Babel, Language and Love

The mythical story of Babel in Genesis teaches that language is a powerful unifier, but that it is also a powerful divider.

Sometimes we make efforts to get another person to subscribe to our language because it makes us more comfortable. We can finally categorize that person as either in agreement with us or in disagreement and put them in their proper place in relation to us. We will talk and talk and talk in efforts to get the other to finally say the magic words that will badge them as right or wrong in relation to us.

In the story of Babel it was actually the unifying efforts of religion that caused the dispersion: “Let us build a tower unto the heavens lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the earth!” The Genesis story intends to explain why people are scattered over the face of the earth with so many different languages. But I think Jews, Christians and Muslims should understand that it also implicitly explains, through the use of story, that a dominant world religion with a unified language is doomed for failure and is actually against what is intended.

This means, in my understanding, that there should be diversity of belief or non-belief, as well as diversity of expression and language. Love is not required when we are all the same, when there is no Other. Love implies diversity. As Jesus says in the gospels: “You invite friends to dinner. Even sinners do that. Invite your enemies.“