‘Cause the Bible Tells Me So?
We’ve all heard the story of Adam and Eve and how evil, evil Eve tempted Adam with an apple from the tree of knowledge and, therefore, how women are the root of all problems people-kind face. There is so much in this story that bugs me, but you’ll be happy to know that in the original Hebrew version (before King James had his translation done, for example), Eve did not actually tempt Adam but, rather, they succumbed to the serpent’s temptation together.
So, we’re blamed for everything bad in this world because some jerk mistranslated the Bible. Figures.
But rather than dwell on the good book (and who their third son, Seth, mated with) . . . I bring this up because, even today, knowledge is sometimes seen as a negative, especially when it comes to women. A really smart male? He’s a “wealth of knowledge.” An incredibly intelligent woman? A know-it-all. Girls are even taught (through observation) that being smarter than a boy will never get you a date. But why is that?
Are men really so insecure that they can’t deal with a smart woman, so much so that they’ve twisted Genesis to make a woman’s knowledge (or the quest for it) the cause of all sorrow in the world? I don’t know about you, but that seems pretty pathetic to me. The only thing more pathetic is the woman who not only pretends to be stupid but any woman who downplays the vast knowledge she possesses.
Think about it. How much you know. Where to buy the things you need, who to call for necessary services, how to take care of common household problems, how to cook (well, some of you, anyway). And that’s just scratching the surface of your vast knowledge. Sure, lots of guys used to know about simple car repairs, but with the new, computerized vehicles, they can’t even do that anymore. No wonder we intimidate them.
In some ways, this discomfort with knowledge has grown to the point where being “intellectual” is somehow bad. Where did this come from? Stupid people, I say! Who else would find fault with you being smart?
So, rise and repent, ye sisters of hidden knowledge! Tell them when they’re wrong; point out the best way to accomplish a task; share with them the fastest travel route.
Oh. We already do.
Never mind.
Knowledge is power. We all learn something and then some, everyday. Whether we’re in school, work outside the home, raising children and staying at home, reading a book, going to a seminar, taking a walk, listening to the radio etc… all of us, men and women, learn new things all the time. And, when we open ourselves up to learning, the sky is the limit with what we can achieve.
I was a single mom for ten years, I had to learn to fix a clogged drain, change a tire and car battery, be in two places at the same time, you catch my drift…I’m a better person for it. It was hard in the begining because I relied so much on my ex husband. My checkbook was a mess for the first two years of “singledom”, but I learned and found the magic of on-line banking!!!
Be proud of who you are – banker, hair sylist, Doctor, lawyer, candlestick maker…a true man, a good man will respect you for who you are and what you have achieved.
Many many years ago, my mom taught me things like how to check the oilin my car, change a tire along with the normal how to do laundry, etc. But the real lesson was: you can do anything. Gender shouldn’t matter. Its a lesson I’m trying to instill in my children. I’m not afraid to climb a ladder, fix a drain, jump start a car, sheetrock, replace a fill valve in the toilet… I can throw a football better than some guys I know. The possibilities are endless of what we can do, what we can achieve. Yes, I’ll admit my husband gets intimidated because I can do it all but that’s his problem… I’m proud of who I am, what I do.
Adam and Eve believed that taking a bite of the apple would give them the ultimate power, the power of the gods! Eve’s not responsible for this one. She did make a bad call on the fig leaves, though!
To be serious. The Greeks who have been so misinterpreted would never recognize the Bible today!! And those who take it literally….well, it’s amazing what some people are willing to believe. A talking snake????
Rosemary Conte says “it’s amazing what some people are willing to believe. A talking snake????” What you never heard of Dick Cheney?