit of
knowledge” meant that Adam and Eve should remain as ignorant and hence as
innocent as the other animals in Paradise. Paradise is a state of innocence. It
is not a place. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they lost innocence but
gained awareness or a higher level of consciousness.
Milton’s epic
poem presents Eve as “our credulous mother.” It is because of her credulousness
that Satan tempted her rather than Adam. Credulousness is a version of
innocence. Eve gets punished for her credulousness. Is credulousness a vice and
cunning a virtue? In order to escape Satan’s temptation, what Eve really
required was cunning. She lacked that cunning. Is that a vice? Well, in the
creation myth of the Bible, yes. At least Milton suggests so.
Centuries
after the creation myth became part of the Jewish scriptures, Jesus taught his
followers to be as innocent as
doves and as cunning as serpents. You have to be good at heart but keep the
gun ready while dealing with others. Oh, no, don’t take that literally. Jesus
wouldn’t have endorsed a real gun though he said, “I am sending you out like
sheep among wolves.” It’s a metaphorical gun that is required. Shoot the
cunning devils as they come. Metaphorically, of course. Be cunning enough to
know how to preserve your innocence. How to preserve your paradise.
That’s not
easy. It is almost impossible to preserve dove-like innocence when you are
struggling with wolves and serpents. Even Jesus didn’t succeed in the struggle.
He ended up on the cross crying, “My God, my God,
why have you forsaken me?”
Loss of
paradise is an inevitable fate of human beings. We all lose our individual
paradises in childhood itself. There is no escape from that loss. That is the
real tragedy of our species, I think.
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This post me really sad------ specially when I read last two lines -- I thought of my child growing up and inevitable loss of paradise like u told :( :( Yes at tiems it feels like clinging on to paradise but its not possible - "That’s not easy. It is almost impossible to preserve dove-like innocence when you are struggling with wolves and serpents. " --- so true! A very thought provoking post
ReplyDeleteDropping by from a to z "The Pensive"
The most tragic thing is that innocence is now seen as a vice or a weakness. I wrote an earlier post on this: https://matheikal.blogspot.com/2022/04/the-idiot.html
DeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteHow interesting, as close to a Preachy Post as you've come! Which is just fine, for I enjoyed every word. YAM xx
P=Psykadelika
Preaching is so easy! :)
DeleteI was nodding a yes all along. Is being credulous a vice. A personal one, yes! And one that's almost like a loop. You never learn. Human life is a dichotomy between the credulous and the cunning, is it?
ReplyDeleteYes is the answer to that question. The pendulum keeps swinging between those extremes. Without learning the vital lessons.
DeleteI liked the conclusion. Yet This is an eye opener //Paradise is a state of innocence. It is not a place.//
ReplyDeleteLet's hope some day some visionary comes to give us that innocence, at least a fraction of it, back.
DeleteLoved reading this post. It's so true - you can't remain a dove when left among the wolves.
ReplyDeleteBeing a dove in such situations will be inviting ruin upon yourself.
DeleteI've loved the poem Paradise Lost for as long as I can remember. It's where I first came across the idea that Satan is a fallen angel.
ReplyDeleteAnd Satan is the real hero of Paradise Lost. Milton was a naughty poet!
DeleteIt's been a long time (another century) when I read Paradise Lost. The scripture you pull in is interesting. I think because it was lost - we have hope. (in Jesus) Cheers
ReplyDelete