To Torment and Afflict "Man"

Half of my childhood was spent living on my grandparent's farm.  There were a total of 6 families living there at the time.  I think it was probably hard for the adults, but as kids we LOVED it.  There was always someone to play with and so many places to explore.  Then after a fued between some of the family, everyone moved (except my grandparents and great aunt and uncle - my grandpa's brother and my grandma's sister who happened to marry each other - don't ya just love small towns!) 
Growing up on a farm helped me learn to work hard.  My first paying job (around 10 or 11 yrs old) was "walking beans."  For you non-farm folks, that means walking up and down each row and pulling the weeds (this was obviously before Round-Up-Ready beans were developed!)  It involved getting up before the sun (around 4 am), riding my bike out to the farm (sometimes as far as 15 miles), and then walking and pulling weeds till it was too hot to move (around 1-2 pm).  It was hard work, but the pay was good.  I made $5.00 an hour (gasp! - but that was about 3 dollars more than minimum wage at that time - okay now I am feeling old!) 
I worked that job every summer until I was old enough to get a "real" job.  I have to say that I completely understand the punishment God gave Adam (and the rest of us) - "and the earth shall bring forth thistles, briars, and noxious weeds to torment and afflict man..."  Weeds are definately an affliction, but I am thankful for the opportunity I had to learn to work hard and for the wonderful satisfaction you feel when you look back on a field and see no more weeds.  As usual, Heavenly Father knew exactly what He was doing.

Oh Poor Cinderelli

Once Upon a Time...so begins a story you know will have a happy ending...or will it.  Fairy tales are stories that have been passed down from generation to generation. These stories were meant to teach a moral or specific value to the listeners. (It is interesting to note that all cultures and languages share the same basic stories.)  The stories had heroes who fought against evil and villians who tried to stop the heroes.  They were powerful stories that helped shape many generations and most did not have happy endings.
So why have our modern fairy tales changed?  We still have heroes and villians, but now all the hereos live happily ever after.  Don't get me wrong, I love it when Cinderella marries Prince Charming, but have we lost something in changing these stories?  The Little Mermaid is a great example.  In the original version, the little mermaid dies.  She sacrifices herself to save her sisters.  It is an amazing and powerful story that is symbolic on many different levels; much different from the cute Disney version most of us are familiar with. 
The original fairy tales made the readers/listeners think.  Our modern stories are meant for entertainment only; for amusement (see my post for what that really means.) that leaves us "feeling" good, but not deeply moved.   Perhaps these stories have changed, because our world has changed.  We are constantly bombarded with bad news.  Perhaps we need these "happy ever afters" to escape from the evil all around us.  Perhaps..., but I hope that as a society we retain the original versions of these wonderful stories too, because sometimes we also need to think.