Are We Building Our Own Tower of Babel?

The Tower of Babel is one of the most relevant Biblical stories for these chaotic and confusing times. Here’s why:

Found in Genesis 11, the story recounts how all human beings join together in a common project, speaking a common language and working to build a tower that will reach into the heavens. God intervenes, however, confusing their language and breaking their unity, before scattering them around the earth.

In the literal sense, this myth is used to explain how human beings came to exist in different parts of the world speaking different languages. It is also used as a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of trying to be our own gods.

In today’s increasingly interconnected society, we often think and behave like the people of Babel. We have evolved from tribalism to nationalism to globalism in many ways:

 1)   The United Nations is a form of cooperation between nations, based on the understanding that we are one human community who need to look out for one another’s security and well being. When UN members meet, they mimic the Babel reality of one common language with their usage of headphones and interpreters that allow people from all nations to communicate together.

2)   Global trade has become a reality, as markets and economies no longer operate according to national boundaries. Large multinational corporations are slowly replacing nations as the locus of wealth of power.

3)   Culture has become more global, with popular music, fashion, food, and much more being shared and synthesized across cultural boundaries that were once more rigid.

4)   While a plethora of different languages still exist, we are moving in the direction of a common language (or least a handful of commonly spoken languages), with English, Spanish, and Chinese being learned by many people from many nationalities.

5)   More and more people are coming to identify themselves as “citizens of the world,” instead of as citizens of their particular nation of birth.

6)   Most importantly, the dawn of the Internet age and social media is revolutionizing the way people connect and share information and culture. On Facebook, I have made friends from around the globe and can communicate with them with a mere touch on my phone screen.

In short, while human existence is still tribal and national in many respects, we are definitely moving in the direction of Babel - toward a common global culture and a common global identity. We are building a figurative tower that will increasingly make us feel like our gods and our own masters of the universe - not coincidentally at a time when more people in our culture are seeing themselves as non-religious or not believing in a theistic form of faith

And in the process, the seeds of a Babel-like confusion are being shown.

In the next post, I will outline the ways a global economy and the advent of the Internet Age are both bringing people together, and causing chaos and disruption. Will we end up once again like the people of Babel, scattered and confused? Or will we succeed in becoming like our own gods?

Tower Clipart tower babel 21 - 1163 X 1200

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