The creation story, as we know it, tells of God fashioning the world, setting it firmly on its foundations (Tree of Souls, Ifa 7838). Then came Adam, the first human. God brought him into existence, hoping to find, well, nachas – contentment, joy – in him and in all the generations that would follow.
But things didn't exactly go according to plan, did they?
According to tradition, Adam's descendants… they kind of went off the rails. Some started worshipping the sun and moon, others idols of wood and stone. Can you imagine? The one God, and we're bowing down to, well, things?
Each day, God’s patience wore thinner. It got to the point where God felt they deserved annihilation. A clean slate. Start over. But then, a moment of reflection.
This is where it gets really interesting. God paused. These humans, with all their flaws, were still His creation. And as the text says, "These humans have life, and so do the other creatures. These have breath and those have breath. These have a desire for food and drink and those have a desire for food and drink. Humans must be at least as important as the beasts and creeping things I created upon the earth."
Think about that for a second. God saw the shared essence, the common thread of life, between us and the rest of creation. A desire to live, to breathe, to eat. And in that shared essence, God found a reason to hold back. A reason to believe that humans, despite their failings, were worth saving.
At once God felt some measure of contentment and resolved not to annihilate humankind. It was this realization, this spark of connection, that stayed God's hand. It's a powerful reminder that even when we stumble, even when we disappoint, there's still something fundamentally worthwhile within us. Something that connects us to each other, to creation, and to the Divine.
So, next time you're feeling down on humanity, remember this story. Remember that even when things look bleakest, there's always a reason to hope. Because we're all connected. We all share that spark of life. And sometimes, that's enough to save the world.