The Gift of Original Sin

I have been giving a lot of thought to the idea of sin lately. Since penning “Barren Eden” I have been toying around with another idea for a short story, one which I uncovered many years ago, but it went in a different direction back then, and today I find myself revisiting and reconstructing the thought. More on that as I work through it.

When I was a little girl, I thought often about Adam and Eve, and pondered what life would have been like had they not partaken in the forbidden fruit. I didn’t want death to exist, nor sickness, nor poverty. I just didn’t want anything negative to exist, and my Italian Catholic upbringing placed the blame of all negativity in the world squarely on Adam and Eve, and made Jesus the savior of their fall from grace. In my mind, though, I didn’t put much thought into the blame of the couple, nor think much about the need for a savior, I just wondered “why.”

Fast forward 35 or so years. Here I sit, reveling in sin…in a way. I pen erotica, which is intended to indulge people in their more basic desires. Before I set out on this path, I had to center myself, as I realized that there are many who would outwardly condemn my course (yet many of them secretly partake). What I repeatedly realized is that everything delicious and amazing is deemed a sin. And here I sit, OK with all of that. I no longer think of sin in the biblical context, I left that behind long ago. After many years of consideration I determined that everything is a personal adventure of individual morality, which cannot be imposed upon another. Equally, my morality cannot be used to detract from yours, and vice versa.

I also realized, somewhere along my timeline, that “indulgence” was a sin. How can that be when I infinitely enjoy the act of indulging? It feels good to indulge (especially in donuts) and it makes people happy. I am reminded of a quote by Bettie Page,

God Gave Me the Talent to Pose for Pictures and It Seems to Make People Happy. That Can’t Be a Bad Thing, Can It? – Bettie Page

Further realization uncovered that the remnants of my old belief system had transformed themselves into guilt…and what was once sinful indulgence became “guilty pleasures.” I now find myself in a position to reduce things further, drop the guilt and what’s left? Pleasures.

I have realized that the label of sin, and its subsequent evolution, is a detraction from pleasure. So many people presume they must deny themselves and suffer in order to be considered righteous. However, if we were to take a moment to shift perspective, we could see that most “sins” are life’s gifts which we should be celebrating rather than condemning. So I ask, why would anyone allow themselves to be influenced to deny their pleasure for the sake of someone else’s vision of morality? This is not to say that you should act irresponsibly, including taking what’s not yours, but if you do, simply expect to pay the consequences (karmic and otherwise). My advice here would be to keep a clear conscience, act as the best version of yourself, and do not infringe upon others.

The so called “original sin” has given us a gift, if we care to acknowledge it. A gift of knowledge of good and bad, and the opportunity to choose between the two. We would not know life, if we did not experience death, we would not know happiness without knowing sadness. Life is an evolution, and should be mastered by your vision, and your vision enhanced by your experiences. Celebrate and seize your pleasures…they are the reward of knowledge!