Pandora's Box/Tree of Knowledge

Often times when I hear people discuss opening Pandora's Box or eating from the Tree of Knowledge it is placed in a negative context. The subtext being that had these actions created all sorts of problems and troubles for those involved.

Every now and then I have heard it placed in a different setting in which the discussion centers around why would this happen. More specifically the question is why would an omnipotent being intentionally place temptation in front of people. The typical answer there is that it is because G-d didn't want humans to remain childlike and was interested in creating an environment in which they could grow and mature into adults.

I prefer the second explanation. While I appreciate the idea of their being a time and place in which we could live in our own Garden of Eden I am more interested in dealing with the here and now.

To those who know me that might sound contradictory as I am a dreamer and someone who sees visions of a future that could be. I don't mean that to sound hokey. Part of why I love blogging is that it provides a place to exercise my imagination. I need that sort of stimulation. Shut that down and I am diminished, not the person that I could be.

And that takes me to my next thought. A while back I opened my own Pandora's Box. I pulled off the lid and exposed myself to something amazing. I received a glimpse of a world that I could live in. I shared some moments in time that made me remember and realize who I am now and who I could be.

Those moments were all too short, so very brief. For a while I chose to believe that it wasn't real. I denied that I had ever felt what I did and I stuffed it all down. But over time I was forced to confront that and I realized that it was and could again be real.

Now I realize that this is cryptic and that is intentional. But to those who need to understand it is clear.

And now I find myself chasing that moment, trying so very hard to get it back. It is a bit like pouring water into your hand. If you squeeze your hand together the water rushes out, but if you don't it is going to evaporate or spill away.

So what do you do.

Well if you are me you close your eyes and try to remember the smell because you know that if you relax for a moment you can catch a whiff of that magical scent.

If you are me you do the best that you can to relax because your are a Taurus and like your sign you are willing to charge into the middle of the field. Armed and ready for battle I spin around in circles looking for adversaries to fight. I'll lower my head and gore them with my horns. I'll stomp and trample them and win.

But in this situation those aren't options. It is not a prize fight. You can't stand in the middle of the ring and trade blows. You can't go over the wall, through the wall or under it. And you can't do it because there are some situations that require a different set of tactics.

For now the choice is very simple. Walk along that yellowbrick road and see what happens down the way or tell the wizard to suck on rocks. Part of me is ready to do that. Part of me says that there is nothing lost by doing so.

But the dreamer disagrees. The dreamer sees opportunity for more adventure and more experiences. What harm is there to continue down that yellowbrick road. Why not keep options open by doing so and that is what I intend to do.

That dreamer has proven to be right on more than one occasion so I think that I am going to listen to what he says.

I haven't any regrets about opening Pandora's Box. I won't lie and say that it hasn't been painful at times, but the upside far outweighs the downside. Life is about going for it and that is what I intend to keep doing.