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One of the reasons that I prefer reading the Democratic Underground to watching the television, in terms of looking for interesting analysis of current events, is because I believe that there are more honest, intelligent, and insightful people here. There are rules here which give these discussions structure, and which attempt to reduce the unproductive quarreling, but these are not as restrictive as the corporate rules that keep the truth from being presented too often on network and cable news shows.
Yet, at the same time, there are too often harsh arguments here, that appear almost unavoidable. I'm not implying a “right vs wrong,” or even a “right vs left,” context. Rather, it has to do with – of all things – the meaning of words. Or the meanings that we, as individuals and groups, give to words, and thus take from words. There are many times when it appears that good and sincere people here are speaking different languages.
I'm reminded of one of my favorite Mesopotamian myths. Those of us familiar with the books known as the “Bible” know it as the Tower of Babel. Variations of this myth are found in various parts of the world; indeed, the Irish historians here already know what I'm talking about.
Now, I'm aware that any discussion of this includes some risks. First, I'm not talking about “religion” here. This is a discussion intended specifically for General Discussion. It's about human nature, both in the individual and group sense. When one addresses anything that may be found in the Bible, or similar books, a common response on this forum is, “but that's a myth.” Of course it is: for mythology, along with certain other types of art, present the higher lessons that human beings can only grasp in symbolic ways. And that is a biological reality that is the result of our brain structure.
The other day, I spoke of the higher language, and one friend here noted that many forum participants are not familiar in the art of translating it. This is not surprising, of course, because the “religious” institutions in this country do not promote serious examination of mythology. Maybe it would interfere with their concentration on the collection plate. Maybe there are unfamiliar with that language themselves, and like a person who only speaks English, lack the ability to teach Chinese. In my own experience – and I've been in many, many Christian churches – it has only been those Jesuits who tend to get kicked out of the church who encourage people to consider these realities.
Now, let's take a look at the book of Genesis's chapter 11. It reads: “And the whole world was of one language and one speech. And it came to pass, as they journed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said to one another, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime they had for mortar. And they said, Go to, let us build a city, and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven.”
There are, of course, people who sincerely take this as a literal story. They search for a land of Shinar, usually in Iraq, and try to imagine what two cities on what two rivers this story identifies as the outer boundaries of the plain of Shinar. They search for a brick foundation to the “tower,” much as others search for Noah's ark. They err in the boundaries between a literal history, and an esoteric script.
All esoteric and sacred writings use levels of symbolism. In the bible, specifically, there are three levels: stone, water, and wine (speaking, signifying, concealed Truth). Hence, what other groups of people around the globe refer to as “the Original Instructions,” or some variation, are “written” as the Ten Commandments on stone tablets. And there are those who inhabit a lower level of understanding who honestly believe that these stone tablets existed.
As Joseph Campbell documented, there are many global and near global images and symbols used in mythology. We will encounter a few as we translate this story. It begins with the description of a time when human beings “spoke” one language. That does not mean that everyone spoke English, or any other single language. It refers to an earlier time, when the tribes of mankind put Good first. It's not a fable of some “golden age” that never existed, but rather, an early description of of what anthropologists refer to as communalism among hunter-gatherers. There was less room for conflict within groups, or between groups. Hence, one person might hold this point of view, and another person hold that point of view, but because they both put Good first – the good of the group and the goodness of truth – there were much lower levels of conflict.
Then a group moved to the west. In almost all esoteric writings, especially from that era, the “East” signifies the Universal Truth. Or, if you are religious, “God.” Now, we all have an idea what Martin Luther King, Jr., meant when he spoke of going to “the mountain top.” It's not a literal mountain; it's that mountain of humanity. Likewise, the plain in this sense means the group moved from the East to a lower level of being. They have moved away from the understanding that humans are part of the Earth's life force, and instead view their relationship to all around them in terms of their own selfish needs. We witness this today, no less than at any other time in human history.
They begin to build – symbolically – a tower to reach to “heaven.” In other words, they seek to exhalt themselves. They are committing – literally – the spiritual act of theft. They do this by substituting “brick” for “stone.” In esoteric literature, “stone” represents those Original Instructions, or Universal Law. They begin to replace that law, with their own “law” (brick) …. which, as we see in Washington, always benefits their group, and as individuals, they do not feel the need to obey even that law. And they substitute “slime” for “mortar,” and in this instance, the concept of human slime works best.
The “tower” they seek to build represents what we see in every instance when self-righteous, arrogant, and greedy fools attempt to raise themselves, and their group, about the rest of humanity. It has happened time and time again, whenever and wherever “empires” rise up. Those walls come tumbling down, and there is confusion among various groups of people. We see this today, when people such as Sarah Palin insist that their words do not mean exactly what she absolutely said; when George W. Bush used 1984-Speak to lie to this country's citizens; when racists use “code” words to incite; and when Washington steals tax dollars to pay for the sins of Wall Street. We hear it every time some preacher uses their own twisted belief system to justify the denial of the human right to marry the person they love to a specific group within the population – black people yesterday, gay & lesbian people today. I say that is their slime, not Universal Law.
A non-religious person is as likely as anyone else to grasp the higher meaning of these esoteric teachings. Certainly, a large segment of church-goers doesn't have a clue. Thus, again: I am not writing this as a religious essay; rather, I'm interpreting an ancient mythological story that applies to our nation, today.
Peace,
H2O Man
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