“The American Birthright”

You must do work you have to do to perform work you want to do.

I’ve heard that phrase multiple times and  dislike it for one reason: we need not face strenuous labor for survival for Adam and Eve were living in paradise (they were not required to toil for their survival) in the Garden of Eden. In America today, we work diligently to acquire material things–cars, houses, lucrative careers, food, and clothes–for survival.

“Then God said, “Let us make human beings^[a] in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth,^[b] and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

So God created human beings^[c] in his own image.
    In the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.” Genesis 1:26-28

As the verses above demonstrate, Adam and Eve had supremacy on Earth, ruling over all animals. They had freedom to do what they pleased without difficult labor (tasks in the Garden of Eden were delightful and refreshing)  –until they ate the forbidden fruit. Now, we are forced to endure hard labor to earn our living, contributing to “The American Dream.” Click on link to learn about “The American Dream.”

http://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/american-dream.asp

“And to the man he said,

“Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree
    whose fruit I commanded you not to eat,
the ground is cursed because of you.
    All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.
¹⁸ It will grow thorns and thistles for you,
    though you will eat of its grains.
¹⁹ By the sweat of your brow
    will you have food to eat
until you return to the ground
    from which you were made.
For you were made from dust,
    and to dust you will return.”

If Adam and Eve had not disobeyed God, we would live in a perfect world, heralding, what I call, “The American Birthright.”  The words “dream” and “birthright” suggest different concepts: “Dream” implies aspiration; “birthright,” entitlement. When we dream to be someone and do something, we pursue that goal by effort and perseverance. When we are entitled to something, no work is required. I believe if the Fall had not occurred, “The American Birthright” would exist, meaning a perfect life with eternal peace (and anything good) on Earth. Work to earn a living would cease to exist as we strive to be more like God. If we were made in God’s image and living in paradise, why would we attempt to become perfect? We were already perfect before the Fall. Thanks Adam and Eve! (Sarcasm) 

 

The work I aspire to perform is writing articles, blog posts (what I’m doing here), short stories, and, ultimately, a book. I prefer work that motivates me to produce quality work, brings satisfaction, and yield an income that supports my lifestyle. As I mentioned in “The Greatest” entry, I pursue to become an author (novelist or memoirist), but unsure what to craft as a story, although I am writing a fictional narrative about a girl facing a day of fortune and misfortune. The story follows lucky Alexandria Adams who desires a grand prize at her school carnival, but a day mixed with good and bad luck may rob her of it. I’m still crafting the story, adding and omitting details, creating the characters, constructing the sequences of events, and the like. Once it’s done, I’ll feel proud, accomplished, and prepared for feedback. I believe it will be an interesting and captivating narrative, considering my writing style–plenty of dialogue with sensory information, coupled with elements of literary devices. Perhaps, it will be made into a movie. It worked for Judith Viorst for her book, “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day.”