One of my favorite scriptures since childhood is “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25). There is depth to this message for this scripture helps us understand that The Fall was more than a mistake. The Fall was meant to be. When Adam chose the apple, he also chose for us to receive our bodies which is a major step towards God’s work and glory of Eternal Life for each of us (Moses 1:39). The part that most resonates with me is knowing that “men are that they might have joy.” We were created, because Adam and Eve ate the apple, that we might be happy. No, not just happy. We are to have joy. What is the difference between having joy and being happy? Joy is considered a primary emotion, meaning it is a natural first response to a situation. It is a core emotion. Think about the Pixar movie Inside-Out where each character is a primary emotion, joy, anger, fear, sadness...
I consider myself a 90's child including everything from Nirvana to MC Hammer, Simpsons to Married with Children, No Fear to Stussy, and Pogs to the birth of Pokemon. As a Generation X'er, I felt I understood Bart Simpson and his skateboarding, pranking, dare-deviling, and attitude-ing. I never went as far as spray painting my name all over the town, but I think my neighbors knew exactly who I was and wondered if I would ever grow up. I remember one day when the neighbor asked me what I was good at; what I wanted to be when I grew up. I hadn't really thought about it. I was living for the now. I think I gave a shoulder shrug and thought "Who the heck knows". At least, I hope I thought heck. Anyways, that conversation kind of unsettled me for a bit, but then I moved on like any teenager would. Adults don't know anything. I had a date that night, friends to hang out with, and a game of pool played over the dial-up modem. Now th...