In the Beginning, Adam Worked Too Hard

Happiness has become fleeting and elusive in these modern times. One of seven U.S. adults is estimated to suffer from a depressive disorder, and sales of Zoloft and Viagra are sky-high. In a survey of all the psychological literature over the last 30 years, it's reported that 96,000 abstracts contained the keywords "depression" or "anxiety," but only 415 mentioned "joy."

Despite our big houses, S.U.V.'s, and exotic vacation destinations, it seems we are suffering from instability caused by two very different personalities battling within us. Unless we create harmony between these personalities, we will suffer permanent inner conflict. Yet this dichotomy is as ancient as the Bible. It's seen clearly in the first and second chapters of Genesis, where two concepts of man are introduced. I call them "Work Adam" and "Rest Adam." These identities personify an inner lack of balance that has become epidemic for 21st-century man and woman.

In the first chapter of Genesis, we encounter Work Adam, or Adam I--he has received a mandate from the Creator to "fill the earth, subdue it, and have dominion over it." G-d wants this Adam to distinguish himself through his productivity and achievement. Wherever you travel around the world, you will see the telltale signs of Work Adam, from the Roman Coliseum to the Empire State Building to the DVD player. Wherever Work Adam looks, he sees the need for improvement. He is the inventor and builder, haunted by the world's imperfections and dedicated to righting all wrongs.

But while there is glory and grandeur connected to Adam I's mission, he has no identity aside from his work. In fact, his name isn't even Adam. It's "the human," as in "And G-d created the human in His image."

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