Self-consciousness

     In many cultures around the world, there are creation myths that parallel the Old Testament’s story about the Garden of Eden. At first, people are innocent and at one with their surroundings. Then, a special kind of knowledge arises that destroys this paradise. In Genesis, it’s the knowledge of the difference between good and evil. With that knowledge comes self-awareness, and self-consciousness. Adam and Eve look down and see that they’re naked, and understand what it means to be embarrassed. For the first time, they feel separate from the rest of creation. Paradise is over. They’ve become fully human, as we know humans to be, and we’re paying for it still with all the pain and neurosis that self-awareness entails: guilt, shame, frustration, alienation. As compensation, we know that it’s up to us to choose to do good rather than evil, and we can help others and take pride in our ethics and accomplishments.