Assigned Readings (4)
The Ecology of Eden
Our human desire to control the physical world is part of
THE FALL. The author believes that wheat, a side effect of our independence, is
intricately tied to humans exiting Eden. Humans began to change their
surroundings in a drastic way by farming. We used fire and alliance with
grasses to subdue our environment. Women began this as the gatherers, also
known as, the first farmers. Eve tasted fruit then handed it to Adam. When
translating the Hebrew word for “fruit,” it can mean any kind of produce, including
grains. Snakes were used to protect granaries from rodents, hence the serpent
is now part of the story. Farming meant food for more offspring and children
meant more farming to feed those mouths. Adam and Eve’s punishments fed into each
other, producing a never-ending cycle of supply and demand. Even today, we work
to eat then eat for energy to work again. These small-scale farming communities
turn into towns which produce armies, slaves, and rulers thus establishing a
need for organized governments. We turned from God’s natural world and made our
own. I will admit, a wheat-based metaphor of civilization turning away from
creation makes more sense than people eating fruit in one specific garden.
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