OUR LOSS, WHOSE FAULT?

We blame the serpent for usurping but the desire was incipient. Otherwise neither Adam nor Eve would have bitten the forbidden. But their decision merely displayed how good we are at practicing bad faith, philosophically speaking. Thus we not only refuse to face facts but also ourselves, and act instead as if we aren’t aware of the consequences of our decisions before we make them. Saying so isn’t meant to throw arrows or bend angles that ignore moral demands. On the contrary, acknowledging our folly puts responsibility back into our hands where it belongs, and ceases to be belittled because we are fickle in mind and faint in heart. Thus it doesn’t matter whether it was Eve or Adam who erred. Few can refuse temptation when rightly dared, which is what initiated the celebrated Fall. In this regard, the Garden of Eden yet exists. Daily in fact each of us risks being tempted and evicted when we are morally indifferent. Unlike Adam and Eve, however, we can’t blame a serpent, unless of course we’re Christians. Then we have a reason and a means of vindication. But those without this view must opt to own their duty or pretend to be clueless instead. No wonder democratic morality is merely a figurehead, a figure of speech also in many circles because of our tendency to be morally fickle. Even so, life proceeds and consequences follow deeds. Thankfully, though, they aren’t as severe as we routinely fear unless we enthrone fear by being too fickle, repeating thus the dreaded cycle.