Life is About Choices
by
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Let us break out the terms of this agreement between Adam and Almighty. • From all the trees of the garden & vineyard you may surely eat. • But from the tree of the knowledge of good and good-for-nothing, do not you eat from it. [This is often translated as the tree of knowledge of good & evil, or the knowledge of good & bad]. In this book and in The Meaning Bible (TMB) we use the term “good and good-for-nothing,” to be more accurate. • Because in the day you eat from it, you will surely be dying. Given this covenant term (that is what ‘enjoined’ means), Adam had a choice to make as soon as he saw the two trees in the garden of Eden. He had to choose whether to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and good-for-nothing, or not. We will have to assume that Adam understood the terms of this covenant. First, because Almighty is always just (righteous); and second, because a covenant is not legitimate if the terms of the covenant are not clear to both parties. Next, as we know, Adam made the wrong choice. He chose to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and good-for-nothing. As soon as he did, he became subject to the consequences of that decision. 1. He became subject to physical death (a process) that includes being subject to maladies, debilities, disabilities, and physical death. Being subject to death, in all its forms, was to be passed on to all of Adam’s descendants. 2. The second, and perhaps more significant consequence, was that his choice separated him from the close, intimate relationship he had held with Self-Existent. 3. This consequence would be through eternity, if there were not to be some way of reversing it. We will look in later choices to see if that happens and how. 4. Now, every time there is a choice that takes one branch; there is always the other branch which was not chosen. If Adam had chosen not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and good-for-nothing, he would have chosen the status quo. In that case, he would have remained forever in the garden of Eden [pleasure]; and he would have enjoyed fellowship with Almighty, walking and talking in the garden forever. I am sure, afterwards, that Adam regretted his decision, his choice. And, I suspect, many of us have wished that he had made a different choice. So, if we have choices to make, let us learn from Adam’s decision, and consider our options (branches, choices) carefully, before we choose.
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About the Book
Life truly is about making choices; but life-and-death choices have faced humans since the first human was created. Adam faced two critical choices. Then, Adam & Eve faced another two consequential choices. We live with the effects of their choices today. Next, the Jewish people have faced four choices that determine their future. Also, Gentiles (non-Jewish) face four choices that establish the elements of their lives in this world order and in the next. If we will analyze and evaluate all these choices, we will be able to improve and optimize our own choices; and help others to discern the most effective choices. We each can see where our choices will lead, ahead of time, to get the outcomes we desire; and to avoid the opportunity costs associated with ill-advised decisions.
You can also will learn the good news of Almighty’s grace. If you think you may have made the wrong choice, instead of choosing Almighty and his ways, relax and rejoice. Almighty’s grace (his unmerited favor) gives you another chance. As long as you are alive and breathing, you can still make the right choice.
About the Author
I was born at the height of World War 2, to a sharecropper who was totally in bondage to his landowner masters. I spent most of my pre-adult life in extreme poverty, partially due to the size of the brood, twelve siblings, and partially due to the greedy and manipulative overlords. Often, I was forced to go shoeless, in hand-me-downs, doing the chores of feeding pigs and chickens, and milking cows by hand, on the clay-nob farms of my childhood. I suffered malnutrition to the point that my belly was bloated and distended, looking more like a starving urchin in a war-torn land. Where was Almighty in this? I had no clue, other than that he seemed to have saved my life from utter destruction a number of times.
I was the runt of the litter in physical dimensions. Therefore, I was continually picked on, pummeled, and harassed by siblings and schoolmates. I learned protective defense mechanisms early on, like isolation and avoidance. I took to manipulating teachers who felt sorry for me, facetiously submitting to them for errands during recess, as the teacher’s pet, in order to avoid time on the playground. I soon calculated that this submissive demeanor had long-term benefits, like drawing favors and attention during class, and receiving elevated grades in the process. This provoked a cycle of increased jealousy and hatred from classmates, but increased attention and protection from under-appreciated tutors, who relished my willingness to heel to my masters. Where was Almighty in this? I suspected that he was just another authority figure to manipulate. I wept to somehow get to know him.
This obeisance to authority figures worked admirably throughout home life and primary and secondary schools. It failed miserably in the larger world of higher education and corporate wrestling for promotion. There were far too many unscrupulous competitors, with better looks, better talents, and familial resources to charm the ever-so-hungry academics and bosses. A new strategy was needed. That strategy was perfectionism. It first showed up in rote memory of all the professor’s enunciated whims; then, in attention to every nuanced detail of the desires of the superior. Unfortunately, this backfired when the superiors took all the credit for comprehensive research and profitable innovation. A crisis of resentment against authority and self-loathing followed. I had taught them to take full advantage of me. I felt abandoned by Almighty, another disappointed and disappointing superior.
The mismatch between striving for gains, and watching them being snatched away, prompted a new, entrepreneurial spirit. I was able, as an independent contractor, to truly develop better mousetraps. There was a marketplace for these in the form of creative solutions and efficient processes which satisfied the needs of management — who saw the needs (in many cases it was obvious) but did not have either the will or ability to take on the challenges themselves. As a consultant and contractor, I was able to travel to sites where management needed results, quickly; and were not so concerned with academic prowess. Word-of-mouth was the only marketing tool. Finding and filling this expanding pool of deficiencies became an exhaustive job of travel and work that soon consumed an average of 16 hours a day, 7 days a week. It could not continue. After nearly 25 years, the rat race came to a shattering end. I had exhausted my energy and my pride. I realized that my works did not make a lasting impression on my clients, nor a worthwhile impression on the Supreme Authority of all.
I spent several years with fill-in assignments and part-time agreements. However, in the spare time that these temporary distractions afforded, I was able to begin the search for wisdom. I began to find it concealed, where it was supposed to be, hidden in the word of Almighty. Applying the lessons of analysis and measurement I had learned over the years; I started to piece together the secrets of life. It seems Almighty had always had a plan and He, the real Supreme Authority, was more than willing, by his grace, to share this plan freely with anyone who would attentively hearken. Digging out, piling up, and organizing these pearls of great value has resulted in The Meaning Bible (TMB) and these Learning Modules that you see. It is with great joy that I offer them to you. I hope you learn from them; and give him all the glory.
Your humble servant, Freedman Thune