The Three Apples That Changed History

'The Three Apples that Changed History' was a very popular tweet on Twitter following the death of Steve Jobs, founder of Apple computers. The first apple was the one that Eve ate, the second is the one that fell on Newton's head and the third is, of course,about Steve Jobs. All thee scenarios transformed the way we live, work, entertain ourselves and charted new territories for the disciplines of Science and faith.

Now spot the difference between the three. What do you think the answer is?

It is Eve's apple experience because it is the only one out of the three that is perceived as a negative experience and which has cast a long shadow over one half of the human race. Eve is a benchmark for fallen women; the type of female that men ought to stay away from because all her charms are evil tempations in disguise. I attended a talk at St. Paul's Cathedral last week and learnt that there are only 4 references to Eve in the bible. Her fame is in disproportion to her place in history but this statement does not take into account the male dominance debate within the church which keeps Eve's memory alive with talk of the rib and helper and all that.

What irony it is then that Eve is mentioned upon the occasion of the death of someone considered to be the father of modern technology who has been credited with giving the Western world an edge in the competitive digital global world. Yet, thousands years later and nobody refers to Eve as the 'mother of feminism' who is credited with giving Western women (or any women anywhere) the right to act in an autonomous, one that is not classed as 'obedient' or 'disobedient'. Such is the span of Eve's perceived onslaught on the societal notion of the 'ideal' of feminity which is about being demure and placid.